Another member of the Democratic Party of Virginia has once
again sought to infuse some reason into Virginia politics. A great friend of
sensible ideas, Sen. Donald McEachin
(Henrico) stated his support on Tuesday for closing the gaping hole in Virginia’s
law books that allows gifts to be given to an elected official’s immediate
relatives without being reported.
Sen. McEachin made this statement after being asked about a $15,000
payment that Star Scientifics’ embattled CEO Jonnie R. Williams Sr. gave to
“cover
catering costs at the June 2011 wedding of one of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s
daughters.”
According to The
Washington Post, Virginia law allows elected officials to accept unlimited
gifts so long as gifts worth over $50 are disclosed. However, gifts to
immediate family members don’t need to be publicly disclosed.
The violation of the letter and spirit of ethical conduct is
so clear in this case that any argument to the contrary is absurd on its face.
I can easily understand and condone an occasional business
meal with an elected official, but unlimited gifts under $50 is a Grand
Canyon-sized causeway for bribery on a subtle but effective scale. If I wanted,
for instance, to treat Representative A to dinner every night of the week,
supposing the total cost is under $50, I could under Virginia law. Now, in what
way can this behavior, or the very potential for it, not be viewed upon as a
means of swaying an elected official through gifts? It is, in other words,
clearly a form of bribery if done on a consistent and regular basis.
And then there are the gifts that can be given to immediate
family members without being publicly disclosed. If I have just funded the
wedding of Representative A’s daughter, how is this not a form of bribery? How is
paying $15,000, give or take a few grand, not a way of influencing our elected
officials in Virginia?
Clearly, it is,
otherwise we would have to assume that Jonnie Williams Sr. forked over $15,000
out of the infinite goodness of his heart. But men like Williams don’t get to
be CEO’s of multi-million dollar companies by giving merely out of the goodness
of their hearts. There is almost always an ulterior motive.
It is up to us as Virginians to stop looking away at these
glaring problems in Virginia’s political system. This might be the way the game
is played at present, but this system isn’t inevitable and it is wrong.
Thankfully Virginia has elected officials like Donald
McEachin still willing to stand up for what is right. Now it’s on the people of
Virginia to give him and likeminded elected officials the political support
that they need to see reform through till the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment