Collegiate Times

Whatever way public opinion might decide to sway, lobbyists have always been a necessary link in the American political process. By communicating the needs of the people to those in government who are there to hear them, lobbyists are active pursuers of change ? shooting much needed adrenaline into the notoriously slow lawmaking process. Normally hired by private and public interest groups, and found working in state and local levels all the way to Capitol Hill, their job is to use whatever means necessary to win lawmakers over to their side of the fence.

The competition only becomes fiercer as the stakes increase; often it is the lobbyist who fronts the group with the biggest financial backing or the largest amount of public support and wins the most allies. Yet sometimes certain lawmakers still cannot make up their minds about whom to support; they need some ?added encouragement.?

This greed-fueled enticement is dangerous for both lobbyists and lawmakers. The hallmarks of sincere lobbying ? honest information gathering and appealing to the American people to achieve a bipartisan persuasion ? are shamefully cast aside for secret bribes, favoritism and fraud.

No one was better at this than former lobbying powerhouse Jack Abramoff. New Year?s Eve 2005 gave little reason for the now-infamous ?Casino Jack? to celebrate. He would?ve been more likely to be found toasting an incriminating document than a glass of champagne on that night. Jan. 3 saw Abramoff plead guilty to charges of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy.

These charges stemmed from funding illegal gambling cruises and pocketing money from a large business client meant for donations. After years of shady dealings on Capitol Hill, Abramoff and some of his accomplices have been exposed for allegedly defrauding their wealthy clients of millions of dollars ? most notably some casino-owning American Indian tribes ? to pay for perks for their connections in the government as well as lining their own pockets.

These ?perks? included all-expense-paid vacations, tickets to expensive shows and sporting events, as well as funneling the defrauded money into their friends? various political campaigns.

Going far beyond your average white-collar crime, this threatens to open a Pandora?s Box of Washington?s political business, with some of Capitol Hill?s most powerful names embroiled in the controversy. Now with Abramoff agreeing to work with federal investigators to name names and open his record books, it seems the real skeletons may have yet to be unearthed.

It is scary to think that our elected lawmakers would tolerate and knowingly abide a man like Abramoff and his dirty deeds while benefiting from the bounty of his devious hand. Members of both political parties now have a lot to lose in being named as an Abramoff acquaintance. However, it appears that the vast majority of his friends were Republican.

Beleaguered former House Majority Leader Tom Delay is the most visible and powerful of Abramoff?s contacts. Delay is the subject of a related investigation, accused of accepting illegally funded perks from Abramoff, a man Delay once said was ?one of my closest and dearest friends.? That quote just might prove to be Delay?s famous last words.

This scandal, in conjunction with his own recent indictments for campaign finance fraud was largely responsible for his resignation as majority leader. Other big names include Robert Ney (R - Ohio), who is being accused of doing favors for Abramoff in the House and Sen. Conrad Burns (R ? Mont.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee for Interior Appropriations who helped Abramoff with his American Indian swindling. A few Democrats have also worked alongside Abramoff. Senator Byron Dorgan (D ? N.D.) recently returned $67,000 of donations from some of Abramoff?s American Indian clients after he decided to investigate Abramoff?s shady trial of misplaced money.

Nevertheless, most Democrats are using this scandal as an opportunity to pounce on Republicans. Yet despite the ever-increasing layers of hypocrisy being exposed on the GOP side, this problem goes beyond party lines. Abramoff himself was quoted after being caught, saying, ?I can?t imagine there?s anything I did that other lobbyists didn?t do and aren?t doing today.?

If he is right, lobbying desperately needs reform, and with the dust far from being settled this has the potential to get worse before it gets better. The good news is Abramoff?s exposure serves as a wake-up call for all dishonest and greedy lobbyists and lawmakers. In addition, active congressmen like Sen. John McCain (R ? Ariz.) are working hard to find out more of the truth.

If enough men and women care about preserving the integrity of the system in which they work, then corruption can be prevented and minimized, leaving the Jack Abramoffs of the world out in the cold.