"It just doesn't matter."At least that is what partisan Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett and his taxpayer funded campaign flaks would have you believe when questioned about the propriety of conducting his bonusgate investigation while running for governor.
But, it does matter and not just for appearance's sake. Unlike any other elected official, the Attorney General has the power to indict other politicians...and more importantly the power to intimidate using his perogative.
Perhaps this is why gubernatorial rival Congressman Jim Gerlach has been such a wet noodle when it comes to criticizing Corbett on this point:
“I’ve not said [Corbett’s] unethical, I’ve not said he’s in any way dishonest – and don’t believe that he is,” Gerlach said. “But I do believe that conflict exists, and I do think for Pennsylvania and for that office that conflict needs to be resolved.” (Capitolwire 11/23/09)Get some stones, Congressman. Or, are you just a tad worried about calling Corbett exactly what he is -- unethical and dishonest -- since Corbett has already gratuitiously (and opportunistically) featured your campaign manager, Scott Migli, in his latest grand jury presentment. (Tribune Review 11/13/09)
Corbett wants you to believe that it just doesn't matter that Migli was included in the presentment while not being charged:
"As to why he (Migli) was included in the presentment, 'I would leave that to the attorney general to answer.' Corbett's spokesman Kevin Harley would say only that the presentment names several people who were not charged."But, it does matter. Grand jury presentments shouldn't be used to score political points and provide campaign fodder for future campaign mailings and television commercials. What is the over/under on either Corbett or an independent group using the information about Migli and the grand jury?
Corbett wants you to believe that it just doesn't matter that he had a private meeting with John Perzel with only his chief political adivisor, Brian Nutt, present while an investigation of Perzel was in effect or that Brian Preski was aggressively raising money for Corbett while under an active investigation:
"Corbett on Thursday said that the Perzel meeting and Preski fundraiser came 'at a time when we didn't have all the facts in front of us' but that he has no concerns about the propriety of those events. 'There has been very little contact with these individuals since that period of time, once we understood where everything was going with this investigation,' Corbett added." (Daily News 11/17/09)But, it does matter. Corbett's excuse makes absolutely no sense and is devoid of any ethical rationale.
Perzel and Preski were allegedly under investigation and any political contact was inappropriate. Did the subsequent investigation of Perzel result from his not being sufficiently supportive of Corbett's gubernatorial asperations at their private meeting? After all, at the time, Easterner Patrick Meehan was still in the running. Did Preski's arrest result from insufficient performance of raising money?
Corbett wants you to believe that it doesn't matter that PA Turnpike Vice-Chairman Tim Carson is a prominent fundraiser for his campaign even though Corbett is actively investigating the Turnpike:
"Brian Nutt, campaign manager for the Corbett campaign, responded that Carson’s name was on a fundraising invitation last month. He added those names can be for a variety of reasons, sometimes as a courtesy, and that the campaign sees no conflict." Capitolwire 11/23/09)But, it does matter. Carson is one of the five ultimate decision makers at the Turnpike and any investigation of any decision the Turnpike commissioners have made would lead to him.
In fact, Tollroadsnews.com has posted an internal PA Turnpike email listing documents pertaining to individuals/organizations that must be retained due to Corbett's investigation. ("Penn Pike employees get order to preserve documents for corruption investigations" 11/16/09) Not only is Carson's law firm, Saul Ewing, on the list, but Carson's very small and very exclusive lobbying firm, CHH Partners, is among those being closely investigated by Corbett.
Will Carson's fundraising ability influence whether or not he is indicted by Corbett? How much campaign largess from Carson and Carson's contacts (i.e. wealthy Turnpike contractors) is enough to keep out of a grand jury presentment? For that matter, will the tens of thousands in campaign contributions to Corbett already made by another Turnpike Commissioner, Pasquale Deon, be enought to keep Deon out of hot water?
It is disingenous for Corbett to say that he can be trusted to not let his political ambitions influence how his investigations are conducted and resolved. The Feds require US Attorneys to step down before running for office, and as the Chris Christie campaign in New Jersey illustrates, even then things can still remain unacceptably political in the prosecutors office. (TPM, 10/20/09)
And, it isn't accurate for Corbett to compare himself to Mike Fisher, another Attorney General who ran for Governor, because Fisher wasn't running an active and politically charged investigation of other politicians concurrently with his gubernatorial bid.
The numerous questions that will continue to arise as Corbett continues his investigation and continues to arrest other politicians.
