Former Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Corruption in Office

CHICAGO—Former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was sentenced today to 14 years in federal prison following his conviction at trials in 2010 and 2011 on 18 felony counts of corruption during his tenure as governor, including his effort in 2008 to illegally trade the appointment of a United States Senator in exchange for $1.5 million in campaign contributions or other personal benefits. Blagojevich was also sentenced for shaking down the chief executive of a children’s hospital for $25,000 in campaign contributions in exchange for implementing an increase to pediatric reimbursement rates; holding up the signing of a bill to benefit the Illinois horse racing industry in an attempt to illegally obtain $100,000 in campaign contributions; and lying to the FBI in 2005.

 

Blagojevich, who will turn 55 on Dec. 10, was ordered to surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Feb. 16, 2012, to begin serving his sentence. The prison term is the longest-ever imposed on a former governor in the Northern District of Illinois.

 

“When it is the governor who goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn, disfigured and not easily repaired,” U.S. District Judge James Zagel said in imposing the sentence after a two-day hearing. “The harm here is not measured in the value of money or property . . . the harm is the erosion of public trust in government,” he said.

 

The judge imposed a fine of $20,000 and two years of supervised release after incarceration. Blagojevich also must pay a special assessment of $1,800, or $100 on each count of conviction.

 

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Zagel agreed with the government that the properly calculated advisory federal sentencing guidelines provided for a sentencing range of 30 years to life. He also agreed with the government that the range was not appropriate within the context of this case, and found an “effective” guideline range of 188 to 235 months in prison, which was proximate to the government’s recommended sentence of 15 to 20 years. The judge further reduced the range to 151 to 188 months after finding that Blagojevich accepted responsibility for his crimes at sentencing.

 

In sentencing papers, the government contended that “Blagojevich’s criminal activity was serious, extended, and extremely damaging.” The crimes proven at trial were not isolated incidents, but, instead, were part of an approach to public office that Blagojevich adopted from the moment he became governor after he was first elected in 2002 on the heels of gubernatorial corruption and running on a campaign to end “pay-to-play” politics.

 

“Blagojevich betrayed the trust and faith that Illinois voters placed in him, feeding great public frustration, cynicism and disengagement among citizens. People have the right to expect that their elected leaders will honor the oath they swear to, and this sentence shows that the justice system will stand up to protect their expectations,” said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

 

“The sentence handed down today represents a repayment of the debt that Blagojevich owes to the people of Illinois. While promising an open and honest administration, in reality, the former governor oversaw a comprehensive assault on the public’s trust,” said Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

 

Thomas P. Brady, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago, said: “The United States Postal Inspection Service is proud to be one of the federal law enforcement agencies to help ferret out this type of political corruption in Illinois. The Inspection Service is committed to increasing the public’s trust and confidence through our investigations of fraudulent activity. While the sentencing today closes one chapter, we must adhere to a renewed standard of accountability to ensure that the citizens of our state are not victimized by political corruption and greed.”

 

Alvin Patton, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago, said: “Today’s sentence sends a loud message that public corruption will not be tolerated. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division, together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively pursue violators of the public trust. Regardless of political office or position, no one is above the law.”

 

James Vanderberg, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, said: “This sentence sends a clear message that public officials cannot engage in corruption for personal benefit in exchange for political favors.

 

Blagojevich, a lawyer and former state prosecutor, state legislator, and U.S. Representative, was arrested on Dec. 9, 2008, while serving his second term as governor. He was accused of using his office in numerous matters involving state appointments, business, legislation and pension fund investments to seek or obtain such financial benefits as money, campaign contributions, and employment for himself and others, in exchange for official actions, including trying to leverage his authority to appoint a United States Senator to replace then President-Elect Obama.

 

Blagojevich went to trial in the summer of 2010 and was convicted of lying to FBI agents when he falsely told them in an interview on March 16, 2005, that he did not track, or want to know, who contributed to him or how much money they contributed to him, but the jury was deadlocked on all remaining counts.

 

He went to trial again in the spring of 2011 and was convicted on 17 additional counts, including 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of attempted extortion, two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion, one count of soliciting bribes, and two counts of conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes.

