In Part One we looked at the various ways politicians use their power to get rich, or richer than they were when they entered office. The temptation to seize an opportunity—a stock tip, or the power of legislation—is pervasive. But there is a broader, more subtle motivation as well: politicians are surrounded by wealthy friends and donors who use their access to power to enrich themselves. If all of your friends are using you to get rich, wouldn't you want a piece of the action?
In Part Two we will look at the semiprivate sector: businessmen and investors who get rich through their political connections, tilting the playing field of the free market by lobbying for handouts. Just as with the insider trading and land deals in Part One, there is nothing illegal about this aspect of crony capitalism. Unfair, perhaps unethical, perhaps immoral—but not illegal. It would take a revolution in the mindset and the rules of the game in Washington to put a stop to it. But the least we can do is pull back the curtain and bring some sunlight into the dark rooms of the crony game.