Corruption is Really Expensive

by: Jeff Gardner

Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 11:30:00 AM EST

I have something to say to politicians who use political patronage and hand out public jobs to their family members, political donors and assorted cronies: It's. Not. Your. Money.

Sunday's Star Ledger shines the light on a practice everyone knows exists and everyone claims to despise, but which has continued essentially unabated for decades as "business as usual" or just "New Jersey politics." It's the fleecing of taxpayers to enrich the campaign coffers of certain politicians.

State Sen. John Girgenti (D-Passaic) does not work for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners.

Instead, it appears to work for him....

In Girgenti's most recent campaign finance report, employees wrote checks totaling $7,900 in support of his re-election.... That same report showed those who do business with the commission kicked in another $14,000 for Girgenti's election.

The article goes on to report that "tickets for political fundraising events were being sold at [the PVSC] itself by supervisors there, and its employees were being pressured to buy them out of fear of retribution." This comes on the heels of last week's PolitickerNJ piece detailing this all-too-common practice, which drives up the cost of government, and in turn drives up our taxes. It's as simple as that.

As we look at the hard choices presented by the state's budget crisis, we're often told we need to choose between higher taxes or reduced services. But, if we're serious about holding the line on taxes, while keeping the services we want and need, maybe what really needs cutting out is this kind of corruption. It's too expensive.