I know we elect them, but here's the thing. We keep forgiving them
for unforgivable behaviour. If they were our children, we'd be
blaming ourselves for letting them go bad like this. Why won't we
just call things by their real names? If somebody lies to you, you
learn something about them. That's one thing. If they lie to get a
benefit from you, or to get you to do something that's fraud. If
they lie when they are bound by oath or duty to tell the truth
that's perjury. Two felonies and a sin. If you bought a rotten car
from these guys, you could sue them and get your money back, maybe
get them charged and arrested. Why should we forgive them because
they're politicians?
Two crimes and a dishonorable act. It's like we give them leeway
because they're honesty impaired some way, like we can't expect
truth because, well, we just can't. If they take money from
somebody for special treatment that's bribery. The fact that they
made a loophole, and took the bribe through a party or before being
elected, that doesn't mean it isn't a bribe, it just means they
can't be charged. A technicality.
There would be an election reform for you. Make a law so people who
take bribes go to court, instead of to Government house, no matter
when they take it or what form it takes. Make them accountable to
their oaths of office. If they lie, they're perjurers, in contempt
of sworn duties. If they take our money for themselves or their
contributors, they're crooks. Try them and fire them.
Make it illegal for politicians to absolve themselves from the
consequences of crime by passing new laws absolving themselves from
the consequences of their crimes. It's the only reform we need.
Practically a revolution; punish corruption. Make them stand
accountable for their words and actions.
Not for mistakes, not for incapacity, or circumstance or even
failure. Just for lies and crooked dealings. Democracy can
withstand a lot of mistakes, incapacity, circumstance and failure
provided crookedness is punished whenever it's found out. It really
is the only reform we need.
Any electoral reform will fail to curb the craziness unless the
checks and balances that protect us all from the whims of the
crazies are restored. Those checks and balances are absolutely
indispensable to Democracy under any scheme.
For example:
-
The Auditor General must be restored to effective strength, made
independent and given power to compel records without
interference.
-
Any Parliament must have an official Opposition. Without one it
is a mockery of a noble institution.
-
All records, except military secrets in wartime and matters of
personal privacy, must be readily available to public scrutiny
through Freedom of Information rules.
-
People who take money from any one or any organization, then
dispense official largess should be guilty of bribery, even if they
disguise the transaction. No relative or political contributor
should ever receive government contracts or public property. This
is just nothing but clear corruption, and must be recognized and
punished.
-
Politicians or candidates who make false statements to deceive
or manipulate should be guilty of deceptive practice, and deprived
of whatever they got for it, and held in disgrace.
Whichever system of electoral distribution is chosen, without
rules to require honourable behaviour you will never get honourable
representatives to work for you. Officials who attempt to dismantle
those rules can not be trusted to behave when the rules are
gone.
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