Raft of Graft Exposed -- And It's Your Money

In the famous words of George Washington Plunkitt of Tammany Hall, “I seen my opportunities, and I took’em.”

 

Clearly the words of the patron saint of the U.S. federal, state and local governments today.

George Washington Plunkitt (1842–1924) was a long-time state senator in the state of New York, representing the 15th Assembly District, who was especially powerful in New York City. He was part of what was known as New York's "Tammany Hall" political machine.

Plunkitt, (above center) who grew wealthy through his crooked government service, was famous for introducing the concepts of honest graft and dishonest graft. Said Plunkitt, “The day may come when we'll reject the money of the rich as tainted, but it hadn't come when I left Tammany Hall at 11:25 today.”

Mitchell Video Exposes Graft Causes

Dan Mitchell (below) of the Cato Institute in Washington has just issued, on behalf of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation,  another arresting YouTube video, this one addressing the issue of corruption in Washington, D.C.

 

 Dan's video could not be more timely. There are today Plinkett' decendants in government, even at the highest levels of the U.S. Congress and the Obama administration. Only today, following a recent audit, the U.S. government watchdog and special inspector general, Neil Barofsky, has launched nearly two-dozen criminal investigations in connection with the $750 billion federal bailout "Troubled Assets Relief Program," or TARP.

Days ago the Obama administration announced a coordinated effort across federal and state government and the private sector to target mortgage loan modification fraud and foreclosure rescue scams, also arising from the billion dollar TARP bailout.

Riddled With Corruption

Dan Mitchell says Washington is riddled with both legal and illegal corruption because government is too

 big and has too much power. The federal budget redistributes $3.5 trillion through more than 1,800 subsidy programs, uncluding TARP. The regulatory burden is $1.2 trillion and there have been 51,000 new regulations since 1995. And there are more than 70,000 pages of tax law and regulations.

These are the reasons why Washington is a hornet's nest of deal-making, influence-peddling, and back-scratching. The Centerfor Freedom and Prosperity's new video argues that reducing the size and scope of government is the only effective way to control Washington sleaze.

CLICK here to see Dan's latest video.