Column: The cure for corruption

There has been much talk about the so-called Republican culture of corruption.

The theory goes that because the Republicans are in power there is widespread corruption and the only solution is to vote in Democrats who still haven't managed to come up with a platform. One would have to be delusional to think there is no corruption among Republicans, but one would have to be certifiably insane to think the solution to that problem is electing Democrats.

In some cases the purported corruption is mostly mythical. When six grand juries need to be convened to finally get an indictment that gets thrown out for not really being a crime, it bodes well for Tom DeLay's chances. Once one gets past the partisan rancor, corruption is seen in both parties, contrary to the views of the College Democrats.

One needs to look no farther than Illinois to see this point. Sure, the Republicans were trounced in this state because of their corruption, but Blagojevich's hands are just as dirty. He is under several criminal investigations that are only being slowed by Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the non-crimes involved with the Valerie Plame affair. Corrupt hiring practices, kickbacks, extortion schemes, corrupt bond deals and consistent double-dealing of the voters are what characterizes Blagojevich's tenure as a soon-to-be one-term governor. Blagojevich's approval rating is lower than Bush's.

Naomi Jakobsson, whose constituents are almost exclusively beneficiaries of the University pension system, voted to stick it to the University pension system so that the legislature can continue its pork barrel spending unabatedly. When a voter wrote in to express their outrage, she responded with a threat to amend the constitution to take away pension security, as noted in a letter to the News-Gazette. When the state unveiled the University license plate, it was sold as a way to help provide money to higher education. Blagojevich instead decided to take that money and spend it elsewhere. When a government can't be trusted to keep its obligations, nothing is secure.

Property rights are by no means secure in Illinois either. Despite the fact that nothing in the law, constitution, or the American way of life permits this, the governor proposed that the state seize casinos and keep the profits. The fact that the head of the state of Illinois seriously proposed seizing a business and making it state-run should cause people to sit up and take notice and question how free they really are.

Lastly, the pro-choice Rod Blagojevich decided to make choice illegal when he unilaterally decided pharmacists were no longer entitled to their rights of conscience. In this country we value the rights of freedom for people to make choices on how, where and when they provide services.

The free market allows consumers to choose vendors that meet their needs as they see fit. Freedom, not being good enough for our governor, was swept aside to enforce a government-established standard for what acceptable religious and personal beliefs are.

This decision, at its very core, is un-American. Anyone who would argue that this was a good use of government power sets themselves against the Constitution, the founders, and all that America stands for.

These examples of corruption are but a few from the other side of the aisle. That's not to say there are no corrupt Republicans but that corruption is a systemic problem that only conservativism addresses. A big government will invariably become corrupt. The more government is in a role to regulate and control things, the more things the rich and well-connected can influence. The more distant a government is from the common man, the more laws will reflect the wishes of the elite. Instead of trying more of the same socialism that has failed everywhere it has been tried; let's try giving historically successful freedom and conservativism a chance.

John Bambenek is a graduate student and academic professional at the University. His column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached at opinions@dailyillini.com.