Two Minutes with Lex Murphy - Politicians and Money
It’s time now for Two Minutes with Lex Murphy, published every week in your hometown Nugget newspaper. Sponsored by the Country Lard Store, where 'Fat is fine, anytime!'
Country Lard! Country Lard!
It's always soft and squishy!
It's never cold and hard!
Yee haw!
---
Two Minutes with Lex Murphy
Politicians and Money
In the murky waters of the world’s political swamps, many strange things happen. Inept and unqualified people rise to become leaders of parties or nations. Every year, millions of tax dollars are misspent and the waste shrugged off by government officials. These scandals rarely have any lasting consequences. Typically, any casualties are the few who forget the two important rules of political survival - plausible deniability and finding a fall guy.
When scandals appear in the news, the little voice inside my head always asks, “Okay, they’ve found this one, but how many others have gone undetected?”
The true numbers will never be known, and sadly, I have become cynical. Some might say that makes me a victim. Others will argue that my cynicism is part of the problem. To add insult to injury, politicians usually get away with these indiscretions because voters will not accept any of the blame for electing incompetents or fools. We, the public, don’t actually expect that they will be held accountable anyway. We’ve become jaded.
Over the years, people have accepted that some politicians lie, cheat, and steal. I don't know of anyone who condones these behaviours, but we rarely demand justice or vote out miscreants. Most of us shrug our shoulders and move on to the next story or sound bite. For some reason, we figure that this is the cost of doing business. What happened that lowered our expectations?
One piece of the puzzle is that the public has a notoriously short memory. Politicians and their handlers know it, so they use time to let everything fade away. After a while, it’s business as usual.
As well, governments have created confusing and complex mechanisms to protect their own against prosecution. Committees have to be formed and truckloads of evidence examined. Witnesses have to be called and detailed testimony given. Committees such as the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commission must sift through tons of paper to determine the proper course of action. There is no swift resolution. The proceedings go on for so long, and the legal jargon is so bewildering that most people give up. It’s simply too much for the general public to understand.
While the committees sit, what is expected of these “errant” officials? They should resign from the party, say nothing and try to stay out of the news for a few months. After their indiscretions have faded from memory, the investigating agencies can quietly render their verdicts. In most cases, these politicians return to whatever it was that they were doing before the trouble began. If a punishment is meted out, the incident ends like this: a self-effacing politician makes a public apology and vows not to do it again. If the gaffe involves their mishandling of money, they are expected to pay it back and possibly cough up a fine.
Shortly thereafter, the chairs of these boards all say,“Now that this business is concluded, it’s time to move on.”
We saw this recently with Senators Duffy and Wallin. Because the Conservatives have been in power for so long, the media has managed to keep this story alive. It could well be Harper’s undoing – unless he can find something else for the media to focus on, and let time dull what happened. One thing is for sure, these problems transcend all political affiliations. To be sure, the strategists of every party are burning the midnight oil over how to proceed.
According to the National Post, Senators Duffy and Wallin were among the top ten spenders in the Senate. Certainly, most of their expenses are legitimate, but will everything pass muster? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of sad eyed politicians announcing to the camera that they do not understand Revenue Canada forms or Parliamentary rules.They're sorry that they didn't understand. It's not their fault, but they will accept all responsibility. What a load of bunk! Is declaring ones ignorance of the law enough to keep you from prosecution? For the answer to that, we’ll have to wait and see.
Then there’s this final bugbear. Why are voters so dim-witted? Why does it take us years to realize that some of the people we’ve elected are incompetent, thieves or worse? Why do we re-elect them for subsequent terms? Ontario voters should be ashamed of themselves for giving Dalton McGuinty more than one term.
It could be the age in which we live. Perhaps it’s our short attention spans. It could be the cynicism I mentioned earlier. Regardless, offending politicians should be swiftly brought to justice. Their misdeeds should not be swept under the carpet.
As voters, we need to start paying more attention. We must take control of where we live. We must demand a streamlined investigative process. We have to toss out politicians that do not measure up. Reward honesty and good service, but demand more. In the end, much of the responsibility rests with us.
