Friday, June 02, 2006

This from the New Haven Register, the Opinion page, May 31, 2006.
Molly Ivens Forum Column:
A Houston jury convicted both Ken Lay and Jeff Skillings ........ Many a thoughtful analyst has given us to understand that Lay and Skilling are guilty of arrogance and hubris. Actually, they were convicted of fraud - massive, overwhelming and monstrous fraud. They also stole money and looted pension funds. They rigged energy markets and almost drove California, seventh - largest economy in the world, into bankruptcy.
All along the way, this monstrous fraud was connected to government. Enron bought the politicians who bent the rules that let them steal, con and gyp. Lay and Skilling talked state after state into following the California model and deregulating electricity. Happy summer, everyone.
And then, of course, there was the thumbing-the-nose thievery, the offshore partnerships tricked out with the clever names so insiders would know how slick they were.
As the late Rep. Wright Patman Sr. observed: "Many ofour wealthiest and post powerful citizens are very greedy. This fact has many times been demonstrated."
The interesting thing about Lay and Skilling is they weren't trying to evade the rules, they were rigging the rules. the fix was in --much of it law passed by former Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, whose wife, Wendy, served on the Board of Enron.
Where does that sense of entitlement come from? What makes a Key Lay think he can call the governor of Texas and ask him to soften up Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania on electricity deregulation? Not that being governor of Texas has ever been an office of much majesty, but a corporate robber wouldn't think of doing that if it were Brian Schweitzer of Montananor Bill Richardson of New Mexico.
The extent to which not just state legislatures but Congress are now run by large corporate special interests is beyond mere recognition as fact. The takeover is complete. Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay put in place a system in which it's not a question of letting the head of the camel into the tent -- the camels run the place.
It has all happened quite quickly -- in less than 20 years. Laws were changed and regulations repealed until an Enron can set sail without responsibility, supervision or accountability. The business pages are fond of trumpeting the merits of "transparency" and "accountability," but you will notice when ever there is a chance to roll back any New Deal restraints, the corporations go for broke trying to get rid of them entirely.
I'm not attempting to make this a partison deal -- only 73 percent of Enron's political donations went to Republicans. But I'll be damned if Enron's No. 1 show pony politician, George W. Bush, should be allowed to walk away from this. Lay gave $139,500 to Bush over the years. He chipped in $100,000 to the Bush Cheney Inaugural Fund in 2000 and $10,000 to the Bush - Recount Fund.
Plus, Enron's PAC gave Bush $113,800 for his '94 and '98 political races and another $312,500 from its executives, Bush got 14 free rides on Enron's corporate jets during the 2000 campaign, including at least two during the recount. Until January 2004, Enron was a Bush's top contributor.
And what did it get for its money? Lay was on Bush's short list to be energy secretary. He not only almost certainly served on Cheney's energy task force, there is every indication that the task force's energy plan, the one we have been on for five years, is in fact the Enron plan. Lay used Bush as an errand boy, calling the governor of Texas and having him phone Ridge of Pennsylvania to vouch for what swell energy deregulations bills Enron was sponsoring in states all over the nation.
It seems to me we all understand this is a systemic problem.
We need to reform the political system, or we'll lose the democracy. I don't think it's all that hard. It doesn't take rocket science.
We've done it before successfully at the presidential level and tried it several places at the state level. Public campaign financing isn't perfect and can doubtlessly be improved upon as we go. let us being.
My response to this editorial OK, Molly. I agree with you. I half agree that public campaign financing will restore some of the balance in government. That is to say, to represent the people , not corporate special interest. But, how, Molly, can we accomplish this? How do We achieve our goal ? How do We get our representatives to sponsor this bill and get it passed? the people now in office, are financed by , surprise, corporate special interest. There are a lot of ways to make our government more efficient and responsive. A flat tax is a way. Cutting salaries and benefits of office holders is another. Let's put some limits on a run away system.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

June 4, 2006

A 2nd attempt at Comments to your blogs - this time: 6/2/06. Molly might say it's not her job (as reporter) to show us steps to fix democracy. She's a reporter.

But it's got to start somewhere. The best guess seems at grass roots level. But there are powerful 'controllers' at all levels (even in our families) who punish free-thought. At neighborhood, community, PTA, school board, Friends meeetings, there are plenty of powerful smiley-faced controllers making sure they wear the 'wrapper' appearance of the group, and mostly like Enron "rigging the rules," take/keep/expand their power in the face of 'sheeple' who see all and do nothing.

We need more Michael Moore followers; the way Ralph Nader's corporate attacks in the '60s-'70s spawned "Naders Raiders" - long since co-opted. Another person today would be Jennifer Harbury, a Harvard lawyer who stood up to a Latin American government with a hunger fast to protest the "disappearance" of her husband.

Mostly, the backdrop of hundreds of millions of American today dropping civic participation by escaping into "everyday busy-ness" leaves us with the old Chinese saying for the first one in a group to stand up: "The nail that sticks up, gets hammered down."

Thanks for the New Haven Register, Molly Ivens column (Did you re-key it?)

11:10 PM  
Blogger gardenbug said...

It gets real discouraging when the answer is cooperation and consensus amoung a large group of people demanding better from our government. Us Americans go our individual ways. This behavior works in the favor of special interests. They know We can't get together. So they cut themselves a piece.

8:47 PM  

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