DURATION TO TEMPTATION INCREASES CORRUPTION
We’ve been saying it for years, but is it cynicism or is it true?
It is TRUE!
There have been a number of psychological studies performed on the subject of Temptation. The results of these studies have been used in marketing for many years with a great deal of success.
The irrefutable conclusion drawn from each study is that the duration of temptation is directly related to the potential for succumbing to temptation. The longer you are exposed to temptation, the more likely you are to give in.
Think what that means if you are a member of Congress. From the moment you first step foot in the door, you are entering a world of temptation.
You have entered the only domain in which insider trading, while still illegal, is difficult to prove in court. You are involved in votes and committees where the outcome can directly affect your financial future. You are surrounded constantly by lobbyists, corporations, and entire industries who are more than willing to pay for your future elections and provide you unlimited opportunities to gain money and power if you only support their desires.
Many of us are skeptical about the morality of career politicians in the first place, but skepticism aside, regardless of the most sound moral structure, how long will it be before you give in that first time? Maybe you will hold strong for years. Maybe you will give in just that once after a few years, telling yourself that it’s just once and it’s not going to hurt anything. How long until you give in that second time? Each time you give in to temptation it becomes a little easier to give in the next. You might tell yourself that you’re justified siding with the corporations, because their money will keep you in office, and you know that while you are in office you can do great things.
No matter how you try to justify your motives, the longer you remain in Congress, the more corrupt you are likely to become.
This is not conjecture. This is not a cynical theory. This is proven behavioral psychology.
It is time that we take the first step to limit this temptation. The self-admitted irresponsibility of the majority of voters will not turn over the members of Congress. Statistics have shown that once in Congress, they are in for life if they have the money and their party’s support.
The single most significant step in limiting this temptation is by limiting their time in Congress.
They won’t do it to themselves. It is up to us.
We’ve been saying it for years, but is it cynicism or is it true?
It is TRUE!
There have been a number of psychological studies performed on the subject of Temptation. The results of these studies have been used in marketing for many years with a great deal of success.
The irrefutable conclusion drawn from each study is that the duration of temptation is directly related to the potential for succumbing to temptation. The longer you are exposed to temptation, the more likely you are to give in.
Think what that means if you are a member of Congress. From the moment you first step foot in the door, you are entering a world of temptation.
You have entered the only domain in which insider trading, while still illegal, is difficult to prove in court. You are involved in votes and committees where the outcome can directly affect your financial future. You are surrounded constantly by lobbyists, corporations, and entire industries who are more than willing to pay for your future elections and provide you unlimited opportunities to gain money and power if you only support their desires.
Many of us are skeptical about the morality of career politicians in the first place, but skepticism aside, regardless of the most sound moral structure, how long will it be before you give in that first time? Maybe you will hold strong for years. Maybe you will give in just that once after a few years, telling yourself that it’s just once and it’s not going to hurt anything. How long until you give in that second time? Each time you give in to temptation it becomes a little easier to give in the next. You might tell yourself that you’re justified siding with the corporations, because their money will keep you in office, and you know that while you are in office you can do great things.
No matter how you try to justify your motives, the longer you remain in Congress, the more corrupt you are likely to become.
This is not conjecture. This is not a cynical theory. This is proven behavioral psychology.
It is time that we take the first step to limit this temptation. The self-admitted irresponsibility of the majority of voters will not turn over the members of Congress. Statistics have shown that once in Congress, they are in for life if they have the money and their party’s support.
The single most significant step in limiting this temptation is by limiting their time in Congress.
They won’t do it to themselves. It is up to us.
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