President Donald Trump has doubled his wealth since he began his campaign for the office he currently holds and his net-worth is reported to be 10 billion dollars. His Forbes rating among the 400 richest has jumped from 379 to 201.
This development offers an insight into the relationship of politics and money as well as brings into question the issue of corruption that may color the reason people run for office. The normal assumption, backed by a lot of experience and some level of information, is that a person runs for political office because of a passion generated by a search for solutions for a community in need and the perceived ability on the part of the politician to address those problems.
Popularity and reelection comes from the achievement of support leading to success. But always lurking in the background is the temptation for self-benefit and corruption.
Most people who have spent significant time in Mexico are acquainted with the term “mordida” that is widely used to describe expediency in solving infractions on the roads and highways of the country as well as getting favorable treatment from government officials. For example, I have a Mexican friend that went to renew his license plates and found that he had several moving violations captured by cameras posted all over the city.
My friend found it cheaper to give the clerk attending him some money in return for erasing the infractions from the computer record. This type of transactions also may occur with traffic stops where negotiations with the police officer offers a way to resolve issues of road violations.
However, the concept of the “mordida” takes even a most serious tone when a politician has access to resources and favors at the regional and national levels. This is among the ills that Mexico is working to overcome and what affects so-called third-world countries.
One of the jokes that circulates in the country that relates to that is about a post-Mexican Revolution President who lost an arm in the conflict and was heard to say that Mexico was lucky that he had only one arm. The figurative intention of the joke was that if he had both, he would be able to grab more money for himself and benefits from the nation than he was currently doing.
In America, the President of the United States is considered the most powerful politician in the world that has the ability to access and gather favors from at home and abroad. Since the Supreme Court told Trump that he can do anything he wants as President and not get prosecuted, he is doing just that.
The Qatar gift to Donald Trump of a 400-million-dollar plane that will eventually be available for his personal use after leaving office is only the most visible example of what he feels he can do. His family, beginning with Jared Kushner’s and his 4.6-billion-dollar investment portfolio gathered from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is fully engaged in taking advantage of opportunities for enrichment.
Everyone is in on it. It is the new family business. Our great democratic regime appears to be on a fast downward spiral. The disease of decadence and loss of values is spreading to all parts of the body. Our democratic experiment is facing yet another historical crisis that threatens our very existence as a free nation. Corruption and greed are taking us down a path that we only saw in others.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
