Palin certainly is familiar with dealing with corruption and graft at the state level, but the federal government issues in Washington D.C. can not be solved my more rules. There are plenty of rules for congress-critters and more rules would result in more loopholes.

The real reason there is such a huge problem in Washington? There are – quite sincerely - unlimited opportunities for members of Congress and their staff to make a buck. Palin writes…

How do politicians who arrive in Washington, D.C. as men and women of modest means leave as millionaires? How do they miraculously accumulate wealth at a rate faster than the rest of us? How do politicians’ stock portfolios outperform even the best hedge-fund managers’? I answered the question in that speech: Politicians derive power from the authority of their office and their access to our tax dollars, and they use that power to enrich and shield themselves.

Well there you go governor, you answer the question right there. The problem is not just that they have access to our tax dollars, it’s that they have access to a tremendously huge stockpile of our tax dollars. We send them so much money each year to distribute “back to the people” they literally have to create new (duplicate) programs, build gigantic airports that have few if any passengers and yes, build bridges to nowhere.

Palin suggests a few reforms, and some of them will certainly help. But here is one example.

We need more detailed financial disclosure reports, and members should submit reports much more often than once a year. All stock transactions above $5,000 should be disclosed within five days.

OK. What about stock transactions of more than $5,000 for family and friends? Parents? Sons and daughters? How about first cousins once removed?

More rules. More rules with more loopholes. More symptoms of the disease.

The real solution is to take so much power away from the congress-critters in Washington as possible. You know, all that Article 1, Section 8 talk. Transport that power back to the states and the people – a.k.a. state legislatures. Does this mean we want government completely removed from our lives? Of course not, the states can more effectively do what the federal government fails to do today.

When you see the first congress-critters resign their position within the beltway with the goal to become a state legislator or governor, we’ll know we’re moving in the right direction and doing the right thing for our country.

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Of course, in the stories I’ve read, it takes a keen eye to figure out if they are Democrats or Republicans …. but they are Democrats. There are many others involved, including a well-known New York lobbyist.

From NBC New York.

State Sen. Carl Kruger was charged Thursday with federal corruption, conspiracy and money-laundering for allegedly taking at least $1 million in bribes from associates and lobbyists in exchange for favors since 2006.
Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. and several associates are also facing federal charges in the latest takedown of state elected officials.

Yeah, this is an ongoing thing in Albany I guess.

Kruger took steps in his job as state senator to ensure millions of dollars in state money went to development projects of those paying bribes, officials said.

The suspects set up a shell company called “Olympian” to try to hide the corrupt payments, investigators said. Kruger and Michael Turano, described as an intimate family friend, allegedly used the $1 million dollars to help pay the mortgage on a large home in Marine Park as well as  a Bentley automobile.

A separate bribery conspiracy involved no-show consulting jobs where hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash was funneled to Boyland and Kruger, prosecutors said.

In all, eight people were charged, including a real estate developer, two hospital CEOs and a health care consultant.

A Bentley? No-show jobs? It’s not just Chicago politics paying well.

Kruger’s lawyer Ben Brafman said his client, a Brooklyn Democrat who has served in the state senate since 1994, is “saddened because he’s one of the most dedicated public servants.”

Yeah, a dedicated public servant who was being handed thousands and thousands in cold hard cash.

Hat tip to Pamela Gellar at Atlas Shrugs. You can read more at MSNBC and the Wall Street Journal who has this tidbit of info…

The defendants also included Richard Lipsky, a lobbyist and blogger best known for his trenchant critiques of the Bloomberg administration. Prosecutors say he was at the center of a bribery ring with a money trail that led straight to his home, where FBI agents found $102,000 squirreled away in his closet and $4,000 in “crisp” bills in his suit pocket.

Get this … Lipsky has billed himself as a crusader for small mom and pop businesses in New York City, but I guess those same small businesses need to pay to play. The Village Voice even named him Small Business Lobbyist of the Year in 2009. The blog he runs for the Neighborhood Retail Alliance has a story posted on March 9 – the most recent post – concerning the black market food cart problem in the city.

