Posted by
Scotchman on Tuesday, August 01, 2006 11:03:04 PM
Corruption in government is nothing new and certainly not unique to the federal government, as this story from the Dallas Morning News makes clear. The linked story is the continuation of a series into the corruption and misuse of Dallas Independent School District-issued credit cards. I think it is important to remember that government corruption occurs at all levels, and that while it may not rob all US taxpayers of their hard-earned cash, it certainly affects people locally and, I would argue, more costly as well.
Most people at Townhall would agree that the federal government is a giant morass of a bureaucracy that is far larger and more encompassing than the founders ever intended. Federalism dictates that the government that most affects us should be the level of government closest to the people, where the voting strengths of the constituents are least diluted. Since the federal government dwarfs any state or local government in size, it is easier for these lower levels to be ignored and experience levels of corruption that are not commensurate with their size. I think this is borne out during elections, where the federal elections draw circa 50% of registered voters, states average somewhere in the 25%-35% range, and here in Dallas, we are lucky to draw 10% on local ballots and bond elections - arguably the issues that most affect us. It is also borne out in stories such as this one.
The DISD is no stranger to corruption. In the late 1990s, as quoted in the article, the superintendent at the time was imprisoned, and several others were indicted in a corruption investigation that consumed years and millions of taxpayer dollars. In this story, district-issued credit cards were abused to the tune of $20 million dollars in spending, with much of it spent on personal items. One secretary with a card (not sure why a secretary would have one in the first place) spent over $100,000 at an air force base exchange and grocery store, and a total of $383,788 in undocumented spending. Even more amazing to me is that she has not been accused of any "wrongdoing" yet.
The current superintendent is new in his post and to his credit (no pun intended) has canceled the credit card program and taken some initial disciplinary action against some of the offenders, and now the FBI is expanding its probe of the district into this area - it was already investigating the district for corruption in district vendor relationships. We will see where this ultimately leads.
My point in this is to convey the importance of not losing sight of what happens in your state/county/town/schools and focus only on the federal government. Stay vigilant on your local issues and get involved - the dollars you ultimately save might just be your own!