Follow the Money
We concluded last week’s blog post with the above heading, and return to that theme this week for the following reason: It is no coincidence that a series of posts with titles such as “PASSHE Officials versus PASSHE Students” would eventually get down to the subject of money.
Why? Because all of the PASSHE officials in a
position to act against the best interests of PASSHE students are either elected
officials or are appointed by elected officials. Specifically, five of the twenty members of
the PASSHE Board of Governors are elected officials; the remaining fifteen are
political appointees. All 154 members
serving on the fourteen local Councils of Trustees (with 11 at each) are
political appointees.
To see why the fact of 100% political control
immediately leads to a central role for money, read on.
The Definition of Politics
Merriam-Webster defines “politics” as “activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or getting and keeping power in a government.”
According to this definition, politics has two key aspects: 1) influencing government actions and policies; and 2) getting and keeping power in government. We may think of these two aspects as the “ends” in mind for those who practice politics, namely, the politicians of both parties and their political supporters.
Although neither of these two aspects in the
definition specifically mentions money, it quickly becomes clear that money
provides the “means” to the “ends” that politicians from both parties seek to
achieve.
"Money is the mother's milk of politics."
Jesse M. Unruh (1922 - 1987)
Jesse (Big Daddy) Unruh was Speaker of the California State Assembly from 1961 to 1969 and his very famous quote above dates to the year 1966 and refers to the role of “campaign contributions” in politics.
Equally candid and colorful is his quote regarding lobbyists: "If you can't eat their food, drink their booze, screw their women, take their money and then vote against them you've got no business being up here."
That Pennsylvania politicians are too smart to be so publicly cynical about their ends and means in no way negates Merriam-Webster’s definition of politics as practiced everywhere, including in the Keystone State.
While Pennsylvania’s elected officials and their political appointees are not so foolish as to brag publicly about what they are doing to benefit themselves at the expense of PASSHE students, parents and alumni donors, there is much evidence and little doubt that it’s been happening for years and is happening now.
As noted previously in our blog post of November 2, 2015:
“To get appointed to the governance board of a private university, it is generally necessary for the candidate to be seen as a significant donor to the university, often by donating to support scholarships for university students, or to fund buildings or other critical university needs.
“To be appointed to one of PASSHE’s fifteen governance boards, it is
generally necessary that the candidate be seen, not as a significant donor to
the PASSHE universities—for the benefit of the universities or the students—but
rather as a significant donor to the political campaigns of the politicians in
a position to decide or influence the candidate’s appointment/reappointment to
a given PASSHE governance board.
“It is in that sense that the State’s elected and appointed officials compete directly against the PASSHE students they are ostensibly called upon to serve in their roles on PASSHE’s fifteen governance boards.”
The Need for the Tools and
Tactics of Deception
Jesse Unruh’s brazen quotes about how business was conducted under his California Assembly leadership may have disarmed his critics while endearing him to his political supporters. Many citizens may suspect misbehavior by their elected officials but, absent a “conviction” or “confession,” are typically reluctant to declare their politicians guilty of “politics.” Unruh’s candid confession likely earned him a citizens’ pardon!
But in Pennsylvania and most other places in America, where elected officials and candidates for public office feel the need to portray themselves as models of ethical rectitude, the truth of Merriam-Webster’s definition of politics suggests that by the very nature of politics, such politicians will need to operate in ways destined to reveal contradictions, if not outright conflicts, between their words and their actions.
It is inevitable that in any such inherently conflicted environment—where contradictions between words and actions are unavoidable—the need for the tools and tactics of deception will also be unavoidable.
Having served as a PASSHE university president for twenty years (1992-2012) and having witnessed firsthand the subtle and not-so-subtle ways of deceiving the public that were employed by PASSHE’s political leadership, I can testify to at least some of the ways in which that deception was carried out.
E.g., PASSHE officials worked hard after passage of Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law in 2008 to prevent release of accurate but embarrassing information to the media or public in response to valid RTK requests.
One way of thwarting such RTK requests for information was to cut off public access to reports that had been produced routinely by PASSHE for many years. For example, a search on the PASSHE website on November 16, 2015 using keyword “Factbook” identified nine (9) annual PASSHE FactBooks for Fiscal Years 2002 through 2010, together with the following declaration:
“The System Research Office conducts institutional research and prepares analytical and statistical reports as well as presentations to support strategic planning, policy analysis and decision making for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education leaders.” (Emphasis added.)
After clicking on the most recent listed PASSHE FactBook
(2010), the following message appeared: “Error: Access
denied. You do not have permission to perform this action or access this
resource.”
To be continued.
No comments:
Post a Comment