Food cart permits go for about $200 every year (or maybe it’s two years) but since the demand for these permits is high and the supply too low, the black market for these permits can fetch upwards of $14,000 to $20,000 every two years, paid to the original permit holder.

I guess Lipsky and his cronies in the State Senate and Assembly were not getting their cut. The blog author – I’m assuming it’s Lipsky – writes…

For too long local communities and neighborhood stores have been victimized by an out of control street vendor system. The chaos has gone on long enough.

Bribes for me but not for thee!

States and local communities tend to go after corruption with a vengeance. Remember, my point is simple … if we want to fund projects that are local in nature and not specific to the national welfare (good for the entire nation), we must fund those projects with local and state dollars.

An admitted simplistic approach would be to – as an example – de-fund the federal government by $1.5 trillion (entitlements, pork, …) and allow states and local communities to make up the lost revenue passed from the federal government through local and state taxes.

If you really want that new school, library, fire truck, community center or new bridge over Middle-of-Nowhere Creek, you’re going to have to pay for it yourself and not beg and plead for federal grants, matching funds or guaranteed loans.

The argument from many RVO readers is the corruption will never end, and it would just move from the halls of Congress and lobbyists in Washington, D.C. to the state legislature and local communities. Maybe that is partly true, but you don’t see these kind of perp-walks in the nations capital do you?

I prefer my politicians with the purse strings to be close by so we all can keep an eye on them. Don’t you? From the Los Angeles Times, with my emphasis in bold.

At least eight city of Bell [California] officials were arrested Tuesday morning, a source said, as L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley prepared to announce criminal charges in the municipal salary scandal. …

No details have been released, but a source not authorized to speak publicly about the case said that Rizzo; former Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia; Mayor Oscar Hernandez; Councilmembers Luis Artiga, Teresa Jacobo and George Mirabal; and former Councilmembers George Cole and Victor Bello were among those arrested. …

A neighbor of Hernandez said authorities used a battering ram on his front door after he failed to answer the door.

“They broke the door down,” said the neighbor, who only gave his name as Jose. “They knocked down the door and they brought him out in cuffs.”

Now, why this community did not recognize the issue from the beginning is another totally separate problem. Maybe the community was so focused on what leadership in Washington was doing – or doling out – they were completely blind to the corruption in their own back yard.

American Thinker and Judicial Watch also writing.

A side note about media reporting concerning the Bell, Calif. city council scandal from Newsbusters.

Thus far, every major news outlet that has reported on the story has omitted the fact that all eight individuals arrested are Democrats.

These glaring omissions come only weeks after NewsBusters reported that of the 351 stories on the then-brewing controversy, 350 had omitted party affiliations, and one had mentioned they were Democrats only in apologizing for not doing so sooner.

The book would be some sort of combination between Mark Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny, and Michelle Malkin’s Culture of Corruption. You see, Mark does a great job defining the real problem – the disease – and Michelle does an awesome job detailing the symptoms that have developed.

Put them together and you’ve got a best seller I figure, or at least something I would want to read. Maybe someday …

Anyway, back to Rep. Johnson who figures it’s perfectly fine to hand out thousands of dollars in scholarship dollars to family members. I wonder if they even needed to apply for the funds? From the Dallas Morning News with a hat tip to Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. (I’m happy to see local journalists like Todd Gillman and Christy Hoppe pointing this stuff out.)

Longtime Dallas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson has awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and a top aide’s two children since 2005, using foundation funds set aside for black lawmakers’ causes.

The recipients were ineligible under anti-nepotism rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which provided the money. And all of the awards violated a foundation requirement that scholarship winners live or study in a caucus member’s district.

Johnson, a Democrat, denied any favoritism when asked about the scholarships last week. Two days later, she acknowledged in a statement released by her office that she had violated the rules but said she had done so “unknowingly” and would work with the foundation to “rectify the financial situation.”

