Free Essay

Ex-Senator, Now Business Lobbyist - Ethical Questions of Use of Campaign Funds

In:

Submitted By agbradford1988
Words 451
Pages 2
Influencing the Political Environment

Issue

On the heels of an investigation of Senator Torricelli by the Senate Ethics Committee for accepting campaign gifts from a contributor, Torricelli abandoned his 2002 reelection bid for U.S. Senate. Upon retirement, the ex-senator retained $2.9 million of remaining reelection campaign contributions. Torricelli quickly drew criticism because of his decision to contribute $65,000 of remaining funds to politicians who had influence over his personal business interests. Although Torricelli did not violate specific campaign financing laws, watchdogs argue loopholes allowed him to use campaign funds in ways they weren’t intended.

Enforcing Campaign Finance Legislation

In response to allegations of inappropriate use of campaign funds by Torricelli, the National Republican Senatorial Committee requested the Federal Election Committee apply current regulation of campaign finances. Under the current guidelines if a Senator does not seek reelection, they do not have legal authority to retain or make use of contributions. Instead, funds should be returned to the contributor. Rather than add more severe limits on how retired politicians use campaign funds, the current regulation of returning funds to contributors should be strictly enforced.

Repairing the Revolving Door

The Torricelli case is a strong example of the revolving door, as he was a senator who immediately began lobbying when he left office. This case and a number of recent scandals have highlighted how the current framework undermines public trust in the government. Recommendations to curb risks of corruption might be: cooling off periods, a time limit restricting public officials in accepting private sector employment; restrictions related to pre-public employment, banning participation of matters directly related to former employment for a limited time; and disclosure and monitoring of jobs accepted by former officials.

Concerns of Politicians and Businesses Affected

To avoid public skepticism of unethical behavior, politicians who received funds from Torricelli’s remaining campaign contributions should return the funds and refuse any future propositions. Torricelli’s business clients who benefited from the use of remaining campaign contributions should also be concerned, and severe ties with the former senator to avoid negative impacts on their reputation.

Works Cited

Lawrence, Anne T., and James Weber. "The Corporation and Its Stakeholders." Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2008. Print.

Transparency International. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.transparency.org/files/content/pressrelease/20110517_UK_Revolving_Door_EN.pdf>.

N.Y./Region. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/nyregion/30torricelli.html>.

Vogel, Alex. "National Republican Senatorial Commitee V. Torricelli." news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/torricelli/nrscfec100702cmp.pdf‎. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/torricelli/nrscfec100702cmp.pdf‎>.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Mister

...out of law school, recently married, and generally impatient with life. A seat in the Illinois legislature had opened up, and several friends suggested that I run, thinking that my work as a civil rights lawyer, and contacts from my days as a community organizer, would make me a viable candidate. After discussing it with my wife, I entered the race and proceeded to do what every first-time candidate does: I talked to anyone who would listen. I went to block club meetings and church socials, beauty shops and barbershops. If two guys were standing on a corner, I would cross the street to hand them campaign literature. And everywhere I went, I’d get some version of the same two questions. “Where’d you get that funny name?” And then: “You seem like a nice enough guy. Why do you want to go into something dirty and nasty like politics?” I was familiar with the question, a variant on the questions asked of me years earlier, when I’d first arrived in Chicago to work in low-income neighborhoods. It signaled a cynicism not simply with politics but with the very notion of a public life, a cynicism that—at least in the South Side neighborhoods I sought to represent—had been nourished by a generation of broken promises. In response, I would usually smile and nod and say that I understood the skepticism, but that there was—and always had been—another tradition to politics, a tradition that stretched from...

Words: 120305 - Pages: 482

Free Essay

Voting

...IMPORTANT VOTER INFORMATION VOTER REGISTRATION • WHEN TO RE-REGISTER: If you have moved since you last registered to vote, wish to change your party registration, or have changed your name, you need to re-register as soon as possible. You must register by October 22, 2012 to be able to vote in the November 6, 2012 Presidential General Election. WHERE TO OBTAIN A VOTER REGISTRATION FORM: Anyone who is eligible to register to vote in California can use the new California Online Voter Registration system. You can find the online process at the Registrar of Voters website at www.sdvote.com. Click on Register to Vote and follow the instructions. Voter registration cards are also available and can be found at Post Offices, Department of Motor Vehicles offices, Library buildings, various City Clerk offices, and the Registrar of Voters office. NOTE: You can check the status of your registration by visiting www.sdvote.com. Follow the prompts to verify your voter registration. VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT • • PERMANENT VOTE BY MAIL VOTER: If you are currently a vote by mail voter, you will automatically receive your mail ballot. To confirm your voting status and see your polling location, review the colored mailing label on the back cover of this pamphlet. If the label indicates you are a permanent mail ballot voter, please do not reapply --- we begin mailing the vote by mail ballots on October 9, 2012. If you do not receive th your ballot by October 18 , please call the Registrar...