Corbett and his taxpayer funded flaks will continue to say "it just doesn't matter" whenever confronted with questions of obvious conflicts of interests between Corbett's campaign and his investigations. His path to the Governor's mansion will be clear unless someone steps in his way and forcefully makes it clear to Corbett and the rest of Pennsylvania that it does matter.
We now present to you the CasablancaPA Players in a dramatic interpretation of Corbett hypnotizing the Pennsylvania press corp with his mantra of "it just doesn't matter" when asked about his campaign's conflict of interest with his investigation:
And...scene.
35 comments:
The Judges demanded Pay Raises and that is where the investigation should have started, the House and Senate just went along with them, and then the bonuses happen.
Why blame Perzel, Veon and others?
Give Corbett a break, he had no choice but to investigate when staffers gave him evidence.
Look what the Grand Jury found anyway, it is going to be very hard to defend their actions.
Corbett had no choice, why trash him?
How can you keep calling the attorney general "partisan" when the scorecard reads "12 Democrats, 10 Republicans" when it comes to those charged for illegally using taxpayer money for campaign related things. What you keep saying is pretty inaccurate, don't you think?
Looks to me that despite what you think, or want people to think, Corbett has followed the evidence and snared the ringleaders of such shenanigans on both sides of the aisle.
Mike Veon was in office for 21 years, rising to a pretty powerful position in the House hierarchy. If it is true that he is one of those behind CasablancaPA, as widely rumored inside the Capitol, why didn't he introduce legislation to prevent a sitting AG from running for higher office during the two decades when he had that ability?
Apparently he was not too concerned about this topic back then.
Anonymous 8.24am -- Maybe no one introduced that type of legislation because there has never been an attorney general who has had such a large conflict of interest while running for a higher office. Or more accurately, there has never been an AG who appears to be using his power to indict with such political motivations. Corbett's actions and investigation are unprecedented and show how unseemly things can get. Based on what I've been reading here on CasablancaPA, I can't decide if Corbett is corrupt or just incompetent.
Rumors are abound in the Capitol that the AG is coming back for another round of indictments for the House Democrats.
If that is true, combined with the fact that he hasn't even started with the Senate yet...
This investigation and insuing trials will be going on for years to come - costing the taxpayers millions.
Or... maybe there has never been an AG with the balls to prosecute people in the Capitol for breaking the law.
Whether he's shaking down supporters with threats of criminal prosecution or not, it's unconscionable that he's in a position for us to wonder. It's outrageous that he's allowed to get away with this.
Anonymous 8:24, do you even read this blog? Tom Corbett clearly had no intention of charging Republicans until he realized there was a political advantage. That's why you can call him "partisan." He had evidence against both sides, but only investigated Democrats for at least a year. That's why you can call him partisan.
It's one thing to criminalize politics. It's another to criminalize it while playing the very same game.
If as rumored AG comes back and indicts DeWeese, that'll be a good example of following the evidence and will finally include a sitting House leader.
It will be a good example of doing what's politically expedient. As Anonymous 13:38 asked, do you even read this blog? Corbett had more than enough evidence to indict DeWeese last summer. What's happened between then and now? Only that the evidence has been made public, and people are asking inconvenient questions. If it were about following the evidence, DeWeese would've been charged a year and a half ago. Too late for that.
why would you even think thatthey would address election reform... remember that the attorney general has not been elected but appointed not too awfully long ago. They had not even addressed recounts and important legislation on appeals and election reform let alone addressing the autonomy of the office? There is on ly so much time in committee and so much time for reform. There are priorities,
hey anonymous, how can you even think of putting a price tag on justice. I'm going to pray for you.
Way to go anonymous...it is time that someone realized that there is time for prayer.. in the public schools...in our halls of justice and in our seats of power. If Pennsylvania would humble itself and repent for the sins that it has brought upon its people, the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY WOULD BE FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE THEM and restore them to their position of LEADERSHIP
How dare you bring Mike Fischer into this. After all' he is a Federal Judge. And how do you think he got to be a Federal Judge? He ran for Governor of Pennsylvania. Think about it.
Staffers may come and staffers may got and some will even roll over, we know. . . but in the end the talk, talk, talk, and walk, walk, walk. . .
Where are the Democrat and Republican Partyies of Pennsylvanmia in all of this? Why don't they defend their members?
Whatever happened to Ilse, did they write her out this season?
