It has been a long time since anyone has mistaken the United States Congress for a hotbed of integrity. Hypocrisy, venality and outright corruption have been the qualities most evident in Washington. Men and women in the House and Senate have grown accustomed to holding the truth hostage to personal aggrandizement. The interests of the people, their putative constituents, routinely take a backseat to a politician’s highest duty, which is to get reelected.
Yet even with the bar of integrity set in a trench, our nation’s elected officials failed to pass that test during the AIG Bonus affair. From the President to the lowliest Republican Representative, the series of events set in place by the bonuses showed everyone at his or her absolute worst.
First we had the Treasury Secretary lying about what he knew about the bonuses and when he knew it. Of course, given the fact that he lied to his former employer and took money for taxes he knew he hadn’t paid, and then lied on his tax forms, and then lied about it to the public before finally coming clean during his confirmation hearings, expecting veracity from him was perhaps indicative of a fatal Pollyanna naivete.
Barack Obama fared no better. Faced with an explosion of populist outrage, he once again subsumed the obligations of leadership to the luxury of expedience. Rather than temper the anger with cool reason, he grabbed a pitchfork to get out in front of the mob. As the fires of outrage intensified, the House of Representatives jumped into the fray.
Doing what they do best, they mounted another in the series of kangaroo courts which have so sickened the dwindling number of sentient Americans. Clambering atop each other’s slathering visages to cast thunderbolts of invective at hapless witnesses, they played their roles with ogrish abandon. So fervent were they in their antipanegyrics that Obama himself, not long since he was leading the mob, had to call for calm.
Whether borne of ignorance or cynicism, they ignored the fact that the “Stimulus Package” they had approved contained language ensuring that the bonuses would be paid, and demanded justice, Old West Style. The gallows were already half-erected when they passed their bill to levy a 91% tax on the bonuses. Since they had passed the stimulus bill without reading it, in answer to their President’s Chicken Little cries, perhaps they remained ignorant of what they had approved. After all, why bother reading something you’ve already passed? That’s why we have hordes of trial attorneys in this country.
Still, it defies belief that even this collection of demagogic popinjays were unaware that the bill they enacted in a spittle spewing passion violated the constitution. More damning yet, they likely passed it knowing full well it was illegal. They passed it to send a message to the seething masses that “We are on your side.” Rather than lead, they followed.
Consider the sad case of Pete Hoekstra, a Republican Representative from Michigan. Formerly a man of integrity, he voted in favor of the act because “a vote against taxing the AIG bonuses would have been used against him in future political races.” Furthermore, he knew it wouldn’t ever become law, because it was unconstitutional. Thus we have it from Mr. Hoekstra, given a choice between upholding the US Constitution and positioning himself for reelection, he opted to assault the very foundation of this nation, for personal gain.
Hoekstra shouldn’t wait to be voted out of office in 2010. He should resign today. He has failed in the most basic duty of a Congressman. Of course, he isn’t alone. There are 327 other Representatives who share his iniquity. If they had any integrity, they would all resign.
Of course, if they had any integrity, they wouldn’t be members of Congress.