Posted on 07/26/2009 7:59:21 PM PDT by reaganaut1
Cash in an envelope. In return, a promise that a development project will speed along, unhindered by bureaucratic delays. A handshake to seal the deal.
It is the most clichéd, unimaginative form of corruption — and its persistent hold on New Jersey’s elected leaders seems unrivaled in American government. Over the last decade alone, nearly 150 of the state’s senators, mayors, county executives and council members have been arrested and charged with leaping at the chance to engage in this lowest-common-denominator crime, at times for laughably small sums of money. But the history goes back much further than that.
...
That answer, it turns out, has as many nuances as corruption itself. Interviews with law enforcement officials, prosecutors and, perhaps the best authority on the subject — those arrested in previous sweeps, like Mr. Botti — reveal a culture of corruption so ingrained that it has become impossible to resist when the envelope appears.
A decade-long building boom has flooded towns with millions of development dollars, as well as wealthy businessmen eager to secure sewer permits and zoning waivers. The Democratic Party firmly dominates local politics, turning most elections into sleepy coronations. The state’s news organizations, once vigorous watchdogs, have been decimated by a deep industry downturn.
Add to all that the fact that New Jersey is divided into hundreds of tiny fiefdoms, where part-time elected officials without much education and with small salaries wield considerable power, and the heady mix of arrogance, control and promised payoffs dissolves the will of even the most determined reformer.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
corruption and “democrat domination” means the same thing in NJ. I remember seeing the video when they would not place their hands over their hearts for the flag. They are a pool of scum and deserve what they get.
Primary function of Czars is similar.... Congressional corruption on steroids.
The Times needs to supply a translation book for it’s stories.
“The state’s news organizations, once vigorous watchdogs, have been decimated by a deep industry downturn.”
Translation:We’re all Democrats in the media so we cover up, ignore and don’t care about Democrat corruption.
Imagine an America where the media reported the news in a fair, balanced and unbiased manner.
Doing their job as the American people’s watch dog, and not the Democrat Party’s lap dog.
Exposing Republicans and Democrats alike.
Imagine how much better this nation, and the entire world, would be.
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