In the wake of Speaker Pelosi’s declaration that she has successfully “drained the swamp” despite two high-profile flaps, Dallas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson has found herself in bit of a pickle recently as it’s been discovered that she’s been doling out scholarship money to family members and close associates’ children like it was candy on Halloween.

Apparently, as the Dallas Morning News has reported, last year Johnson had awarded 8 scholarships from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to her grandsons and the children of a top aide, bringing the tally of her nepotistic generosity to a grand total of 23 awards since 2005 that have been in violation of the Foundation’s eligibility rules (15 of which went directly to family members or employee’s children).

The Dallas Morning News reported Sunday that over the last five years, the Dallas Democrat has awarded up to $20,000 in 15 scholarships to two grandsons, two great-nephews, and aide Rod Givens’ children between 2005 and 2008. The 2009 awards – reflected in a previously undisclosed list provided Monday by the foundation – push that above $25,000. – DMN

EBJ’s defense, while in sort of a rambling prose, basically said this:  I’m proud of my service.  I’m surrounded by Republicans.   I help everybody.  It was unintentional.  I didn’t know.  I will make it right.  (Congresswoman Johnson has said that she will repay the funds by the end of the week) – I remain unconvinced.

Other news suggests that Congresswoman Johnson could find herself embroiled in a House ethics investigation examining her actions in regard to anti-nepotism rules.  However, the Dallas Morning News reports that it might be “politically dicey” for the House ethics committee to investigate another member of the CBC while having both Reps. Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters face hearings in the fall.  So goes politics…

Another day, another ethics quandary for longtime serving members of congress…  Sadly, this comes as no surprise to the majority of us.  We’ve become accustomed to our political leaders (especially those who have been in the game for awhile) having a slight case of the “Whoops!  Looks like I’ve been unintentionally funneling money and favors to family, friends, buddies, and back-scratchers” and then apologizing and going on about their business.

What I find most interesting and perhaps telling is the relationship between tenure, influence, and corruption.  It seems, while this is not always the case, that the longer a politician is in power and the more influence they gain the more apt they are to become entangled in ethical quandaries.  Now we could get into several reasons why this happens, but I believe that the simple statement “power corrupts” is explanation enough.

Reps. Johnson, Waters, and Rangel have between them 68 years in Congress, countless appointments to committees and sub-committees, and dozens of chairmanships.  At some point each of them stopped serving the people, and began serving themselves – and that’s the problem.  Currently we have a system that rewards and further entrenches self-interested politicians.  The same politician who once ran for election promising to fix the problem has become the problem, and sadly it’s our fault.  We have not been engaged enough in the nomination process, nor have we been active participants holding our elected officials accountable.

That changes now.  The surest way to limit congressional corruption is to limit the time they are there to do the damage.