Is anybody surprised that the congresscritters from corrupt urban districts are themselves corrupt?
Well, derp. When America's burgeoning inner cities were full of Irish and Italians and Jews, they elected crooked white politicians. Machine politicians from urban slums have been crooked since Pericles was legislating free theater tickets for the poor and Caesar was buying votes on the Aventine.
Yeah, but Caesar was every wife's husband and every husband's wife, or however Suetonius had it...these guys today are pikers by comparison.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they are more corrupt.
ReplyDeleteThe nature of their constituencies and constituents require that their offerings and acceptances be more obviously and directly corrupt.
The wink/nod/one hand washes the other deals that are the standard looting process in better districts just can't work in the projects, where a few hundred dollars, a pardon for a drug dealer, or new washing machines are what people want.
On the other hand, their corruption is cheaper.
Corruption is the oil (and oily residue) of Machine Politics, and it's not the political operators it's the real-estate: Location, Location, Location. The dense Urban environment and political regulatory scheme offers the most opportunity for graft, corruption, vice, and payola that a simple Country-Club can never achieve - until you reach the Federal Level...
ReplyDeletetancipar myerati: some dead latin admonishment
It started earlier than Caesar's time. Old Pebble-mouth had his share of issued in the Athenian state, too.
ReplyDeleteUlises from CA
So, here's the question; at what point is it reasonable to break out the "sporting equipment" and confront the corruption/tiranny de jure and be justified? Knowing how hard it is to resist when you're 50lbs. underweight & looking out at the smilling guard dogs outside the wire, at what point do you start the Dance? I think the statists get away with so much because we allow them to cross too many lines without penalty....John in Md.(help!)
ReplyDelete