Dear Conservative,

They say that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We elect our representatives to go to Washington in order to represent our interests. However, more often than not, even the most starry-eyed legislators have a hard time turning down the bribes/donations from the big corporations and their lobbyists.

The difference between legitimate political donations and illegal bribes is often blurry. As far as the law is concerned, there is a difference. But, whether the donation is through a Political Action Committee (PAC) or just exchanged in a manila envelope, the result is still the same. Powerful corporations gain favor and buy a representative’s loyalty. This goes way beyond pay to play… now, lobbyists pay to get their way.

Tell Congress that allowing politicians to be bought completely erodes what our country stands for!

Just this week, Kathleen Kane, the Democrat Attorney General in Pennsylvania, decided to end the state’s probe into corrupt politicians. Started under her predecessor, the sting operation was intended to find corrupt politicians who were accepting bribes from special interest groups. When the Attorney General read the results, she promptly scrapped the investigation. Why? Because the probe only uncovered Black Liberal Democrats and Kathleen Kane believed it would be “racist” to only prosecute them.

So, let me get this straight. The probe sent a man in undercover to offer bribes to Republicans AND Democrats, and the reason that only the Democrats accepted the money is because of… racism? This is unbelievable!

The Attorney General has these Democrats on tape accepting thousands of dollars of bribes. There are 400 hours of tape, to be exact. However, since the probe only turned up African American legislators, she accused her predecessor of ignoring the “potentially illegal acts by white members of the General Assembly.”

This is why the United States is in decline. Politicians become corrupted in Washington and State Capitols, and when they are actually caught exchanging money and jewelry for votes, they are let go for fear of being accused of racism. The Attorney General is walking on egg shells trying not to offend the delicate sensibilities of felons in the State legislature!

It’s not even a large amount of money that was able to corrupt these politicians. The undercover operative was reportedly able to buy votes for as little as $1,500. This activity is shameful, un-American, and it must be stamped out. Yes, this happened in Pennsylvania. But, it would be foolish to believe this corruption is just limited to the Keystone State… It is happening nation wide!

Tell Congress that allowing politicians to be bought completely erodes what our country stands for!

There is a similar story breaking in Virginia. The state’s newly elected Governor, Terry McAuliffe, is being accused of selling one-on-one time with himself for as little as $50,000.

Governor McAuliffe’s own political action committee, Common Good Virginia, is offering exclusive access to the governor for a minimum of $50,000. How is that even legal? The Governor creates a PAC and then uses it to sell access to… himself?

According to leaked emails from the Governor’s staff, the PAC offers a number of “donation tiers” where supporters can buy access to their own Executive branch. A $10,000 donation will earn you a seat at a roundtable discussion with the governor. Donating $50,000 will give you access to a private evening reception hosted by Gov. McAuliffe himself. $100,000 will get you all of the above, in addition to having monthly meeting with the Governor’s “policy experts.”

That’s how much a governor’s allegiance costs… $100k. If you have $100k, you can control government officials.  What does this mean for you? Every time someone purchases political favors, it effectively devalues your  individual voice.





In any other situation, this would be bribery. However, the way the law is written, it's perfectly legal for someone to donate $100,000 to a political action committee run by the governor in order to gain favor with… the governor himself.





Tell Congress that allowing politicians to be bought completely erodes what our country stands for!

Make no mistake; this is an endemic problem in our republic on both sides of the aisle. This isn't a problem limited to Democrat candidates. Republicans are guilty of this as well… These politicians go to Washington and they become consumed by the money that pours in from special interests. Even the most idealistic candidates can be bought and sold by these big donors.

There is no difference between selling allegiance for an envelope full of cash and selling access to politicians through Political Action Committees. This is bribery, plain and simple.

Unless you constantly remind your legislators that they answer to you, they will continue to be beholden to the people and organizations that have the will and the checkbooks required to control government officials.

I urge you to tell your representatives that our republic cannot be bought! They answer to the people, and when November comes around, these special interest groups and lobbyists won’t be the ones pulling the lever… you will!

Tell Congress that allowing politicians to be bought completely erodes what our country stands for!

Sincerely,

Joe Otto

Conservative Daily