Here is what I do not understand about Team Casa. No matter how many more people they want to indicted, it does not exonerate their own actions, removes any of their charges, and remain to plead or go to trial.
So, what is the point here anymore?????
First, it was about why they were indicted and why so many others were not, but they never explained about how the charges against them were far more seen in the evidence than others. Frank LaGrotta’s selfish actions of hiring his relatives to do nothing, begging for a job after losing an election where he was lazy, and then becoming an Informant and telling everything he knew as others were wired, started most of these investigations. Yet, Team Casa praises LaGrotta Blog and so-called Recanting Book that lacks reliability, creditability, and sustainability in all reality?
Second, it then moved to Attorney General Tom Corbett taking too much time, being bias against only one party caucus, and was playing politics to be elected Governor. Tom Corbett did not decide to investigate on his own, he had complaints from Staffers saying there was wrongdoing in the Caucuses. AG Corbett had a duty to investigate not avoid it just because he is running for Governor. Still, let us attack only Corbett for doing a job he did not create?
Third, then it was about putting out selected emails and documents in Veon Pre-Trial Motions to try and implicate Stetler, Eachus, DeWeese, Evans, Santoni, Frankel, Shapiro, George, and many other fellow Democrats. All this did was prove that some members of teams Casa hid things from the very colleagues they try to say violated the law, yet they asked for what, indict others too, not just us?
Fourth, then after years of saying OAG’s Investigation was bias because nothing happen to Republicans, more attacks came without reason. After the Republicans were indicted all of sudden AG Corbett, is even more unfair than ever. At no time, did we ever see any explanations of the charges being false, unfair, or not grounded in the reality of state witnesses with and without immunity, plead bargains admitting crimes were committed, and by whom, and now spreading to those responsible for hidden government even from fellow lawmakers.
Fifth, it is as if the Citizens of the Commonwealth must ignore Mike Manzo, Tome Foreman, PJ Lavelle, and many more Guilty Pleas. We have to ignore testimonies of Sidela, Martz, Webb, and even worse Team Casa attacks them for telling the truth.
It is time for Team Casa to stand up and refute the charges, charge by charge, on this blog, on how they did not commit these crimes, instead of defending themselves by saying, everyone else did these crimes but them?
How many times must we reiterate this blog's raison d'être, which is unambiguously stated at the top of the page?
Is this a big waste of time if Team Casa "Reason For Being" existence is to expose Tom Corbett Hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy is an every day event in most lives of all people but it is not a crime.
As Samuel Johnson wrote about the misuse of the charge of "hypocrisy" in Rambler No. 14:
"Nothing is more unjust, however common, than to charge with hypocrisy him that expresses zeal for those virtues which he neglects to practice; since he may be sincerely convinced of the advantages of conquering his passions, without having yet obtained the victory, as a man may be confident of the advantages of a voyage, or a journey, without having courage or industry to undertake it, and may honestly recommend to others, those attempts which he neglects himself."
I would think if charged with crimes one work on the defense of such charges and do so in earnest, you have many supporters that feel many did not intend to break laws during the election campaigns and these are violations of ethics not laws.
Good luck to Sean Ramaley and may the jury find him innocent of all charges that should be ethical violations more than criminal violations.
heesYou have dreams if you act
They will come true
Would you turn your dreams to a fact
It' s up to you
If you have the soul and the spirit
Never fear it you'll see it through
Hearts can inspire other hearts with their fire
For the strong obey
When a strong man shows them the way
Give me some men
Who are stout-hearted men
Who will fight for the right they adore
Start me with ten
Who are stout-hearted men
And I'll soon give you ten thousand more
Shoulder to shoulder
And bolder and bolder
They grow as they go to the fore
Then there's nothing in the world
Can stall or halt plan
When stout-hearted men
Can stick together man to man
When stout-hearted men
Can stick together man to man
Continued......
A partial transcript, obtained by the Post-Gazette last summer, put Mr. Wiedemer's testimony on July 29, 2008 -- two weeks after the grand jury issued a presentment accusing a dozen people, including former Minority Whip Mike Veon, D- Beaver, with multiple counts of fraud for using state employees and state tax money to finance campaigns.
At the time, sources close to the investigation said Mr. Stetler was receiving a closer look in connection with the investigation.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Stetler did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. The revelation about the letter came on the second day of jury selection in the trial of former state Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-Beaver, in connection with the first Bonusgate presentment.
Mr. Wiedemer told prosecutors that he was concerned that utilizing volunteers from the ranks of state employees would not produce consistent results. The research he was discussing was so-called "opposition research," the gathering of as much data as possible about opposing candidates, including debts, mortgages and any legal problems.
"The way it should have been done and the way, by the time '05, '06 rolled around, we hoped it would be done is that you hire an outside firm.
"You pay them $2,500, maybe $5,000 a race. They send their folks out to courthouses. They pore through the records and they give you back a nice professional book describing everything about that person's background, about your own candidate's background," Mr. Wiedemer testified.
Mr. Wiedemer said he took the idea to Mr. Stetler after pricing the cost per race.
A prosecutor then asked him, "Were you shot down in a way that Stetler said, 'Well, look, we can't afford this and we're not going to be able to do it,' or in a way that it was relayed that we can't afford this and so we're going to have our folks do this; we're going to have our employees of the taxpayers do this?"
Mr. Wiedemer responded "Right. It was sort of getting back to what I mentioned earlier: Why in the world would we pay somebody $5,000 per campaign when we have a perfectly good system in place already."
Several of Mr. Stetler's legislative aides received hefty bonuses in 2005-2006, his last term in office, and were heavily involved in legislative election campaigns at the time, according to campaign expenditure records.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09337/1018201-100.stm#ixzz0YeY4TVF6
Bonusgate probe targets Rendell Cabinet member
Thursday, December 03, 2009
By Dennis B. Roddy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HARRISBURG -- State Revenue Secretary Stephen Stetler has received a letter from state prosecutors inviting him to testify before a statewide grand jury, a spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell said today.
Such letters are viewed as a prelude to possible charges and were sent to targets of earlier grand jury probes into the operation of the state House.
Mr. Stetler, a former Democratic House member from York County and onetime chair of the House Democratic Campaign Committee, informed Gov. Rendell's chief-of-staff, Steve Crawford, of the letter, said spokesman Gary Tuma.
The letter invited Mr. Stetler to testify if he chose and was similar to those sent to several House Republicans earlier this year shortly before they were charged in the so-called Bonusgate investigation.
Mr. Tuma had no details of the Stetler-Crawford conversation.
"To the best of my knowledge, he just informed Chief of Staff Crawford that he got it," Mr. Tuma said of the letter.
Mr. Tuma said Mr. Stetler would remain in his Cabinet post.
"As far as the administration is concerned, Secretary Stetler has done an excellent job at the revenue department and he will remain in that job until there is a material reason to remove him," Mr. Tuma said.
Mr. Stetler, a former eight-term House member from York, was appointed revenue secretary in November 2008.
In June, the Post-Gazette reported that a onetime top Democratic campaign aide testified before the Bonusgate grand jury that Mr. Stetler rejected a plan that would have shifted political opposition research from state employees to private firms.
At the time, the grand jury was looking into the use of state employees and resources for political campaign purposes, and a dozen individuals had already been charged.
Dan Wiedemer, former director of the House Democratic Campaign Committee during Mr. Stetler's tenure, told the grand jury that his plan "was more or less shot down."
THE PLOT THICKENS, THOSE THAT COOPERATE AND THOSE THAT OBSTRUCT OR DESTROY EVIDENCE.
House leadership invited to testify to grand jury
Friday, December 04, 2009
By Dennis B. Roddy and Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HARRISBURG -- A statewide grand jury has invited the state House majority leader, the man he displaced in that job and the state secretary of revenue to appear before the panel, a move that has presaged charges against others who received such letters in an ongoing corruption probe.
The letters went to State Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Luzerne, the House majority leader; State Rep. H. William DeWeese, D-Greene, who served as majority leader until Mr. Eachus succeeded him in a caucus shakeup; and Revenue Secretary Stephen Stetler, a former eight-term Democratic House member from York.
Such letters of invitation, unlike subpoenas, which are used to compel a grand jury appearance by witnesses, have been sent in the past to individuals thought to be targets of the jury. Such letters were sent to earlier defendants in the sprawling investigation that came to be known as Bonusgate.
Gov. Ed Rendell yesterday confirmed the letter to Mr. Stetler, who informed the governor's staff last week. The letters to Mr. Eachus and Mr. DeWeese were confirmed by sources connected to the probe but who spoke on condition of anonymity because grand jury proceedings are secret. Press secretaries for Mr. Stetler and Mr. Eachus declined comment.
CONTINUED........
