Column:
Jeff Smith and Steve Brown the latest to give into power
Published Sept. 4, 2009
Much has been made about Jeff Smith and his resignation from the Missouri State Senate. For those who do not know, Smith violated federal campaign finance laws by raising funds for an independent group during his 2004 campaign for Congress.
When the Federal Election Commission investigated, Smith found himself "misleading investigators," as he described in his resignation letter. This went undetected until earlier this year, and when questioned, Smith stayed with his 2004 story.
It was only as he faced overwhelming evidence that Smith pleaded guilty to two felony charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and resigned from his seat in the state Senate. Smith was elected to the seat in 2006.
This scandal is a shame for the citizens Smith represented, but there is more to this story. Also charged was former Rep. Steve Brown, D-Clayton. These men join other Missouri Democrats who have recently found themselves in trouble. A disturbing note is all of these people have had close ties to Gov. Jay Nixon.
The biggest problem is these politicians violated laws and more importantly, the trust of the people. The men they thought would represent them well in Jefferson City have been proven to be liars and criminals. Knowing this, how can people trust officials like Jeff Smith and Steve Brown really were doing what they claimed and were fairly representing their constituents?
The problem is too many politicians run for office because they seek power. That's why scandals like this have become almost commonplace in the political realm. The Missouri GOP is describing this situation as a "culture of corruption." I disagree. Rather, I believe this incident occurred in today's political "culture of power."
If you look at issues that have arisen, whether a controversial plan like Obamacare, Jeff Smith getting caught in a cover-up or South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford going on an Appalachian hike by way of South America, power is not far from the core of each problem. The concepts found in the health care bills in the House and Senate involve a government takeover, i.e., increased power for the government.
Given the president's takeover of General Motors and Chrysler, his promotion of government-run health care, and support from the far-left, I think it's fair to hypothesize that hardcore liberalism may involve a desire for power. After all, the further right on the political scale you are, the smaller you'd prefer government to be.
That said, power can affect judgment in personal matters. Mark Sanford found this out the hard way. He simply ignored his duties as governor to, ahem, get busy with a reporter friend he had met years earlier. It seems likely he thought he could cover his tracks using resources he had at his disposal because of the power of his office.
It seems the concept of elected officials being public servants is dead in this country. George Washington left the presidency after two terms because he did not want to rule forever like a king.
Today, the executive branch under Obama wants the census director to report to him and they want control over interrogating terror suspects. What should the Census Bureau and CIA do while Obama takes all this power?
The "culture of power" taking over Jefferson City and Washington is simply terrifying. Government is growing at too rapid a pace and a growing desire for power is destroying the integrity of our system. We need to remind these politicians that public office is not the place for a power trip and they are our bosses.
Eric Hobbs is a senior and vice chairman of the MU College Republicans. He can be reached at emhn75@missouri.edu.
