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<font size=3>The Most Corrupt Congress Ever - including elements of the
Black Caucus<br>
by Glen Ford and Peter Gamble<br>
<a href="http://www.blackcommentator.com/164/164_cover_corrupt_congress.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.blackcommentator.com/164/164_cover_corrupt_congress.html<br>
<br>
</a>It is not often that we whole-heartedly agree with a
"centrist," white Democratic political leader, but these are
disturbing times. Harry Reid (NV), leader of U.S. Senate Democrats,
recently
<a href="http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-12-18T182931Z_01_MOL866533_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-ETHICS.xml">
blasted</a> the current Congress as "the most corrupt in
history." Based on the sheer, gross volume of billions diverted to
congressional friends and benefactors during this and previous sessions
of the Bush Republican Congress, Reid was undoubtedly correct. The fact
that Reid made his outburst in response to allegations that he might also
be involved in the mighty tide of corruption, does not mitigate the fact
of wholesale auctioneering of the public treasure. Rather, the damnation
is made more powerful.<br><br>
But the term "corruption" is vague, as is "theft" and
"fraud" and other crimes. The "pork" that seems to be
the princely meal savored by American legislative gluttons, is but one
aspect of corruption. Putting aside the bid to fund "bridges to
nowhere" in Alaska, the most gruesome (and lucrative) manifestation
of endemic corruption is the Iraq war and occupation - a cash cow for
favored corporations, and even companies that did not exist previous to
the war and the promise of "reconstruction" of Iraq. However,
even the rip-off of billions in this scam (and the theft of billions in
Iraqi oil revenues) does not come close to describing the enormity of the
crime: an attempt to steal the resources of a vast swath of the Earth,
far beyond the boundaries of Iraq, and to transfer the proceeds to
private hands, all the while billing the American public for the military
muscle required.<br><br>
Now, that's corruption, by anybody's definition.<br><br>
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To measure the scale of corruption in the current congressional and
executive branches, and to put the "most corrupt Congress in
history" in perspective, we must take at least a glancing look at
history.<br><br>
Following the American Civil War - which saw such profiteering, fraud and
faulty weapons production by military contractors that it may have
prolonged the conflict by months or years - financial speculators in the
North set their eyes on the West, to build a continental railroad. They
became known as the "Robber Barons," because they built
enormous fortunes by billing the federal government for every mile of
transcontinental railroad laid and demanded ownership of millions of
acres on both sides of the tracks, as well. Cities sprang up, which
filled the coffers of the "Robber Barons" and others who
flocked to the new developments. (The Native Americans were erased from
this equation, literally.) Thus, the development of the West was
accomplished. <br><br>
Most school history books mark this period as rife with corruption - as
it was. But they did build a railroad, and commerce commenced, and cities
sprang up. <br><br>
In other words, the "Robber Barons" stole a lot, killed a lot,
and built a lot. The same can be said for their corporate contemporaries
in manufacturing, and those who followed. They committed vast crimes
against working people - and excluded and exploited Black workers to
their own advantage - but jobs appeared, and smokestacks rose, like a
pain against the sky. Lives and families became rooted. Detroit was born.
