D'Art, I don't know what to make of your isolated Froddo quote ... I was being ironic re politicians being "ethical", that should have been obvious, and it's also why I put ethics in quotes.
I appreciate being thought of as "cute", but to quote you back ...
Originally posted by DArtagnan at 19-1-2010 16:38
When interviewed and asked why he didn't enforce the loan, he said "for $15k I can own a US senator, why would I want to collect?" ... clearly power matters more than money, even in the 'land of the free' .....
Do you really believe any punk loan shark could "own" a US Senator for only US$15k? You did say "own", and all that implies. If I "owned" a senator I would expect to make a huge amount of money from the relationship ..... how the hell could I do that for $15k unless it was like my example of setting him up with a whore and then blackmailing him.
$15k is such a pittance! US Senators pull salaries of circa US$175k pa, but the prestige, perks, benefits, (and retirement benefits) of staying in office for extended periods are high. It can be a springboard to higher careers. Only a handful would have realistic chances of shooting for the Presidency, but 7 figure jobs in the corporate world are not out of reach.
Am I really naive to doubt a Senator would risk their reputation, their job, their future, for a measly $15k? You should also know there are 100 US senators (2 for each State) and almost half of these are millionaires in their own right.