Pardon Politics:
the New Perk of Partisan Politics
The principle of pardons or commutations is to reverse judicial errors or to reward re-civilized citizens. Sometimes the judicial system makes errors which later findings reveal. A president or governor can reverse this judicial error by pardoning the innocent. Examples are prisoners found innocent by DNA testing (fifty percent of Illinois death row inmates) or are protesters found enlightened by history (Carters pardon of Vietnam War protesters).
Pardons were not incorporated in the Constitution (Article II, Section 2) to be used by office holders for personal or political gain. However, the history of pardons shows that both the Democrats and Republicans have used pardons for political or personal gain. One of the most interesting pardons was the one by the first President, George Washington, who led military forces to suppress the whiskey rebellion in Western Pennsylvania in 1794 only to pardon the wry farmers the following year.
The real bottomline is the economic bottomline on the average citizens' cost of living. Regardless of the quid pro quo--I'll give you something if you will give me something--citizens pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for each dollar a habitual politicians takes and translates. The translation? The public law process is used for a private law, a privilege..As you look at the following list of pardon politics, consider the financial reason why the politicians were bought and what it cost you. Below is a list of the dollar thefts which caused higher prices--inflationary suffering for citizens.
- "1983 indictment on charges of evading more than $48 million in taxes, fraud and illegal oil deals"--billionaire Mark Rich
- "four men convicted of stealing more than $30 million in government funds."
- "convicted of fraud in 1997 for selling an overpriced irrigation system to a state prison."--an Arkansas politician.
The above are a few of Clinton's last minute, unreviewed pardons. All involved large theft from the public. The pardoned drug dealors inflationary impact was the multimillion dollars of wasted money and motivation.
The cost of "pardon politics" is two-fold. The above dollar reason is one. The second cost is the loss of respect for the judicial system by the average citizen and law enforcer. Why enforce the law if a politician is going to throw away your sweat, risk and integrity for a political contribution?
History
Abuse by habitual politicians in the White House for partisan political or personal benefits are as follow:
-
Nixon's illegal campaign contributors:
- 1971, Jimmy Hoffa by Nixon FBI records showed illegal campaign contributions by Teamsters to Nixon's reelection fund.
- 1989, George Steinbrenner by Ronald Reagan, last minute
- 1989, Armand Hammer by George Bush.
- Iran Contra coverup by George Bush
-
Clinton
-
On the last day, pardoned his half-brother Roger
- as Governor of Arkansas
-
as President of the United States
What had Roger done the second time? He was under FBI investigation. Roger is not only the only luckiest guy in the world to be pardoned twice, but to be pardoned twice by the same person.
-
On the last day, without observing
protocol
- pardoned a felon who was not even an American citizen--Marc Rich renounced his U.S. citizenship ... of course, no connection to the millions of dollars that went into campaign coffers and presidential library.
- pardoned four felons ... of course, no connection to how felons' community voted 1400 for Hillary but only 12 for opponent.
- pardoned a drug kingpin without consideration of small fries ... of course,
-
On the last day, pardoned his half-brother Roger
Summary, the habitual politicians of both the Republican and Democratic parties have abused the pardon provision to for personal and political reasons. Who pays? The American people. If wrong-doers know they can buy politicians, they won't stop committing the wrongs that cost Americans millions and billions of dollars as well as American lives. Clinton didn't do any partisan or personal pardonin g that wasn't done by Republican Presidents.
Like the Lincoln Bedroom and Air Force One, Clinton commercialized pardons in the last few days so much so that it was widely perceived as pardons for sale. Clinton's brother was not only a pardon beneficiary twice over but became the "cheaper by the half dozen pardon burgher. Pardon-seekers knew it was a waste of time to contact the Department of Justice. Pardons were a perk, not a public trust.
The backdoor was through the Clinton and their friends. Said one successful, but anonymous lawyer, "Clearly, there has be a voice there pushing for your person, or you have absolutely no chance." .Like sailors on liberty in a new port, pardon chasers were trying to find out who had access to to the port's biggest whore house: the White House.
One defender of Clinton--Julia Payne--offered the specious argument that
if pardons were for sale, the list would be composed differently. Bad potatoes
are bad potatoes whether they are rotting alone or in a bag of potatoes.
Clinton has a history of potato problems: Of him, should
punish or p----
.
Why isn't Clinton's successor, George III, hammering Clinton. The public reason is "moving on." Is the truth that George III wants to reserve the prerogative for himself as well as not to open up the old can of pardons given by his father, George II.
The long-term costs of Clinton's last minute pardons (176) were more than the money that was paid to buy access and influence. The cost of Clinton's political pardons was a negative impact on members of the law-enforcement community.
Clinton didn't have time to talk to federal or state officials but he "found time to confer with his political advisers, party fund-raisers, Denise Rich, her friends, and even foreign leaders." First Grifters.
If there is one reason why police readily become corrupt, it is the examples set by the habitual politicians. Who pays when a good cop becomes a bad cop? The politicians? The citizenry. Despite the proclamations of new morality by the Bush Administration, the assistance of the Secret Service in the sleeping arrangements at the Texas jailroom are in kind no different than Clinton's abuse of the Lincoln Bed. The issue isn't prostituting the police but the price--see George Bernard Shaws dinner defintion of a debauchery.
Corrupitng and demoralizing the police forces is self-serving to the habitual politicians. It i s like the employer who won't give a good worker a raise because they want economic hardship to lower the worker's moral defenses. The more cops they can corrupt, the lower the cost to cover up the misdeeds of themselves, their friends and relatives. When politicians make good policy, the polity in the polis will be polite without the need of police.
The use of pardons to buy political influence and destroy law enforcement morale must come to an end with a Constitutional Amendment in which the people decide who should be considered for pardon. Considered. For the people only provide the president with a monthly list of candidate for pardons. The Justice Department will still review and qualify for the President to exercise his Constitutional prerogative.
In summary, we need a Constitutional Amendment which limits the use of pardons and commutations to the reason for them. Since politicians have repeatedly used pardons and commutations for personal and political gain which has cost the American people both money.
Junior Bush wants pardons to be done in secret because it would affect executive privilege (article). How does putting pardon deliberations in a closet of secrets constitute a threat to executive privilege? Only if the executive wants to trade private gain for public pardons. Only if you want to steal like the Clintons did with pardons would you want to keep secret why you give convicted criminals a get-out-of-jail-free pass.
Pardons by president end up receiving minimum wage.
- Pardons must be approved by 66% of the participants before Presidential completion.