American manufacturing was king of the world, and a portion of the
trinkets trickled down - even to some Black folks.<br><br>
The manufacturing "Barons" had contributed something to
society. Or, at least, the society had become richer, in gross terms, as
a by-product of their insatiable self-aggrandizement, which involved
<i>real enterprise</i> as well as fraud, extortion, subornation of public
officials, and manifold corruption. People got jobs, and the prospect of
fighting for better working conditions and remuneration.<br><br>
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They were "Robber Barons," too. But at least they built
something. (Or rather, caused things to be built by their
workers.)<br><br>
This class no longer exists. They have been supplanted for at least the
last three decades by finance capital, which moves money around, and
commands manufacturers to do their . They pick and choose the
manufacturers, and countries, that are most hospitable to their monetary
needs of the moment - to get a higher return on their capital, which is
the only asset they have. They decided that the United States was
not a good investment for manufacturing, and demanded that it be emptied
of its factories. Dream lost.<br><br>
We at BC call them the Pirate Class. They sail the world, looking for
raiding targets of opportunity, and acknowledging no law. However, this
class cannot operate without the backing of the U.S. military - the
ultimate force of coercion, which can impose the terms of the
conversation. Big fat bankers with Hawkeye missiles backing them up, and
unlimited U.S. funding for death squads in the targeted country, waiting
for contracts on those who disagree. <br><br>
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The Pirates climbed to the cockpit of power with the election of George
W. Bush, although they had been in ascendance for decades. They were now
in full flower. A class that produces nothing, except through plunder,
would demand that the Middle East be transformed into a market they could
exploit to the fullest <b>- </b>which is why they have failed so badly in
Iraq. It was too complicated for big fat white bankers to deal with.
<br><br>
However, in the United States, the hegemony of the Pirates is all but
complete - as was necessary in order to harness the American military
machine to their specific projects, and to otherwise loot the U.S.
treasury to fund themselves and their class. The conquest of U.S. society
was the first priority, and they have achieved it: big capital owns all
the corporate media, and thereby controls the national conversation.
Their think tanks set the agenda for the discourse, mega-phoned by the
monopoly media. <br><br>
It is in this context that we should discuss the issue of
"corruption." <br><br>
<b>The Depths of Corruption<br><br>
</b>One definition of "corruption" is the stealing of the
people's resources for private gain. The Bush regime - and its Congress -
is certainly guilty of that on a monumental scale.<br><br>
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However, there is another version of "corruption" - just as
lethal and ugly: the theft of a people's trust, and vested interest. In
this regard, the infestation of corruption has spread into the
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). For example, ten members of the CBC
voted for the Republican bankruptcy bill that was passed in April of
2005. In doing so, they violated their own constituent's trust and vote.
As the most targeted consumers of predatory lenders, and as the group
that has the least employment security, African Americans are the most
likely to face financial crisis. These are the aspiring Black middle
class: the same people that form the backbone of Black elected officials'
support. Yet, ten Black congresspersons
<a href="http://www.blackcommentator.com//136/136_cover_black_caucus.html">
betrayed</a> them, by voting for the Republican bankruptcy bill. Here are
the perpetrators' names:<br><br>
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<dd>William Jefferson (LA)<br><br>
<dd>Artur Davis (AL)<br><br>
<dd>Sanford Bishop (GA)<br><br>
<dd>Kendrick Meek (FL)<br><br>
<dd>Al Green (TX)<br><br>
<dd>David Scott (GA)<br><br>
<dd>Gregory Meeks (NY)<br><br>
<dd>Harold Ford, Jr. (TN)<br><br>
<dd>Albert Wynn (MD)<br><br>
<dd>Emanuel Cleaver (MO)<br><br>
</dl>Corruption comes in many forms. However, the main root of the
current corruption is corporate money, which has subverted the entire
politics and culture</i> of the United States. It is not necessary to
trace every noxious vote to a specific payoff. Television, radio and
print media also reward politicians with favorable coverage - and nearly
all of these outlets are components of corporate mega-media, all of them
Wall Street denizens answerable to finance capital. There dwell the
Pirates.<br><br>
The Pirates have found that it is efficacious to enlist Black lieutenants
in their predatory ventures. Some - too many - are signing on aboard
ship. The names cited above are among the Black buccaneers, who have made
common cause with the same people who are exporting the jobs of their own
constituents, making them more vulnerable to predatory lenders, and
waging endless war across the globe. These Black opportunists seek a good
life for themselves, while the life of the community is being sucked
out.<br><br>
It is a deep corruption. They must be expelled.<br><br>
Glen Ford and Peter Gamble are writing a book, entitled "Barack
Obama and the Crisis in Black Political Leadership."<br><br>
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(415) 863-9977<br>
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