 

The prosecution was part of Operation Board Games, a public corruption investigation of pay-to-play schemes, including insider-dealing, influence-peddling and kickbacks involving private interests and public duties. The investigation began in 2003 and has resulted in convictions against 15 defendants, including two former chiefs of staff for Blagojevich while he was governor.

 

The government is being represented in the Blagojevich case by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reid Schar, Carrie Hamilton and Christopher Niewoehner.

Former Alaska Legislators Peter Kott and Victor Kohring Convicted and Sentenced for Public Corruption Crimes

ANCHORAGE—United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that two former members of the Alaska legislature pled guilty and were sentenced in federal court in Anchorage on charges of political corruption.

 

Peter Kott pled and was convicted of bribery concerning programs that receive federal funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B). Pursuant to the plea agreement, Kott was sentenced to 17 months in prison, the time he has already served, and placed on three years of supervised release with a curfew for the first 12 months. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Victor Kohring was convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs that receive federal funds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and similarly sentenced to time he had previously served (12 months in prison) and placed on supervised release for a period of 18 months.

 

Both Kott and Kohring admitted to taking money from former VECO Corporation CEO Bill Allen during the 2006 legislative session and using their positions as state legislators to push for the adoption of what was known as the 20/20 PPT legislation that VECO wanted passed. As a major oil field services company in Alaska, VECO stood to profit greatly if the legislature agreed to the 20/20 PPT legislation leading to the construction of a new gas pipeline from the North Slope of Alaska.

Beginning in about 2005, the State of Alaska was involved in negotiations with representatives of the three major oil producers in Alaska concerning the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope. On or about February 21, 2006, the governor of Alaska announced that he had reached an agreement with BP, Conoco Phillips and Exxon regarding the construction of a gas pipeline. This agreement included a significant change to the manner in which the state taxed the producers on oil production. Under the new agreement, taxes on oil production would be based upon a percentage of the producers’ net profits (instead of gross profits), and producers would also receive a tradable tax credit for capital investments. This new tax system was referred to as the petroleum production tax, or “PPT,” and under the agreement reached with the producers, the formula would be a 20 percent tax with a 20 percent tradable tax credit. This became known as the 20/20 PPT tax rate.

 

Shortly after reaching an agreement with the producers, the governor’s administration proposed a bill to the Alaska State Legislature that would adopt the 20/20 PPT tax rate into law. This legislation was referred to as the PPT legislation, the 20/20 PPT, or the Governor’s bill, and it was initially considered by the Alaska State Legislature in 2006 as Senate Bill 305. If the Alaska State Legislature did not adopt this legislation and approve the new 20/20 PPT tax rate, then the agreement concerning the construction of the natural gas pipeline would not take effect.

 

On February 23, 2006, Kohring accepted $1,000 in cash from Bill Allen during a dinner at the Island Pub in Douglas, Alaska. Kohring knew that Allen was intending to influence his votes and other official actions, and Kohring took the money intending to be rewarded and knowing and understanding why Allen gave it to him. Kohring subsequently took steps to assist Allen and VECO VP Rick Smith reach the goal of the conspiracy, which was to have the legislature pass the 20/20 PPT legislation. He spoke to his fellow legislators about the 20/20 PPT, and provided information to Allen and Smith about how he expected people to vote.

 

On March 30, 2006, Kohring again met with Allen and Smith and asked if they could help him with a $17,000 credit card debt that he owed, and that he told them could hurt him politically if it was not paid and became public. During that meeting, Allen gave him additional money and he accepted it.

 

Between January and the end of August 2006, Kott corruptly solicited and agreed to accept over $7,900 in monetary payments and a promise of future employment from Allen, Smith and VECO. Specifically, Kott solicited and accepted $7,993 from Allen in the form of a false invoice and fabricated payment to Kott’s hardwood flooring business. He also solicited the promise of a future job from Bill Allen that he knew Allen and VECO could arrange. Kott solicited and accepted these things intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with his official acts as a member of the State Legislature related to the PPT legislation, Allen and Smith also arranged for a political poll for Kott that was paid for by VECO at a cost of $2,700, and Allen gave Kott $1,000 in cash on another occasion. In exchange, Kott took direction from Allen and Smith on how to vote on various amendments to and versions of the PPT legislation that were considered by the State House in 2006, he lobbied his fellow legislators to do the same, and he provided Allen and Smith with information about the status of projected outcomes of House votes on various versions of this legislation.

