Nepotism at its Worst

Should nepotism be alive and well running rampart in our government? There should not be any room for allegiance or favoritism to a former employer when you get appointed   to a high level government job. But of course that is exactly what the Donald has signed through an ethics bill that is allowing his closest appointees to do. Why? Do they expect they will have to “recuse” themselves for some shady dealing too? Do they want to be able to get their old great jobs back real soon? How does this all help the American people? Who do these people have allegiance to? Will favoritism be given to these former corporations now that their people have governing jobs in our government? Every day it seems that Donald is working more for himself with lucrative real estate deals, branding products overseas, free security everywhere and not really doing anything that really helps the people he was elected to lead.

The President just gave ethics waivers to more than a dozen White House aides. He gave exceptions to his own policy. Back in January he signed an executive order that bars former lobbyists in his Administration from working on issues related to their previous jobs. This week they posted a list of White Staff members who have been given waivers. He said during campaigning that he would “Drain the Swamp” whatever that really meant but his followers all cheered anyway. Now it seems that his swamp has favorite bottom feeders being allowed to troll and thrive in his swamp. Sigh!

Trump has just issued at least 14   waivers to ethics rules some of which he put in place in this past January. Someone please hide the pens from this guy please! This retroactive waiver allows Steve Bannon to communicate with editors at Breitbart, the internet news site he used to run. So our government secrets could be published in that rag? Totally unethical! This exception to ethics rules will allow White House staffers who were recently paid by companies and organizations   to advance their same agendas. So, now our government will be influenced by the wishes of profitable corporations and not   in the well- being interests of the American people?  Is that what our tax dollars are paying for?

Kelly Anne Conway had a consulting business and now she is counselor to the President. Remember she is the one who said your microwave oven is a spy machine watching you! She has a waiver and can still consult anyone with the knowledge of what our government is doing. Unethical!

Michael Catanzaro was a former lobbyist for oil and gas companies now advises the President on energy matters. With his ethics waiver he will still be the bitch for his oil and gas connections and will still promote damaging fossil fuels instead of clean energy solutions to our power needs.

Officials should be doing their jobs in our government in a disinterested way of private corporations and not to be able to continue their allegiance to their former employers. They should be using their expertise in their fields to put America first now and not their buddies. Their decisions will now have the green light to be biased by their association with their former clients.

By this point in Obama’s Presidency he only issued 4 ethics waives. It is expected Trump will be giving more waivers out in the near future to allow unethical nepotism to flourish in our government. Trump’s me first attitude is growing like a cancer throughout our government. Where does that leave us?