Contact: Bob Sturm, 703-396-6974; After 6 PM Eastern and on weekends, Bob Sturm or Cynthia Chambliss, 703-307-8176 or 703-930-5148; ConservativeHQ.com

MANASSAS, Virginia, Dec. 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- The corruption uncovered in the investigation of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is just a tiny part of the criminality that runs throughout the country's politics, Richard A. Viguerie, the Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, said.

"Before we turn over the car companies, the financial sector, the health care system, and much of the rest of the American economy to these guys, we need to realize: We are opening doors to a level of corruption like we have never seen before," he said.

"The American Way is not supposed to be 'the Chicago Way,'" said Viguerie. "And it doesn't have to be. There's still time to save America from becoming one big Chicago."

Blagojevich is alleged to have, in effect, put his state's open U.S. Senate seat up for bid. He is also alleged to have made support for a bailout of the Chicago Tribune contingent on the firing of certain members of the newspaper's editorial board.

"First, this should mean that, whatever else happens in terms of bailouts, media organizations should be excluded absolutely. People should simply assume that any media bailout comes with political conditions, and that any media organization that receives taxpayers' money is working for the politicians who give them that money.

"Second, we should look at all bailouts and infrastructure spending, with an eye on the connections between the politicians who spend taxpayers' money and the special interests who benefit from the projects."

Corporations that spend inordinate amounts of money on lobbying, hiring former politicians, or hiring relatives of politicians, or making large Political Action Committee contributions to politicians should be barred absolutely from receiving bailouts, Viguerie said. Forensic accountants should closely examine all "infrastructure" money that goes to such corporations, he added.

Said Viguerie, "Almost daily, we read of another politician at the federal, state, or local level being forced to resign because of a scandal or a crime. Americans are sick and tired of corrupt and immoral leaders - not just in politics, but in business, in the law, in the media, and in nonprofit organizations. Across the board, America's leaders have let the people down.

"How are the people supposed to have faith in our government, when the people in charge of investigating the financial crisis are the same ones who forced lenders to give mortgage money to people who couldn't repay their loans? That includes Chris Dodd, who got a sweetheart deal from mortgage lenders, and Barney Frank, who was censured by the House."

NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation magazine) and one of the "conservatives of the century" (The Washington Times). His most recent book is Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause.