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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1978)
Wednesday, October 4, 1978 daily nebraskan page 5 oped Uncle Sam is being mugged by white-collar thieves Images of federal bureaucrats as bumbling dolts, adept only at shuffling meaningless memos, were clarified last week by revelations of as much as $25 billion of fraud within government agencies. Only bureaucrats of stunning competence can filch that much. The General Accounting Office reported to the Senate subcommittee on federal spending practices that Washington's in baskets are the scene of crimes involving bribery, doctored payment claims, kick backs and collusion. Aside from the colmon mccarthy General Services Administration, which is in the news daily as the national fraud center, other agencies include the depart ments of Labor, Agriculture, Transporta tion, Housing and Urban development, the Veterans Administration and the Small Business Administration. "Everywhere we look for fraud, it's going to be there," said Sen. Lawton Chiles (D-Fla.) of the subcommittee. Pen muggings With the government infested with white-collar thieves who have been mugging Uncle Sam with a pen, not a gun. the robbed taxpayers now have focus for their anger without excessive federal waste. The surge of outrage created by Proposition 13 has been refreshing, except it has meant mostly cutbacks foi social programs for the poor, or for lib raries and schools. But a cutback on fed eral fraud could mean a painless saving of up to $25 billion. Can anything be done-or is the corrup tion so pervasive and routinized that after a few committee hearings, some isn't-it-awful reports, some firings and perhaps a few convictions, the stealing must nec essarily roll on by its immense momentum, Some precedents for reform exist. In 1965, when the Office of Economic Opportunity began, a major part of the operation was the inspector general's office. A Pulitzer-prize winning investiga tive reporter came into run the shop, and through his auditng, spunk and general wariness about human nature and the yen for easy money, the agency stayed clean. Idea too good Befitting the mentality of Washington, the OEO experiment was such a success that few other agencies copied the idea. Currently, only one federal department -HEW-has statutory authority for its own inspector general. HEW has 1,000 auditors in 42 loca tions looking for-and finding-fraud, waste and abuse. In Congress, an inspec tor general bill that would establish similar operations within all federal agencies is pending. When originally proposed, many of the frauds in mind were those pulled off by the so-called poverty cheats, as symbolized by that mythical high-rolling welfare mother in Chicago that Ronald Reagan forever babbles about. But now the cheats may be more on the government's rolls than the welfare rolls. That's one legislative possibility. Sen. Chiles mentions two more: a sunset bill that would require Congress to examine periodically every agency and to judge whether its function ought to continue and, second, a bill to protect whistle blowers. These bills have gone through hearings, have picked up support and are no doubt useful. But they are in the grand-and getting grander-tradition of thinking up new laws to prevent the breaking of old laws. The GSA corruption already in volves the violation of at least 20 statutes. Why not enforce the laws we have? Latent passions The answer to that has to do with fer vor and the mystery of how to generate it in a society that had so little passion for honesty that it took two years to un load Richard Nixon after his deceits began. Politicians find their popularity enhanced when they pounce on one kind of criminal and no another. It is known that white collar theives-embezzicrs, tellers, accountants-steal from banks six times the amount taken by old-fashioned robbers in ski masks. But the latter-usually the poor or uneducated- are sent to prison, while the others are treated leniently, if at all. It is likely to be that way with govern ment fraud. What could make a difference is a redirection of fervor. Citizens in a fury about federal spending need to realize that it isn't an issue discovered yesterday by the New Right. To cut the excess means, at the bottom line of morality, to cut the fraud. And that means backing those politicians who, first, are free of it them selves and, second, are willing to make government honesty a major political passion. ASUN displays 'typical political behavior "But when they (newspapers) go on alleging day after day, that every politician is a scoundrel . . . they get near enough to the truth for any practical purpose." -H.L. Mencken, April 1920. Even though it is almost 60 years later, Mencken's words still ring true and reach to all politicians at even the lowest level. Our less than distinguished representa tives on the ASUN Senate are providing an example of typical contemptible political behavior. These courageous play-time politicians ran behind closed doors to discuss a pro posal that they say is so controversial that students shouldn't know how it was form- WEDNESDAY NIGHT Free Admission with student id. or if you've had a birthday in the past week. $125 PITCHERS 50 DRINKS 25 DRAWS POD!! 25th & O ulated, because after all, they wouldn't want to make anyone mad. Coopt? Our fearless leaders even went out of their way to try to coopt the press. I.kent wolgamott The Daily Nebraskan was told of the closed meeting and given a possible out line of the action to be taken as a sop to being thrown out of the ASUN meeting last Wednesday night. But when the paper expressed its dis satisfaction with the railroading of the bill and the closed meeting, the ASUN leaders were up in arms, filling the air with accu sations of unfairness and prejudice against their action. I only ask; what else were they expect ing? A newspaper's purpose is to gather and deliver the news to its readers and closed meetings make this job almost impossible. When the closed meeting is held by a public body which should have no reason to hide behind closed doors, it leads to justified outrage on the part of the paper. 'Bold Action' By the time you read this ASUN's condescension to their public will have come and gone, they will have had their public hearing on the grand plan and moved along probably to approve it by unanimous vote in another bold action. Politics is a business of using others to accomplish your own goals, a game of lining up support and cutting corners to get something accomplished. ASUN has tried to cut a few too many corners and grease a few too many skids in this misadventure and are paying the price of public airing of their contemptible acts. H. L. Mencken had to deal with corrupt machine politicians in Baltimore trying to use the people for their personal gain. We are dealing with a junior version of a machine ignoring popular opinion for questionable gain. Come Saturday morning . . . for an informal showing in our Bridal Salon. Well have juice and rolls and you and the gowns 9:00 till 10:00 on Saturday mornings beginning this Saturday, October 7. Please call 477-9211 for reservations since our seating is limited. Our street floor back door is the only one open that early; so come in that entrance and take the elevator up to the Bridal Salon on Third Floor. hovland-swanson DOWNTOWN doors open at 8
