Essay about Corruption in Politics

“Corruption, improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another its forms include bribery, extortion, and the misuse of inside information. It exists where there is community indifference or a lack of enforcement policies.”(Encyclopedia Britannica). Today political Corruption in all forms exists in every country in the world. In some countries it is more prominent then in others, but no matter where you go it still occurs. Recently in mid 2013 some political corruption was brought to light in New York. “Since 2007, state senators have been more likely to be arrested then to lose their seats in a general election,” (New York Public Interest Research group). In April of 2013 New York State

1. The Mayor of a large city was given a free membership in an exclusive golf club by people who have received several city contracts. He also accepted gifts from organizations that have not done business with the City but might in the future. The gifts ranged from $200 tickets to professional sports events to designer watches and jewelry.

Foreign governments often gain influence within Congress by hiring former members of Congress as lobbyists.

Senator Baucus received $2.5 million from insurance interest groups to do what? Whose interests did he represent?

The controversy surrounding political lobbying does not question the act of influencing public officials, but rather the ethics relating to how these public officials are influenced. It is important to distinguish the fine line between bribery and lobbying. It is illegal to bribe a public official in the United States. This would mean that an individual could not provide compensation to a public official for them to behave, or vote, in a specific manner. Lobbyists may donate money to a specific candidate’s political campaign, but they may only do so when there is no expectation that the public official will behave in a favorable way toward the lobbyist or their clients (Mackinder). Lobbyists may bring public officials, their immediate families, and staff on trips or out to dinner. While it is illegal for a lobbyist representing a corporate client from directly bringing, it is not illegal for foreign governments to sponsor for these said trips (Goldmacher). What has begun to happen is lobbyists representing corporate clients may bring public officials on these trips, if the trip is sponsored by a foreign government. The Senate Office of Public Records reported that $3.23 billion was spent on lobbying in 2013, with 12,300 registered lobbyists. Professor James Thurber, who teaches at American University, has studied congressional lobbying for over 30 years, and does not believe these figures are accurate. He believes

The election of members to Congress in the United States of America is contingent on the financial muscles of the candidates and their supporters. It all starts with a deep pocket investment. The recently concluded election will yield a new administration with new cabinet members. The election of Donald Trump as the next U.S President is partly attributable to the synergy and efforts made by some of the most influential people in the Republican Convention. With Trump already appointing some of his chief strategists, it is necessary to conduct a deeper analysis of the financial input of other members of the Congress in an attempt to gain seats.

Corruption has no place in our government, period. The American people have a right to hold their elected officials to high ethical standards, and when their elected officials fail to meet such standards, the people have a responsibility to hold them accountable. In addition to standing for election every two years, Congress has ethics committee procedures it can utilize to censure or otherwise reprimand members who violate the rules. Members of Congress have to abide by the same laws as everyone else, and when laws are broken, they should be held accountable.

Golden discusses many different problems of the legislative branch. One of the first things he talks about is the four defects, and the three effects of the defects. He refers to this as the 4-3. The first defect he talks about is the money flood. This is arguably one of the biggest defects of the legislature. While the three other defects only affect the House of Representatives or the Senate, the money flood affects all 535 members (Golden 2015). Most of the money raised by these members is paid by special interests groups, and all the money they receive is legal. In 2012 the money the House and Senate raised was more than $1.8 billion, and special interest groups accounted for $400 million of that (Golden 2015). This is scary because it means that politicians have to spend more of their time negotiating with small amounts of people who are able to give large sums of money, rather than most of the American public who can only afford to donate small amounts of money. This is alarming because it implicates them

"Campaign contributions do not have an impact on how I vote, but I also know that even the perception of money's influence in politics can be damaging to the public's trust," Rayfield said. "I won't be accepting contributions from entities that have a perceived interest in this legislation.

By doing this, the government was helping to stop corruption in the political process. The Hatch Act was expanded in 1940 to cover state and local employees whose salaries are paid in part but federal funds or whose duties are connected to federally funded activities. People who fall under the Hatch Act are all government officials, federal employees, and anybody paid by federal funds. In the 1940’s and 1970’s the Hatch Act was appealed to the United States Supreme Court claiming it violated free speech. Both times the court upheld the constitutionality of the law. According to _________ (Article 14) The prohibitions contained in the Hatch Act can be summarized as follows: covered employees may not: (1) be candidates for public office in a partisan election; (2) use official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the results of an election; or (3) directly or indirectly coerce contributions from subordinated in support of a political candidate. Alleged violations of the Hatch Act are investigated by the United States Office of Special Counsel. If, following an investigation, there is evidence of a violation, a written complaint for disciplinary action may be filed with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (“MSPB”) where a trial-like proceeding will be held. After consideration of the record, the MSPB will determine if discipline is warranted. Importantly, if discipline is warranted, the penalty may be forfeiture of

Wayne, Lasser, Miller and others tend to agree that lobbyists and PACs have a great amount of influence over congress members because they may have direct connections and give campaign contributions. Recently, the airlines industry convinced congress to pass a $15 billion aid package it needs in order to survive. “The airlines had plenty of resources to draw on: 27 in-houses lobbyists, augmented by lobbyists from 42 Washington firms, including former White House aides and transportation secretaries, as well as the airlines own chief executives and corporate board members, whom all are well known in the halls of congress”(Wayne, NYT, 10/01/01. Lasser, American Politics, 1999. Miller, The American Prospect, 10/23/00. Geiger, Washington Post, 11/4-10/91.)

Bribery weakens competition and diminishes free trade which can affect companies, shareholders, and stakeholders. Jacob Franklin knowingly extended bribes to governments and contractors while knowing it was against company policy. Jacob engaged in bribery even though he knew it was wrong because he was advised that it was common practice at Richard Drilling. “In 1977, President Carter signed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The law made it illegal to bribe foreign officials. The maximum punishments for violators were set at $100,000 and 5 years in jail. Companies can be fined millions” (Bredeson, 2012, p.301). Not only was extending the bribe against company policy, it was against law and could cost Jacob and Richardson Drilling money and freedom.

If we look at history, particularly the nineteenth century, we can obviously say that bribing was one of the most used tactics. It was the fastest way to have decisions approved, but nowadays, it is very dangerous for interest groups to use any sort of sinister method. In general, the groups tend to abide by the law to give legitimacy to their claims. Moreover, with the 1995 Reforms, the Lobbying Disclosure Act allows congress to scrutinise the activities of interest groups and the interest groups must report all the information relating to their activities in a very clear and concise manner. But we will see later, that sometimes,

Candidates try to get donated money so that they pay off their debts. Candidates use donation that they receive from donors to pay their debts and to also pay friend and family. “Trump's campaign expenses are hardly inspiring confidence among people whose money includes a $423,000 May payment to Mar-a-Lago”,Anderson, Victor,1,October,www.bigstory.ap.org,Web, 17 ,October . This is a mayor evidence why we should pass the bill because many candidates wouldn't be able to use their funds to pay off their debts. “About $5,000 from the campaign went to Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing, which offers Virginia wines bearing the bold letters of Trump” N.A,www.bigstory.ap.org, 24 ,September, Web 16,October.. This is showing that many candidates are using

As the FCPA distinguishes between facilitating payments and the more serious issues such as bribery, any subsequent penalties for violating the act make perfect sense from an ethics standpoint. Bribery in and of itself is an