These are exciting times in Washington. The Redskins are in the playoffs, Tom Delay is looking for a new job in the House, and Dick Cheney having trouble breathing. I would too, if I were him, his Republican money machine looks like it's about to stall. Since politics in Washington is the most closely watched sporting event, people are getting the popcorn ready, chilling cocktails, and wondering what powerful member of Congress will be the next to bite the dust. Is anyone taking bets? I'm thinking it will be Ney of Ohio, he's in it up to his chin.
It's a bit disturbing that there isn't more outrage over this emerging pattern of corruption. I would think that Americans, being the upright and moral people they claim to be would be completely freaked about the selling of legislation whether it concerns something as trivial as gambling, or something more serious like the environment. If you are naive enough to think that this is an isolated incident, it would be a good idea to look more closely at the campaign contributions of your elected representatives. I wonder why the Christians organizations aren't more angry about being used as a money laundering stop for corrupt politicians?
Maybe Americans have figured that a certain level of corruption is tolerable in government. I can relate, I'm from Chicago, home of the Daley machine, I grew up with corruption. Governing is a dirty business, just look at the campaigns these guys run. But I guess when I moved here, I had different expectations for the Federal Government. I used to get this thrill from walking past the Capital, it is truly an amazing sight, especially at night. I never imagined that a President would have messy sex in the Oval Office with a girl who was barely older than his daughter. I never imagined that he would lie about it and cause the nation to suffer embarrassment because of it. In Chicago, if older men are lucky enough to have sex with a younger woman, they brag about it. I never imagined that a President would invent reasons for going to war, war is serious, and deadly. I never imagined that Americans would support lies knowing that the lie brings something much worse than embarrassment, the lie brings dead children home in caskets draped in the flag. I never thought that Americans would choose oil over the lives of children, but here it has happened, and it continues without any end in sight, just a promise that we will complete the mission.
I think it's a question of proximity. When you live in the Midwest and you are raised to recite the pledge of allegiance every morning, you grow up well-fed and sheltered, you don't see the money changing hands. If you move to Washington, and you are part of the service industry, you get to see up close and in your face, just how power corrupts and makes leaders into power junkies. My first year here taught me many things about our upstanding lawmakers. I was at the local nursery buying some bedding plants when a Congressman's wife got out of her car and slugged another customer because she cut in front of her in the mulch line. And then lied about it to the police afterwards, are you surprised? Once Blank Blank (remember the press secretary from the Clinton days?) found one of my vendor's trucks blocking her in her parking space and knocked on the guy's window and said, "Move YOUR F-ING TRUCK NOW!" She seemed really nice and professional on CNN. Just last week, I was fighting with William, (who is now my boss, ooops) about who was going to check in a delivery, since our warehouse manager was on vacation. William was doing some important HR stuff (so he said, I really think he was logged on to hotmenonmen.com), so not wanting to waste energy arguing about the issue, I caved, and walked back to check in the delivery. When I got back to my office, I walked by William, all red-faced and looking like he might vomit suddenly, getting bitched out by ____ _______ the former aid to Cheney who almost got caught in the Plamegate scandal.
My point is......hmmmn okay there was a point? Oh right! These people who make decisions about your future, about your job, about the lives of your children, they're not nice, even the Democrats. And while they may have run on some campaign promise to protect the family, or the jobs of ordinary Americans, they are, by the position that they hold, subject to many forms of bribery, and after all are just human like you and I. And some of them don't even have the upbringing or the manners to refrain from slugging someone who cuts in front of them.
The only way to change the way our elected officials do business is to stop the flow of money from finding it's way into their pockets. We need true campaign reform, not some watered down version of it. If you are naive enough to believe that our system works just fine, or if you are comfortable with a certain amount of corruption, I invite you to move to Washington where you will have the opportunity, up close and in your face, to view just how the system works.
A little word of advice.....don't cut in front of a Republican at the nursery.
