Public Trust, like the air we breathe, is a social commons. No one party can buy or control it. But it can be tainted, polluted, and otherwise damaged by individual and collective actions. Rod Blagojevich sits at the public service tip of the “Pay to Play” disease that is infecting all levels of US Politics (talk about the onset sign of critical breakdowns in the political system for failure to achieve any meaningful campaign finance and lobbying reforms). One only has to look at the serious deficits in timely control and regulation of the stampede to invade Iraq; the many Republican and Democratic Senators who bowed before and acted in behalf of the Financial Masters of the Universe prior to the Financial meltdown; and a Bush Administration that has been nudge-nudge, wink-wink, selling out to the highest and most savvy game playing bidders for proof that Blagojevich’s “I’ve got this thing, and its fucking golden. I’m just not giving it up for fucking nothing” is not an isolated phenomenon.
Likewise Bernie Madoff sits at the bottom of where Fiduciary Trust has reached. The financial community, particularly the Jewish contingent that was so deeply brutalized by Bernie Madoff, seems at pains to explain how this could happen. Never mind that every sector of the Financial community has been out to gut Fiduciary Trust and simple Business Ethics. So it is no matter that Better Business Financial Practices 101 have taken a fifth seat to monstrous financial greed with ever rising bonuses and executive payouts; own account transactions and self aggrandizement before clients; risk taking with complex and poorly tested instruments compounded by extremely high leverage; and a legalistic “never give the rubes an even break, and see if they will fall for the latest financial ruse”. So surprise – Bernie takes your financial faith – and put it in the 5th seat to the tune of $50 billion. Tell me again you are surprised. Really…unbridled greed comes back yet again and made Madoff …. and you are surprised ???
So sanctimonious coverage by the Press that this Governor is a rare thing – a bottom feeder. Or how could a Madoff happen ? is so disingenuous. Of the two, I like Blagojevich by a country mile. While Madoff simpers and sulks, Blagojevich is out there saying “I ‘m not resigning, I did nothing wrong, and don’t you rubes play dumb. Don’t you god damn know that pay-to-play at the highest levels of government is the state of the political game right now?” At least Blagojevich is telling us the unvarnished, ugly truth.