We Have Met The Enemy And He Is Us
January 18, 2009 Filed in: Bob's
Corner
"We have met the enemy
and he is us." -- Walt Kelly
(Pogo)
Governor Rod Blagojevich, BCDO Boss Joe Ferriero, Jack Abramoff, Senator Ted Stevens...as more names keep cropping up our outrage keeps pouring down. How could these bad apples betray out trust and spoil our clean government bunch?
Then again, at the NY Times opinion website, Ben Smith of The Politico and Michael Goldfarb of The Weekly Standard ask: Are the crimes Rod Blagojevich is accused of just a more vulgar form of politics as usual?
Although it is illegal to solicit or take a bribe to grant a political favor directly, it is usually unspoken in politics that "if you help me out I'm going to help you out." (Smith) It is a natural extension of human behavior to find oneself feeling a certain obligation to, if not reflexive fondness for, those who bring us (or our favorite charities) "gifts" or "donations." Much like flattery, such interactions tend to short circuit rational thought and due diligence, as the following propositions feel proper even though recent experience shows that they dangerously violate simple logic:
1) Friendship is not a one way street.
Jack shows his friendship to Bob by giving him a gift.
Hence, Bob appropriately reciprocates Jack's friendly generosity by returning the favor.
2) Charitable giving is a good deed and an unselfish act
Bernard is a man who generously gives to many charities.
Therefore: Bernard is an unselfish, good man who cares for others.
Of course, in the first case, the Jack is Jack Abramoff, and the Bob is convicted US Representative Bob Ney who went to the slammer for doing political "favors" for his "friend" Jack. In the second case, the Bernard is Bernard Madoff, the self-confessed perpetrator of the largest Ponzi Scheme in history. Madoff successfully ingratiated himself to his victims and made himself known as broadly generous to many charities, many of them now ruined.
Now more than ever, things are turning out to be not what they seem. It is now simple prudence to be cautious in accepting gifts or favors from charming politicians and self-promoting philanthropists.
Here in Englewood, we have developers (Hekemian of HKT -- the developer of Rt 4 South) publicizing their monetary generosity to a broad array of local churches, synagogues and public institutions, seemingly without a unifying purpose other than just doing good to be good. Not accidentally, these donations have not been made anonymously.
So, it is appropriate to ask what possible benefit a real estate developer is seeking -- other than a place in Heaven -- when he directs thousands of dollars to so many different community congregations and civic groups? We leave it to you to judge what that benefit appears to be. And, we leave it to you to judge what a developer's civic intentions are when they generously support certain political candidates, some of whom have positions on Planning Boards.
It's not just the H of developer HKT that has been active. Michael Kasparian, who once served as the president of Hekemian Kasparian Troast LLC, the developer of Rt 4 South, is now likely to replace Joe Ferriero as head of the BCDO pay-to-play machine. Kasparian still serves as chairman of the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority (which controversially gave then Englewood Councilman Doug Bern a gig as their attorney after Bern OK'd the redevelopment of the Rt 4 South property). Indicted BCDO Boss Joe Ferriero served as Hekemian Kasparian Troast's lawyer.
Of course, all who come bearing gifts deny that they are expecting a quid pro quo. And, of course, those who benefit from the BCDO pay-to-play machine only stand for "promoting good government."
But are those bearing gifts, incredible dividends and political "goodwill" conning us against our wills, or are we willingly turning a blind eye?
Who among those receiving largesse from a developer will urge their flock or members to suspect and vet the corporate motives of Mssrs. Kasparian and Hekemian when they develop in their communities? Wouldn't such due diligence be an ingratitude to a "friend's" generosity?
Ask the nice people, charities and banks who were impressed for decades by the financial returns and charitable generosity of a successful, good man -- Bernie Madoff.
Governor Rod Blagojevich, BCDO Boss Joe Ferriero, Jack Abramoff, Senator Ted Stevens...as more names keep cropping up our outrage keeps pouring down. How could these bad apples betray out trust and spoil our clean government bunch?
Then again, at the NY Times opinion website, Ben Smith of The Politico and Michael Goldfarb of The Weekly Standard ask: Are the crimes Rod Blagojevich is accused of just a more vulgar form of politics as usual?
Although it is illegal to solicit or take a bribe to grant a political favor directly, it is usually unspoken in politics that "if you help me out I'm going to help you out." (Smith) It is a natural extension of human behavior to find oneself feeling a certain obligation to, if not reflexive fondness for, those who bring us (or our favorite charities) "gifts" or "donations." Much like flattery, such interactions tend to short circuit rational thought and due diligence, as the following propositions feel proper even though recent experience shows that they dangerously violate simple logic:
1) Friendship is not a one way street.
Jack shows his friendship to Bob by giving him a gift.
Hence, Bob appropriately reciprocates Jack's friendly generosity by returning the favor.
2) Charitable giving is a good deed and an unselfish act
Bernard is a man who generously gives to many charities.
Therefore: Bernard is an unselfish, good man who cares for others.
Of course, in the first case, the Jack is Jack Abramoff, and the Bob is convicted US Representative Bob Ney who went to the slammer for doing political "favors" for his "friend" Jack. In the second case, the Bernard is Bernard Madoff, the self-confessed perpetrator of the largest Ponzi Scheme in history. Madoff successfully ingratiated himself to his victims and made himself known as broadly generous to many charities, many of them now ruined.
Now more than ever, things are turning out to be not what they seem. It is now simple prudence to be cautious in accepting gifts or favors from charming politicians and self-promoting philanthropists.
Here in Englewood, we have developers (Hekemian of HKT -- the developer of Rt 4 South) publicizing their monetary generosity to a broad array of local churches, synagogues and public institutions, seemingly without a unifying purpose other than just doing good to be good. Not accidentally, these donations have not been made anonymously.
So, it is appropriate to ask what possible benefit a real estate developer is seeking -- other than a place in Heaven -- when he directs thousands of dollars to so many different community congregations and civic groups? We leave it to you to judge what that benefit appears to be. And, we leave it to you to judge what a developer's civic intentions are when they generously support certain political candidates, some of whom have positions on Planning Boards.
It's not just the H of developer HKT that has been active. Michael Kasparian, who once served as the president of Hekemian Kasparian Troast LLC, the developer of Rt 4 South, is now likely to replace Joe Ferriero as head of the BCDO pay-to-play machine. Kasparian still serves as chairman of the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority (which controversially gave then Englewood Councilman Doug Bern a gig as their attorney after Bern OK'd the redevelopment of the Rt 4 South property). Indicted BCDO Boss Joe Ferriero served as Hekemian Kasparian Troast's lawyer.
Of course, all who come bearing gifts deny that they are expecting a quid pro quo. And, of course, those who benefit from the BCDO pay-to-play machine only stand for "promoting good government."
But are those bearing gifts, incredible dividends and political "goodwill" conning us against our wills, or are we willingly turning a blind eye?
Who among those receiving largesse from a developer will urge their flock or members to suspect and vet the corporate motives of Mssrs. Kasparian and Hekemian when they develop in their communities? Wouldn't such due diligence be an ingratitude to a "friend's" generosity?
Ask the nice people, charities and banks who were impressed for decades by the financial returns and charitable generosity of a successful, good man -- Bernie Madoff.