 

With the conclusion of these two prosecutions, a total of six former State of Alaska legislators have been convicted as part of the Polar Pen corruption investigation, including former State Senator John Cowdery and former State Representatives Tom Anderson, Beverly Masek, and Bruce Weyhrauch. In addition, VECO executives Allen and Smith, businessman Bill Weimar, and businessman and lobbyist William Bobrick were also convicted of felony charges arising out of the investigation—a total of 10 convictions.

 

United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler noted that a message has been sent, that Alaskan citizens deserve a clean and open political system. Corrupt politicians and those who seek to benefit from corrupt politicians will not be tolerated.

 

The prosecutions of Kott and Kohring were the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

RNC Chairman Priebus Calls On Obama Administration to Come Clean On Solyndra Scandal

By Michael Short

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus released the following statement calling on the Obama Administration to come clean on its dealings with the bankrupt green firm Solyndra which has left taxpayers on the hook for over $500 million:

“As the FBI and Energy Department expand their investigation into solar energy company Solyndra, it is time for the self-proclaimed most transparent White House in history to release all documents related to their involvement with  the failed government-backed company.

“If this administration is serious about being the most transparent in history, it will make available to the American taxpayer the details of Solyndra’s failure.  With the President traveling the country touting his Stimulus II plan, it is important to understand the lessons from his first Stimulus.  A year ago, he made Solyndra the supposed poster-child for stimulus success.  After laying off 1,100 workers, wasting over $500 million in loan guarantees and becoming the subject of an FBI investigation, Solyndra is now the prime example of stimulus failure.

“Solyndra’s downfall puts a spotlight on the kind of taxpayer-funded cronyism this White House said it would eliminate.  After bundling tens of thousands of dollars for President Obama and his campaign, company officials were granted at least 20 visits to the White House and had Energy Department officials sitting in on company board meetings.  Before taxpayers are forced to spend another dime of stimulus money, the White House must explain why they were so reckless the first time around.”

For background on the developing Solyndra scandal please see the following briefing from RNC Research: http://bit.ly/mZFiIi.

Former Massachusetts State Senator Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

WASHINGTON -    Bernard Joseph Tully, a former Massachusetts state senator, has pleaded guilty for devising a scheme to defraud a Boston-area businessman out of approximately $18,000 by falsely representing that Tully and his co-conspirator were using the funds to bribe public officials.   Unbeknownst to Tully, the businessman reported Tully’s overtures to the FBI.

The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz for the District of Massachusetts and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office.

Tully, 84, of Dracut, Mass., pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris to one count of wire fraud.   According to court documents, Tully formerly served as the city manager for Lowell, Mass., from approximately 1979 to 1987.   Prior to serving as city manager, Tully was a state senator representing Lowell and other areas.

According to information presented at the plea hearing and in court documents, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) determined in early 2009 that it needed to discontinue its lease for the Lowell RMV, due to lack of funds. According to court documents, Tully became aware of the possible closure of the Lowell RMV and contacted the Boston-area businessman who owned the space where the Lowell RMV was housed.    Tully told the businessman that if he paid Tully, Tully would ensure a state senator would find money in order to keep the RMV in the space owned by the businessman.   Later, according to court documents, Tully again contacted the businessman and told him that he need to pay Tully so that Tully could pay the public official, otherwise the RMV would have to move out of the space.  

On July 3, 2009, the RMV announced it was closing the Lowell office as well as other RMV offices on July 23, 2009.   Tully and a co-conspirator subsequently visited the businessman and told him that he would need to pay $20,000 to keep the RMV in Lowell.   The businessman agreed that he wanted the RMV to stay, and Tully said he would start making telephone calls while his co-conspirator said he would talk to the public official.  

On July 15, 2009, the businessman gave the co-conspirator a $5,000 check, which the co-conspirator cashed and gave a portion of the funds to Tully.   On July 17, 2009, the businessman received a 90-day extension on the lease from the RMV to Oct. 31, 2009.   

Thereafter, according to court documents, the businessman had a series of meetings and telephone conversations with Tully and his co-conspirator about securing another lease extension from the RMV.   During these conversations, Tully and his co-conspirator falsely represented to the businessman that they needed additional money to make payments to various public officials in exchange for their official acts to secure the RMV’s continued presence in the businessman’s building.   Between November 2009 and March 2010, the businessman, while cooperating with the FBI, paid Tully and the co-conspirator approximately $18,000 as bribe payments designed to secure the official assistance of various public officials.