Words: 16330 - Pages: 66

Free Essay

Living History

...___________________________ LIVING HISTORY Hillary Rodham Clinton Simon & Schuster New York • London • Toronto • Sydney • Singapore To my parents, my husband, my daughter and all the good souls around the world whose inspiration, prayers, support and love blessed my heart and sustained me in the years of living history. AUTHOR’S NOTE In 1959, I wrote my autobiography for an assignment in sixth grade. In twenty-nine pages, most half-filled with earnest scrawl, I described my parents, brothers, pets, house, hobbies, school, sports and plans for the future. Forty-two years later, I began writing another memoir, this one about the eight years I spent in the White House living history with Bill Clinton. I quickly realized that I couldn’t explain my life as First Lady without going back to the beginning―how I became the woman I was that first day I walked into the White House on January 20, 1993, to take on a new role and experiences that would test and transform me in unexpected ways. By the time I crossed the threshold of the White House, I had been shaped by my family upbringing, education, religious faith and all that I had learned before―as the daughter of a staunch conservative father and a more liberal mother, a student activist, an advocate for children, a lawyer, Bill’s wife and Chelsea’s mom. For each chapter, there were more ideas I wanted to discuss than space allowed; more people to include than could be named; more places visited than could be described...

Words: 217937 - Pages: 872

Free Essay

Bush

...initially determined by the work of local and regional media. Generally, those journalists do a competent job of reporting on the prospect’s record. In the case of Governor George W. Bush, Texas reporters had written numerous stories about his failed businesses in the oil patch, the dubious land grab and questionable funding behind a new stadium for Bush’s baseball team, the Texas Rangers, and his various political contradictions and hypocrisies while serving in Austin. I was one of those Texas journalists. I spent about a decade trying to find accurate information on Bush’s record in the Texas National Guard. My curiosity had been prompted by his failure to adequately answer a question I had asked him as a panelist in a televised debate with Ann Richards during the 1994 gubernatorial campaign. Eventually I published three books on Bush and his political consigliere, Karl Rove. During Bush’s presidency, many other...

Words: 249168 - Pages: 997

Premium Essay

Land Mafia in Karachi

...ANNUAL REPORT 2010 TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL IS THE GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATION LEADING THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION. THROUGH MORE THAN 90 CHAPTERS WORLDWIDE AND AN INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT IN BERLIN, WE RAISE AWARENESS OF THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF CORRUPTION AND WORK WITH PARTNERS IN GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS AND CIVIL SOCIETY TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO TACKLE IT. www.transparency.org WE ARE A GLOBAL MOVEMENT SHARING ONE VISION A WORLD IN WHICH GOVERNMENT, POLITICS, BUSINESS, CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE DAILY LIVES OF PEOPLE ARE FREE OF CORRUPTION Editors: Alice Harrison and Michael Sidwell Design: Sophie Everett Cover photo: © Reuters/Yannis Behrakis Every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information contained in this report. All information was believed to be correct as of June 2011. Nevertheless, Transparency International cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of its use for other purposes or in other contexts. ISBN: 978-3-935711-79-1 Printed on 100% recycled paper. ©2011 Transparency International. All rights reserved. This report provides a snapshot of how the Transparency International movement was active in the fight against corruption in 2010. For the purpose of conciseness, national chapters, national chapters in formation and national contacts are referred to as chapters, regardless of their status within Transparency International’s accreditation system. Visit www.transparency.org/chapters for their current...

Words: 28414 - Pages: 114

Premium Essay

Abcd

...Enablers of Exuberance Jennifer S. Taub Sept. 4, 2009 DISCUSSION DRAFT Enablers of Exuberance: Legal Acts and Omissions that Facilitated the Global Financial Crisis Jennifer S. Taub1 I. Introduction This paper explores certain legal acts and omissions that facilitated the over-leveraging and near collapse of the global financial system. These ―Legal Enablers‖ fostered the boom that enriched a class of financial intermediaries who followed a storied tradition of gambling away ―other people‘s money.‖2 These mechanisms also made the pain of the bust disproportionately felt by the middle class and poor while shielding the middlemen who created the problems. These legal Enablers permitted the growth of a shadow banking system, without investment limits, transparency or government oversight. In the shadows grew a variety of highly leveraged private investment pools, undercapitalized conduits of securitized loans and speculation in complex credit derivatives. The rationale for allowing this unregulated, parallel system was that it helped to create innovation and provide liquidity. The conventional wisdom was that any risks associated with a hands-off approach could be managed by the ―invisible hand‖3 of the market. In other words, instead of public police, it relied upon private gatekeepers. A legal framework including legislation, rules and court decisions supported this system. This legal structure depended upon corporate managers, counterparties, ―sophisticated investors‖ and the...

