Modern-Day Political Corruption
Does the average American have an impact on the laws and regulations that govern their life? The US government is brimming with corruption, and it is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. This article is written to bring awareness to the problem, and hopefully, motivate more people to speak up and contribute to a change. The government’s decisions are not to aid their citizens but to aid themselves and those who fund them. Many articles have highlighted this problem. One in particular shows the difference in treatment of the top 1% and the rest of the US. A source from the US Department of Justice will be used to show how those in the government feel about corruption. “Based on an examination of the historical development of political corruption and theories explaining its causes, this article concludes that more attention should be paid to strengthening ethical standards” (Benson). In addition, a graph in “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens” shows how much the government cares about the bottom 90% (Gilens and Page). It is surprisingly little, almost zero percent.
Yes, the bottom 90% have nearly zero effect on the laws and regulations that govern them. To quote Professor Martin Gilens, “The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.” The video below showcases this graph and its data, which makes it obvious how little the government listens. The speaker states, that if someone is not one of the economic elite, their opinion would not matter, because they cannot spend millions on lobbyists.
This media section was chosen because it shows that most do not contribute to the government, and the rich live in a more perfect democracy. This is not a new problem, in any case. The rich have been buying political power for years, and the media has been fighting against it. Almost ten years ago, famous rapper Ice Cube released “Everythang’s Currupt,” which talks about these ideas along with systematic corruption.
“I’m sick of gettin’ ignored, this world I can’t afford
I’m going to the pen, free room, free board B****
For my birthday, buy me a politician.”
He refers to how the everyday citizen cannot afford to live in this world anymore. The only gift that would be worth buying would be to buy a politician.
As stated before, political corruption is not a new problem. There have been dozens of Supreme Court cases about that very topic. The book Money in American Politics highlights the decision of the 1976 court case “Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1.”
“This meant that the First Amendment afforded protection to money used for political purposes and therefore required the government to demonstrate a compelling governmental interest to show the need to place limits on contributions or expenditures” (Schultz).
These cases show the corruption and how politicians have defended this money and power source. That is not to say all politicians are corrupt. There have been some executives in power who have tried to make things right. The article “Dirty Deals? An Encyclopedia of Lobbying, Political Influence, and Corruption” by Robert North Roberts states:
“During a large part of the 19th century, however, the growth of the spoils system and inadequate financial safeguards led to a massive increase in public corruption at the local, state, and federal level,”
He also mentions:
“Presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson issued ethics directives that instructed executive branch employees and officials to avoid situations which might create the appearance of a financial conflict of interest between their public duties and personal financial affairs” (Roberts ).
Then, order 11222 was issued, which was a formal way of telling the government levels to clean up and play by the books. Sadly, though, according to Robert North Roberts in his article, this order was almost wholly reverted in the late ’80s when the Bush presidency exchanged the word “shall” with “endeavor” to dodge some of the federal pushback due to allegations of improper conduct — according to Roberts. Changing the redirect relieved all those involved of any responsibility or punishment.
During a talk show, Bernie Sanders highlighted the problems he is facing, like the fight for paid sick days for the railroad workers of America and the absurd cost of American health care. Bernie Sanders talks about how these problems stem from lobbying and the corrupt political system, quoting that there are 1700 paid lobbyists in Washington, D.C. To some, these kinds of politicians bring hope by simply talking about this massive problem of corporate greed and not just sweeping it under the rug. Corruption in modern-day America exists, and it is a much bigger problem than it looks.
“Rich Men North Of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony (2023)
“Rich Men North Of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony is a song about the pain the government causes for power in this new world. He plays this song almost with a folk-country tone, reminiscent of the old world. Oliver sings, “…all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down.” There are many other examples of how he views modern politics and how it’s affecting the people. He sings in a sad, melancholy tone, and it feels like an outcry, a hope for others to hear what’s in his soul. Not only does he focus on the politicians, but he also talks about the policies, like taxes, “‘Cause your dollar ain’t shit, and it’s taxed to no end.” On top of that, he mentions that overtime pays not a thing, because if you work hard, it’s taken away with taxes. Oliver has many songs with the same amount of soul in them, each with similar conviction and feeling. In his eyes, the world is messed up, and the rich politicians made it that way.
“Reagan” by Killer Mike
“Reagan” by Killer Mike is an older song about political corruption, but it goes well with the topic. The song talks about many social and political problems faced over a decade ago. By comparing the struggles voiced in “Reagan” to today’s standards and problems, it’s easy to see how similar the issues of these two time periods are. One of the points brought up is paying off political figures. “Taking countries is a hobby paid for by the oil lobby,” refers to how, even back then, big companies paid off politicians and had a say in what policies were put in place. In addition, Killer raps about how the president is “Just another talking head telling lies on teleprompters,” referring to how the political system is made and how it’s presented. Killer Mike is a rap-style artist, and his song, though published 11 years ago, fits perfectly into today’s music industry. The media has been portraying political corruption for years. The songs are from different decades, but the changes are almost parallel. Both songs focus on their respective decades’ problems, how corrupt politics created many of them, and how the people of their time suffered for it. Each song has its own focus. Killer Mike’s song “Reagan” focused on the drug war and Reagan’s hand in turning the suffering into a propaganda stunt and getting both political power and wealth from the incursion. “Rich Men North Of Richmond” talks about modern problems and focuses on the people and how they are the ones suffering at the hands of politicians, and the only reason for their suffering is to fill the pockets of the rich. Governments have too much power, and they use it not to help, but to make money and push everyday people down.
- “Causes and Cures of Political Corruption.” Office of Justice Programs.” Ojp.gov, 2023, www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/causes-and-cures-political-corruption. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
- “Evidentiary Burden (to Show Corruption).” Money in American Politics: An Encyclopedia, edited by David Schultz, ABC-CLIO, 2018, pp. 91–93. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7484500053/GVRL?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=fe8f52d4. Accessed 13 Sept. 2023.
- Gidfar, Mansur. “20 Years of Data Reveals That Congress Doesn’t Care What You Think.” Upworthy, Upworthy, 17 Dec. 2021, www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-what-you-think.
- Gilens, Martin, and Benjamin I. Page. “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens.” Perspectives on Politics, vol. 12, no. 3, Cambridge University Press, Sept. 2014, pp. 564–81, https://doi.org/10.1017/s1537592714001595. Accessed 19 Oct. 2023.
- Ice Cube. “Everythang’s Corrupt.” YouTube, YouTube Video, 7 Dec. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4FgCjAff_k. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
- Roberts, Robert North. “Appearance of Impropriety Rule.” Dirty Deals? An Encyclopedia of Lobbying, Political Influence, and Corruption, edited by Amy Handlin, vol. 2: Articles, ABC-CLIO, 2014, pp. 354–355. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX6104000044/GVRL?u=mcc_chandler&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=8697fc2a. Accessed 13 Sept. 2023.
- Sanders, Bernie. “A Corrupt Political System.” YouTube, YouTube Video, 22 Feb. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_toOjZ8Q7Jg. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
