Corruption And Corruption

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Corruption is dishonest behavior typically by those in power using their position for self or for partisan interest. It goes far beyond seeking and paying bribes. A recent Gallup poll showed that between 2006 and 2013, the proportion of Americans who believe corruption is widespread throughout government increased from 59% to 79%. Another poll by the American National Election Studies (ANES) covering the period of 1964 to 2008 showed that 79% of voters from 29% believe government was run by a few big self-interests. There was a drop to 19% from 64% in the percentage of voters who believed government was out to secure their benefit (Poznyak, Meuleman, Abts, & Bishop, 2006). Clearly, there is a growing sense of disillusionment and citizen averseness …show more content…
Supported legislators may just push for his interests. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo promised sweeping reforms and integrity when he took office in …show more content…
Cuomo instituted a commission, the Moreland commission promising not to interfere. The commission was disbanded less than a year later. It emerged that the governor’s office and his agents had severely interfered with the commission’s work especially when the matters in question touched on him, his allies, financiers and office (Craig, Rashbaum, & Kaplan, 2014). Corruption was envisioned as a vice by the framers of the constitution. Philosopher Baron de Montesquieu at the time at the time stated, ‘the misfortune of a republic...happens when the people are gained by bribery and corruption: in this case they grow indifferent to public affairs, and avarice becomes their predominant passion.’ The framers of the constitution considered corruption counterintuitive to representative democracy. They sought to eradicate it through structural provisions rather than on a case to case basis. Benjamin Franklin went to the extent of proposing that public officers should not draw a salary because he feared that were they to be paid, they might seek office for private benefit rather than public service. This was not approved but the framers included measures such as prohibition of public officials accepting gifts without congressional approval, limits on their powers of appointment and the ‘takings clause’ (Teachout,

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