Words: 54952 - Pages: 220

Premium Essay

Ethics

...PMG © 2010 Course Technology, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706. For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at cengage.com/permissions Further permissions questions can be emailed to permissionrequest@cengage.com Microsoft, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000,...

Words: 204343 - Pages: 818

Premium Essay

Marketing Related Articles

...Integration and Evaluation Chapter Fifteen: Direct Response 476 Chapter Sixteen: Sales Promotion, Events, and Sponsorships 508 Chapter Seventeen: Public Relations 542 Chapter Eighteen: Special Advertising Situations 576 Chapter Nineteen: Evaluation of Effectiveness 610 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Test Item File for the Wells/Moriarty/Burnett Advertising: Principles and Practice, 7th edition text. This test bank was designed with the student and instructor in mind. All questions in this manual are drawn directly from the master text. APPLICATION QUESTIONS: New to the seventh edition of the Test Item File is a section dedicated entirely to application questions. This section, available in each chapter of the test bank, offers real-life situations that take students beyond basic chapter concepts and vocabulary covered in the General Content section, and asks them to apply concepts covered in the chapters. Each chapter in the Test Item File contains 150 questions, with the following breakdown: 110...

Words: 179407 - Pages: 718

Premium Essay

Enron

...Enron and World Finance A Case Study in Ethics Edited by Paul H. Dembinski, Carole Lager, Andrew Cornford and Jean-Michel Bonvin Enron and World Finance Also by Observatoire de la Finance From Bretton Woods to Basel Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, no. 21, Spring 2005 Ethics of Taxation and Banking Secrecy Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, no. 12, Autumn 2002 Will the Euro Shape Europe? Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, no. 9, Winter 2001–2 Dommen, E. (ed.) Debt Beyond Contract Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, Supplement no. 2, 2001 Bonvin, J.-M. Debt and the Jubilee: Pacing the Economy Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, Supplement no. 1, 1999 Dembinski, P. H. (leading contributor) Economic and Financial Globalization: What the Numbers Say United Nations, Geneva, 2003 Enron and World Finance A Case Study in Ethics Edited by Paul H. Dembinski Carole Lager Andrew Cornford and Jean-Michel Bonvin in association with the Observatoire de la Finance Selection, editorial matter and Chapters 1, 2 and 16 © Observatoire de la Finance Remaining chapters © contributors 2006 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence ...

Words: 118357 - Pages: 474

Premium Essay

Enron

...Enron and World Finance A Case Study in Ethics Edited by Paul H. Dembinski, Carole Lager, Andrew Cornford and Jean-Michel Bonvin Enron and World Finance Also by Observatoire de la Finance From Bretton Woods to Basel Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, no. 21, Spring 2005 Ethics of Taxation and Banking Secrecy Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, no. 12, Autumn 2002 Will the Euro Shape Europe? Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, no. 9, Winter 2001–2 Dommen, E. (ed.) Debt Beyond Contract Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, Supplement no. 2, 2001 Bonvin, J.-M. Debt and the Jubilee: Pacing the Economy Finance & the Common Good/Bien Commun, Supplement no. 1, 1999 Dembinski, P. H. (leading contributor) Economic and Financial Globalization: What the Numbers Say United Nations, Geneva, 2003 Enron and World Finance A Case Study in Ethics Edited by Paul H. Dembinski Carole Lager Andrew Cornford and Jean-Michel Bonvin in association with the Observatoire de la Finance Selection, editorial matter and Chapters 1, 2 and 16 © Observatoire de la Finance Remaining chapters © contributors 2006 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying...

