Sandoval’s corruption shows urgency of getting big money out of politics

Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval has pleaded guilty to bribery which, besides cash payments, allegedly included $20,000 annually in campaign contributions from a red-light company.

The campaign contributions would have been perfectly legal as long as neither party explicitly stated what was wanted or would be done in return.

Politicians and big donors at all levels of government have mastered the art of avoiding explicit quid pro quos while being fully aware that big donations will be rewarded, and when they are, more will follow.

In a perverse alignment of incentives, politicians often calculate that they will gain more from big contributions, which they can turn into advertising, than they lose from whatever public awareness there is of where the contributions came from. Candidates who do not take big contributions can be hard-pressed to get their message out.

If we want government to work in a straight-forward way for all people, it is essential to get big money out of politics and have public funding of election campaigns.

We have seemingly become inured to institutionalized corruption. Gun, pharmaceutical, insurance and financial interests continue to get their way thanks to big donations. But towering above this business-asusual corruption is the harm from fossil fuel companies whose contributions are blocking federal action and world leadership against global warming.