CURRUPTION RUNS DEEP
Every government program is corrupt because it’s organized around who has the most political influence
BY MARK WARDEN

Mark Warden is active with Nevadans for Sound Government, the Libertarian Party of Clark County, Nevada Republican Liberty Caucus and Take Back Nevada. Visit his website at: BudgetWatchNevada.com Other stories by Mark Warden

Political scandals in Nevada, particularly in Clark County, grace headlines much more often than should. Probably most notorious has been the long-shameful Clark County Board of Commissioners, with its admitted felons Lance Malone, Erin Kenny, Mary Kincaid-Chauncey and Dario Herrera. But you can also add to that list the shameless rule-breaking and ethics-bending antics of Lynette Boggs McDonald and Yvonne Atkinson Gates, the former who lived outside her district, and the latter who used her influence to secure a lucrative airport concession for cronies with political campaign ties. At the state level, the late Kathy Augustine was impeached for misuse of office resources for non-official activities. The list goes on and on.

My first thought in reading accounts like the above is: This is doubtlessly just the tip of the iceberg. These are only the ones that get caught! How many more public officials get away with ethics violations, small-time bribes, protection rackets, fraud and other willful infractions? 

We have a seriously malignant malaise running through Nevada politics. I’m not sure what the source of it is. It brings to mind the nurture vs. nature question — did these elected officials become corrupt because of the environment in which they worked, or were they corrupt and morally bankrupt before being elected? It’s probably a little of both. I believe that power-hungry and authoritarian types are drawn to so-called public service where they can wield power over others. Once elected to positions of authority and influence, they thrive, and that thirst for power becomes more pronounced. Unfortunately, their sense of importance is constantly reinforced by lobbyists and special interests and fellow elected officials who see them as conduits for their own purposes, be it for regulatory protection from competitors or preferential zoning consideration, or for sweetheart service contracts.

Ultimately, many of these elected officials forget about any so-called “public good” or “public interest” and simply act and vote based on their own self-interest. As Lord Acton warned, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Whether we’re talking about nation-state dictators or city councilmen, the temptation always exists to sell their souls to political cronies and those who supported their campaigns in their “rise to the top.” A quid pro quo exists, even with the most principled of men.

The late, great Harry Browne was a brilliant commentator on our political system and the perverse incentives built into it. He wrote, “It is pointless to talk about corruption in government. Every government program is corrupt, because it is organized on the basis of who has the most political influence. Thus corruption — the buying and selling of legislators — is inherent in every government program.”

So if the term “political corruption” is redundant, what can we do about it? We must be ever vigilant. We must hold officials accountable, even when, or perhaps especially when, they are from our own parties. And we must identify, recruit and support principled politicians ... if we can find any.