Brian Schweitzer: Culture of Corruption
May 5th, 2008 by Wiley CodyWe elect people to pass laws. We call them representatives because they are supposed to represent the people who elect them. That’s one of the reasons politicians brag about the laws they pass - because they perceive themselves as doing will of the people. So when they pass laws on our behalf and then ignore those laws whenever they are personally inconvenient they’re doing more than violating the law. They are betraying the people who elected them.
I commented on this before when I remembered the illegal actions of a Democrat candidate named Jon Tester. The law was clear, but Jon decided unilaterally that he didn’t think the law was Constitutional so he skirted the process and did what he wanted. Too bad he was running for the Senate and not for an appointment to the Supreme Court. I had this to say about his activity and the precedent it set:
The Culture of Corruption tag that was so effectively attached to the national GOP in 2006 ought to find itself a comfortable home right here with the Montana Democrats. Their candidates - their leaders - have only as much respect for the rule of law - laws that they pass - as they expect there to be political fallout for breaking them.
Well, he got away with it, and now we find Governor Brian Schweitzer demonstrating the same disrespect for the laws that were passed on our behalf. Except this time, the Governor is breaking a law that was enacted with his signature.
There are compelling reasons to prevent an incumbent candidate from using tax dollars for campaigning. Right here at Big Sky Cairn, our friend Montana Headlines explored the explanations that were given for the law. They’re worth exploring.
It is useful to recall some of the background on why the law against political candidates making public service announcements (PSA’s) came to be in the first place. The bill was carried by Sen. Joe Tropila, D-Great Falls, who had this to say at the time:
In nearly 20 years of door-to-door campaigning for office, Sen. Joe Tropila, D-Great Falls, said the biggest complaint he hears from voters is “Why are these people running for public office running public service announcements with our money?”
His Senate Bill 16 would prohibit a state official who has filed for office from spending any state money for advertisements and public service announcements in newspapers and on radio and television that contain the candidate’s name, photograph or voice. The exception would be in the case of a national or state emergency, but then only if the announcement is “reasonably necessary to the candidate’s official functions.”
But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter why the law was passed. It doesn’t matter if you agree with it or if it was a poorly written. What matters is that it was passed and that it is the law. If you’re anything like me, you don’t really get to choose which laws to obey and which one’s not to.
Of course, like Tester, Schweitzer is just full of explanations - why the law is bogus or why his blatant violation isn’t really as bad as it sounds. You can read about these contortions all over Dextra. Try Western Word, Last Best Place, Electric City Weblog and The Hardliner for a taste. In a nutshell, it was okay to break the law because it was for ag month - sort of like a 30-day incarnation of ag day.
But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you think his justification is legitimate. What matters is that there’s a law and he signed it and then he violated it. It’s sort of a thing here. A culture.
Of corruption.
