The Gantt Report
Dark complexion, dark corruption?
By Lucius Gantt
    Nowadays, it seems like every time you turn on the news, a Black elected official is being accused of corruption.
Public officials with dark complexions are being accused, indicted or jailed in the north, south, east and west.
Why are Black elected officials getting into trouble? Some say the African Americans in public office are being unfairly targeted. Others suggest that they are just dumb crooks.
I say the idea that Black elected officials can do anything that white elected officials can do gets our public servants in more trouble than anything else!
When Blacks in office decide they want to cut a deal to make money they hardly ever recruit other people in the Black community to participate in any revenue generating deals.
There are few, if any, conspiracies, collaborations, or joint criminal ventures involving Blacks in office and Blacks not in office.
The guilty elected officials seem to always want the âbribesâ for themselves, the âkick backsâ for themselves or the benefits to be given or paid only to them.
Now, it is no secret that money probably changes hands every day in the halls of government. If money is not involved clothes are bought, food is served, golf is played, trips are taken or sex, drugs and alcohol are provided.
The decisions to try things that shouldnât be tried are usually made by politicians that think they know everything or, at least, think they are smarter than everyone else.
When questions arise about what to do when an illegal or suspicious offer is made to a Black politician, the African American Mayors, Councilmen, Legislators, appointees and others never ask the Black government staffers what to do and they never ask the Black lobbyists.
They never ask when money is expected to flow but they scream bloody murder when they are marched away in handcuffs.
âOh, Iâve been framed, Iâve been entrapped, Iâve been targetedâ are some of the things they will say.
Well, if you want to enrich yourself after becoming elected, try the following:
1 â Instead of trusting everybody else, trust some Black people in the political process sometimes. When a non-Black politico is accused of wrong doing, the first person he will give up is the Black elected official. However, most Blacks donât want to see other Blacks go to jail.
2 â Help your people. Help your friends. When Black elected officials are offered something, tell the person doing the offering to give it to a friend. Black politicians should think that people do wear wires sometimes and will trick you into saying something criminal.
3 â The best way for Blacks in elected office to get some money is to get the money when they leave office. Get hired as a lobbyist, as a consultant or charge an enormous amount of money to speak at a convention. A whole lot of politicians get paid like that and never see a day in a jail cell or a courtroom.
What Black elected officials should want to be are the best public servants that they can be. If you want to be rich earn the money you make because Black political criminals get treated like Black community criminals, they are victims of false arrest, are over charged and given harsher sentences than non-Black elected officials accused or similar or worse political corruption crimes. (Buy Ganttâs latest book, âBeast Too: Dead Man Writingâ and contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net)
