Business Time

It’s business time in Cartagena.

In the wake of GSA:  Sin City, the expanding investigation into what the Secret Service was doing in Columbia brings up a lot of questions that span partisan lines.

Let’s be clear.  Both sides were doing this, not just one or the other, and it’s hardly a fight of anything but how fast we can throw everyone out of Washington, D.C.

Bureaucracy is our downfall, and the last two scandals seem to underscore exactly what voters should be considering in their choice for President, Congress, and every single Jacksonian appointee from here on out.

It’s actually less money wasted in proportion.  In financial terms, it’s not the worst misuse of money we’ve ever seen.  The big uproar here isn’t as much the money wasted on junkets, but more the absence of moral standing.  From the MMS scandal that went largely unnoticed in the last Administration (snort), the GSA, and now the business time of the Secret Service, it shows both parties have no clue what is responsible, nor care enough to fix it.

They’re too busy enjoying the spoils of elections that pay them, not you.

After all, we’re fighting their causes, their problems, and addressing their crises.  We’re the ones arguing amongst our own neighbors about problems that the GOP has with Dems, or Dems with the GOP.  Nevermind that 99% of those issues that are put in advertisements and stump speeches are all empty and fattening for the political soul, and without the money bribes offered via tax cuts or social services, you’re left arguing two bad points, rather than just taking the right and proper choice.

So when we hear about the Secret Service getting some business time from Columbian hotties, let’s remember that this isn’t probably the first time, nor the last time these incidents have occurred.  Someone knew about these clubs, someone wanted to go to these clubs, and likely, they’ve already been to these clubs.  You must expect that every government or corporate junket will carry its share of curiosity and sin, and sadly, the Secret Service as a whole is tarnished by the actions of a few.

As with the GSA in Las Vegas, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if it is revealed that someone gambled with your tax dollars, or supplemented their income at some point to gain some financial advantage.  Heck, GSA could go racketeering if there was collusion!

Again, that’s not been reported, but it’s obvious if you add drinking, accounting and Las Vegas together.  If someone’s taking the 5th after drinking a fifth, you can expect there will be far more left unsaid and unaccounted for, that vendors probably weren’t actual vendors, and all that money had to go somewhere.  I really doubt the GSA was honest anywhere in their entire Vegas Vacation.

Back to Columbia, and the dingy club in Cartagena.  You’ll probably find the politics of so many others in our government and corporate society who told the Secret Service where to go that night.  Any RSOs at the State Department want to speak up as well in other places where sexy times occur?

If there’s a real investigation, even in the light of an election year, this will test the true mettle of the Obama Administration, who after 3 years, has left things papered over until the media found it.  It’s an indictment of the current administration, but also the past administration, who began this legacy of irresponsibility.

It’s sad to see how few times you see any government voluntarily announce charges or administrative action without some investment of political capital.  And worst thing is, it won’t be changed this cycle, as the candidates are now locked in.

In an election year, if President Obama is really what he says he is, he will have to provide a clear and transparent picture of our government affairs, even those that would damage his election chances.  If he does a real investigation, not some political panel to cover up scandals, he would remind us what it was like to have a President say, “The Buck Stops Here.”

For the voter who believes in the moral standing of a public office, this is a single-issue I would vote on.  If the investigation stops at only the individuals involved, it will prove that no one wants to get involved in the progenitors of this scandal, or fully take responsibility for the bureaucracy both parties have created and maintained for decades.  In fact, both parties want you to fight over each other in order to vote them in, and continue the process.

And some would go so far to say, “it’s the fault of the individual.”  And to that, I can agree to a certain degree.  Actions of a person should not reflect on the society as a whole.  But our society has created a government where responsibility bends to political will.  And our strength lies in electing a government who will put responsibility back into our public service.

Former agents, advisers, contractors or any other associated individual who have witnessed these sorts of events should speak up.  Columbia was not the first country for this type of misconduct, and likely won’t be the last one.  I’m sure security clearances will affect the kind of information we receive, but we should be clear about where this is necessary, not using it as a smokescreen.

As well, former GSA workers and supervisors who were living the life, it’s time to ‘fess up.  If we’re really serious about recovery, it’s got to start in the government before people begin to trust it again.  If you were lucky enough to attend these festive festivities, lots of interested media reporters would love to compare notes and see how much was really spent by the GSA on  official things, and how much seemed to just…vanish.

Pulitzers came out yesterday, I’m sure submissions started today for next year.

Just a suggestion.

Mako out.