In fact, Tully and his co-conspirator never paid any money to any public officials.   According to court documents, Tully admitted in a May 2010 interview with FBI agents that he received approximately $12,000 in cash and checks from the businessman, and that he split the money with his co-conspirator.   Tully also admitted that he had heard about the RMV’s plan to move the Lowell office out of the businessman’s office building from people who worked in the office, and that the businessman had contacted him for assistance.    Tully admitted that he spoke with friends of friends of the Lowell legislative delegation about obtaining a lease extension and preventing the move of the Lowell RMV.

Tully admitted that he told the businessman that he was “throwing money around” at elected officials, but in actuality he did not.   He admitted that he did this to give the businessman the impression that he, Tully, was influencing the legislative delegation.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2011, at 3:00 p.m.   According to the plea agreement, the government has agreed not to seek punishment beyond home confinement, 36 months of supervised release, a fine to be calculated under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and restitution of $18,000.  

The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Massachusetts Inspector General’s Office and the Lowell Police Department.   It is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel William M. Welch II and Kevin Driscoll of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Public Corruption Unit.

Former Member of Virginia House of Delegates Sentenced to 114 Months in Prison for Bribery and Extortion

WASHINGTON – Phillip A. Hamilton, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, was sentenced today to 114 months in prison after he was previously convicted of soliciting employees of Old Dominion University (ODU) for a paid position in exchange for introducing a budget amendment to fund the position, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia.

“Phillip Hamilton traded on his influence in one of the oldest legislative bodies in the United States for a paid position at Old Dominion University, netting himself approximately $80,000 over two years,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.  “Today he learned that betraying the trust of Virginia’s citizens and his fellow legislators has a much higher price.  For his acts of bribery and extortion, he will now spend 114 months in prison – an example to public officials and the electorate that the Justice Department will vigorously pursue those who abuse their public office.  The Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and our partners in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are committed to rooting out self-dealing by public officials and holding them accountable when they misuse their positions for personal gain.”

“Today is a sad day in the history of the Commonwealth,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Phil Hamilton used his powerful influence as a 20-year state legislator to extort officials at ODU and became the first elected legislator in Virginia to be convicted of selling his position for personal gain. We hope his conviction and sentence will serve as a reminder to every elected official in the Commonwealth that they must uphold the public’s trust or face similar consequences.”

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson also ordered Hamilton, 59, to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term and directed him to self surrender to authorities on or before Sept. 19, 2011.  Hamilton was convicted by a jury in Richmond, Va., on May 11, 2011, of one count of federal program bribery and one count of extortion under color of official right. 

Hamilton was elected in 1988 to represent the 93rd District in the Virginia House of Delegates, which includes Newport News and James City County, Va.  As part of his duties, Hamilton sat on the Elementary & Secondary Education Subcommittee of the Virginia House Appropriations Committee.

According to the Jan. 5, 2011, indictment and evidence presented at trial, from August 2006 through February 2007, Hamilton solicited employees of ODU for a position as director for the ODU Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership.  The center’s objective was to train teachers for success in urban school environments.  During this period, Hamilton simultaneously introduced a budget amendment that would establish and fund the center, including his salary as the director.

According to an email that Hamilton sent to an ODU official on Dec. 21, 2006, which was admitted as evidence at trial, Hamilton stated that the current budget did not include any funding for the center, his retirement payments from another source were being reduced in May 2007, and he would need to supplement his current income.  Evidence at trial showed that an ODU official assured Hamilton in December 2006 and January 2007 that if ODU obtained funding from the Virginia General Assembly for the creation of the center, then Hamilton would have a job at the center.  During this same period, in January 2007, Hamilton introduced a budget amendment in the House of Delegates to appropriate $1 million in fiscal year 2007-2008 (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008) for a “Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership.”  The amendment passed the full committee unanimously. 

