American curios

Delinquent children, generous tycoons, corrupt lobbyists

By David Brooks

From the Mexican newspaper La Jornada

Delinquent children of the guardians of law and order, tycoons who suddenly become generous, lobbyists and politicians who profit from wars, local politicians who think they deserve higher salaries than the president, and the unemployed spectators of this whole drama are among the elements that make you wonder whether you’re seeing symptoms of an empire in decline or whether you’re just watching life as usual.

Among the curiosities of the past few days in this country:

Caroline Giuliani, 20, stole $150 in cosmetics from one of the Sephora stores in New York City. Yes, she’s from that Giuliani family. She is the daughter of Rudolph, former mayor of New York City, former presidential candidate, former federal prosecutor and international counsel for crime control issues (including Mexico), who gained fame as a law-and-order hero. His father’s fortune is estimated at $60 million, his ex-wife Donna Hanover, mother of the young offender, won $6.7 million in a divorce judgment.

For some reason, the Harvard graduate decided to steal some facial cream and other cosmetics, even though she carried more than $300 in cash in her bag. Store employees detained the girl and called police who arrested her, but when management found out who he was, the store decided not to press charges. Days later, it reversed its decision. Those responsible for justice in this city have not decided whether to press charges and the young woman was released with a pending appointment before a judge. It is not known if his father favors applying to her the same justice that he imparted to the poor when he was mayor.

Speaking of crime, charges were pressed against one of Washington’s most powerful lobbyists for promoting one of the largest campaign finance frauds in U.S. history. Paul Magliocchetti illegally funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to federal lawmakers; in return, they channeled more than $200 million in federal funds to military contracts that benefited private companies represented by Magliocchetti. Another example of big business defending freedom worldwide.

On a more local business note, politicians in Bell, a small city in metropolitan Los Angeles with a generally poor and Latino population, lived la vida loca until it was discovered that they were paid higher wages than the U.S. president. City manager Robert Rizzo (the equivalent of a mayor) earned nearly $800,000 a year, Police Chief Randy Adams, $457,000 (50 percent more than the police chief of Los Angeles), and assistant administrator Angela Spaccia, $376,000, the Los Angeles Times reported. President Barack Obama earns $400,000 a year.

The revelations led to protests from residents and judicial investigations, forcing the resignation of all three officials, but they could still receive large pensions. The government of Bell, whose residents suffer from difficult economic conditions, had trimmed municipal services by more than $800,000 even as it gave salary increases to its functionaries.

Continuing with the topic of crime, corruption and business – sorry, of very wealthy businessmen, successful and apparently concerned about appearing decent – about 40 megamillionaires announced majestically and bombastically (the news was repeated in all media as an act of great national importance) that they would give at least 50 percent of their fortunes to philanthropy.

Among the individuals are the world’s richest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, who spearheaded the initiative. They estimate that their efforts could generate $600 billion in charitable contributions (charitable institutions received a total of $300 billion in donations in 2009), reported The Washington Post. No one mentions that some of these fortunes are partly the result of a system of financial speculation that finally erupted into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

And speaking of crisis, recent official figures show an increase in unemployment, an economic downturn and budget crises in almost every state and municipal government in the country, which translates into drastic cuts in basic public services (education, health, programs for children and seniors, etc.) in addition to the dismissal of some 234,000 civil servants, including teachers, Reuters reported. If things keep up like that, 250,000 more cuts can be predicted.

According to economist Paul Krugman, in his column in The New York Times, one in six U.S. workers is unemployed or underemployed. On average, the jobless have lacked employment for more than 35 weeks. Congress is unwilling to address the problem, since, according to Krugman, a good many lawmakers “care a lot about not raising the taxes of the richest 1 percent of the population, but very little about the plight of Americans who cannot find jobs.”

Maybe some of the millions of unemployed received with gratitude and admiration the news of the billionaires’ generosity.

Other unemployed people perhaps will respond to the rich, corrupt politicians and their delinquent children with verses from Bruce Springsteen’s song The Ghost of Tom Joad:

Men walkin’ ‘long the railroad tracks

Goin’ someplace there’s no goin’ back;

Highway patrol choppers comin’ up over the ridge,

Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge

Shelter line stretchin’ ’round the corner;

Welcome to the new world order.

Families sleepin’ in their cars in the Southwest;

No home, no job, no peace, no rest.