Dear Editor:

When we use the word “symptoms,” we are often speaking of a health diagnosis and are not even close to thinking of a specific group of political people. We don’t think of corruption as a disease that is cured through surgery or medicine, or even psychological therapy.

If corruption is only a symptom, what is the disease?

Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is also considered political corruption.

Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence peddling, graft, and embezzlement. Taken one-by-one, you might recognize people you know. Bribery comes in many forms, money, power, gifts of travel, positions, and promises that tempt the majority of us to forget the ethics we know and like Adam and Eve we bite the apple.

A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning “rule by thieves.” Thieves steal for themselves without regard to who suffers.

What are the core signs of political corruption?

A lack of government transparency, politician families who quickly become billionaires, police that mingle with business and openly take bribes, etc. Louis Brandeis once suggested that “sunlight is the best of disinfectants.” Much of the sun’s political transparency is thought to be protected in FOAA requests, in documents shared, in witnesses, and public news reports based on facts.

In the U.S., running for office has consistently placed candidates in a position of accepting large sums of money just to keep their jobs. With the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, we are encouraging candidates to accept bribes. Is that what we want? Where does that lead after ten years Have we adopted an infectious politically corrupt system? Are we enablers of political corruption?

Where do we go for treatment that reverses corrupt elections and brings back ethical values?

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb