Of course it's happening elsewhere, and MUCH higher on the ladder!

perfectly obvious it does.

Looting the U.S. Treasury is the Republican way -- Bush and the Republican Congress have doubled the national debt with tax breaks for the rich and Bush's war to steal Iraq's oil. Anything to increase business profits, but the rest of us get the bill ...

I've been in contracting more than 30 years, and it's always the little fish that get caught. The big guys get away because they have the friends and lawyers to escape punishment. How many contractors or corporate CEOs or CFOs were prosecuted? I'll bet there were few, if any!

Let's be realistic, it's not just the Republicans, all our elected officials seem to have caught the "what's in it for me " let me ignore principles ethics and morals and just get rich syndrom. When will we start requiring that those we elect are ethical ?

I agree that the Congress and the Senate are in it fir themselves. Their needs to be some kind of law to prevent them from giving themselves raises(They do not deserve it) as soon as possible. They represent the party, not the people, that is a FACT! Both parties have no virtues and shame the seat they hold.

Rare? Why is the Iraq theater referred to as the "Free Fraud Zone"? Perhaps because.....?

Over sixty years ago I remember a movie skit in which a politician appeals to the voters "You've been electing crooks who have been robbing you blind for years; vote for me and give me a chance."

We need to resort to a Congressional compensation system similar to the first and subsequent sessions where service was compensation in itself and only verifiable expenses were reimbursed. And many of the early statesmen covered their own expenses.
Idealic yes, functional yes, practical yes.
Especially when you must be financially well off to run for office, the scale directly proportionate to the level of achievement.

In 1892, Mark Twain wrote the following comment (paraphrased) "The only clearly identifiable criminal element in our country is the Congress of the United States". And so it goes!

The culture of corruption is everywhere.

Democrats Offer Up Chairmen For Donors: Party's Campaigns Had Faulted GOP For 'Selling Access' By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and John Solomon, Washington Post Staff Writers, Saturday, February 24, 2007; Page A01.

New York Times. Former Democratic Leader in Brooklyn Is Convicted, By Anemona Hartcollis, Published: February 24, 2007. Clarence Norman Jr., leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, the biggest Democratic organization east of Chicago, since 1990, was convicted February 23 of coercion, grand larceny by extortion and attempted grand larceny by extortion in what prosecutors said was a scheme to shake down judicial candidates in exchange for party support.

New York Times. Rhode Island: Ex-Lawmaker Gets More Prison Time, by Katie Zezima. Published: February 21, 2007. Former State Senator John Celona, who was sentenced last month to two and a half years in federal prison for taking corporate payoffs, was sentenced to an additional year and a half in prison after pleading no contest to similar state charges. Mr. Celona, a Democrat from North Providence, will serve the sentences concurrently starting on March 2.

Black Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges-Took $25,000 from chiropractors for influence, by Paul Chesser, Carolina Journal, February 16, 2007. http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=3900). Jim Black, North Carolina Democratic Speaker of the House, last week pleaded guilty to taking about $29,000, mostly in cash, from some chiropractors, is looking at a 10-year maximum and a possible $250,000 fine. He also committed crimes related to the state lottery and allowing a lobbyist to use his office and resources. But to lighten his sentence, Black will name other corrupt Democrats. Black is cooperating with the feds in their investigation as part of his deal. Black was the most powerful politician in North Carolina and directed Democratic party politics for decades. This is just the tip of the iceberg in North Carolina.

From www.northnewjersey.com -- Federal probe divides Trenton, Tuesday, February 13, 2007, by John P. McAlpin and Mitchel Maddux-Trenton Bureau. Democrats are refusing to release documents related to a federal probe on how millions in public funds were handed out over the last three years of the Democratic party controlled legislature. New Jersey legislative officials were hit with a volley of federal subpoenas last week, in a rapidly expanding corruption investigation into the Statehouse. The federal probe began last April with an investigation into state Sen. Wayne Bryant D-Camden, who was accused by a federal monitor of using his position to steer funding to the states medical university after he received a no-work job there. Among those who received subpoenas were Senate President Richard Codey D-Essex Senate Majority Leader Bernard Kenny D-Hudson Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts D-Camden and Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman D-Mercer, legislative officials confirmed. This may be the biggest state-wide scandal ever once it's done.

Daley agrees to set up fund to compensate victims of hiring scandal, March 21, 2007, Chicago Sun Times, by Fran Spielman, City Hall Reporter. Democratic Mayor Daley of Chicago agreed Wednesday to establish a $12 million fund to compensate victims of City Hall's rigged hiring system and abandon his five-year-old effort to vacate the federal Shakman decree banning political hiring. Daley's former patronage chief was convicted of rigging city hiring and promotions to benefit workers from the Democratic Party. Plaintiff Michael Shakman said the city "should have fixed its hiring system a long time ago" -- long before Daley's patronage chief was convicted of rigging city hiring. The $12 million fund, disclosed last month by the Chicago Sun-Times, would be administered by federal hiring monitor Noelle Brennan. Brennan was appointed in August 2005 by a federal judge livid with the city for making a mockery of the Shakman decree, which was supposed to end political hiring and firing.

