I guess we should call the alleged antics of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich the last straw for political corruption. Here is a guy already under FBI investigation deciding to go out and sell the precious Senate seat vacated by the next President of the
I guess we should call the alleged antics of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich the last straw for political corruption. Here is a guy already under FBI investigation deciding to go out and sell the precious Senate seat vacated by the next President of the United States. The prize was too precious to assign it to someone based on their merit. He felt he could make some quick cash despite the fact that he was being watched. Public corruption is as old as America itself.
I reflect back to my days as deputy commissioner for Minority Business at the State of Indiana. Corruption was popping up at an alarming rate. Money for contracts, favors for contracts and even sex for contracts became an all too common occurrence.
I would ignore it, and it usually went away. There was a member of my team that wouldn’t ignore it, and he spent a little time in jail. (He was set up.) The most disgusting thing is when a guy offers you his wife in exchange for a contract (one that you couldn’t deliver anyway).
I would feel like saying, “I wouldn’t do that with anyone and especially not with someone you sleep with.” It would get pretty sleazy but be assured it happens all over America, not just Indiana.
The late Lannie H. Smith was a reputable entrepreneur, and he would brag to me about the good old days, “Birch Bayh (Senator, D–Ind.) would have me carry his bag to Lake County.”
I would later learn about a “bag to Lake County.” A good friend of mine was the son of a Democratic legend in Lake County, Ind. He would reminisce, “My parents would take the family over to the mayor of East Chicago’s home. They and the other parents would have grocery bags that they would present upon entering his home. We kids would play in the backyard while they would all sit in the living room while the bags that were filled with cash money would be dumped on the dining room table. They would tally and then distribute the money accordingly. Then, we would all leave. It was a routine Saturday morning in Lake County, Indiana.”
The City of Gary (Mayor Thomas Barnes administration) would put a shake down on our members of $5,000 per contract. If our members would resist, they would offer a change order to the contract of $5,000 to cover the cost of the shakedown.
I advised one member to sue for the amount owed and divulge the shakedown in court proceedings. They were so bold that they wouldn’t pay him until the court date. They gave him a check for the amount owed in front of the courthouse and said “There’s no need to go into the courtroom now.”
Corruption at the top levels can be very expensive for taxpayers and can cripple good policy. A lot of it can be repetitious.
An example is the fact that the former Governor of Illinois, Otto Kerner, went to jail for receiving pay offs from two race track owners. The current Gov. Rod Blagojevich is now entertaining legislation that would, for some reason, take 3 percent of the sales of gaming casinos as a “tax” that would then be given to race track owners. It sounds pretty “fishy,” doesn’t it?
This is stated in the affidavit of the U.S. Attorney presiding over the current investigation. Given the exposure of the habits of the current governor, the Illinois legislature should abruptly halt such legislation and anything else that may be tainted until a thorough “enema” can be given to the Illinois state government and all of its operations.
The National Black Chamber of Commerce has encouraged more than a few of its members and affiliates to report the scum as they appear before them. The FBI has a very user friendly program known as the Public Corruption Hotline. When someone tries to shake you down using their elected office, simply call the local hotline number.
Currently, the mayor of Detroit, mayor of Birmingham, congressmen from New Orleans, San Diego, Youngstown, governor of Illinois, on and on are just small examples of the massive corruption that goes on within our precious democratic system. We need to step forward and say no more. Let us put the crooks in jail and send a warning to would be weak-minded leaders that a new day has come and you can no longer taint our political system. Our democracy depends on it, and the future of our children and grandchildren depend on us to be vigilant. YES WE CAN!
Harry Alford is the co-founder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
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