Posted on 07/11/2008 5:35:04 AM PDT by grundle
HARRISBURG -- Grand jurors here and in Pittsburgh cataloged what they described as a culture of corruption that allowed former state Rep. Michael Veon, current Rep. Sean Ramaley and 10 current and former Democratic staffers to divert millions of dollars in state resources, including more than $1 million in illegal pay bonuses.
The jurors said Mr. Veon and the staff members conspired to arrange hefty year-end pay bonuses to House employees who worked on political campaigns over a three-year period, while Mr. Ramaley is accused of working full-time on his 2004 House campaign in Beaver County while drawing a taxpayer salary as a member of Mr. Veon's staff.
The findings ran from the political to the salacious.
It found that tax money was used to bump third-party candidates Ralph Nader and Carl Romanelli from the Pennsylvania ballot in 2004 and 2006. Grand jurors said state money was used to provide a no-work job to a high-ranking House aide's mistress.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
ping
Wow. Party (Democrat) mentioned in the first sentence.
Can't let the Rats leave the Plantation. Better to disenfranchise some voters along the way...
Boy, the article’s writer really went out of the way to avoid using the word “Democrat.” If it was the GOP, I’ll bet the party would figure prominently.
Different slant on the Pa. dims re-election strategy. If there were any real journalists left they would interview all the asses in Pittsburgh who will line up to vote democrat next election.
BTTT
Yeah - he hardly used the word at all.
Right now major parties only need 2,000 signatures to get on the ballot, but third parties need 67,000.
We shouldn’t forget to give a very special “Thank You” to that marvelous Independent (LOL) friend of the PA taxpayer, Russ Diamond, the front man for the Democrats to take over the legislature in ‘06 by ginning up all that anger over the umpteenth midnight payraise so that his buddies could get control in order to really rip us off. Prior to that we only had the usual day-to-day pilfering by both sides of the aisle like $ 1000/mo car leases, etc.
If I recall, it wasn’t so much the anger over the pay-raise itself but the nefarious way in which they ‘stole’ the increase before they were legally allowed then LIED about it. Us common folk get thrown in jail for that; they get a pass? Not from this voter!
Excellent idea - toss the petty crooks and install the felonious ones. You’re not the only one who fell for it.
This is no doubt just the tip of the iceberg. Too bad this is probably as far as it will go.
A Democrat lying and stealing?
Who would ever have thunk it?
After all, the Democrats are for the “little guy”.
Must be a Republican dirty trick!
Yeah I know; but why is it always one step forward, two steps back when it comes to our governments activities? I used to be pessimistic, but then found out I was too optimistic!
He is going to go after Republicans too. They are all being investigated.
I’ve been mad for a long time about pols and bureaucrats and their sense of entitlement to public funds.
Lately it’s been like a waterfall of corruption. Every day I seem to come across DOZENS of articles pols and bureaucrats stealing money, abusing credit cards, doing inside deals to enrich themselves, etc.
It’s to the point that I wish there were a place on FR where we could post each day’s stories from around the country about public corruption. Er...make that around the world...the U.N. deserves its share of attention.
Is it just me or do you think the populace at large is beginning to catch on?
I’ve been mad for a long time about pols and bureaucrats and their sense of entitlement to public funds.
Lately it’s been like a waterfall of corruption. Every day I seem to come across DOZENS of articles pols and bureaucrats stealing money, abusing credit cards, doing inside deals to enrich themselves, etc.
It’s to the point that I wish there were a place on FR where we could post each day’s stories from around the country about public corruption. Er...make that around the world...the U.N. deserves its share of attention.
Is it just me or do you think the populace at large is beginning to catch on?
The only thing more worthless than a Pennsylvania Republican state rep is a Pennsylvania Democrat state rep.
We sure have one hell of a lot of criminals running this state at all levels.
Well said. : )
It didn’t take me long after working in the Philadelphia government, to see them all exactly for what they are. It’s a culture of corruption, but none of them is going to expose it for what it is. They like the easy money too much.
When I moved down here I tried to get a valid answer to why Pennsylvania is called a Commonwealth instead of a State (along with Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Virginia). In every description that dictionaries give, commonweal, the public good, the public welfare are all considered archaic definitions. Not so, at least in this state -- our "Public Servants" are emboldened by the fact that our Common Wealth is there for their sole use and dispensation, after they've taken care of their own (and friends) needs and especially their wants.
I think I lost my respect for 'authority' in High School, and have seen nothing since to regain it, although there are many who valiantly try.
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