On Feb. 24, 2007, after a conference between the Virginia house and senate that resulted in an amendment to appropriate $500,000 to ODU for the center – for which Hamilton voted in favor - the budget bill was passed.  The next day, according to evidence at trial, Hamilton and ODU officials exchanged emails about Hamilton receiving the director job.  Approximately three people applied in response to a job posting for the position; however, none of them were interviewed.  Hamilton, who was awarded the job, never submitted an application.

In June 2007, Hamilton and an ODU official signed an employee contract indicating, among other things, that Hamilton would direct the center and seek continual funding for the center.  The contract also stated that Hamilton would be paid $40,000 per year.  From approximately July 2007 through July 2009, Hamilton collected approximately $80,000 from ODU.

Evidence at trial showed that Hamilton took numerous steps to conceal this arrangement, including telling ODU officials not to mention his name in connection with the center to members of the Virginia Senate Finance Committee; advising an ODU official to tell a Virginia senate staffer that the official, and not Hamilton, was the director of the center; and unsuccessfully attempting to persuade ODU leadership not to release incriminating emails in response to a Freedom of Information Act request that ODU had received.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney David V. Harbach II of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Seidel Jr. of the Eastern District of Virginia.  The case was investigated by the FBI.  

Former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Lobbyist Convicted on Corruption Charges

Salvatore Dimasi And Beacon Hill Lobbyist Convicted by Federal Jury Today in Corruption Case

BOSTON, MA—A federal jury today convicted SALVATORE F. DiMASI, former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and a Beacon Hill lobbyist and close friend, of a scheme to deprive the Massachusetts citizens of his honest services by accepting bribes. In its verdict the jury found that DiMasi improperly used his power and influence to enable a software company to obtain multi-million dollar procurements from agencies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Following a six-week trial, and three days of jury deliberations, DiMASI, 65, of Boston and RICHARD W. McDONOUGH, 66, of Foxboro were convicted by a federal jury in Boston of one count of conspiracy, three counts of honest services mail fraud and three counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of extortion under color of official right (Hobbs Act). Co-conspirator, JOSEPH P. LALLY, 50, of North Reading, previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for DiMASI and McDONOUGH on August 18, 2011.

RICHARD D. VITALE, 66, of Boston, who was charged as a co-conspirator, was acquitted of all charges. VITALE was DiMASI’s accountant and financial advisor, as well as a long-time close friend.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said, “Public service and elected office is not a right or an entitlement—it is a privilege that comes with the public’s expectation of truthfulness and honesty. Today, justice has been served and the culture of corruption has been dealt another blow.”

Ortiz concluded, “The citizens of Massachusetts put extraordinary trust in Mr. DiMasi, and he betrayed that trust when he chose to conspire with his friends to use his office in order to line his pockets, and theirs. Today, Mr. DiMasi and Mr. McDonough paid the price for their decision to abuse their influence for their own personal gain.”

“In response to allegations of illegal activity by Mr. DiMasi, the FBI and the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General initiated an investigation. Whenever honest and effective government administration is undermined by corrupt public officials, the FBI will turn its focus on those responsible,” said Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation—Boston Field Division.

“Unfortunately, this is the third time over past year that Massachusetts elected public officials have been convicted of graft-related offenses. These elected officials used their public office to illegally tilt the playing field to their personal advantage and for self-enrichment,” added DesLauriers. “These crimes seriously erode and indeed undermine our democratic institutions and the public’s expectation of honest government—investigating them is a top criminal investigative priority of the Boston Division of the FBI.”

LALLY was an Area Vice-President of Sales for the State and Local Government Division of Cognos ULC (Cognos), a Canadian software company that sold business intelligence and performance management software and related services which targeted Massachusetts government agencies as potential customers. LALLY left Cognos and formed his own company, Montvale Solutions, LLC which was licensed to resell Cognos software to agencies in Massachusetts. McDONOUGH was a lobbyist hired by LALLY and a close friend of DiMASI. According to testimony during trial, when DiMASI became Speaker of the House in 2004, income from his outside law practice decreased significantly. In December 2004, McDONOUGH, DiMASI and LALLY arranged to have money funneled to DiMASI through a law associate of DiMASI’s, Steven Topazio, with whom DiMASI had a fee sharing arrangement. Over the next two years, although Topazio was given no work nor asked to perform any services, he was paid $5,000 per month by Cognos as arranged by the defendants.

