In a time of increased political tensions, the brazen corruption of politicians is almost refreshing.
The Keene Sentinel recently published a large investigative story regarding the corruption of New Hampshire lawmakers and the dereliction of duty to their constituencies.
The article reported on a list of lawmakers in the N.H. government who had participated in a conference held by the organization Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). Republican politicians received financial gifts such as meals, room and airfare covered by YAL.
The issue that some are running into is their lack of disclosure as N.H. lawmakers are required by law, of which they passed, to report any gifts received valued at $50 or more.
Christopher Cartwright, Rick Green and the Keene Sentinel deserve some well-deserved credit for doing their journalistic duty of investigating and exposing these people for their willingness to seem corrupt. Their work was effective as well. During their questioning process, some Republicans who were under fire ended up being cowed into filling out their forms.
However, one the most infuriating quotes of the whole article, simply because it is beyond parody, comes from former Representative Max Abramson of Seabrook.
“I didn’t understand the law; the forms are kind of confusing.”
How on Earth can you believe this was a good answer and let it come out of your mouth? This is coming from a Republican, someone from the party who believes in law and order.
A lot of people in the party believe ignorance is not an excuse for any crime or misdoings, but we now know that only applies to us, simple plebeians.
I find this so infuriating because it is so incredibly hypocritical and many people just do not care. Being a politician used to mean you were a public servant, working on behalf of the people. Now it just seems to be a cesspool of people trying to find some sleazy way to better themselves at the public’s expense.
Understanding this is a broader issue in American politics, I feel as a state we could curtail this potentially.
N.H. currently has the lowest-paid legislature in the country at $200 per term; there are people in third-world countries who make more than them. We could start by raising their pay to something reasonable, say $50,000 a year.
$50,000 a year would be a drop in the bucket, it would not even raise taxes. N.H. is projected, according to the Governor’s office website, to have a prospective budget surplus of $330 million dollars for fiscal year 2023.
That increased salary for all 424 representatives and senators would cost roughly $21 million dollars a year. We could pay these folks and still have $309 million left; it almost seems like a no-brainer.
Paying people more for an important job would disincentivize corruption. If they still act corruptly or seem to act that way, then throw the book at them.
If that is how they think justice should be served, then let them have a taste of their own medicine.
Timothy Fitzpatrick can be contacted at
tfitzpatrick@kscequinox.com