It is true. We get the politicians we deserve.
It’s time now for Two Minutes with Lex Murphy, published every week in your hometown Nugget newspaper. Sponsored by the Country Lard Store, where 'Fat is fine, anytime!'
Country Lard! Country Lard!
It's always soft and squishy!
It's never cold and hard!
Yee haw!
---
Two Minutes with Lex Murphy
Politicians and Money
In the murky waters of the world’s political swamps, many strange things happen. Inept and unqualified people rise to become leaders of parties or nations. Every year, millions of tax dollars are misspent and the waste shrugged off by government officials. These scandals rarely have any lasting consequences. Typically, any casualties are the few who forget the two important rules of political survival - plausible deniability and finding a fall guy.
When scandals appear in the news, the little voice inside my head always asks, “Okay, they’ve found this one, but how many others have gone undetected?”
The true numbers will never be known, and sadly, I have become cynical. Some might say that makes me a victim. Others will argue that my cynicism is part of the problem. To add insult to injury, politicians usually get away with these indiscretions because voters will not accept any of the blame for electing incompetents or fools. We, the public, don’t actually expect that they will be held accountable anyway. We’ve become jaded.
Over the years, people have accepted that some politicians lie, cheat, and steal. I don't know of anyone who condones these behaviours, but we rarely demand justice or vote out miscreants. Most of us shrug our shoulders and move on to the next story or sound bite. For some reason, we figure that this is the cost of doing business. What happened that lowered our expectations?
One piece of the puzzle is that the public has a notoriously short memory. Politicians and their handlers know it, so they use time to let everything fade away. After a while, it’s business as usual.
As well, governments have created confusing and complex mechanisms to protect their own against prosecution. Committees have to be formed and truckloads of evidence examined. Witnesses have to be called and detailed testimony given. Committees such as the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commission must sift through tons of paper to determine the proper course of action. There is no swift resolution. The proceedings go on for so long, and the legal jargon is so bewildering that most people give up. It’s simply too much for the general public to understand.
While the committees sit, what is expected of these “errant” officials? They should resign from the party, say nothing and try to stay out of the news for a few months. After their indiscretions have faded from memory, the investigating agencies can quietly render their verdicts. In most cases, these politicians return to whatever it was that they were doing before the trouble began. If a punishment is meted out, the incident ends like this: a self-effacing politician makes a public apology and vows not to do it again. If the gaffe involves their mishandling of money, they are expected to pay it back and possibly cough up a fine.
Shortly thereafter, the chairs of these boards all say,“Now that this business is concluded, it’s time to move on.”
We saw this recently with Senators Duffy and Wallin. Because the Conservatives have been in power for so long, the media has managed to keep this story alive. It could well be Harper’s undoing – unless he can find something else for the media to focus on, and let time dull what happened. One thing is for sure, these problems transcend all political affiliations. To be sure, the strategists of every party are burning the midnight oil over how to proceed.
According to the National Post, Senators Duffy and Wallin were among the top ten spenders in the Senate. Certainly, most of their expenses are legitimate, but will everything pass muster? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of sad eyed politicians announcing to the camera that they do not understand Revenue Canada forms or Parliamentary rules.They're sorry that they didn't understand. It's not their fault, but they will accept all responsibility. What a load of bunk! Is declaring ones ignorance of the law enough to keep you from prosecution? For the answer to that, we’ll have to wait and see.
Then there’s this final bugbear. Why are voters so dim-witted? Why does it take us years to realize that some of the people we’ve elected are incompetent, thieves or worse? Why do we re-elect them for subsequent terms? Ontario voters should be ashamed of themselves for giving Dalton McGuinty more than one term.
It could be the age in which we live. Perhaps it’s our short attention spans. It could be the cynicism I mentioned earlier. Regardless, offending politicians should be swiftly brought to justice. Their misdeeds should not be swept under the carpet.
As voters, we need to start paying more attention. We must take control of where we live. We must demand a streamlined investigative process. We have to toss out politicians that do not measure up. Reward honesty and good service, but demand more. In the end, much of the responsibility rests with us.
It is true. We get the politicians we deserve.
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