Madonna & Young on 'A different kind of political corruption'

Terry Madonna and Michael Young devote their latest "Politically Uncorrected" column on the Bonusgate scandal.

The veteran political observers conclude that we are seeing a new type of political corruption in Pennsylvania.

From their column:

Unlike earlier corrupt politicians, these modern day villains are mostly stealing to gain power and win elections. They live in an era in which the parties are moribund, the candidate-centered campaign prevails, and the demand for campaign cash grows inexorably even while its traditional sources decline.

It is the pursuit of these campaign resources that drive the behavior of today's corrupt politician — and that is different from past personal, enrichment-oriented corruption. The modes of stealing may be similar, but the motives are very different. Unless we understand this, we can't hope to stop it from happening again.

Read the full column at The Mercury Web site.