Combating the corruption of power by appointed (non-elected) officials is very easy if we all have the courage to insist on elected legitimacy.
Legitimacy for appointed officials starts by prohibiting the appointment of lobbyists to non-elected positions. Lobbyists being defined here as anyone who has received payment, directly or through their employer, to influence government employees, appointees and or elected officials.
The “Once a Lobbyist Always a Lobbyist” clause would create a one way door through which lobbyists would pass preventing them from receiving a future appointment as a non-elected official not vetted by we the public at large.
I should point out that it would not prevent a lobbyist from being vetted by and subsequently elected by “We the people” at large. We deserve the government we elect! That’s why we only give them about 4 years. We make mistakes and we know it!
The implications of these simple but powerful prohibitions on conflict of interest are easy to understand. Their absence is not!
Taking action means speaking action. If you want a change you have to tell your elected officials what you want and expect.
Most corruption is evaluated based on both the real and perceived impact of an individual’s actions when elevated to a level of authority larger than an individual.
By these standards almost no politician and or political appointee could lobby for an organization or an individual with a vested interest was impacted by one or more of their previous decisions. In a like fashion they would be required to recues themselves from voting and or influencing other voting members on matters where they had previously represented private or commercial interests.
Government has no guarantee of free speech and thus its members have no guarantee of free speech independent of the interests of ALL of their constituents. Simply put the mere implication of impropriety precludes the elected and or appointed official from holding a “personal” right to that action.
Thus the FCC commissioners actions of announcing her intention to leave the organization for a specific job the intention of which is to leverage her unique experiences to the benefit of their client is an act that is inconsistent with her oath to “we the people” she is still representing on behalf of those we elected.
Bluntly put she misused her pulpit (free speech) of her office and our trust if only in her disdain for the office our elected officials appointed her too.
The question we all need to address are not clear violations such as the FCC chair’s requirement not to do harm “while” in office but similar violations of the pulpit we have given them “after” they leave office. The coat tails of power extend well beyond 2 years especially for those who are career influencers who bounce in and out of appointed power w/o ever being elected directly by anyone.
We have not seen the last of the FCC chair, a woman who has proven her ability to influence agendas in favor of commercial entities.
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Combating the Seeds of Corruption
Legitimacy for appointed officials starts by prohibiting the appointment of lobbyists to non-elected positions. Lobbyists being defined here as anyone who has received payment, directly or through their employer, to influence government employees, appointees and or elected officials.
The “Once a Lobbyist Always a Lobbyist” clause would create a one way door through which lobbyists would pass preventing them from receiving a future appointment as a non-elected official not vetted by we the public at large.
I should point out that it would not prevent a lobbyist from being vetted by and subsequently elected by “We the people” at large. We deserve the government we elect! That’s why we only give them about 4 years. We make mistakes and we know it!
The implications of these simple but powerful prohibitions on conflict of interest are easy to understand. Their absence is not!
Taking action means speaking action. If you want a change you have to tell your elected officials what you want and expect.
Corruption is an Institution
By these standards almost no politician and or political appointee could lobby for an organization or an individual with a vested interest was impacted by one or more of their previous decisions. In a like fashion they would be required to recues themselves from voting and or influencing other voting members on matters where they had previously represented private or commercial interests.
Government has no guarantee of free speech and thus its members have no guarantee of free speech independent of the interests of ALL of their constituents. Simply put the mere implication of impropriety precludes the elected and or appointed official from holding a “personal” right to that action.
Thus the FCC commissioners actions of announcing her intention to leave the organization for a specific job the intention of which is to leverage her unique experiences to the benefit of their client is an act that is inconsistent with her oath to “we the people” she is still representing on behalf of those we elected.
Bluntly put she misused her pulpit (free speech) of her office and our trust if only in her disdain for the office our elected officials appointed her too.
The question we all need to address are not clear violations such as the FCC chair’s requirement not to do harm “while” in office but similar violations of the pulpit we have given them “after” they leave office. The coat tails of power extend well beyond 2 years especially for those who are career influencers who bounce in and out of appointed power w/o ever being elected directly by anyone.
We have not seen the last of the FCC chair, a woman who has proven her ability to influence agendas in favor of commercial entities.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by PanAmMan.
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