DeLay's message to us all: Get money out of politics

"We can have a democratic society or we can have great concentrated wealth in the hands of a few. We cannot have both." - Justice Louis Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court 1916-1939

"Many of our rich men have not been content with equal protection and equal benefits, but have besought us to make them richer by act of Congress." - Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States

The DeLay-Abramoff-Scanlon-whoever else fiasco only proves what we've known all along: Money poisons our political system. What we see in the media is only the tip of the iceberg. At least these guys were honest in that they came right out and said, "You give me money, I'll do this for you." The rest of the politicians just pretend they're not bought and sold.

As long as politicians come to their positions courtesy of large contributions our system will always reek of corruption. Whether that corruption is deemed legal or illegal is irrelevant: If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.

For more on this topic see relevant articles on Vox Verax as well as:

• "A Culture of Corruption: Let's Save Our Democracy by Getting Money Out of Politics" by Bill Moyers
• "Big Money and Politics: A Century of Corporate Influence on Campaigns" from NPR
• "Campaign for a Small Donor Democracy" from the State PIRGS Democracy Program
• "A Brief History of Money in Politics: How Americans Have Financed Elections in the Past" from the Center for Responsive Politics

LP