Morality on the Ropes

By: J.G. Schwam

Whoever you think is responsible for the current state of the Enron bankruptcy debacle one fact is now blatantly obvious. That fact is that our elected officials on every level, federal, state and municipal are awash in large amounts of corporate campaign funding. The larger the federal district, state or municipality the larger the dollar ampount the officials get. While there is yet no proof of quid pro quo in the unfolding Enron scandal or anywhere else but consider that these corporations are not by and large run by idiots that would dole out millions without any expectation of return or legislation beneficial to their industry or corporation specifically. To assert that they support candidates solely because it is patriotic to do so simply insults our intelligence.

The whole system of elected officials in congress, federal state and municipal offices accepting donations from the corporate entities they regulate implies that these officials should regulate these entities with favor to their interests, not the peoples. Human nature and the reality of these types of donations do not go out the window when one takes office. If you are a congressperson and you vote in favor of legislation that requires a corporate campaign donor to spend millions to comply with, that corporation will not be so likely to consider you to be counted on to be on "it's side" the next time you run for re-election. The Bush administrations disgraceful proposed gutting of the Clean Air Act reeks resoundingly of a quid pro quo for the energy lobby.

The system is so pervasive and potentially corrupting it is now affecting the judiciary. Texas Supreme Court Justice Pricilla Owen, a Bush U.S. Appeals Court nominee may pay the price of being an elected judge and be derailed from her nomination to the federal bench because she accepted campaign financing from Enron. There was a cartoon depicting the White House gardener as the White House special investigator into the Enron affair because he is the only one with no ties to Enron in the administration. When all is said, done, investigated and disclosed this may not turn out to be much of a joke at all.

A nation whose legislature is beholden by fact or implication to an interest other than that of all of the people is not truly free or democratic. This cannot continue. If this problem and it is just that indeed, must be addressed now or the conflicts of interest will only become, if it is possible to imagine, larger and more pervasive. Our Government will no longer govern at the consent of the governed. It will govern at the consent of those that can pay enough to be noticed by the government. We must end the conflicts before we get to that point.

The bill that would be a positive step toward ending this inherent conflict of interest, Shays-Meehan needs 3 signatures to go to a floor vote. Any congressperson that does not sign and or vote for this bill would have a hard time justifying his or her rationale on doing so. The perpetuation of this onerous money pipeline looms so large that by its very nature implies a corrupt relationship between corporate interests and the regulation and legislation involving donor corporations.

The Bush administration is focusing on financial stimulus packages to boost the lagging economy and restore consumer confidence. What they fail to understand that consumer confidence is indeed the issue. Petty ill-advised tax rebate payoffs or contrived government stimuli will not restore confidence. The root of this consumer concern is based on disgraceful practices by organizations like Enron and Arthur Anderson. The Bush administrations weak admonishments and luke-warm investigative and prosecutorial effort in the face of very huge and scandalous conspiracies to defraud the people are not doing anything toward this end. If the integrity and ethics that are essential in a free economy are not practiced voluntarily. Then regulation, vigorous prosecution and penalization of offenders are required.

Consumers see themselves as being had by corporations and an administration that reacts as if these shattering events are no big deal. To consumers with no recourse this is not the case. Consumers will not react positively and spend while they see the country going to hell in a hand basket. New accounting rules that will end deceptive manipulations such as "off the books" entities such as off balance sheet financing and shell companies are needed. And now to further degrade this confidence, subpoenaed Arthur Andersen official in charge of Enron's audits has announced he will take the fifth. Again evasive, cowardly tactics like "taking the fifth" do nothing to restore confidence and in fact damage it further.

If Bush wants to restore consumer confidence and improve the economy then he must end the huge conflicts of interest in both campaign financing and deregulation have allowed practices such as these to become pervasive. He must aggressively root out the lying, cheating stealing and manipulation of the truth are endemic in corporate and legislative practices in our government and business. This is the real issue at stake. Anything less would look like tacit approval of a mess that serves solely to line pockets of morally and ethically bankrupt businessmen and politicians.