Culture Of Bribery

The Christian Science Monitor has an outstanding article on "A Culture of Bribery in Congress" in today's edition. This articles strikes one of the most important themes held, and written about, by myself and staff of the Vote Out Incumbents for Democracy organization. The Monitor opens their article with the following two paragraphs:

Almost every US lawmaker takes big money aimed at helping private interests win favorable government action. If they stash the cash for themselves, it's illegal. If they use it to get reelected, keep their job, and help the private interests, it's generally legal.

Either way, money still talks in Washington and the legal/illegal distinction gets easily blurred in all the backroom dealings with private interests until, that is, a brazen case of bribery pops up. Then Washington, if it had any sense, might ask if the laws and rules that regulate campaign donations and lobbyist gifts are tough enough or prosecutors are vigilant enough.

For these reasons and more, it is imperative that VOID succeed in reaching a few million voters to vote anti-incumbent in 2006. Just a few million anti-incumbent votes will alter our election landscape and force politicians to reassess what it is going to take to preserve their incumbency.

Read the full Christian Science Monitor article here, A Culture of Bribery in Congress".