What are we really dealing with? Political patronage or bribery?

[The Backlash Cometh]

What comes first? Rewarding the cronies? Or creating them with bribes? We're so use to thinking that it's the lobbyist that are corrupting the politicians, but Bush Administration is so powerful, that the true story appears to be just the opposite. It's the Bush Administration who is corrupting the country.

The real story is the various and creative ways that they have been tempting, (read bribing) people to do things that they would otherwise think unethical or even criminal. Following the money is not enough, because we have a pretty good idea where it will lead: ie. GOP, RNC, Rove etc., so instead, "LOOK at the form of bribery," or, specifically, the inducers they're using.

Money transactions are easy to track with this Administration. They’re coming from the public coffers:

The Faith-based initiative was all about passing out federal money to parochial institutions. It didn't just go to traditional Republican leaning private schools. Bush was about to use it to take in churches with black congregations, by exploiting the one thing that conservatives seem to have trouble with: gay marriage.

The Pundit Payola, easy. They bought journalists.

Hurricane relief for areas that were never in the hurricane path. No brainer. They were trying to buy votes in Florida.

Those are all easy. But then it starts getting scary.

Cheney uses his influence to interfere with public policy on water usage in order to buy off some right-wingers in the heartland, and 70,000 salmon die. <Sidebar: Notice, how that's the headline these days: 70,000 dead Salmon, and not that an Indian tribe lost its livelihood, because, let's face it, that story has been been playing for years and nobody listened. But Salmon, well, that's something that might pull some heart strings.>

What other creative bribes did this Administration use to create Bush Loyalist? Think Kyoto Treaty, think Global Warming. All those emission requirements they relaxed were nothing short of bribes. And the downside is that we’re dealing with the real problems of Global Warming.

Then there are other kinds of bribes. “Do it my way, or lose your job.” That’s what happened in the Department of Justice: Use your position to help turn the election and you keep your job; get in the way of Bush-Cheney, and you get fired. Which means what most of us already knew. We’re walking victims with no sign of justice in sight.

So, the real story is not that Bush-Cheney uses public resources or public appointments to reward their loyalists. The true story is that they’re using them to bribe people to do what they would otherwise think immoral or unethical. And those that resist, are shown the door.

These are all lessons learned from the local level, the only difference is, that at a local level, it's easier to intimidate people and keep them under control.

And that's how America lost its innocence.

[rubberducky]

1. Bribes can buy a lot.

I know of people who would sell thier soul for $1K. Very sad but, very true.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. I think we're looking at this all wrong.

At a local level, I have seen good people do bad things because there was a core group who had strings to the city who convinced them that the impossible was possible. And they did illegal white collar crime, and are getting away with it. It's to the city's advantage to keep it all quiet, but it's that silence which makes the new corrupted people believe that the core group has more power than it probably does.

So, someone is definitely corrupting someone, but it has to start with an agenda. And the more people they take in, the harder it is to regain this country's integrity.