Froma Harrop: A Bad Breed of Brazen Republicans
Republicans hardly have a lock on corruption in Washington, but they do seem to hold the patent on an especially brazen breed of dodgy politician. This is the official who combines devious dealing with abusive behavior. Alaska Rep. Don Young seems to fit the mold, as did former California Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now doing jail time for bribery, fraud and tax evasion.
Sellers of the public interest tend to be amiable fellows, who, upon sensing they've gone too far, back off. But a certain type revels in pushing the limits for all to see. The bully stuff is to scare off critics. And the more blatant the self-dealing, the better. Its in-your-face quality suggests awesome power that can't be touched.
Young was a father of the infamous $200-million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska. It's a ludicrous waste of the taxpayer money, but something that an Alaska pol could justify as pork. No such veil covers his efforts to ram a controversial highway interchange down the throats of local Floridians.
That started in 2005, when Republicans still controlled the House and Young was riding high as chairman of the House transportation committee. It happened that a real-estate developer named Daniel Aronoff owned 4,000 acres off Coconut Road in Estero, Fla. An interchange connecting that road with Interstate 75 would greatly inflate the value of Aronoff's land.
Aronoff threw Young a fund-raiser that netted him $40,000. Shortly thereafter, a $10 million earmark to study a Coconut interchange appeared in the transportation bill.
The story does not end there. Turns out that Lee County doesn't want the interchange because it would harm wetlands and drinking water -- and had twice rejected the proposal.
So Young sent a letter to the county threatening to remove the $10 million if it was not spent on the Coconut interchange. Then Republican Rep. Connie Mack, whose district includes Estero, wrote his own letter, warning that a rejection of the interchange would "make it difficult for Southwest Florida to have future success in securing federal resources for other important projects."...
Read entire article at Real Clear Politics
Sellers of the public interest tend to be amiable fellows, who, upon sensing they've gone too far, back off. But a certain type revels in pushing the limits for all to see. The bully stuff is to scare off critics. And the more blatant the self-dealing, the better. Its in-your-face quality suggests awesome power that can't be touched.
Young was a father of the infamous $200-million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska. It's a ludicrous waste of the taxpayer money, but something that an Alaska pol could justify as pork. No such veil covers his efforts to ram a controversial highway interchange down the throats of local Floridians.
That started in 2005, when Republicans still controlled the House and Young was riding high as chairman of the House transportation committee. It happened that a real-estate developer named Daniel Aronoff owned 4,000 acres off Coconut Road in Estero, Fla. An interchange connecting that road with Interstate 75 would greatly inflate the value of Aronoff's land.
Aronoff threw Young a fund-raiser that netted him $40,000. Shortly thereafter, a $10 million earmark to study a Coconut interchange appeared in the transportation bill.
The story does not end there. Turns out that Lee County doesn't want the interchange because it would harm wetlands and drinking water -- and had twice rejected the proposal.
So Young sent a letter to the county threatening to remove the $10 million if it was not spent on the Coconut interchange. Then Republican Rep. Connie Mack, whose district includes Estero, wrote his own letter, warning that a rejection of the interchange would "make it difficult for Southwest Florida to have future success in securing federal resources for other important projects."...