Words: 118358 - Pages: 474

Premium Essay

Hidden Persuader

...Vance Packard With an Introduction by Mark Crispin Miller PUBLISHING Brooklyn, New York Copyright © 1957, 1980 by Vance Packard Originally published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Introduction Copyright 2007© by Mark Crispin Miller All rights reserved. Printed in Canada Reissue Edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher. Please direct inquiries to: Ig Publishing 178 Clinton Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205 www.igpub.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Packard, Vance Oakley, 1914The hidden persuaders / Vance Packard ; [new] introduction by Mark Crispin Miller. p. cm. Originally published in 1957 by McKay and reissued in 1980 by Pocket Books with a new afterword. ISBN-13: 978-0-9788431-0-6 ISBN-10: 0-9788431-0-X 1. Advertising--Psychological aspects. 2. Consumers--Psychology. 3. Advertising, Political. 4. Propaganda. 5. Control (Psychology) I. Title. HF5822.P3 2007 659.101'9--dc22 2007027043 To Virginia CONTENTS Introduction by Mark Crispin Miller 1. The Depth Approach PERSUADING US AS CONSUMERS Z. The Trouble With People 3. So Ad Men become Depth Men 4. ....And The Hooks Are Lowered 5. Self-Images for Everybody 6. RX for Our Secret Distresses 1. Marketing Eight Hidden Needs 8. The Built-In Sexual Overtone 9. Back to the Breast, and Beyond 10. Babes In Consumerland 11. Class and Caste in the Salesroom 12. Selling Symbols...

Words: 85598 - Pages: 343

Premium Essay

Logical Reasoning

...Reasoning Bradley H. Dowden Philosophy Department California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA 95819 USA ii iii Preface Copyright © 2011-14 by Bradley H. Dowden This book Logical Reasoning by Bradley H. Dowden is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. That is, you are free to share, copy, distribute, store, and transmit all or any part of the work under the following conditions: (1) Attribution You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author, namely by citing his name, the book title, and the relevant page numbers (but not in any way that suggests that the book Logical Reasoning or its author endorse you or your use of the work). (2) Noncommercial You may not use this work for commercial purposes (for example, by inserting passages into a book that is sold to students). (3) No Derivative Works You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. An earlier version of the book was published by Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, California USA in 1993 with ISBN number 0-534-17688-7. When Wadsworth decided no longer to print the book, they returned their publishing rights to the original author, Bradley Dowden. The current version has been significantly revised. If you would like to suggest changes to the text, the author would appreciate your writing to him at dowden@csus.edu. iv Praise Comments on the earlier 1993 edition, published by Wadsworth Publishing...

Words: 189930 - Pages: 760

Free Essay

Cjs 230

...01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Step 7 A Judge Is Assigned to Hear the Case ❖ 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 N 30 L In the previous two chapters, we learned about the two attorneys in the courtroom drama, the prosecutor and the defense attorney. In this chapter, we turn our attention to the third member of the courtroom work group, the judge. We will learn what judges do and how they become judges. Then, we will look at judges’ discretion and how it affects their relationships with others. INTRODUCTION Judges are by far the most easily recognized member of the courtroom work group, both by their conspicuous robes and by their prominent position in the courtroom. They are also the subject of many stereotypes because the public wants to believe that judges combine patience, wisdom, and compassion to arrive at fair decisions, while they eschew the character flaws that sometimes form the basis of decisions by others, including prejudice, intolerance, favoritism, and hostility. Unfortunately, judges are human and their decisions occasionally reflect such a reality. One West Virginia judge, for example, became so enraged at a defendant who began cursing at him in court that he jumped down from his bench, tore off his judicial robe, and bit the tip off the defendant’s nose (Smith, 1998). He served five days in jail on state assault...

Words: 21662 - Pages: 87

Premium Essay

Strategic Management

...Printer/Binder: RRD/Willard Cover Printer: Lehigh-Phoenix Color Text Font: 10/12, Times LT Std Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on appropriate page within text. Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please...

Words: 154599 - Pages: 619

Premium Essay

Critical Thinking

...fourth EDItION fourth EDItION This clear, learner-friendly text helps today’s students bridge the gap between Its comprehensiveness allows instructors to tailor the material to their individual teaching styles, resulting in an exceptionally versatile text. Highlights of the Fourth Edition: Additional readings and essays in a new Appendix as well as in Chapters 7 and 8 nearly double the number of readings available for critical analysis and classroom discussion. An online chapter, available on the instructor portion of the book’s Web site, addresses critical reading, a vital skill for success in college and beyond. Visit www.mhhe.com/bassham4e for a wealth of additional student and instructor resources. Bassham I Irwin Nardone I Wallace New and updated exercises and examples throughout the text allow students to practice and apply what they learn. MD DALIM #1062017 12/13/09 CYAN MAG YELO BLK Chapter 12 features an expanded and reorganized discussion of evaluating Internet sources. Critical Thinking thinking, using real-world examples and a proven step-by-step approach. A student ' s Introduction A student's Introduction everyday culture and critical thinking. It covers all the basics of critical Critical Thinking Ba ssha m I Irwin I Nardone I Wall ace CRITICAL THINKING A STUDENT’S INTRODUCTION FOURTH EDITION Gregory Bassham William Irwin Henry Nardone James M. Wallace King’s College TM bas07437_fm_i-xvi.indd i 11/24/09 9:53:56 AM TM Published by McGraw-Hill...

Words: 246535 - Pages: 987