All Posts Tagged With: "state"
Hypocrites By The Dozen in Keystone State “Bonusgate”
First dozen crooks looks like only beginning of “Bonusgate”
Twelve current and former PENNSYLVANIA lawmakers and legislative aides were indicted July 10 for allegedly pressing state employees into working political campaigns on state time and then rewarding them with millions of dollars in bonuses from state coffers, a scandal that has been dubbed “Bonusgate.”
Among those charged in the grand jury investigation by state Attorney General Tom Corbett were former House Minority Whip Michael Veon, credited with engineering the Democrats’ recapture of the chamber in 2006; current state Rep. Sean M. Ramaley (D); Jeff Foreman, Veon’s former chief of staff; and Michael Manzo, chief of staff to House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D) until last year.
Corbett emphasized that the charges he announced were only the “initial” ones. “Let me make this perfectly clear: this is not the conclusion,” he said. “This is an ongoing investigation.”
The Democrats’ and Republicans’ practice of dolling out year-end bonuses had been a longstanding but secret one in Harrisburg until the Patriot-News made it public knowledge in early 2007. Party leaders in the House and Senate initially refused to release details about
the bonuses. But it eventually came out that at the end of 2006, House Democrats handed out nearly $1.9 million in bonuses to 717 aides, in large part for thwarting third-party candidate Ralph Nader’s presidential challenge to John Kerry in the state; House Republicans awarded $270,000 in bonuses to 45 aides; Senate Republicans gave $180,000 to 16 staffers; and Senate Democrats gave $38,000 to a dozen staffers.
Corbett’s investigation focused from the start on House Democrats, ostensibly because of the volume of their bonuses. But Brett Cott, Veon’s former administrative director who was also charged by Corbett, seemed to think the course of the prosecution was an outgrowth of Harrisburg’s political culture, Corbett being a Republican. “There may be a culture here. There may be campaigning going on. Whatever. But for a systematic, focused effort to look at just one party, one house, one chamber - it’s very disappointing,” he said.
Cott evidently sees himself as a victim of that culture, something like the unfortunate Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, who ends up taking a sword because of the Capulets’ and Montagues’ feuding. When asked last October about the apparent blurring of the line between government and politics, he said: “Look, a pox on everybody’s house. A pox on everything that’s going on here.” (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER)
Meet Georgia’s ‘Aggressive Progressive’
I first learned about Georgia State Senator Regina Thomas when I received a communication from Democrats.com. In their email, they targeted Democratic Congressman John Barrow, of Georgia’s 12th District (whom they call a ‘Bush Democrat’), for removal and endorsed current State Senator Regina Thomas, an ‘Aggressive Progressive,’ as his replacement. Out of 17 substantive bills, Barrow has voted with his Republican counterparts 12 times, including “yes” votes on continuing to fund the war in Iraq ($163 billion to Bush), the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which granted retroactive immunity to the telecom companies and significantly broadened George Bush’s spying powers, and habeas corpus. In a district that is 45% black, Barrow votes like a southern right-wing Republican.
Regina Thomas was elected state senator via special election on January 11, 2000. She has served in that capacity since that time and is known as ‘a voice for the voiceless,’ and a tireless champion for those in need. She is committed to moving Georgia forward in education, health care, the environment, energy and security. Prior to serving as state senator, Regina served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1995 through 1998, where her efforts were focused on education, children’s issues and welfare reform. She also served as assistant majority whip in 1997-1998. I recently caught up with Regina for a quick interview.
D: So, Regina, I know you’ve been busy. It’s nice to finally catch up with you.
R: Nice to finally speak with you also! Well, I’ve been on the road. I’m sorry you couldn’t reach me the other day when we planned to talk , but I was traveling and I guess I didn’t hear the phone!
D: Oh, that’s absolutely no problem. I understand you’re busy. So, tell me about John Barrow’s votes, and why he’s being targeted for removal from office by his own party.
R: Well, you know he voted in favor of continued funding of the Iraq war as well as the new FISA bill, which is an affront to our rights, a violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. However, it doesn’t end there. Barrow also voted against the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and taxing the oil companies’ windfall profits. As I travel around the state, what I’m hearing is that the 12th district has been neglected; he is not in touch with his constituents, 45% of whom are black. He will not be going back to Washington in the fall!
D: How is it that Barack Obama came to support Barrow, even to the point of producing a radio ad with him which, I might add, resulted in some outrage against Obama?
R: It’s called politics. Barrow is a superdelegate who threw his support to Barack Obama early on. That’s the way it works.
D: Can you give me some history of how Barrow even got elected in this district to begin with?
R: Well, in 2004, there really wasn’t a choice. Barrow was involved in a run-off against a Republican. At the time, we really didn’t know much about John Barrow, but he was a Democrat, so we voted for him. In 2006, nobody ran against him on the Democratic side, but the Republicans fielded a candidate, so Barrow was supported by the Democrats and was returned to office.
D: Ah, so now there’s a real choice for Democrats, and her name is Regina Thomas.
R: Exactly. I work for the homeless and disadvantaged children. I’ve campaigned for the environment, for an improved school system, all the things that matter to the people in John Barrow’s district. I’ve been there and I’ve heard their concerns and what they want their Congressional representative to champion, and John Barrow is not paying attention to the needs of his constituents.
D: When I spoke with Shirley Golub, who ran against Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco’s 8th District primary, she was lamenting the fact that the media coverage was dismal, even the progressive media didn’t cover her campaign. How is it going with you?
R: It’s the exact opposite with me. I’m getting a lot of press down here. I’ve been in the local paper almost every day, I’ve been on the radio and on television. The New York Times even called!
D: What does your day look like today? Is this a typical day in your campaign?
R: Well, Comcast has set up a forum for all the 12th District candidates, Republican and Democrat. However, I received a message from Comcast saying it was postponed.”
D: Better be careful with Comcast.
R: Well, I called some of the other candidates and they say it’s still on. I might just show up.”
D: I would. You know Comcast has been in hot water lately on many issues.
R: Yeah, well since I cannot confirm this and since I have some material to drop off up that way anyway, I’ll just show up.
D: Well, good luck. The next time I speak with you, I hope to hear how the forum went! And I hope to be speaking with you after your victory on July 15th!
R: Thanks very much. Talk to you soon!
Postscript: I spoke with Regina yesterday about the Comcast forum. She told me that John Barrow chose to pass on the forum. Therefore, her participation was cancelled by Comcast. The Republicans running in Georgia’s 12th District were allowed to go on. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Comcast must give Thomas equal time because she is running in the same Congressional race as the Republicans who participated in the forum. John Barrow, however, has elected not to participate.
Official Obama Website Proposes Muslim Advisory Group For Foreign Policy
A page on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign Web site promotes events sponsored by controversial Islamic groups and includes proposals to: establish a Muslim American advisory group on U.S. foreign policy; provide prayer areas in public places such as malls, airports, universities and government buildings; institute a law to allow Muslim employees to take time from their work day for prayer; and institute a law against harassment of Muslim women in public areas.