Speaking of Corruption
While the House Ethics Committee is starting it's work on 3 cases, finally (Ney, Jefferson, Cunningham), there are other ethics scandals perculating to the top in other areas.
For instance, here in Illinois, our Governor, Rod Blagojevich, who was going to "kill business as usual" in Springfield when he was elected four years ago has been found to be keeping a list of applicants for state jobs, along with who their sponsors were. He claims this is only because of the volume of applicants that come straight to the governors office. However, that alone raises a question, why are resumes going to the Governor, and not through the State's hiring agency? And, if the sponsor isn't important, why keep a list of them?
Also here in Illinois, Chicago's Mayor, Richard Daley, has his "patronage chief" on trial for steering city jobs to those who donated. Yesterday one of his workers testified that city workers were going door to door in competitive wards during the 1999 and 2000 election seasons, to campaign for Democrats, including Rahm Emmanuel, Al Gore, and local politicians.
Other folks in the Daley Administration have already testified that until they found out about the federal probe into hiring practices the city used a patronage list to hire certain employees, and only stopped when it was apparent they were caught.
Technorati Tags: Corruption,politics, Rod Blagojevich,Rahm Emanuel ,Richard Daley, Chicago, elections, patronage, Abramoff, Illinois
For instance, here in Illinois, our Governor, Rod Blagojevich, who was going to "kill business as usual" in Springfield when he was elected four years ago has been found to be keeping a list of applicants for state jobs, along with who their sponsors were. He claims this is only because of the volume of applicants that come straight to the governors office. However, that alone raises a question, why are resumes going to the Governor, and not through the State's hiring agency? And, if the sponsor isn't important, why keep a list of them?
Also here in Illinois, Chicago's Mayor, Richard Daley, has his "patronage chief" on trial for steering city jobs to those who donated. Yesterday one of his workers testified that city workers were going door to door in competitive wards during the 1999 and 2000 election seasons, to campaign for Democrats, including Rahm Emmanuel, Al Gore, and local politicians.
Other folks in the Daley Administration have already testified that until they found out about the federal probe into hiring practices the city used a patronage list to hire certain employees, and only stopped when it was apparent they were caught.
Technorati Tags: Corruption,politics, Rod Blagojevich,Rahm Emanuel ,Richard Daley, Chicago, elections, patronage, Abramoff, Illinois
posted by Crazy Politico at 6:13 AM
5Comments:
Ah, you're making me homesick! Nothing ever changes in Illinois. I hope there's still a Giordano's pizza (on Rush Street?), mmmmm.
Yup, it's still there. And hell, even the name in the Mayor's office is still the same. And evidently the conduct is the same too :)
Like the proverbial rust that holds an old car together, it sometimes seems that if we removed the corruption the government would fall apart. That would only be bad in the short run.
I think you are right Shoprat. In the long run it probably would be good for us, after the short term pain.
Keep the pressure on. Despite what Dean says, the issue of corruption cuts right accross party lines. We just see more Republicans in the spotlight because they are in power.
It is going to sting, but a full reckoning could be just what is needed to foster a third party rise.
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