Bribing Joe Sestak

Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter switched from being a Republican to a Democrat. He thought he'd have an easier chance of getting reelected if he switched parties.

Joe Sestak decided to run against Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary, and he won. During the campaign, Joe Sestak claimed that President Obama offered him a patronage job, if he dropped his primary campaign.

When campaigning, Joe Sestak raised the issue to attract votes. Now that he won the nomination, he's not pressing the accusation. Republicans are now pressing for an investigation. They aren't pressing too hard, because they do the exact same thing!

President Obama picked a lawyer to investigate the accusation. This lawyer concluded that nothing improper occurred. This is a big flaw in the State justice monopoly. When a State insider is accused of misconduct, the person conducting the investigation is another State insider.

Even Republicans don't want to press the issue too far. They don't want the slaves to start thinking too hard about State corruption.

Suppose that I am 100% owner of a business, and you are not a State insider. It isn't immoral for me to say "I'll offer you $200k/year if you quit your job and work for me!" Exchanging favors is immoral only when the State is involved.

If I say "I'll hire your brother-in-law for $200k if you give me a $5M State pork contract!", that's obviously immoral. The corrupt politician is spending the taxpayers' money and not his own personal money. This is the Principal-Agent problem.

The system by which politicians exchange favors is a type of counter-economy. There are no written contracts. These arrangements are illegal. Politicians exchange bribes and favors completely off-the-books.

President Obama didn't issue a press release saying "I hereby offer Joe Sestak a job if he abandons his primary campaign." It was an informal offer. By offering a patronage job, Obama is spending/wasting wealth he doesn't technically own. State insiders treat State property as if it were their personal property. They stole it fair and square, and now they may spend it as they please.

State corruption is fueled by taxation/theft/violence. The State taxation monopoly means that politicians control resources they don't own. This creates the opportunity for corruption and profit.