Is there a tipping point?
Randy "Duke" Cunningham was sentenced to prison time for taking bribes while serving in Congress. Mr. Cunningham is a decorated war hero, a former "Top Gun" instructor. Everything about his past speaks to honor, valour and integrity.
His conviction and plea bargin covers over two million dollars in bribes, kickbacks, gifts and vacations he received from those whose interests he championed in Congress.
I am not that interested in his politics, his party's politics or really anyone's at this point.
What I do find fascinating is where was his tipping point?
What was it that allowed him to move from a man of integrity to a man for sale?
What was his first foray into that world?
What was going through his mind as he abandoned the things he had risked his life for in combat? Did he know he was crossing that line?
So, to you few readers that stop by, the question is this: can you picture yourself making such a journey, abandoning your principles? And what would be worth that for you? Power, money, mental and physical gratification?
Do you have a bedrock principal you wouldn't see yourself crossing, one that you would approach but not go over?
His conviction and plea bargin covers over two million dollars in bribes, kickbacks, gifts and vacations he received from those whose interests he championed in Congress.
I am not that interested in his politics, his party's politics or really anyone's at this point.
What I do find fascinating is where was his tipping point?
What was it that allowed him to move from a man of integrity to a man for sale?
What was his first foray into that world?
What was going through his mind as he abandoned the things he had risked his life for in combat? Did he know he was crossing that line?
So, to you few readers that stop by, the question is this: can you picture yourself making such a journey, abandoning your principles? And what would be worth that for you? Power, money, mental and physical gratification?
Do you have a bedrock principal you wouldn't see yourself crossing, one that you would approach but not go over?
posted by Kurt at 12:26 PM
4 Comments:
I am very familiar with Randy "dumb" Cunningham. He represented San Diego whilst I lived there.
Since neither him or his wife came from money it was very suspicious that he lived in the best neighborhood in SD county. I always figured he was on the dole..and by defense contractors, you can't swing a dead cat in SD without hitting a def. contractor.
I wouldn't take money for anything..I have been offered money to spy on a company I worked for, I figured selling my soul for a wad of cash wasn't worth it...
I also found two grand once when I was very young and a hotel maid. I put it back in the guys pillow case and left him a note that most of the other maids would of taken it...he didnt even tip me when he left the next day..wotta dick..
If you're living in a sewer you don't notice the effluent after a while. That's probably what happened to ol' Duke. I saw it with myself when I was in retail.
As a way of saying "thank you" the beer distributors would host a social night at their hospitality room. Most stores took advantage of this invitation once or twice a year as a way to give the front line employees a perk. When I got to one store I found that they had monthly team building meetings at the hospitality rooms. We were served by three major distributors and rotated the meeting between them. So one month we drank Bud, Coors the next, and Miller the month after that. And then it started all over again.
Well, the sales reps also had tickets to sporting events. We usually only saw Texas Ranger tix. Or maybe SMU football. Tickets to UT-OU at the Fairgrounds only went to the really, really big boys.
And there were bottles of wine and liquor at XMas. Then it became a case or keg for the 4th of July picnic, etc. These were clear violations of the company policy, but no one paid any attention since the boys in the office were accepting similar "thank you"s from a bunch more vendors than we were out in the stores.
Why did the vendors grease the wheels like this? Because it worked. The Bud rep was especially "nice" and he managed to hold onto some prime real estate within the store for quite some time. As a lowly co-manager I wasn't on the gravy train. I was in between the levels being plied with booze and entertainment. My boss was well taken care of, and the grocery manager. They were the two folks making the decisions on display space. Competing vendors began to be generous also. I wonder, if either my boss or the grocery manager had been in a financial squeeze would they have moved to taking cash for space? What began as a way to reward the loyal hardworking troops had become a personally enriching (in booze and entertainment) venture.
When the culture you're surrounded by is one that accepts such gifts as a normal part of the relationship it's very difficult to see them as any form of graft. but to the vendor being left out in the cold I'm sure it looks like he's got to "bribe" his way in. The stakes get higher, and soon, real influence peddling is possible.
So back to ol' Randy "Duke" Cunningham. He comes to Congress where the leadership eats free at four star restaurants, travels the globe at no cost, has access to the best country clubs and spas, never pays for a haircut, and is waited on hand and foot. He joins in the fun. Soon he moves from eating with lobbyists to eating with the contractors themselves. The offers are made. They'll compensate him for his time. He's earned this. He accepts after many times declining. After all, he really has had to put in an awful lot of extra time and effort into this deal. And the deal is not for his benefit, but for his constituency. He's saving their jobs. He's earned his paycheck.
But that "paycheck" is illegal. And so are the big gifts. But which gift is the one that put him over the line? He can't remember. And once this gets out he's done. He's already dirty. Might just as well make something out of it all. And the "paychecks" start coming before he's willing to even start the job. You don't want to pay. That's ok. There's plenty of folks who will.
Like Gretchen said, it’s difficult to figure out when your principles will fall by the wayside until you’re in a situation that will really test your mettle. The first thing I thought of was the Hurricane Katrina survivors. I’m sure very few of them would have walked into a store to steal food and clothing before they were put in a position where their lives depended on it. Of course, that some stole electronic equipment and cars is just a testament to human greed, but can we really find fault with those that stole food for their families? And if we were in the same situation, would we have acted any differently? I know you hate moral relativism, Kurt, but you have to admit that in a dire situation like that you would do whatever you had to in order to keep your family healthy and alive.
Of course, Cunningham wasn’t starving, so his actions can’t be justified by anything other than greed. A few years ago part of my job responsibilities included vendor relations, and like Wake, I got all kinds of freebies—including some tickets to see the Tigers at one company’s swanky suite (leaving aside the fact that it was the Tigers, and therefore hardly worth watching the game!). But, the drinks and food were free, and lo and behold, that company retained their contract with us. I’ll admit that I never considered what I was doing to be immoral or unethical, even though it is obvious that I personally profited from them. And to be honest, I’m still not sure that I regret going to the game or taking advantage of the free booze. But if the company had offered me a monetary bribe rather than baseball tickets, I would have turned it down in an instant. I can’t even begin to explain why I make a distinction between certain “perks” and a bribe, but now you’ve got me thinking about it! I’ll let you know if I come up with a decent justification!
It's all about ... ah, nevermind.
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