It is interesting to see how the media and internet trolls are trying to characterize the Freedom Caucus efforts at attempting to cause reforms with Congressional rules, particularly those rules that were harmfully changed by an earlier Congress. The media is using personal attacks and proposing rules changes to quash the efforts of the Freedom Caucus. In effect, further promoting centralizing Congressional power.
The core issue is rampant corruption in Washington. This corruption permiates both major political parties, all levels of government, including the justice department, investigative agencies, and intelligence services.
It seems few people realize the harmful effects of corruption on policy, both foreign and domestic, our economy, innovation, distribution of income, and general competence of our politicians and business leaders. Corruption is accerating the decline of Democracy and the "American Experience" for which many still drawn to.
Corruption involves the breach of an agent's duty towards a principle. For purposes of this post, the principle is the American people and the agent is our supposed representatives, our elected officials. These duties include:
1. Duty of Loyalty
2. Duty of Care
3. Duty of information and disclosure
4. Duty of Obedience
5. Duty of Accounting
A couple of obvious questions involve how corporate political donors and how competing public interests are handled. More on this later, but first some definitions.
Duty of Loyalty - An agent has the duty to act for the principle's advantage and not to act to the benefit from themselves at the principle's expense. This duty also requires the agent to avoid, or at least disclose, conflicts of interest in a timely manner.
Duty of Care - An agent has the duty to excercise due diligence when carrying out the responsibilities of agency towards the principle. Incompetence should have consequences for the agent.
Duty of Disclosure - An agent has the duty to protect all confidential information of the principle and not to disclose information to third parties without the principal's consent.
Duty of Obedience - An agent has the duty to obey the reasonable instructions by the principal. For practical purposes, this means politicians should be required to follow our Constitution, laws, and rules. Further, laws must be written for the clear benefit of the constituency at large.
Duty of Accounting - An agent has the duty to account for monies received and spent, including the disclosure of money recieved by a third party, such as campaign contributions.
The above is a brief summary of the elements of agency. I left out the details on the principles behind the where and when these duties apply, but will address them upon request or challenge.
Corporate political donations fundamentally create challenges in politicians fulfilling their obligations to voters at large. Often, large corporations interests are competing, in some cases advarsarial, to consumer interests.
Voters often have competing interests. How should a politician reconcile these differences without breaching their Duty of Obedience? This is where the creation of a political platform and the election process comes in. In theory, those politicians whose platform reflect the majority view will be chosen to represent those views. Note this does not mean the politician can properly become an adversary toward the minority. It means the politician can do no harm beyond the normal result of competition as related to (a) specific view(s).
Specific examples of the harmful effects of corruption to follow in another post, perhaps tomorrow.
