12 [Pennsylvania Democrats] face charges in bonus scandal

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | July 11, 2008 | Dennis B. Roddy and Tracie Mauriello

[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.

[Tribune7]

ping

[Clinging Bitterly]

Wow. Party (Democrat) mentioned in the first sentence.

[weegee]

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.

Can't let the Rats leave the Plantation. Better to disenfranchise some voters along the way...

[Entrepreneur]

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.

[gr8eman]

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.

[Unicorn]

BTTT

[rightwingintelligentsia]

The findings ran from the political to the salacious.

--snip--

Michael L. Manzo, 39, former chief of staff to Majority Leader Bill DeWeese. Mr. Manzo is accused of conspiracy in connection with the bonus scandal, engineering ballot challenges using state workers and hiding a girlfriend on the state payroll in a phony state office above a cigar store on Pittsburgh's South Side.

I guess this is the "salacious" part.

[brityank]

Just a note to point you all to a story detailing the reason we in PA have scumbags like Murtha in office:

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.

Over on this side of the state, Philly member of the State Senate Vince Fumo is under federal indictment for corruption, so the DemocRats really have us blanketed.

[grundle]

Yeah - he hardly used the word at all.

[grundle]

Right now major parties only need 2,000 signatures to get on the ballot, but third parties need 67,000.

[penowa]

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.

[brityank]

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!

[penowa]

Excellent idea - toss the petty crooks and install the felonious ones. You’re not the only one who fell for it.

[Dasaji]

This is no doubt just the tip of the iceberg. Too bad this is probably as far as it will go.

[sport]

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!

[Lancey Howard]

The AG is a Republican. There is no doubt in the world that if the AG was a rat, there wouldn't have been any indictments. Heck, there wouldn't have been any investigation of this brazen corruption at all. I have lived in the Philly area my whole life and trust me, this is just the tip of the iceberg. But at least it's something.

[brityank]

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!

[merry10]

He is going to go after Republicans too. They are all being investigated.

[Timeout]

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?