Every political administration going back to the founding of the country has had some type of corruption occurring within it.

Is corruption just an inherent part of US politics?

Is it possible to have a US government that isn’t susceptible to some type of corruption?

Maybe it’s just human nature that those with political power and those with money will be more susceptible to corruption than those without power or a lot of money.

Or maybe it’s just a flaw of human nature that leads to corruption in public office but one thing is for sure; US politics and corruption go hand in hand.

The only thing that changes is the extent of the corruption.

Some administrations are noticeably less corrupt than others, although there is evidence of corruption in all levels of US politics.

The Bush administration sets a new standard when it comes to corruption in US politics because of the transparency of the corruption.

Most of the time the Bush administration hasn’t even attempted to hide the corruption within the administration.

Vice President Cheney’s connections to Halliburton and other huge corporate conglomerates that are making record profits from US defense and war expenditures are well known and have been documented by people trying to fight government corruption for years.

Other members of the administration have been appointed to prestigious posts that they were not qualified for based solely on their political affiliations and loyalty to Bush.

WHAT OUR GOVERNMENTS NEVER TOLD US

GONZALES DEBACLE

It was proven after a lengthy investigation that former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales fired seven US attorneys because of their Democratic political affiliations. When confronted with evidence showing bias in the firings, which is illegal, Gonzales said that “All US attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President” and that the whole thing was “an overblown personal matter.”

Gonazles’ statements show the clear disregard that the Bush administration has shown for the American people throughout his tenure as President.

Not only do they use the US economy and justice system to serve their own agendas, they don’t even bother to try to hide it.

Instead of showing contrition when they are caught they seem annoyed at having to defend their actions.

CHECKS AND BALANCES THWARTED BY CORRUPTION

But corruption is not just a problem in US politics; it’s a problem in all political systems.

No political system has ever been developed that is not at risk for some type of corruption.

The framers of the Constitution were very aware of the problems that came with being ruled by a corrupt government and worked hard to set up a government for the United States that would be less vulnerable to corruption.

The system of checks and balances that the founders created has helped to lessen the amount of corruption that is present in the government but those checks and balances only work when the people in the government obey the law.

POLITICS TO REMAIN CORRUPT UNTIL PEOPLE DEMAND CHANGE

One of the reasons why the Bush administration has been able to get away with the unprecedented corruption that has occurred in the administration is because the people involved don’t consider themselves bound by they law.

They think they are above the law, which is one reason they don’t even bother to hide their actions.

In order to stem the political corruption that sometimes seems inherent in politics it’s important that the American people stand up for their rights and demand that the corruption within the government be stopped as much as possible.

One way to do that is for the American people to insist that Bush and members of his administration be held accountable under the law for acts that they have committed while Bush was the President.