This week, another top Bush administration official -- HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson -- resigned in disgrace under a cloud of corruption. What can we learn from this?
Lessons #1: Corruption is only part of the problem. Many newspapers have reported Jackson's alleged misdeeds, such as steering HUD contracts to personal friends and to political allies of the Bush administration. (NY Times ; Washington Post ; LA Times). In fact, the New York Times called for Jackson's resignation two years ago:
A few papers noted that a similar HUD scandal took place under President Reagan, who, like Bush, allowed HUD to be used as a feeding trough for politically-connected developers, while slashing housing assistance for the poor.
Lesson #2: As I point out in an article in today's Huffington Post, Jackson was unusual not only in his hubris, but also that his tenure at HUD reflected all three of the major failings of the Bush administration: corruption, yes; but also indifference (toward the poor and working people), and incompetence among top officials.
Lesson #3: None of these failings are inevitable. (Compare, for example, how FEMA bungled helping victims of Katrina vs. FEMA's success (in the 1990s) helping victims of the Northridge earthquake). These failings are, instead, symptoms of the Bush administration's disdain for government as a vehicle for improving society and, in particular, the lives of working families and the poor.
Lesson #4: We can do better.
Peter
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