Why stay in Congress? Influence peddling pays so well

Cronies cash in, Companies happy to help

Crony capitalism is as old as politics, which is to say as old as anything approaching organized civilization. Back in the days of Hammurabi there were probably people in charge of handing out favors to the connected. Who got to build the ziggurats and irrigation canals? They were probably the bigwigs around the king and high priests of the temple to Gilgamesh. It’s human nature. A certain percentage of the population has absolutely no problem getting rich via political means. They do not see their gains as ill gotten. They think they are just playing the game.

Though crony capitalism has always been with us, and will likely always be, it can almost always be reduced. It’s like a weed that just keeps coming. There is no way one is going to kill all of the dandelions on the lawn, forever. But one can do quite a lot to reduce their number and the frequency of occurrence. (Forgive me, being a middle aged suburban male the lawn is often on my mind.)

But the weeds will always come. Go away to the beach for a week. Those damned yellow flowers always seem to pop up.

Same thing with cronies. Reducing crony capitalism requires constant vigilance. Take your eye off of the sons’-o-bitches and they are right back at it.