Political Corruption in America                                    By Michele Marie Tate        Political corruption has been a problem since the first European settlers arrived in America. From officials to politicians, laws are circumvented to obtain riches and/or power.  If you search today’s newspaper headlines, articles about bribes, fraud, and illegal tactics can be found in all levels of government. Right now this includes two U.S. senators and a state governor.      This threatens our democracy and the American people’s overall confidence in city, state and federal officials.  It undermines the legitimacy of government and the ethics we trust. Political corruption can be defined as bribery, graft, extortion, robbery, patronage, conflict of interest, ...