I only have to be reminded of the obstacles thrown in the way of Florida Hometown Democracy by the Florida Supreme Court, in the matter of delaying the citizen-led initiative and approving the one promoted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries, to know that Gov. Charlie Crist's call for a grand jury investigation of political corruption in Florida is going nowhere. I could save the Governor a lot of time, and so could a growing number of citizens who understand exactly the root of Florida's problems: the cash money made from supporting suburban sprawl in farmland and wetlands. Yes, there is garden-variety public corruption: decisions that favor the profit motives of campaign contributors one way or another in ordinary zoning matters.
"To run for office, you have to raise so much money, too much money,'' Wilcox said, "and the ones who want to give it are special interests whose bottom line is to influence public policy.'' Wilcox (executive director of Common Cause) told the Miami Herald, with such big money at stake, it's inevitable that questionable activity surfaces.
But the problem with sprawl is not just the common denominator: money. It is the way money is made from sprawl, built on derivatives. Financial derivatives exponentially increase opportunities for public corruption. Think of the entire process building sprawl as a pyramid, not so different from the Ponzi Scheme so much of the economy turned into during the housing boom. When so much money is made by miscalculating risk at the bottom layers of enterprise, public corruption becomes de facto behavior at the top. Even if no money changes hands (when it does, it is usually far from the eyes of law enforcement), the culture is corrupt because the bedrock values are contaminated by miscalculation of risk. It is no different from Moody's, that endemically mis-rates municipal debt, to the offices of the unreformable majority of the Miami-Dade County Commission. Under such circumstance, "Ethics commissions" are powerless against the leverage of sprawl. Certainly, curbing financial derivatives would help, but Congress can't even come to grips with the most basic aspects of financial regulatory reform because of the influence of Wall Street, many of whose pieces only survive as a result of guarantees by US taxpayers.
If I were king for a day-- (for expressing these views I couldn't be elected dog-catcher) -- I would ban political contributions from lobbyists and from any part of the real estate, insurance, banking industry, utilities and engineering cartels that feed from sprawl. I would go even further than restricting these corporate interests: I would prohibit any political contributions from individuals employed by these industries as well. There is a more reasonable alternative: publicly financed campaigns from bottom to top.
What should be on trial in the US Supreme Court is not the matter of constitutionally protected campaign contributions, but whether our form of representative democracy is constitutional at all. Judging from the performance of the Florida Supreme Court in respect to Florida Hometown Democracy-- whose majority stood in for special interests defending the prerogatives of sprawl and the Growth Machine-- the question whether representative democracy exists in Florida should also be on trial. But Gov. Charlie Crist will call for a grand jury and another report on political corruption will be drafted and shelved. Just wait and watch.
7 comments:
Exactly correct with the urban sprawl as the root cause of corruption. Whenever developers need special zoning they look to elected officials.
This article is sandwiched between two Homestead stories about the reform PAC being financed by Wayne Rosen and Community Bank starting a PAC fronted by a guy on the Homestead dole. The financing is managed by Jeff Porter who was annihilated by the voters his last time out. Porter voted for every project that came to him when he was in office. Why do you think they made him treasurer?
Homestead voters get it and will not put any Steve Shiver related candidates in office. He ruined Homestead's rural character and what's left are empty and uninhabited cement monuments to Shiver, Warren and their bank sponsored money hungry wolfpack. Homestead is a low income housing and section eight hellhole now, thanks to the previous city councils of the late 90's.
Homestead is the poster child for failure of elected officials to serve the city. These people loathe Bell cause she won't be bought. She is close to the Torcise family but they do not get much city work if any at all.
The governor needs to have a grand jury review Homestead's sudden rise in development and it's just as sudden collapse, check some bank account activity as well Charlie.
Lobbyists have far too much influence. Elected officials get too addicted to power.
"Derivatives! It's derivatives all the way down!" GE has clearly found her new favorite toy, like when I got that chrome vibrator.
So fascinating: local government commissions and planning departments inherently cannot be trusted with planning decisions (even though they create things like UDBs), and voters also cannot be trusted (st. pete residents didn't REALLY want that new comp plan), but now also supreme court judges are unreformably corrupt due to the seductive power or "environmental land use derivatives?" It must be nice to be the last sinless person on the planet, GE.
How many times have we all seen elected officials vote in favor of connected insiders and against the wishes of the constituents?
I don't know the answer to this, so I will ask - can Florida adopt stricter laws with respect to campaign finance reform than Federal laws. If so, why can't we outlaw PACS, etc. for anyone who is in local or state government here?
http://whocontrolssurfsideflorida.blogspot.com/
Can't be missed, takes about a half hour to read through the whole situation and the comments, but wow it is worthwhile.
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