Through this sham arrangement, DiMASI was paid $65,000 over the course of the two year period in exchange for taking official actions that would benefit Cognos, LALLY and McDONOUGH. Such actions included securing legislative funding for two Cognos software contracts with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts worth $17.5 million.

The evidence also showed that DiMASI lobbied Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and members of his Administration, in an effort to get the Cognos contract executed. After the Boston Globe wrote a series of articles in 2008, questioning the Cognos contracts, DiMASI suggested that Topazio “loose his check register” that showed the Cognos payments. DiMASI also lied to his press secretary about his knowledge of the Topazio payments from Cognos and LALLY’s connection to Cognos.

DiMASI and McDONOUGH each face up to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and $250,000 fine on each of the six counts of mail and wire fraud; up to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release and $250,000 fine on the extortion under color of official right count; and up to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy count.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Massachusetts Inspector General’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys S. Theodore Merritt and Anthony E. Fuller of Ortiz’s Public Corruption Unit and Kristina

Allegory of the Cave and American Politics, part 3

By Zach Foster
Continued from Part 2

If simple mayors can simultaneously strip their indifferent constituents of freedom and make themselves rich, what is stopping members of Congress—who have multibillion dollar special interest groups throwing money and favors at them—from going down the same crooked route?  In the last decade alone, over a dozen members of the U.S. Congress were caught in some sort of scandal that cost them their position and whose actions harmed people.  This is only members of Congress, only those who got caught, not counting Legislative Branch employees, federal judges, Executive Branch officials, and administration officials.  While many American elected officials work hard to both make life better for their constituents and preserve freedoms against legislation and government action that would strip freedoms, there are those who are in politics only for themselves.  Several things motivate them, chiefly the money and perks coupled with the general indifference and willful ignorance of a population.  Where are the watchdogs?  Why are people not vigilant towards their elected officials?  Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and other national founders universally stressed that the preservation of liberty comes by dissent and a vigilant watchful eye.  Yet nowadays, not only do public officials go corrupt and unnoticed by a population hypnotized by Party propaganda or some social network, but corrupt people run and get elected!

The author fears that this trend will continue in the 2012 Presidential election.  The Democratic Party will be endorsing the incumbent President Obama, who has a strong likelihood of being reelected.  Of the forty-four U.S. Presidents, only twelve have served a single term—thirty two served more than one.  Furthermore, Obama has not completely alienated his supporters, and despite disillusionment over his continued waging of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his supporters still cling to him because of the passage of the Health Care Reform Act.  The Democratic Party is strong and united behind Barack Obama while the Republican Party is weak in its disunity.  See the article “Why Barack Obama Will Be Reelected” for further and in-depth reasons for his coming reelection.

There is no one candidate that Republicans are rallying behind.  The current popular front runner for the Republican nomination is Donald Trump.  Upon first learning of his popularity with Republicans, the author thought it was literally a joke.  Yet the frightening reality has set in that Republicans see him as the Messiah who will defeat the Muslim Stalin and restore Zion, bringing about the second coming of Ronald Reagan.  This could remind many of how so many Americans overwhelmingly placed quasi-Messianic hopes on Obama in 2008.  Try to recall the closing of the polls on November 4, 2008.  Recall Oprah Winfrey and Jesse Jackson crying tears of joy, Chris Matthews rambling ecstatically, college students everywhere falling over weeping with happiness, Keith Olberman actually having something positive to say…  The underlying motivation for such belief and emotion was pure utopian idealism from the American Left and much of the Center.  They bought completely into his propaganda of hope and change.  On the Right, Obama has been viewed as nothing but a Marxist-Leninist Al Qaeda-sympathizing non-citizen who is out to destroy America and the free world.  They too have bought into partisan propaganda.

