9.21.2006

Map mashup on corrupt members of Congress



An interesting use of Google maps shows where the corrupt members of Congress come from.

The mashup was created by CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) on a new website. According to their website CREW acts in legal cases and seeks more open accountability through FOIA investigations.

The site, "Beyond Delay" has a list of the top 20 most corrupt members (17 Republicans and 3 Democrats). Both Senators and Representatives are included.

The map itself is pretty straightforward, but you can click on each tab and pull up the details on each person. For example, zooming to Montana gives us Sen. Conrad Burns (R). If you click on his tab, you can download a 9-page report where you can learn about his associations with Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff (who has himself pleaded guilty to bribing public officials, including at least one member of Congress).

The most corrupt state? California, with 5 corrupt members in the top 20! (4 GOP, 1 Dem.). Hey Cali! What's going on?

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