If state Sen. Ulysses Currie is convicted of bribery charges, it shows the reckless extent to which he used government to benefit himself.

According to the indictment, the Prince George's County Democrat accepted more than $245,000 from Shoppers Food and Pharmacy in exchange for intervening on the chain's behalf in his position as the chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.

Currie went so far as to write a paper outlining his accomplishments for the company to win more payments from them. The courts will decide if his behavior was criminal. It clearly makes a farce of the idea of a level playing field for business in Maryland and of the conventional wisdom that Democrats are for the poor and downtrodden.

It also shows one of the state's most powerful politicians allegedly abusing his power to influence state policy for a special interest. He runs unopposed in the upcoming election.

His is only the most recent egregious example of members of the state's majority party running the government like a fiefdom to benefit themselves and their cronies.

Remember Thomas Bromwell, the Baltimore County Democrat sentenced to seven years in federal prison in 2007 after a years-long investigation for taking bribes from a construction company? In 2002, Senate President Thomas V. Miller gave him the First Citizen Award. The honor is bestowed on those "Marylanders who have been dedicated and effective participants in the process of making government work for the benefit of all." His name still can be found on a plaque hanging in Annapolis with other winners.

And how about former Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon, who used gift cards for the poor to buy electronics and other items for herself and friends. She also accepted furs, couture and other lavish gifts from a boyfriend who did business with the city and never reported the items. She did not apologize for her behavior and agreed to step down only so that she could keep her $83,000 per year pension.

And then there is Baltimore City Councilwoman Helen Holton, who faces charges of bribery and a campaign finance violation that arose from the investigation of Dixon. She will stand trial before a Baltimore City jury in October. No apology there either.

Republicans are not immune from bad behavior. Thirteen-year veteran lawmaker Delegate Robert McKee of Hagerstown resigned in 2008 in disgrace after child pornography was found on his computer. Examples of their malfeasance abound at the national level stemming from their time in power. And one of the most powerful former Republican lobbyists, Jack Abramoff, works in a pizza parlor in Baltimore City after serving time in federal prison for fraud, corruption and conspiracy.

The message: unchecked power corrupts. Leaders of the state's Democratic party don't get it, however. Delegate Sheila Hixson, the powerful Montgomery County Democrat who has chaired the Ways and Means Committee since 1993, recently told Maryland Reporter, "Why would I step down when I'm in a position of power? ... The state's in a difficult financial situation, and I want to help."

After so many years in power, Hixson, Currie and many other Democrats are the reason the state faces crippling financial challenges -- and why so many in the party face legal ones. Without competition at the ballot box, Marylanders can only expect more of the same in years to come.

Marta Mossburg is a senior fellow at the Maryland Public Policy Institute. Contact her at: mmossburg@mdpolicy.org