Brilliant legal scholar, Zephyr Teachout, writes in an important article:  “Understanding the history of corruption is profoundly importantat this time in history. Half of Americans are convinced that Congress is corrupt;12 strong evidence indicates that many members of Congress are enriched by their service; no-bid contracts and earmarks are regularly rewarded to people who use their wealth to affect public policy. According to Transparency International, the United States ranks eighteenth in its Corruption Perceptions Index.13 The revolving door between staffers and lobbyists, the lure of powerful contacts, the seductions of a wealthy community, and other forces all give regular work to what Hamilton called “the business of corruption.””

Has the concept of corruption, which is literally a threat to the integrity of self-government, lost its integrity.   Teachout argues for the return of an ‘anti-corruption’ principle in arguing US constitutional cases. Teachout convincingly says that modern American citizens consider corruption to be one of the biggest threats to government.  The internal decay of our government may reflect the absence of anti-corruption standard.  Article: teachout-final