The American Kleptocracy

The ADN front pager on State Republican Party Chair (and ethicist extraordinaire) Randy Reudrich only scratches the surface of the ethical bankruptcy at the heart of the RPA. This is a group of people, after all, who purport to believe that government is incapable of effective action in any field of endeavor - why do you think they are so eager to be in the driver's seat of such a jalopy?

Of course, it's not just Alaska. Ed Kilgore of NewDonkey has a good take on the rotten heart of the RNC as well. The ascendency of this particular group bodes ill not just for our government now, but for the future of our society at large. As we've seen, kleptocracies are very difficlut to dislodge once they've taken hold.

And anyone who thinks that thugs like Randy Reudrich, and, on the larger scale, Tom DeLay and Rick Santorum, are not worth worrying about ... well, they're simply not paying attention.

But, to end on a brighter note, while you'd have a long search finding something that Sarah Palin and I agree about, policy-wise, I have to salute her actions - both while in office and in resigning from it. Political disagreements are one thing - unethical (not "immoral" - that is a private matter) behavior is entirely another. I am heartened to see that at least one "rising star" of the RPA understands her ethical responsibility to the public, and is willing to live up to it.