Political Corruption is Nothing New

Ramon Arias | October 31, 2016

The Director of the FBI reopened the investigation against Hillary Clinton regarding her personal server that handled State affairs emails.  The left is going berserk, and the media is distracting from the real reasons for this inquiry by focusing on attacking the Bureau, and circling the wagons to protect their candidate.  Before the latest but not so shocking news, the WikiLeaks emails and recent videos produced by Project Veritas expose the depth of the corruption in the Democrat Party and Clinton’s campaign like never known before in presidential elections, thanks to social media.

If Hillary is elected, by whatever means, she will be the first ever to go into office while under a criminal investigation and the country will experience a constitutional crisis once more. Her overwhelming percentage of supporters don’t care about the latest news, they have tunnel vision and are oblivious to the consequences they will create for this and future generations.

Political corruption has been part of this land before it became an experiment of a new form of civil government. Lest we forget: the colonists were divided when the time came to make a decision to continue under the corrupt, oppressive, tyrannical government of the British Crown or to declare their independence and go to war. The colonists were divided into four main groups: committed patriots, loyalists to the Crown, the uncommitted, and the pacifists, and we all know the outcome. The politics of their time demanded social action if they were to remain free and able to rebuild their lives.

The year before the Declaration of Independence was written, Samuel Adams, the father of the American Revolution, in 1775 wrote a letter to James Warren stating:

“Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust must be men of unexceptionable characters…. The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men.”

If you get the impression that Samuel Adams was addressing the problems generated by corrupt officials, you are correct. He went on to say dig deep into the character of public men (women), don’t leave a stone unturned to find out about the character of every individual who is asking for your trust. This means we can’t depend on corrupt journalism; it is up to the people to do their own investigation. Adams also mentioned to trust individuals with unexceptionable character, and this is where we run into a problem when we don’t have the “unexceptionable” in the presidential race. Nonetheless, we have to assess which of the two can stand against the temptation of financial corruption.

The Constitution was signed in 1787.  Alexander Hamilton expressed this:

“There is perhaps, nothing more likely to disturb the tranquillity of nations, than their being bound to mutual contributions for any common object that does not yield an equal and coincident benefit. For it is an observation as true, as it is trite, that there is nothing men differ so readily about as the payment of money.” (Emphasis added)

A nation suffers when elected officials use their positions to enrich themselves financially. The corruption that is destroying this country didn’t happen overnight. The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines the corruption of law as the following:

Corruption, Improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another. Its forms include bribery, extortion, and the misuse of inside information. It exists where there is community indifference or a lack of enforcement policies. In societies with a culture of ritualized gift giving, the line between acceptable and unacceptable gifts is often hard to draw. (Emphasis added)

Let me put a challenge before you: dissect the above quote and do a deeper study on corruption and its effect on the individual, family, community, state, nation, and the world, and don’t limit yourself just to politics.

The deterioration of moral principles has increased in the nation and history reveals that no great civilization remains as such when morality is removed from society because then the powerful are accountable only to themselves and will do anything to retain power at any cost.

In his first inaugural address of almost 36 years ago, President Reagan stated that “…in this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”  He reminded Americans not to forget the past that reveals how we became a nation, and that the vision of the patriots was paid with blood, loss of lives, and fortunes so that future generations could continue building society as they perfect their self-government and individual freedom. He had hope that Americans could restore the country by exercising their freedoms. He placed the responsibility upon “We the people.” He also said:

“Our Government, has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.”

Reagan was an anti-socialist because Socialism is the ideology that lies about a better future, rather it destroys all that is good, he said:

“From time to time we’ve been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?”

He reminded the nation of the value of true Americanism in opposition to globalism:

“Above all we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”

Rights come with responsibilities, every American is exceptional, and he quoted the following from a scarcely known American casualty of World War I, Martin Treptow, who wrote, “I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.”

Reagan affirmed: “I believe God intended for us to be free” and on his inauguration day proposed that it “should be declared a day of prayer.”

Donald Trump is no saint and has many moral flaws.  At the time of this writing, no one has proven that he’s deeply corrupt when it comes to doing business.  Are there some skeletons in his closet? They haven’t come out yet. As a biblical Christian I’m interested in three of his campaign promises: to defund Planned Parenthood, work to reverse Roe vs. Wade and eliminate the Lyndon Johnson law that muzzled the pulpits of the church. Do I have blind trust that he will carry out his promises if he wins? Not at all, but if he does, it will give us a good chance to fight the good fight to bring about that reality.

Corruption will not stop until God’s people understand how to read the political times and what is the will of God at such a time as this. One thing is sure; God expects His people to be the real solution to all the problems.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?  Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.” Deuteronomy 10:12-14 (ESV)

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (ESV)

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