The system has grown so huge that corruption is not just the exclusive domain of taxpayer funds, this is a fund set up with private and corporate donations delivered to the Congressional Black Caucus. Then, the members of the caucus have a great amount of discretion concerning who they give the scholarships to.

No chance for political pay-offs there! Maybe it went down something like this…

Lobbyist: Rep. Johnson! We’d like you to support us or maybe even sponsor this legislation.

Johnson: Oh really? Well, why don’t you just make a contribution to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and I’ll take a look.

Lobbyist: Thank you!

… a few hours later Rep. Johnson calls her Aunt Judy …

Johnson: Hey Aunt Judy, I think I may be able to help pay next semester’s tuition bill…

Of course, Johnson now admits she “unknowingly” broke the rules, and will work with the caucus to solve the issue.

Initially, she said, “I recognized the names when I saw them. And I knew that they had a need just like any other kid that would apply for one.” Had there been more “very worthy applicants in my district,” she added, “then I probably wouldn’t have given it” to the relatives.

What’s even more interesting is that Congressional Black Caucus members not only have great discretion when it comes to handing out the money, they can also choose how – and if – they elect to promote the program. Johnson’s website does not mention the program at all – so she’s got slush funds available for friends and family.

Morrissey notes…

It’s for this precise scenario that most charitable organizations use independent boards to select recipients for outlays.  Instead of putting the individual Representative in the role of paymaster, a smarter and less fraught method would be for the CBC to handle these applications in an aggregate manner and then have an independent panel make the final decisions, even while Representatives nominate constituents for the awards.  Why don’t they do that?  Because the entire purpose of the scholarships is to make the individual Representatives get the credit for giving the money to the students, so they can get their names in the paper and keep getting re-elected.

Exit question: How many kids in her district could use the funds but were not informed about the program?

Since this is really a local story, I’ll consider updating this post later in the day, but there really is no reason to re-invent the wheel. Added: Perez has been convicted on five corruption charges, including taking a bribe and attempted extortion, and faces up to 60 years in prison.

I’ll use the Hartford Courant as a linked resource for those interested in reviewing the history of the case. It all seems to revolve around a mayor who had about $40,000 in personal home improvements completed by a local contractor who had been awarded a city contract or two.

Perez never paid for the work done on his home until after he caught wind of the investigation when he eventually started paying the contractor for the work … two years later.

Here is the story timeline and a collection of past stories from the Courant.

Of course, race is part of the story, since the lawyers began expressing concern about the racial make-up of the jury back in April. Makes me sick…

I may put a poll up for the weekend, but in the comments let us know if you think Perez should resign.

Update: More from the Hartford Courant, with my emphasis in bold. On his way out of the courtroom, there was a report Perez would be making a

Perez was charged with receiving a bribe, fabricating evidence, accessory to the fabrication of evidence, conspiracy to fabricate evidence, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny by extortion and criminal attempt to commit first-degree larceny by extortion in the trial that began May 12. The only charge Perez was not convicted of is fabricating evidence.

The maximum sentence Perez could receive is 60 years. On the individual charges, the maximum sentences are up to 10 years for receiving a bribe; up to 5 years for fabricating evidence; up to 5 years for accessory to fabrication; up to 5 years for conspiracy to fabricate evidence; up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny; and up to 20 years for criminal attempt to commit larceny.

In final arguments the this week the prosecutor said that the mayor abused his power and hurt the people of Hartford by taking a bribe in the form of free home remodeling work and trying to extort a payoff on behalf of a political ally, the prosecutor said in his final argument Wednesday in the mayor’s corruption case.

Defense attorney Hubert Santos acknowledged that the mayor showed bad judgment in some instances, lied to an investigator, and was distracted by his wife’s illness, but maintained that there was no corrupt agreement with the city contractor who did the home renovations, and no attempt to facilitate a payoff to North End politician Abraham Giles.

Update2: Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin’s blog notes the AP story about the Perez conviction does not mention his party affiliation at all … nowhere in the article.

