Budget Watch Nevada

Political scandals in Nevada, and particularly in Clark County, grace the headlines much more often than should be in a civil society. Probably most notorious has been the long-shameful Clark County Board of Commissioners with its admitted felons Lance Malone, Erin Kenny, Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, and Dario Herrera. But you can also add to that list the shameless rule-breaking and ethics-bending antics of Lynette Boggs and Yvonne Atkinson Gates. At the state level, the late Kathy Augustine was impeached for misuse of office resources for non-official activities. The list goes on and on.

If you’re like me, when you read these stories, do you think, “This must just the tip of the iceberg? These are only the ones that GET CAUGHT!” How many more public officials get away with ethics violations, small-time bribes, protection rackets, fraud, influence peddling, and other willful infractions?

We have a seriously malignant streak running through Nevada politics. What causes this? It brings to mind the nurture vs. nature question – did these elected officials become corrupt because of the environment in which they worked, or were they corrupt and morally bankrupt before being elected?

It’s probably a little of both. I believe that power-hungry, authoritarian types are drawn to so-called public service where they can wield power over others. Once elected to positions of authority and influence, they thrive and that thirst for power becomes more pronounced. Unfortunately, their sense of self-importance is constantly reinforced by lobbyists, special interests, sycophantic staffers, and fellow elected officials who see them as conduits for their own purposes, be it for regulatory protection from competitors or preferential zoning consideration, or for sweetheart service contracts, etc.

Ultimately, many of these elected officials forget about any so-called “public interest” and simply act and vote based on their own self-interest. As Lord Acton warned, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Whether we’re talking about nation-state dictators or city councilmen, the temptation always exists to sell their souls to political cronies and those who supported their campaigns in their “rise to the top.” A quid pro quo exists, even with the most principled of men.

The late, great Harry Browne was a brilliant commentator on our political system and the perverse incentives built into it. He wrote, “It is pointless to talk about corruption in government. Every government program is corruption, because it is organized on the basis of who has the most political influence. Thus corruption – the buying and selling of legislators – is inherent in every government program.”

So if the term “political corruption” is redundant, what can we do about it? We must be ever vigilant. We must hold officials accountable, even when, or perhaps especially when, they are from our own parties.