Walter Cohen, a former acting state attorney general who represents Mr. DeWeese, last night issued a statement:
"Bill DeWeese as House majority leader cooperated with the attorney general's investigation even before it went into the grand jury and he has and will continue to cooperate, but I cannot comment on any specific question related to grand jury procedures because of the secrecy restrictions."
Word of the letters surfaced one day before testimony was to begin in the first of the criminal trials growing out of the investigation by Attorney General Tom Corbett.
Former State Rep. Sean Ramaley, D-Beaver, faces charges he received a state salary while running for that post in 2004. He was among 12 Democrats charged last year as an outgrowth of a three-year inquiry into allegations that state employee were paid fraudulent bonuses for working on party election campaigns.
Last month, former speaker of the House John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, and seven others were charged with misapplying more than $10 million in state contracts to build election databases and for deploying state employees to work campaigns while on the commonwealth payroll.
Should either Mr. Eachus or Mr. DeWeese face charges, House caucus rules require them to step down from leadership posts, setting the stage for a potential power struggle within the caucus and imperiling legislative business at a time the House is still attempting to finish the state's budget.
What remained unclear yesterday was whether the grand jury would issue a final report recommending reforms in the legislative system, opening the possibility that Mr. DeWeese's invitation to appear could be to provide details on the caucus operations and potential changes.
In a news conference here yesterday, Mr. Rendell said Mr. Stetler "is doing a great job" and would voluntarily testify before the grand jury.
"My understanding is that he is going to testify," Mr. Rendell said. "He has my full confidence. If something happens we will deal with that at the appropriate time."
Mr. Rendell learned of the letter after Mr. Stetler informed Steve Crawford, the governor's chief-of-staff.
Mr. Stetler could not be reached yesterday. He was appointed to the Rendell cabinet in November 2008.
Mr. Stetler, of York County, served eight terms in the Legislature before deciding not to seek reelection in 2006 in the wake of a voter backlash over a legislative pay raise. While in the House, he served as chairman of the House Democratic Campaign Committee, and it was in that role that he apparently attracted attention from prosecutors investigating allegations that state employees were paid fraudulent bonuses as a reward for working in legislative election campaigns.
A 2005 memorandum to fellow Democratic lawmakers from Mr. Stetler also surfaced. In that memo he urged members to "encourage your staff to volunteer their time and talents over the next 11 weeks to the House Democratic Campaign Committee. ... The HDCC will be contacting your staff regarding this matter and I ask that you allow them every chance to participate."
A trail of e-mail messages shows 2005 wasn't the first time Mr. Stetler had been directing staffers' campaign efforts. In a 2004 e-mail message, Paul Martz, who was being paid as a legislative aide, suggests to Mr. Wiedemer that, "Stetler maybe send the Westmoreland delegation, sans Tangretti, an e-mail telling them that I have been assigned to work with them through the election." At the time, Mr. Martz was a state employee already assigned to work for the re-election campaign of Westmoreland Democrat Thomas Tangretti.
In another string of messages in 2004 Mr. Stetler and six others -- some on state payroll and others on the campaign committee staff -- discuss plans to convene a meeting during the work day to discuss research being conducted on candidates challenging Democratic incumbents. Four months later, in another message sent to state-provided e-mail accounts, Mr. Stetler thanked 14 legislative staffers for "doing opposition research" and invited them to a party at a Harrisburg bar.
Dennis Roddy can be reached at 412-263-1965 or droddy@post-gazette.com. Tom Barnes can be reached at 717-787-4254 or tbarnes@post-gazette.com. Staff Writer Tracie Mauriello contributed to this story.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09338/1018310-454.stm#ixzz0YhfG7EFw
CONTINUED......
In June, the Post-Gazette reported that a onetime top Democratic campaign aide testified before the Bonusgate grand jury that Mr. Stetler rejected a plan that would have shifted political opposition research from state employees to private firms. At the time, the grand jury was looking into the use of state employees and resources for political campaign purposes and a dozen individuals had already been charged.
Dan Wiedemer, former director of the House Democratic Campaign Committee during Mr. Stetler's tenure, told the grand jury his plan "was more or less shot down."
A partial transcript, obtained by the Post-Gazette last summer, put Mr. Wiedemer's testimony on July 29, 2008 -- two weeks after the grand jury issued a presentment accusing a dozen people, including former Minority Whip Mike Veon, D- Beaver, with multiple counts of fraud for using state employees and state tax money to finance campaigns.
