by Jon Crosby

Created on: December 11, 2008

Serving the public, implementing change, and making a positive difference in our society are common motivations that most candidates for public office espouse during their campaigns. Under the direction of clever campaign managers, advertising experts, and power brokers, candidates usually promise to bring about fiscal responsibility, protect the public interest, and bring needed change to government. Ironically, despite all of this rhetoric, the names, faces, and modus operandi seems to remain the same.

Lord Action, a British historian at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century, observed in his famous quote "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely," that a person's sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases. Examples of this are prevalent throughout history in military organizations, private companies, public institutions, and, of course, politics.

It seems almost daily that the news media presents us with incidences of malfeasance, misfeasance, or sexual misconduct involving our public officials. The recent and ongoing debacle involving Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich seems to be yet another example of the corrupting nature of power. In his situation, he is alleged to have offered to sell the Senate seat vacated by our President-elect to the highest bidder. As the situation unfolds in the news media, the so-called players (and those who fear they may be somehow implicated in this mess) appear to be scampering to distance themselves from Governor Rod.

Our system of justice is built on the premise that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Governor Rod has not been proven guilty, nor has the full breadth of the investigation on him been made public (rightfully so). Given this fact, he has every right to stand his ground. However, in view of the serious allegations against him, and the concerns that any Senatorial appointment he makes would now appear to be tainted, I hope that the Illinois Legislature, or court of appropriate jurisdiction, prevents him from making any appointment until this matter has been resolved.

As it relates to political corruption in general, it raises the question; Is it power that actually corrupts, or do politics tend to attract the types of people who would be inclined to engage in illegal, unethical, or immoral activities? I am not prepared to debate this issue, and I am sure others who are much wiser and experienced then me have addressed it. As so eloquently stated by W. Clement Stone; "Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them."

I believe many well-intended people enter the political arena and later succumb to an inability to hold power responsibility. I also believe that many others enter politics with the goal of using the power of their political office to line their pocket books. Obviously, neither of these scenarios is acceptable and both have led to the utter chaos of our political system. The classic argument has always been that our system is still the best in the world. While we may be the best, just think how much better we would be if we cleaned up our act!

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