From this post.

[I posted:] "What I can't seem to make anyone understand, is in a mixed economy, where the government is given vast powers over the private business sector, this flow of money from businesses to legislators is a given. The system itself demands it. Any so-called "campaign reform" will be worthless, as the money will find another direction to flow."



No, the system does NOT demand any such thing. In fact, the corruption you so rightly object to is precisely a perversion of the system and must be vigorously prosecuted. Campaign reform need not be worthless if violations are not just winked at.



Yes. The system does demand it. It is not a perversion of our existing governmental system, any more than being a carnivore is a perversion for a hyena. Bribery, and/or protection money, rapidly becomes the heart of any mixed economy. If you don't feed the beast then, like Gates, you are first on the menu. A business or businessman that does not play the campaign donation game is committing effective suicide. At the very least, their competitors, who ARE greasing the wheels of power, will use that political power to attack the business or gain favorable legislation and tax rulings over them. At worst, the politicians themselves will threaten them with the many and various economic weapons available to our government until the business ponies up.

Like I said before, for every business outfit using campaign contributions to gain special favors or destroy competitors, there are probably dozens who are, plain and simple, paying protection money in self-defense.

Most companies have to actually maintain a constant presence in Washington. In "Atlas Shrugged," Hank Rearden had what they called a "man in Washington." As it says in the book, "He knew that it was necessary to have a man to protect him from the legislature; all industrialists had to employ such men. But he had never given much attention to this aspect of his business; he could not quite convince himself it was necessary." Rearden pays dearly later on for his ignorance of such matters when Washington tries to wreck him and his company.

I have helped found companies large enough--and it's not that large--to need a "man in Washington." In our specific case it was to make sure the FAA didn't arbitrarily decide we shouldn't be able to exist. You would be astonished at how much legwork you have to do around Washington and Sacramento just to be permitted to do business at all. Again, it's not corruption--it's self defense.

And hey, can we try and remember that it takes two to be corrupt? These sanctimonious politicians who are demanding all these campaign reforms can do one simple thing today to fix everything: stop taking the contributions. Don't cash the checks. I want to see a member of Congress stand up and say, "I'm not going to pass out favors for money anymore. If you want to keep sending cash, fine, but don't expect anything for it. If you send me money and ask for me to bend the rules for you, you're getting the money back."

Funny. Don't see a lot of this happening. I guess the Evil Corporations are grabbing the Senators and Congressmen, forcing money into their hands, and dragging them kicking and screaming down the the ATM to put it into their accounts. Kind of like how the cigarette companies grab weeping children from the streets, tie them up in cellars and stuff cigarettes into their mouths until they are addicted.

The only way to permanently stop corruption in government is to reduce the power of the government over the private sector.

But hey, the liberals don't really want that, do they? They LIKE the power. They LOVE the idea of someone who has talent they would never be able to dream of, someone like Bill Gates, hauled in to stand in front of their bloated sweaty carcasses while they sit on their high podiums. Standing with his hat in his hand, in front of creatures who for the most part have never in their lives built or created anything or done anything but tear down the productive, and forced to beg for the right to exist.