Today's Los Angeles Times has a great op-ed piece by Johah Goldberg looking at the corruption level of the current Congress. He points out that the Democrat party took back Congress and the White House on claims that they would end the corruption in both places and be ethical and transparent. Well, it hasn't really worked out that way.
The list is fairly well-known--a treasury secretary and house member with tax problems, a sweetheart mortgage for a Senator--there's more, read the article to see specifics. But that really isn't the point.
Jonah Goldberg points to the real source of the problem--corruption is inevitable when people in government have too much discretion in spending our money. Instead of looking to the public market for its profits, business has to look to Washington (part of the cost of products made in America is the cost any large corporation has to pay for Washington lobbyists to protect their interests). As the government takes over more of the private sector, the culture of corruption will continue to grow within government. This is the reason we do not want the government to take over our healthcare or the student loan program. That will only provide more opportunity for mischief!
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