Jury indicts Aragon in alleged kickback scam, by Steve Terrell, The New Mexican, March 30, 2007. http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/59414.html#. Former Democratic Senate leader Manny Aragon faces charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and money laundering in a courthouse corruption probe. Aragon for decades was one of the most powerful figures in New Mexico state government. The Albuquerque Democrat stands accused, along with three others, in an alleged scheme to cheat the state out of more than $4 million in the construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court House. The U.S. attorney also unsealed plea agreements secured earlier this year from three others involved in the case: lobbyist and former Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Ken Schultz, architect Marc Schiff and subcontractor Manuel Guara. Each pleaded guilty to felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud.

Grand Jury Indicts Former Newark Mayor. By JANET FRANKSTON LORIN, The Associated Press, Thursday, July 12, 2007; 8:05 PM. NEWARK, N.J. -- Sharpe James, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was indicted Thursday on corruption charges alleging that he spent city money extravagantly on himself and several women, and that he helped one of his companions rake in more than $500,000 on the fraudulent sale of city land. James, 71, is accused of using city credit cards for more than $58,000 in personal expenses during trips to locations including Martha's Vineyard, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Rio de Janeiro. He's charged with conspiracy, mail and wire fraud and with engineering the cut-rate sale of city properties. Tamika Riley, one of eight women who accompanied James on the trips, also was charged with fraud. Riley, 38, of Jersey City, was arrested by the FBI and appeared in court Thursday; her bail was set at $100,000.

Nuff said, for now.

Congress does not want true ethics reform, neither party does. They love the lobbyists attention and money. Therefore, graft, corruption and OUR Congresspersons and Senators will ALWAYS have BIG MONEY CORPORATE LOBBYING jobs to go to after leaving Congress.

Middle class and poor Americans should not not be angry about this, they allow it to exist.

Stop the LOBBYING and annual COLAs then see how many wealthy people run for Congressional offices. That would be TRUE ETHICS REFORM.

Until we really value the United States for those things that are the cornerstones of our lives, it won't change. Each and every one of us has contributed to the attitude and environment of "it's all for me, mine mine mine."

How many of us threw away those credit card offers, all we could see was the way to a new flat screen TV. How many times did we sell the house we could afford to buy a bigger and better one just becasue we got a small raise or because someone told us we could have the money. How many of us go home and MAKE dinner instead of eating out or getting take out? How many of us voted last election?

We don't value the fact that we are free to write in this blog, or pick up a sign and stand on the Mall in Washington, or drive to our local voting station to make our voice heard. That we can choose to worship at the place of our choice, that we can look out a window and see trees and grass, and that the water we drink is clean. I heard on the radio today that clsoe to 40% of the world does not have a toilet, not even an out house, just a hole in the ground in their backyard.

Are we lucky, blessed, maybe more than we deserve. Everyone can have an impact, choose to make statements where you can, with your check book or not, with your vote or not, with your hands or not.

When we start to understand that it is not really an us and them scenario, then maybe the great U.S. of A, will turn around. My advice, get involved in just one thing this year, even if it to make sure that you cast your vote. If we give up then there really won't be anything that can be done to turn this around.

I find the rules for who gets charged with bribery interesting. The person who accepts the graft (unless its a politician) gets charged but the payer is let off. The American system of letting politicians steal certainly encourages the best people get into office!! Great American dream-get elected-get rich. Now the politicians are going after sports professionals- can't have them cheating That would be unAmerican. And to think that Clinton would bring in government medical insurance! That certainly is the beginning of the end -Doning something for the low caste members of your society.
And Bush wants to bring his form of democracy to the world!!!

Bribery? Corruption? oh do please tell us all about it. This is what happens in a country led by the gang leader of corruption. I wouldn't bother with it, except that why is this so significant? This entire country has been led down a path of total "Greed" via "corruption". Just how many years would Mr. Bush and his faithful followers recieve for all the multi-billions squandered or "lost" to questionable "contractors" with much more than just ties to this administration. This illegal behavior starts at the top, has been sowed by the top, and will continue until someone with enough moral courage stands up to the bullies who have done nothing but disgrace our nation, and belittle the american people into submission. Our new national motto has become not Land of the Free, but Land of the Corrupt.

Captain Q has made a great case for republican corruption. It's simple. The lack of republicans on the list is due to one reason, the Bush Administration, as with previous republican admin. simply looks the other way. For example, the 7 billion dollars that came up "missing" in Iraq - a republican money pit if I've ever seen one.

The democrats he sights are small time bumblers by comparison. The upper echelon of republican party are not going to mess around with the petty cash Capitono sights. They are not the "party of the rich" by accident. Oh I can hear the yowling now. Well here is something else to yowl about, the wonderful party of the rich has been taking middle class and below taxpayers to the cleaners for what, maybe the last 50 - 75 years?

The dems reaction to all of this is knee-jerk but the poor repubs keep shelling out big bucks to these phony "small business associations" thinking that they are actually getting something for their contributions. Unfortunately, all one has to do is look at the definition of a "small business" to see where the money is going.

No, the big boys in the republican party and a few dems I suppose, will have a steady flow of money to fund their much larger corrupt operations. After all who would admit to being suckered most of their adult life by their own political party. If the Captain is serious about corruption, and I truly believe he is, then maybe he could find some like minded people in both parties willing to perhaps engage in a little political restructuring in order to snag the big ones in both parties.