Corruption In Government: A Major Problem

Recently in the news headlines, there has been much talk about corruption and ethical questions raised about conduct of elected officials. The most known corruption is the Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff scandal. But the problem also includes Sen. Conrad Burns, Rep. Robert Ney, Speaker Dennis Hastert, and many more. Most persons who have been looked into as people of interest have so far been from the Republican Party, but the Democratic Party is not without its faults. Total about 3.41 million dollars went to Republicans and 1.88 million dollars went to Democrats. But partisan politics aside, these problems must be solved. Corruption can not be tolerated.

But how to solve these conduct problems is open to much debate. The two most popular ways to solve these problems are to (1) "institute a ban on members receiving any gifts, meals or travel from private interests" or (2) "allow members to receive gifts, meals or travel, but require full public disclosure of [them]"

A USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted April 28-30 asked " 'As you may know, some members of Congress travel on fact-finding missions paid for by corporations, trade groups, or other private interests. Some members of Congress also receive meals or gifts from these organizations. In your view, what should Congress do to make sure that such favors do not lead to corruption in government: institute a ban on members receiving any gifts, meals or travel from private interests; or should it allow members to receive gifts, meals or travel, but require full public disclosure of these?' "

The results were:

Institute a Ban - 52%

Require Full Disclosure - 47%

Unsure - 1%

Many might argue that if Congressmen and women are banned from receiving gifts or the like, they would have to spend taxpayers’ dollars to go on these so called fact-finding missions. They also may go on to argue that if the public could access this information, than they (whoever they may be) could keep an eye on what is going on. But it is NOT the American people's responsibility alone to make sure that the officials in government are responsible. The people in Washington must also be responsible. Just because a government official can get away with something without being noticed doesn't mean that they should be able to do it. In a proposed full disclosure plan, it would put the burden of responsibility on Americans NOT on elected officials, which would make the American people responsible for the gifts received by those officials. A ban is the only answer to this ever growing problem.

A pictorial view of all the money that went through Jack Abramoff can be found here on washingtonpost.com.