How bad is political corruption?

[Befuddled_Stoner]

After skimming through this thread, I’m curious to see where you guys would place political corruption on a scale from 1-10, and just how corrupt you think a politician has to be before getting a punishment equivalent to the next few crimes down the list.

1. Jay walking
2. Speeding
3. Petty theft
4. Assault
5. Grand theft
6. Rape
7. Manslaughter
8. Premeditated murder
9. Serial killing
10. Genocide


I’d rank funneling hundreds of millions of dollars of no-bid contracts into companies owned by your husband as slightly less evil than serial killing, how about you guys?


(now, if only I could figure out how to get the poll options in place...)

 

[Thelost1]

I put any kind of tampering with our government at all at 4-9. Our system must remain intact.

 

[Kandahar]

Are you talking about political corruption specifically in the US, or worldwide?

 

[Billo_Really]

Republicans suggest that they are the Party
of family values and law & order?

At least they have a sense of irony.

A Long Catalog of Recent Republican Misdeeds

March 27, 2007: Ronald Reagan's budget director, David Stockman, "indicted on charges of defrauding investors and banks of $1.6 billion while chairman of Collins & Aikman Corp., an auto parts maker that collapsed days after he quit"

March 27, 2007: Criminal charges filed against Pennsylvania State Senator Robert Regola (R-Hempfield) in connection with the death of a teenage neighbor who was shot with the senator's gun; he is accused of three counts of perjury, allowing possession of a firearm by a minor, recklessly endangering another person and false swearing

March 23, 2007: Former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles, an oil and gas lobbyist who became an architect of George W. Bush's energy policies, pleads guilty to obstructing justice by lying to a Senate committee

March 8, 2007: Former U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich admits to extramarital affair

March 6, 2007: I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney (R-Dante's Inferno) found guilty of obstruction of justice and perjury

January 29, 2007: Republican former Jefferson County, Colorado, Treasurer Mark Paschall indicted on two felony charges "in connection with an allegation that Paschall solicited a kickback from a bonus he awarded one of his employees"

January 23, 2007: Republican radio personality Scott Eller Cortelyou of Denver arrested on suspicion of using the Internet to lure a child into a sexual relationship

December 8, 2006: Alaska Republican State Representative Thomas Anderson indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of extortion, conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering

November 29, 2006: Washington-state Republican activist Larry Corrigan arrested "in an Internet sting for allegedly trying to arrange sex with a 13-year-old girl"

November 28, 2006: U.S. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-San Diego) pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion, and a separate tax-evasion violation for failing to disclose income in 2004

November 12, 2006: Minnesota State Representative Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse

October 14, 2006: Kurt Zuttermeister, Republican candidate for the Hawaii state House, arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a valid driver's license; it was his third drunk driving arrest since 1997 and he was found guilty in the earlier cases

October 13, 2006: Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) pleads guilty to taking bribes in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal

October 4, 2006: U.S. Congressman Don Sherwood (R-PA) admits to cheating on his wife, though he denies having abused his mistress, which she has alleged

September 29, 2006: Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) resigns from the U.S. Congress following reports he sent sexually inappropriate e-mails to underage male congressional interns

September 27, 2006: Colorado Republican activist Randal D. "Randy" Ankeney arrested for "five counts of sexual assault on a child, three counts of sexual enticement of a child and one count of sexual exploitation of a child"

August 25, 2006: Shirley Ward, president of the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women, arrested on charges of voter fraud by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

July 24, 2006: Republican Green Oaks, Illinois, Mayor Tom Adams charged with distributing child pornography over the Internet

July 20, 2006: Tennessee Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Albertini arrested on suspicion of public intoxication

May 11, 2006: Governor Ernie Fletcher (R-KY) indicted on three misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination

April 19, 2006: Former North Carolina Republican Party Chair, Sam Currin, indicted on seven felony charges, including tax conspiracy, witness tampering and perjury

March 1, 2006: Matthew R. Sisk, a member of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee, arrested for drunk driving

January 3, 2006: Republican mega-fundraiser Jack Abramoff pleads guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials

December 16, 2005: James Tobin, regional political director to the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the 2002 election, convicted of "two telephone harassment charges for his role in a phone-jamming plot against New Hampshire Democrats on Election Day 2002"

October 27, 2005: Ohio Republican Party Fundraiser Tom Noe indicted for "allegedly making illegal campaign contributions using conduit contributors"

September 28, 2005: U.S. Congressman and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) indicted "on a conspiracy charge stemming from a long-running campaign finance investigation"

September 18, 2005: Republican Oswego, New York, Mayor John Gosek is "confined to his house after being arrested on a charge of using a telephone to solicit sex from a minor"

August 17, 2005: Republican Ohio Governor Bob Taft indicted on "four criminal misdemeanor counts for failing to report a series of golf outings, dinners and other gifts"

July 11, 2005: Kentucky's Republican Party chairman and two state officials indicted "on charges alleging they conspired to violate state personnel laws" - "Basil Turbyfill is in charge of filling political positions for Fletcher, and Bob Wilson is part of the governor's Personnel Cabinet. GOP Chairman Darrell Brock was director of local government in Fletcher's office before he took the party job this year."