All over the political spectrum Americans are willfully chaining themselves to the cavern wall and choosing to believe that the shadows on the wall represent the real world.  One of their fellow prisoners escaped and saw the real world, and returned to open their eyes to the truth—yet they don’t recognize his voice and they see only the shadows on the cavern wall.  For some, the shadows are the hope and change, the low gas prices, the stable economy with a plethora of available jobs, and the immediate end of the Iraq War which were promised in 2008.  For others, the shadows are whatever hateful propaganda Fox News has spouted—any network that endorses the idea of Donald Trump running for President is deceitful, dishonest, and a remorseless propaganda machine.  To endorse a man who is an openly imperialist extortionist and one of the CEOs whose foolish too-big-to-fail policies brought about the financial recession to take the helm of the party of financial responsibility and the party that best represents the working class is the equivalent of chaining one’s self to the cave, chaining another person to the cave, and making that person join in watching the shadows.  Again, for elaboration on Trump's poor qualifications, see the above-recommended article.  Many Conservatives—especially ultraconservatives—love to laugh and point at the Leftists for their delusions while ignoring their own indoctrination as they lock-step march to the tune of the Party, hijacked by extremists, ultraconservatives, and ultranationalists.  This is a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black—of the prisoner laughing at his cave-bound brother for being in bondage.

Continued in Part 4: Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Herman Cain, and Ron Paul

Allegory of the Cave and American Politics, part 2

By Zach Foster

Continued from Part 1

Let the reader take into consideration the idea of a large open field on the outskirts of the city or town.  This open field is fairly well known.  Rabbits and other small field animals make their homes there, while birds and occasionally owls make their homes in the dispersed trees.  Environmentalists like to stroll through there in the morning to enjoy nature.  Families periodically picnic there in the afternoons.  Amateur astronomers like to forget about their 9-to-5 jobs and take their telescopes there at night to enjoy the celestial wonders, away from the city’s street lights and the glows from kitchen windows.  Teenagers periodically go there to make out.  This open field is in an unincorporated area and is no one’s property, yet it is a very popular place.  The community seems to have established and agreed to an unwritten social contract that this un-owned piece of land belongs to everyone.

Meanwhile, the said mayor and city council took notice of their constituents’ lack of civil awareness and saw an opportunity for themselves.  They raised city taxes, passed a measure to raise their own salaries, passed another measure to raise the salaries of the top municipal police (in order to have the cops in their pockets), applied for some federal environmental grant resulting in passing another law requiring every homeowner to plant a tree in their front yard or pay a heavy fine (much to the chagrin of those with impeccable front lawns and gardens), zoned an area in favor of porn shops and liquor stores rather than restaurants and mom-and-pop shops.  They also, in a closed session, incorporated the popular field, flattened it, tore down the trees, and sold the land to a major globalized department store—a threat not only to the environment and the local wildlife, but also to the local economy, especially the small consumer goods businesses.  There is now a chain link fence surrounding the field, and any citizen trespassing will be fined or arrested.  All of a sudden municipal elections seem to matter!  Better yet, the mayoral candidate that lost the election was in favor of mom-and-pop shops, lower property taxes, and wanted to make the field into a nature park and a wildlife preserve.  Don’t municipal elections all of a sudden matter more?  After this series of crooked measures, the citizens literally have fewer freedoms and the community has been impacted for the worse.  This corrupt mayor and city council represent many politicians who perhaps started with good intentions but were corrupted by the power, prestige, and perquisites that come with the territory of public office.

Those who keep themselves chained to the allegorical cavern walls may still be on their messianic high from voting for Barack Obama in 2008, and not only do they feel good because they took part in “saving the world” by voting for him (or whatever rock star candidate in whatever election), but they also convince themselves that this kind of corruption doesn’t happen, or that it rarely ever happens at all.  Reality says otherwise.

New York City councilmember Larry Seabrook was hit with a sixty-six page federal indictment including fraud, scams, false reimbursements (like $177 for a $7 lunch), embezzlement of tens of thousands of dollars from philanthropic organizations, redirecting non-profit funds to his girlfriend’s private account (and he’s married), etc.  In California’s city of Bell, City Manager Robert Rizzo was raking in a salary of $800,000 plus schemes on the side, while other city councilmembers and workers were making $357-500 thousand a year, and part-timers bringing in $100,000—all from the public coffers.  Corruption charges were filed against councilmembers from Carlisle, NY and Baltimore, MD, city call workers from Dallas, TX and Baltimore, MD.  These are just a sampling of the hundreds of municipal corruption cases in the United States from last year alone.

If simple mayors can simultaneously strip their indifferent constituents of freedom and make themselves rich, what is stopping members of Congress—who have multibillion dollar special interest groups throwing money and favors at them—from going down the same crooked route?

Continued in Part 3: City Councils, U.S. Congress, and blissful ignorance in the 2012 elections