A week ago yesterday, The New York Times ran a piece by Matthew Purdy that compared political corruption in Connecticut and New Jersey. The conclusion: Connecticut is catching up, but it has a long way to go if it is to reach New Jersey's outrageous levels. The Garden State is filled with pockets of corruption, cities and counties that routinely churn out criminals. Now, I may have a lot of Jersey pride, but this is one contest in which none of us should want to take first place.
Sadly, our state's record is old news by now; last year, former Senator Torricelli mistakenly thought it might lead to greater tolerance for his own misdeeds. No, what was striking about Sunday's piece was not the re-coronation of New Jersey as the scandal king, but the set of quotes Purdy assembled from politicians in the two states.
Joseph Santopietro, an ex-mayor of Waterbury, Connecticut, who was imprisoned for taking bribes, spoke of how easy it can be to fall into the trap of corruption: "You end up knowing somebody. You end up in the position. It ends up being corrupt."
The sentiment was echoed in New Jersey, where former Hudson County Executive Bob Janiszewski said he had turned down many attempts and approaches at bribery before finally succumbing. His turned into one of the bigger political scandals in the state last year, an impressive feat considering the sheer multitude of contenders.
Where does this all take us? Well, several months ago I wrote a column for this publication in which I speculated about why it is that in politics, the scoundrels always seem to fill the office. But from the sound of it, perhaps just as often in politics, it is the office that makes the scoundrels.
Taking a bribe or dealing out a shady contract need not require malice aforethought. As Mr. Santo-pietro said, sometimes it just sort of happens. Put anyone in a situation in which she will be constantly bombarded by favor-seekers and see what ensues. Add to that a government salary and you practically have a formula for corruption.
In a state like New Jersey matters are worse, but not fundamentally different. Corruption begets corruption, and as it becomes a part of the political climate, the number of favor-seekers will rise. As more people succumb, the moral high-bar gets taken down a notch and the leap for a given official becomes incrementally smaller. And corruption happens.
So far, I've painted a pretty bleak picture. The incentives for political misdeeds seem to be built into the office, and as the number of infractions mount up, so do those incentives. What is to save New Jersey, or to keep Connecticut and other states from catching up to our miserable record?
Tough anti-corruption laws and strict enforcement can only go so far. U.S. District Attorney Chris Christie commendably indicted or convicted 24 public officials last year, but new scandals seem to keep turning up. After all, if corruption is often more of a lapse than a premeditated affair, then prevention through legal action does not seem a likely recourse. It will certainly help, but in a place like New Jersey, where the problem lies deep within the culture of public "service," it will likely take an all-out war to make a big difference.
A more effective government response might come in the form of prevention and the distribution of user-friendly guides that remind officials of their duties in the face of constant temptation. What is corruption? How might one fall into the trap? A set of easy answers to questions like these could be a useful and productive resource.
At the end of the day, though, the ethical decision belongs to the officeholder, and it is only her own sense of honor that will keep her straight. After spending enough time in a system filled with tough choices and questionable tactics, microlevel decisions can start overshadowing the big picture. That's when the internal moral beacon is most needed.
The notion of strong personal integrity should not be foreign to any of us. Whenever we write examinations or papers, we sign a pledge that our actions are consistent with the University Honor Code. There are a lot of things we leave behind when we walk through FitzRandolph Gate, but our Honor Code shouldn't be one of them.
Whether the future holds politics, business, or some other career, our integrity will be constantly challenged. The challenge for today is to ensure that before that happens, we are secure enough in our sense of right and wrong to know how to avoid the pitfalls. The road to success is filled with them, and it's easy to become a Bob Janiszewski, or even a Gordon Gekko. The trick is to remember each time why we wouldn't want to.
Lowell Schiller is a Wilson School major from Warren, N.J.
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