Several years ago, while flying to an interview, I had the occasion to sit in economy class next to an Iowa congressman. Having recognized the congressman from TV interviews relating to the Clinton impeachment, I struck up a conversation, saying that somehow I did not expect to find a congressman in economy class. The gentleman's reply was more than a little surprising, as he stated that he felt it would be inappropriate, representing a middle class district, to travel first class. Later in the flight, he revealed that he was leaving Congress, declining to run for another term.When I asked the congressman why he did not choose to stand for re-election, he further astonished me by saying that he, in essence, had had his fill of Washington, its lobbyists, its money-grubbing, its bureaucrats and his unprincipled colleagues. To say that this man's failure to return to Congress was a great loss is an understatement.
For income and education levels, the D.C. area has now surpassed Silicon Valley and 5th Avenue. If you want to follow the money, there are no better trails than those that lead to Great Falls, Virginia; Chevy Chase, Maryland; Fairfax Station, Virginia; Potomac, Maryland; McLean, Virginia and Georgetown, D.C. That these areas should stand out as abundantly affluent is easy to understand: With a constantly expanding federal government, your tax monies flow continuously to the nation's capital; and, consequently, the flow has created a gold rush of individuals, in one way or another, seeking to cash in.
Such a state of affairs would seem to be a cogent argument for term-limits. But, somehow, any efforts to limit congressional longevity always seem to get derailed. Instead, business goes on as usual. Lobbyists persist in gaining favors with their enticements, backs habitually are scratched, and bureaucrats carry on with undecipherable regulations, obscuring the intent of laws passed by Congress.
It has always seemed peculiar that Tea Partiers have been wildly maligned and castigated, and some of the worst of aspersions have been cast by numerous congressional stalwarts, who have branded the Tea Party as a hot-bed of bigotry and racism. Strangely, the Tea Party sympathizers that I have encountered have been anything but racists and bigots. For the most part, they have been Americans who love their country and wish to contain unrestrained government spending and the resulting deficits.
It is also easy to understand why members of Congress have not been effective in whittling down spending and, with it, our national debt. After all, if the spigot is turned back, money will not continue to flow in such copious amounts. Retired bureaucrats will not be able to engage in side businesses that specialize in interpreting and facilitating compliance to the law for business and industry, and law-makers will miss out on opportunities coming their way via lobbyists.
Yes, dear readers, for many in our Congress, life in D.C. has become one big family affair. A quick check of who is on whose payroll in Washington is astounding. A plethora of sons, daughters, siblings and cousins, all very well compensated, extends from congressional offices through lobbying firms and campaign committees. Thus, political alliances are cemented, dynasties are perpetuated and families enriched.
Two of the most powerful families in Washington are the Reids of Nevada and the Blunts of Missouri. Each of these families, one Democrat and the other Republican, has prospered beyond the wildest dreams of most Americans.
Senate Majority leader Reid has parlayed his alliances in Reno and Las Vegas into a family business based on influence and contacts. All three of the Reid sons are experienced lobbyists, who are known in Washington as "go-to guys" when it comes to cutting the red-tape of government. In many ways, Majority Leader Reid presides over the family and its concerns like an oriental potentate, accepting the plaudits of high-rollers wanting to do business the Nevada way. The Reid progeny have scored millions of dollars in retainers in catering to the requirements of land-development, gaming and mining. Fund-raising has also revolved around these activities, and Senator Harry Reid, literally coming up from abject poverty, is one of the richest Washingtonians.
On the other side of the aisle sits Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri. Originally from southwest Missouri, Blunt has been a county clerk, a Missouri secretary of state, a majority-whip congressman, a U.S. senator and even the president of a small Baptist college. One of Blunt's sons, Matt, was a one-term Missouri governor. Roy Blunt learned fast and well the political skills which have established his family as a power to be reckoned with in Missouri. A master of the use of Political Action Committees (PACs), Blunt was able to spread money throughout Missouri Republican organizations, which in turn did much to fuel Matt Blunt's campaign for governor. Although younger brother Andy Blunt and sister Amy Blunt were registered lobbyists, they played key roles in Matt's campaign. All three, Matt, Andy and Amy, are now working the D.C. corridors of power as lobbyists. In his senatorial campaign of 2009, Roy Blunt was adamant that Thompson Communications should have a healthy chunk of his advertising budget, despite son Andy being a senior adviser to Thompson, Nevertheless, Andy served as campaign manager for his dad, and Thompson Communications got almost 7 million dollars of advertising revenues.
The two foregoing examples will give the reader an approximation of what goes on in D.C. They represent, however, only the smallest of parts of how the money game is played. For an in-depth look at how money affects our Congress, there is no better source than Peter Schweizer's new book, Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes and Line Their Own Pockets: Houghton Mifflin, 2013. I am certain that Schweizer would agree with Lou Dobbs, who used to say, "We have the best government that money can buy."
As for us, the constituents, we must be eternally vigilant, determined to rid our institutions of "public servants" who wish only to serve themselves. We must be well informed, qualified to make good decisions, and we must return worthy representatives to the deliberative bodies of OUR government. To do otherwise would be to shortchange the ideals of the founders of the American Republic.
Deo Vindice!
God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!
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