Is Jon Corzine willing to tolerate corruption?

One of the things I have found most infurriating in New Jersey is the attitude that "corruption is a necessary part of politics".  I'm not claiming that West Texas is a model of purity, but I've never understood how the most widespread reaction to corruption in politics can be a shrug and the explanation is, "Well, what do you expect?"

I expect public officials, regardless of political afffiliation, to uphold the basic minimum of public trust.  That means they show up for their job and at least attempt to do it to the best of their ability.  It means that they put personal honor and integrity above loyalty and ambition.  It means they don't rip me off during the normal course of their workday.

I had hoped that change might be around the corner when Jon Corzine became Governor of New Jersey.  "Hold me accountable" he said.  I understand that there is a lot on his plate - our state is in horrible fiscal condition - but I'm of a mind that nothing takes higher precedence than ensuring the honesty and integrity of our governing structures.  And that means that Jon Corzine's next action should be to fire Javier Inclan.

The reason Inclan must go is fairly straightforward.  His willingness to look the other way allowed a corrupt Mayor to allow a local bar owner to escape police scrutiny.  That local bar owner, by the way, is currently charged with being a part of a human trafficking ring that brought underage girls from Honduras through Texas to New Jersey and then used them for slave labor at the bars - and including forced prostitution.  Among the more horrible stories to come out of this offensive tale has been the manner in which these young girls were handled when they became pregnant - being forced to take abortificants or being kicked down stairs repeatedly until they miscarried.

I'm not saying that Inclan knew all of this was going on.  I'm pretty sure he didn't.  But when the story broke about a year and a half ago, people said, "Why didn't anyone say anything?"  Well, they did say something.  But the Mayor kept pulling the police off the case because the bar owners kept the money and gifts flowing.  Inclan was in a key position to stop it, but he chose instead to look away and pretend as if that kept his hands clean.

You can read more details at Blue Jersey (here and here) and at my online column for the Star-Ledger (here and here).

The problem is that being a willing part of a corruption ring should not be a gold star on one's resume.  As Treasurer of the Guttenberg Democratic Organization, Inclan had the legal responsibility to make sure standard bookkeeping practices were followed and that all legal requirements were fulfilled.  He failed, miserably.  His personal failure of integrity and honor allowed underage girls to be turned into sex-slaves.  It may not have been his shoes kicking them down the stairs, but if he had done anything close to fulfilling his legal and  moral obligations, he would have stopped those shoes long ago.  

He is apparently going to escape prosecution in exchange for his testimony, but that doesn't excuse his breach of public trust.  Being a bag man for the mayor's rice pudding ring shouldn't be rewarded.  Sure, he's testifying, but it isn't like he came forward on his own or that he broke the story early.  He's just taking care of his own bacon - and we've had more than a bellyful of politicians who do that.

Jon Corzine has a choice.  He can make the point that corruption won't be tolerated - and that people who tolerate corruption aren't welcome.  Or he can be just another Jersey politician that people shrug off and say, "What do you expect?"