May 19, 2005 (in PDF): Michael Tristano, former Chief of Staff to Illinois State Representative and House Republican Leader Lee A. Daniels (R-Elmhurst), indicted on federal fraud, theft and extortion conspiracy charges

September 21, 2004: Three aides to U.S. Congressman and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) indicted "on charges of illegally raising political funds from corporations in 2002, much of which was funneled into the Republican takeover of the Texas legislature" - the three indicted were DeLay political aide Jim Ellis, fundraiser Warren RoBold and John Colyandro, the executive director of DeLay's political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority

It is a lot when you look at them all at once!

And these are the people that supposedly support the troops.

The argument is bullshit that suggests you have to support the mission in order to support the troops. It's not the troops mission! The troops didn't decide to go to Iraq. Bush did! That's his mission. The troops are just following orders. Showing dissent for this war has nothing to do with the troops.

 

[teacher]

Billo:teacher. teacher:Billo.

It is a lot when you look at them all at once!

And these are the people that supposedly support the troops.

The argument is bullshit that suggests you have to support the mission in order to support the troops. It's not the troops mission! The troops didn't decide to go to Iraq. Bush did! That's his mission. The troops are just following orders. Showing dissent for this war has nothing to do with the troops.

Yea.

Sup forehead? I been busy.

"Done" is coming.

Nice to see see you giving them the what for.

Listen.

It's gonna take a while.

But first...that bullshit is so friggin weak. That it works just shows me how stupid these unwashed masses are. But then you know that.

It's "Done".

Listen forehead, I kinda have a way of being me.

You are so gonna enjoy this.

Keep up with it.

Actually, you are sorta right with your swill, and I'll be telling how you are, and how your ignorance plays into the "Done" explantation.

You've seen what I do here. The game.

I freaked myself out on this one.

Almost.

It's "Done".

Do you believe in God?


You will when I'm "Done" with you.

Is Captian Courtesy still here?"

Cause he sucks.






Oh yea, gave you some love.

You know where.



Second place is really the first loser.


Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[Billo_Really]

 

[CaptainCourtesy]

Re: Billo:teacher. teacher:Billo.

Is Captian Courtesy still here?"

Cause he sucks.

Sure I'm still here. Thought you had ejected after the pasting I gave you in our 'first' meeting. Guess some just don't know when discretion is the better part of valor.

BTW, your 'room' is a mess. :mrgreen:

 

[teacher]

But I don't want to go to school.

Sure I'm still here. Thought you had ejected after the pasting I gave you in our 'first' meeting. Guess some just don't know when discretion is the better part of valor.

BTW, your 'room' is a mess. :mrgreen:

Sweet classic.

Comeback?

I'll clean it as soon as I get done with the "young romace" comic you bought me. Mom.

You're turn.

 

[Gibberish]

Premeditated murder

 

[Edify_Always_In_All_Ways]

Grand theft- whether it is the money or trust of your constitutents. Very simple.

 

[Patrickt]

"Nice to see see you giving them the what for."

But, for god's sake, leave "us" out of this.

Corruption is not restricted to one party. Only a true believer could consider that the case.

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by teacher:
Listen forehead, I kinda have a way of being me.

Tell redd I said hi!

 

[Pull My Finger]

After skimming through this thread, I’m curious to see where you guys would place political corruption on a scale from 1-10, and just how corrupt you think a politician has to be before getting a punishment equivalent to the next few crimes down the list.

Are you asking how corrupt politics in general are, or how corrupt a politician has to be in order to be punished? Or are you referring strictly to the Feinstien case?

Peace

 

[Sergeant Stinger1]

I have to go along with the crowd on this one and say premeditated murder because it is just that. How many people or kids have died from not having full medical or from some other reason that if the corruption wasn't happening they would have had full health coverage or whatever.
The trillions of $$$ from corruption thrugh out the years could have helped some people along the way. Not even getting into people having to work one day a week or so to pay their taxs so these lowlife politicans can steal their money.