At the time, sources close to the investigation said Mr. Stetler was receiving a closer look in connection with the probe.
Mr. Wiedemer told prosecutors that he priced out the cost of hiring private consultants for opposition research because he was worried about inconsistent results from state employees.
"The way it should have been done and the way, by the time '05, '06 rolled around, we hoped it would be done is that you hire an outside firm. You pay them $2,500, maybe $5,000 a race. They send their folks out to courthouses. They pore through the records and they give you back a nice professional book describing everything about that person's background, about your own candidate's background," Mr. Wiedemer testified.
A prosecutor then asked him, "Were you shot down in a way that Stetler said, 'well, look we can't afford this and we're not going to be able to do it or in a way that it was relayed that we can't afford this and so we're going to have our folks do this; we're going to have our employees of the taxpayers do this?'"
Mr. Wiedemer responded "Right. It was sort of getting back to what I mentioned earlier: Why in the world would we pay somebody $5,000 per campaign when we have a perfectly good system in place already."
Several of Mr. Stetler's legislative aides received hefty bonuses in 2005-2006, his last term in office, and were heavily involved in legislative election campaigns at the time, according to campaign expenditure records.
Is Dilworth Paxson representing any organization in Harrisburg these days?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Minds want to know?
Oh, that’s right this Philly newspaper is represented by Dilworth Paxson these days, close relationship between Brothers.
They call it Dilworth Passion.
Dilworth Paxson Campaign Contributions To Tom Corbett:
LINK:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Dilworth+Paxson+Campaign+Contributions+To+Tom+Corbett&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=&aqi=
CARLISLE, PA Political Contributions by Individuals
Victor Stabile (Dilworth Paxson LP/Attorney), (Zip code: 17013) $250 to REPUBLICAN ..... code: 17013) $225 to RON PAUL 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE on 09/24/07. Tom Richwine (Brookwood Technologies Inc./CEO), (Zip code: 17013) $500 ...... THOMAS E CORBETT, (Zip code: 17013) $500 to NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR AN ...
www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-CARLISLE-PA.html - Cached - Similar
Now Fumo, who sponsored the PA Budget Midnight $107mn (H.B. 1213 of 2002) Earmark to Move The Barnes is convicted. Don’t jail Vince, formerly of Dilworth, Paxson, just disbar him. Here’s a song for Vince:
Sung to The Woody Guthrie Tune “Philadelphia Lawyer” or Reno Blues. . .
Way out in Merion Station/
Where Romance blooms and fades/
A great Philadelphia Lawyer was in love with The Barnes Art Collection of Renoirs, Cezannes & Manets/
Come, love and we will wander/
Down where the lights are so bright/
I’ll win you a divorce from your Trust Restrictions/
And we can move to The Parkway Tonite/
–
Your Renoirs are so pretty and lovely/
You’re Cezannes so rare and divine/
Come go with me to the City/
And leave that Wild Doctor behind./
Now back in Old Pennsylvania,/
Among those beautiful pines,/
There’s one less Philadelphia Lawyer/
In old Philadelphia tonite.
I think that the one who said they should all pay back their bonuses and then reform had a good idea. There is a lot of valuable talent within the organizations of the political parties and they should be free to pass it on to the next generation. People like Brett Cott are few and far between and their knowledge must be shared. He should be the head of a foundatsion that teaches politic and they should also make it illegal to have law firms like Fumo's and Dilworth Paxton to be bringing up politicians under the guise of some law transaction. Then when they get in they get all the greavy through the bond issues.
They should investigate all the judges and their pay raises because like the man said that is where it all started with. Then the justices were playing politics with the legislatures and looking out for themselves and building up their pensions. That is not right and the ones that take around that pig balloon to the tea parties should be anchoring it to the Supreme Court building for a month or so to remind the taxpayers that they are paying to raise the salaries and pensions of the court system, too. Too bad they can find the time to do that but they cannot address issues like healthcare in a decent program.
I agree with the fact that the attorney general has not been an elected official state wide for a very long time. Maybe that is why there has never been an investigation like this before. REemember that office was always an appointment of the governor. So if it was like it was in the past, before the people elected the attorney general, Governor Rendell would have been the one who appointed the attorney genearl and that way this never would have seen the light of day bercause the attorney general would have been a political pawn of the governor and the state senate who would have had to rubber stamp the appointment. This way Tom Corbett is an elected official and it is his duty to performs the duties of the office he took a solemn oath to uphold.
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