Lt. Governor Kottkamp on Gov’t corruption
Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, candidate for Florida Attorney General, has just put this position statement regarding the corruption that has affected all levels of government.
Now more than ever we need transparency and accountability in our government. Over the last year is has become readily apparent that too many politicians are conducting business in a way that puts their self-interest ahead of the interest of the people they were elected to serve. Numerous local officials have even been arrested for breaking the very laws they have sworn to uphold.
Since 2007 more than 30 public officials have been removed from office by the Governor. Only a few months ago the FBI arrested three Broward County Commissioners for accepting millions of dollars in trade for illegal favors. This rash of public corruption lead the Governor to petition the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a grand jury to investigate corruption in South Florida. I support this effort as a necessary first step to restore public confidence in government.
Widespread government corruption is a symptom of an even bigger problem—a retreat from our nation’s founding principles. It seems that more and more people in elective office have forgotten that this nation was founded on the belief that government is not the master—government is the servant. Under our Constitution government only has that power which we, the people, give it. When government officials use their position to advance their self-interest—whether to increase their power or the amount in their checkbook—they not only violate the public trust, they chip away at the very foundation of our country.
President Lincoln said it best. Our’s is a nation of the people, by the people, and most importantly—FOR the people. Government officials must be reminded that they work for you—and when they violate the trust you have placed in them—or worse break the law—they must be dealt with.
As Attorney General I will make it a priority to fight public corruption and the misuse of government power at every level of government. I will work with the 20 State Attorneys as well as federal authorities to ensure that we aggressively take action when the public trust has been violated by government officials.
3 Responses to Lt. Governor Kottkamp on Gov’t corruption
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I disagree that we need a commission in Tallahassee to be watchdogs over government officials. We already have a bloated bureaucracy at every level of government, and that would be flushing more tax dollars down the toilet. What we need is media who report the news without bias, and an informed electorate who will throw corrupt elected officials out on their asses.
You say above: “Transparency is the truest and most successful form of government we can achieve. There must exist a reciprocal trust between voter and elected official that will ensure tranquility in the legislative process. This reciprocal trust will save the State of Florida millions in ethics complaint, investigative costs, and grand jury investigations. Most importantly it will instill a sense of trust between the politicians of Florida and those they are elected to protect.”???????????????Are you crazy? Do you mean the same kind of transparency we are getting from the obama administration? I thought we already had sunshine laws in effect here in Florida, perhaps I was wrong. But you need to understand this-there is no reciprocal trust between the voters and elected officials. We do not trust you, and all this pompous rhetoric does not contribute to my trusting any politician. Tranquility in the legislative process? I repeat, are you crazy? I would prefer to have a legislative process like England, or some of the Asian countries where they actually punch fellow legislators. By writing this kind of tripe, you do nothing to instill trust in the elected officials who are elected—not to protect us, but to conduct the government according to the Constitution. It is the job of law enforcement and the military to protect us. You are supposed to be protecting the constitution, are you not? Last, I must say, this is the largest pile of bovine scatology I have ever had the misfortune to read from an elected official.
Somebody bring the bucket. QUICK. A.
What has this guy done as Lt. Governor? Why should we elect him to another cushy position? My belief, “return no one to any elected position”. If all of the electorate would take this stance, all incumbents would drop out of any current race. The cost for an unknown to run for an elected office would be minimal, and no business or lobbyist would be willing to contribute funds to a campaign. Therefore, we would have elected officials that truly owe no one but the taxpayers for their office. After one term in office, they would go home and someone else would be elected to fill that seat. Until 1860, when Lincoln appointed freed slaves to fill the seats of Congress for the eleven states in rebellion, most members of Congress served only one term. There were no retirement options and no life long health care plans. I assume that it was the same in state governments. Corruption breeds only when elected officials become too comfortable in their positions. Again I say, return no elected official to another tern in any office. That is the Constitution in Honduras and Costa Rico, the only true Republics in the world, where one must wait out a term before running for re-election for any office.