Power corrupts

Here in Canada, former Liberal MP David Dingwall has stepped down as president of the Royal Canadian Mint:

The man charged with minting Canada's pennies, dimes and loonies has resigned following accusations he was spending too much of that cash on lavish travel, fine dining and costly hospitality.

Opposition MPs were crowing victory after outing the expense reports that prompted former Liberal cabinet minister David Dingwall to step down yesterday as president of the Royal Canadian Mint. Documents indicate Dingwall and top aides racked up expenses of more than $740,000 last year.

Dingwall has also been embroiled in controversy over lobbying for a Toronto pharmaceutical firm.
[...]
In an interview with CTV yesterday, Dingwall said that about half the mint's business is conducted abroad.

"You're not taking a canoe — you're not taking the train to Montreal here," he told CTV.

But the CTV interview ended when Dingwall was asked why — with his $277,000-a-year salary — he charged taxpayers $1.29 for a pack of gum. Dingwall, 53, first elected in 1980 to represent a Cape Breton riding, was defeated in the 1997 election. He then formed his own lobbyist firm before being appointed to the mint by outgoing prime minister Jean Chrétien in 2003.

And down in the States, as you've undoubtedly heard by now, Republican House Leader Tom DeLay has resigned his post following his indictment for alleged campaign financing offences:

Eyeing an opportunity to win back sorely missed congressional seats, Democrats will cast yesterday's indictment of a top Republican in the House of Representatives and the opening of a securities investigation into trading by the Republican majority leader of the Senate as symptoms of widespread corruption within a political party that controls the presidency and both houses of Congress.

A Texas grand jury yesterday indicted the Republican majority leader of the House, Rep. Thomas DeLay, of Texas, and two of his political associates on one count each of conspiracy to commit campaign finance fraud. Mr. DeLay, who had been under investigation for a year, declared his innocence at a press conference with reporters and described the indictment as a witch hunt orchestrated by his political enemies on the left.
[...]
It was the second time in a day that a leader of the Republican Party had been tarnished by a cloud of wrongdoing. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday opened a formal investigation into a stock sale by Senator Frist, of Tennessee, according to a Bloomberg News report. Dr. Frist, a potential candidate for president in 2008, sold shares in the hospital operating company founded by his father, HCA Incorporated, one month before a slide in the stock's value. He has not been formally accused of illegal trading.

The Liberals and the Republicans don't have much in common except for the fact that they've both held power for a very, very long time - the Liberals since 1993, and the GOP (in Congress, at least) since 1994. Sadly, no matter how lofty its intentions when it's first elected, almost every political party in every nation succumbs to the temptations of office after a decade or so in power.

You know I believe Canada is long overdue for a new government - and as long as they can keep the Dean/Kos moonbat wing under control, I'll be shedding few tears if the Democrats win back the House and/or Senate in 2006.

Posted by damian at September 29, 2005 07:21 AM | TrackBack