Friday, May 06, 2005
Use of corporate jets a common practice
Politicians use of corporate jets for travel is a common practice that is not unlawful. But it should be.
The Washington Post (R. Jeffrey Smith and Derek Willis. 2005, May 5. Hill Leaders Often Take Corporate Jets: Companies Offer Discount Flights and Gain Access. Washington Post, p. A01. Retrieved May 6, 2005 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/04/AR2005050402393.html) reports that all 12 present and former House and Senate leaders have flown for free on corporate jets in the past four years. The leading frequent flyers are House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).
How can legislators consider neutrally bills that affect the national interest and still accept favors from the corporate giants? The answer is that they can't. Most decisions are likely made with one eye on their corporate sponsors.
German philosopher Jürgen Habermas distinguishes between the public sphere and the system. The system includes the state and market forces. In order for the public to influence government operations its voice must be heard above the voice of market forces. For Habermas, the public is a literate civil society, represented by public opinion. Public opinion is formed through critical public debate among equals, made possible by the press (Jürgen Habermas in The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, p 24). However, public debate is diminished as the press becomes more and more a part of the market system. And, as politicians are influenced more by corporate interests than public opinion, representative democracy is in peril.
The Washington Post (R. Jeffrey Smith and Derek Willis. 2005, May 5. Hill Leaders Often Take Corporate Jets: Companies Offer Discount Flights and Gain Access. Washington Post, p. A01. Retrieved May 6, 2005 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/04/AR2005050402393.html) reports that all 12 present and former House and Senate leaders have flown for free on corporate jets in the past four years. The leading frequent flyers are House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).
How can legislators consider neutrally bills that affect the national interest and still accept favors from the corporate giants? The answer is that they can't. Most decisions are likely made with one eye on their corporate sponsors.
German philosopher Jürgen Habermas distinguishes between the public sphere and the system. The system includes the state and market forces. In order for the public to influence government operations its voice must be heard above the voice of market forces. For Habermas, the public is a literate civil society, represented by public opinion. Public opinion is formed through critical public debate among equals, made possible by the press (Jürgen Habermas in The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, p 24). However, public debate is diminished as the press becomes more and more a part of the market system. And, as politicians are influenced more by corporate interests than public opinion, representative democracy is in peril.
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