Ukraine Finance Minister’s American ‘Values’
Joke: So what do you get when you adopt an adult mix of Beltway Bandit and Carpetbagger that's used to going to its business through a Revolving Door?
A house that'll have to get used to cleaning up the spills, 'cause you can't teach an old dog new tricks!
Basically, Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko's appointment, given her previous track record, could be bad news for Ukraine's regular folks, taxpayers, senior citizens and future generations -- who'll have to foot the bill -- for foreign loans, large-scale government contracts, fire-sale privatizations -- just like their Greek counterparts.
You're going to tell me that there were no honest, qualified and experienced Ukrainians who could have been nominated for Finance Minister?
So why was Ms. Jaresko, an American citizen, selected to be Ukraine's finance minister?
Her lack of propensity for corruption and back-room deals? Her former husband thought otherwise.
Or was it her loyalty to the U.S. government, her former employer.
It's painful to say, but there's a strong ring of truth to Russian President Putin's allegations that today's Ukraine is literally under foreign management, including its Ministry of Finance, just like colonies used to be.
For those who want to see an independent Ukraine on its way to eradicate government corruption, Ms. Jaresko is not the U.S. export to Ukraine that makes sense.
Unless you like Washington's Revolving Door policies and what they do to governmental independence and transparency in government contracts.
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Beltway bandit:
Beltway bandit is a term for private companies located in or near Washington, D.C. whose major business is to provide consulting services to the US government. The phrase was originally a mild insult, implying that the companies preyed like bandits on the largesse of the federal government, but it has lost much of its pejorative nature and is now often used as a neutral, descriptive term.
Beltway bandit is a term for private companies located in or near Washington, D.C. whose major business is to provide consulting services to the US government. The phrase was originally a mild insult, implying that the companies preyed like bandits on the largesse of the federal government, but it has lost much of its pejorative nature and is now often used as a neutral, descriptive term.
Carpetbagger:
In United States history, a carpetbagger was a Northerner who moved to the South after the American Civil War, during the Reconstruction era (1865–1877). White Southerners denounced them fearing they would loot and plunder the defeated South.[1]
...
The term carpetbagger was a pejorative term referring to the carpet bags (a form of cheap luggage at the time) which many of these newcomers carried. The term came to be associated with opportunism and exploitation by outsiders. The term is still used today to refer to an outsider who runs for public office in an area where he or she does not have deep community ties, or has lived only for a short time.[3]
In United States history, a carpetbagger was a Northerner who moved to the South after the American Civil War, during the Reconstruction era (1865–1877). White Southerners denounced them fearing they would loot and plunder the defeated South.[1]
...
The term carpetbagger was a pejorative term referring to the carpet bags (a form of cheap luggage at the time) which many of these newcomers carried. The term came to be associated with opportunism and exploitation by outsiders. The term is still used today to refer to an outsider who runs for public office in an area where he or she does not have deep community ties, or has lived only for a short time.[3]
Revolving Door:
In politics, the "revolving door" is a movement of personnel between roles as legislators and regulators and the industries affected by the legislation and regulation.[note 1]
In politics, the "revolving door" is a movement of personnel between roles as legislators and regulators and the industries affected by the legislation and regulation.[note 1]
In some cases the roles are performed in sequence but in certain circumstances may be performed at the same time. Political analysts claim that an unhealthy relationship can develop between the private sector and government, based on the granting of reciprocated privileges to the detriment of the nation and can lead to regulatory capture.
....
Governments hire industry professionals for their private sector experience, their influence within corporations that the government is attempting to regulate or do business with, and in order to gain political support (donations and endorsements) from private firms.
....
Governments hire industry professionals for their private sector experience, their influence within corporations that the government is attempting to regulate or do business with, and in order to gain political support (donations and endorsements) from private firms.
Industry, in turn, hires people out of government positions to gain personal access to government officials, seek favorable legislation/regulation and government contracts in exchange for high-paying employment offers, and get inside information on what is going on in government.
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"Special Report: Among the arguments for why Americans should risk nuclear war with Russia over Ukraine is that the regime that took power in a coup last year “shares our values.” But one of those “values” – personified by Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko – may be the skill of using insider connections, reports Robert Parry.
By Robert Parry
Ukraine’s new Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, who has become the face of reform for the U.S.-backed regime in Kiev and will be a key figure handling billions of dollars in Western financial aid, was at the center of insider deals and other questionable activities when she ran a $150 million U.S.-taxpayer-financed investment fund.
Prior to taking Ukrainian citizenship and becoming Finance Minister last December, Jaresko was a former U.S. diplomat who served as chief executive officer of the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), which was created by Congress in the 1990s and overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S. AID) to help jumpstart an investment economy in Ukraine.
But Jaresko, who was limited to making $150,000 a year at WNISEF under the U.S. AID grant agreement, managed to earn more than that amount, reporting in 2004 that she was paid $383,259 along with $67,415 in expenses, according to WNISEF’s public filing with the Internal Revenue Service."
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