This is Bart Stupak’s:

“Three airports in the district of infamous fence-sitting and ultimately kowtowing Democrat Bart Stupak were awarded $726,409 in grants by the Obama Administration just two days before a vote on Obama and Pelosi’s government takeover of healthcare.

Did Stupak compromise his supposed principled stand against taxpayer funding of abortion in exchange for taxpayer dollars for pet projects?

Alpena County Regional Airport received a $85,500 grant, but had only 7,519 passenger boardings in 2008 (the most recent year for which there is information) according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data. Alpena County Regional Airport serves fewer passengers than even the late Rep. John Murtha’s famous “Airport for Nobody.”

Delta County Airport has even less customers than that, but still received a $179,209 grant.

Chippewa County International Airport received a $461,700 grant, but had only 13,733 passenger boardings in 2008.

Just another day in Obama’s Washington.

In a world with insoluble problems, like the tax code, enter Charlie Rangel. The man who writes the tax code and, recently, has called for harder and harsher enforcement of these regulations by the IRS. Charlie, however, doesn’t always live up to the letter of the laws he rights — as Leona Helmsley might say — taxes are for the little people.

Enter “Charlie’s Angles”. When the men and women who purport to represent you don’t live up to the standards they themselves set, they must face a jury of their peers — the Ethics committee. A clever man, Charlie Rangel has the best defense that money can buy. What do you buy for the man who has everything? I haven’t the foggiest — but, apparently, he tried to the Ethics committee for himself.

” A few Democrats returned Rangel’s donations, including Ethics Committee member Peter Welch of Vermont, who said he returned Rangel’s $20,000 out of “an abundance of caution.”

Two other Democrats on the panel — Ben Chandler of Kentucky, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina — have refused to return Rangel’s contributions.

The House Ethics Committee’s wide-ranging investigation of Rangel has been expanded twice, as new revelations have come to light. “

Sunshine is the best disinfectant. The more light they shine on Charlie, the more they find.

Betcha Charlie wishes he could be a disembodied voice on an intercom, don’t ya think?

WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) – Former U.S. Representative William Jefferson, who was caught with $90,000 in cash in his freezer, was found guilty on 11 of 16 charges related to a bribery and money laundering scandal, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

“The ex-Louisiana lawmaker was accused in 2007 of soliciting millions of dollars in bribes from a dozen companies while using his office to broker business deals in Africa.

In a search of his residence, FBI agents said they had found the $90,000 in a freezer.

Jefferson faces up to 150 years in prison and could face forfeiture of payments totaling $456,000, plus stock certificates, according a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia, where Jefferson was tried. Jefferson can appeal his conviction.”

One wonders if, in the tradition of Marion Barry or Sharpe James, William Jefferson will seek re-election.

This group does a fantastic job explaining what it means to be a conservative. I visit the site frequently, but Ed at Hot Air gets the hat tip from all of us today for letting us know about the new video release. Malkin now promoting.

I’ve been saying this very thing since the late 1980s – and it’s not just Democrats – it’s all of government! After watching this video, head over to my post on the TEA party efforts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SovALlOhSg8

The most recent candidate in the malleable ethics sweepstakes is Ron Sims, chosen Monday to be the deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As King County (Seattle) executive, Mr. Sims was fined $124,000 for “blatant” violations of Washington state’s public records act for failure to release documents with regard to financing of the stadium where the Seattle Seahawks play. Last month the state supreme court said the fine should be increased.

Congress has turned an indulgent eye to these ethical lapses because there are many in Congress who are guilty of the same, or worse. Charles Rangel, New York Democrat, remains chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee despite his failure to pay taxes on $75,000 in rental income, and – according to a report issued Wednesday – repeatedly failing to comply with congressional financial disclosure rules. Sen. Chris Dodd (Democrat, Countrywide Mortgage) remains as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee despite having received a sweetheart loan from one of the worst of the subprime mortgage villains.

Woww … now Jack Kelly is using the (D_Countrywide) thing too!

And once again thanks to INSTAPUNDIT … damn.