Fear and Loathing in Alabama Politics?
Add comment April 7th, 2008
For all the complaining about the Illinois Legislature, a New York Times piece published over the weekend proved that we aren’t as bad off as some.
There is fear in the halls of the Alabama State House. Your colleague may be wired. Somebody may be watching you. An indictment looms.
After a dozen legislators received subpoenas one day last month in a criminal investigation, an atmosphere of paranoia and anxiety has descended on the gleaming white building that houses the State Legislature, many of its occupants say.
Legislators are sweeping their offices for bugs. Routine horse-trading for votes is stymied, for fear it could be misinterpreted. A wary lawmaker agrees to meet a reporter only in a wide-open parking lot. After-hours get-togethers are off.
The concern is a result of a long-running federal investigation into corruption within the state’s system of two-year colleges that has led to guilty pleas on bribery and corruption charges by one state lawmaker and the system’s former chancellor. The Birmingham News reported in 2006 that a quarter of the 140 members of the Legislature had financial ties to the college system, with most of the jobs or contracts going to lawmakers or their relatives. Recent reports indicate the number has grown to nearly a third of the Legislature.
Illinois has had its share of corrupt politicians. Just take a look at this book on our governors. And we can’t forget the late Secretary of State Paul Powell, whose corruption was not fully uncovered until after his death in 1970. And how could I fail to mention the sharks that seem to be circling around the current administration? There are more, but I’m trying to be brief here.
Sometimes living in a state with the infamous Chicago political machine and never-ending political antics makes us forget that we aren’t alone in this.
