One of the great things about being trained as an historian is that no matter the topic, one can authoritatively state, “It really is not new, you know.” We can readily say that about the most recent spate of corruption scandals that currently surround us. From the APS cheating scandal to the indictment of DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, as well as political scandals from Albany, N.Y., to Albany, Ga., we seem to be continuously inundated with story after story detailing or alleging corruption, malfeasance, and greed at all levels of government and across the political spectrum.
The seeming ubiquity of corruption has led to cynicism and despair among the American public. How often do we hear “everybody does it,” “they are all corrupt?” Well, they are not. While the United States’ rating on Transparency International’s Corruption Index, 19, is lower than one might wish, it does place the U.S. above 88 percent of all the countries of the world, including France, Austria and Ireland.
Politics today is notably freer of the blatant corruption and illegality of decades past. The machine politics of Tammany Hall in New York, the Pendergasts in Kansas City, and Daley in Chicago have all gone by the wayside. The creation of formal civil service examinations also eliminated much of the sources of corruption that marked previous decades. Activities that were standard practice in the past are now under increasing scrutiny and even legislation as we recognize the potential problems caused by conflicts of interest, unlimited gifts and offers of entertainment.
Despite these facts, it is incontrovertible that illegal and unethical behavior continues through all levels of American politics. This ongoing illegality combined with the increased centrality of money in electoral politics has a corrosive effect on the United States’ political functioning. It undermines Americans’ trust in government and its officials. The decline in trust produces three major consequences.
First, it undermines the public’s confidence in the legitimacy of governmental decisions and policies. If people believe, rightly or wrongly, that laws are passed, contracts are signed, and individuals are hired on bases other than merit, then their willingness to accept what is done diminishes. Government becomes an illegitimate entity against which they must protect themselves, whether through cheating on their taxes, bribing officials or withholding support. The last can manifest itself in the refusal by the electorate to support tax increases, bond issues or infrastructure projects.
Second, as trust declines so does people’s willingness to engage actively and productively in the political process. As a college professor for nearly 30 years, I’m greatly disturbed by the declining interest in elective office by my students. When interviewing candidates for a major scholarship aimed at individuals with an interest in public service, not one student mentioned elective office as her or his desired way of serving the public.
When the best and brightest step away from seeking elective office, even as an aspirational desire, it says something disturbing and worrisome about politics and peoples’ relationship to it. This cannot bode well for the future of the republic.
This brings me to the third point: When a significant number of people pull away from engagement and involvement with politics, the space they leave is filled by hyper-partisans and fortune hunters. The results only aggravate the situation by driving people even further from engagement.
So while I regret the fact of indictments of public officials and the publication of ethical violations, I also welcome them. They remove corruption from the body of politics and serve as a warning to others.
We as citizens need to be more vocal in calling for stronger ethics legislation and, even more importantly, stronger enforcement, as well as financing for that enforcement. We need to honor those who speak out against wrongdoing and unethical behavior.
Instead of cynics we need reformers, for after all it is our government, our money and our choice.
