Corruption, Jersey-style
Two stories from the People's Republic of New Jerseystan, with more of a connection than most appreciate. The first is a call from Gov. Chris Christie for deregulation.
Deregulating the private sector is crucial to New Jersey’s financial recovery, Gov. Chris Christie told an economic forum here today, and boasted that in his first year in office he cut one-third of the state’s red tape.
The Republican governor cast himself as an "unashamed, unapologetic" advocate for businesses interests, which he said shouldn’t have to pay lobbyists and consultants to get their requests considered promptly.
There's a connection here for Christie, a former federal prosecutor, to drive home. The more regulations a government has, the more corruption you will have -- because the greater power officials have over private sector businesses and the greater incentive the private sector has to pay to get around those regulations. In fact, that dynamic was at the heart of the dozens of arrests made in the last few years in NJ, in an investiation launched by then U.S.-attorney Christie, involving public officials and (mostly) construction permits.
Short answer: want a more dynamic and more honest private sector, have smaller government.
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Oct '10
Re: Corruption, Jersey-style
"want a more dynamic and more honest private sector, have smaller government."
Our Creator has given each person almost absolute freedom and autonomy. We choose to surrender a bit of that to other men, of equally corruptible nature, to provide a degree of collective security. To the extent that a thousand men surrender a bit of power, other men have accumulated those thousand bits. It isn't that long before the more corruptible among us see that power can be theirs.
The larger we make government, the larger the corruption we will suffer.
Edited on May 20, 2011 at 6:26amAug '10
Re: Corruption, Jersey-style
Christie has got to be envious of his fellow guv - Rick Perry, in Texas, who oversees a PART TIME legislature.
Texans understand the less often legislators get together, the less trouble they cause for the citizens.