Posted on 03/30/2009 7:46:05 PM PDT by STARWISE
If you want to understand the political environment out of which President Obama emerged (unscathed, as his supporters would suggest), today's piece from the Associated Press provides a nice summary of many ways in which crooked Illinois politicians rob that state blind.
One researcher, a former Chicago alderman and political scientist, has pegged the "corruption tax" at roughly $300 million annually, but that only includes the Chicago area.
A few samples:
Someone put in a government job because he knows the right people isn’t likely to work hard for his paycheck. In extreme cases, he might not show up for work at all, instead becoming what’s known as a ghost payroller.
One Cicero “health inspector” got $133,000 in salary and benefits for a job he never performed. He also got a one-year prison sentence.
Likewise, a company awarded a city contract through bribery isn’t going to worry about performance...
Just look at Chicago’s “Hired Truck” program, where the city outsourced hauling jobs to private firms.
Many companies, some with Mob connections, paid bribes to get contracts then collected taxpayer money while doing little or no work...
Just after Blagojevich became governor, the state suddenly started paying a company more than $500,000 to wash buildings, bridges and even road salt storage domes. Yet the work could have been done by state employees. The firm’s president turned out to be the brother-in-law of a high-ranking Illinois Department of Transportation official, who eventually resigned after the contract was suspended.
If you want a few more typical examples, you can read up on the contracts given to Mayor Daley's son and nephew, the spectacular story of Sen. Emil Jones's (D) family business, or the Stroger family and the operations of the Cook County government.
That is to say nothing of the big graft — the multi-billion dollar pension investments that were diverted through the machinations of Tony Rezko and others.
*snip*
All together, 1,000 public officials and businessmen have been convicted of public corruption in Illinois since 1970, Simpson found. That includes 19 Cook County judges, 30 Chicago aldermen, two members of Congress and two governors — plus another imprisoned for crimes unrelated to state government. Then there’s Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
~~~
You couldn't write believable fiction like this, yet ...
~~PING!
And it costs the US taxpayer millions to have the FBI and Courts track them down. Obama..white on the outside but black thru and thru.
Good ole Crook County
Ya ought to see Portland Or if you think that’s corrupt. Better yet, take a look at San Fagsisco.
Pray for America and Our Troops
If this is a contest, let’s hear it for the People’s Republic of Philadelphia, oh, never mind, I can just throw in Fast Eddie Rendell’s whole Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - now that’s corruption! We can give anyone a run for “our” money, sad to say!
Politicians can’t help themselves. “Please help us pay for our corruption,” and don’t forget to vote for me again and again and again......
Now y’all know why people spend millions to get elected to a post that pays peanuts by comparison. The authority to give the public’s money to their friends and family is abused world-wide, Chicago is just more or less semi-honest about it sort of. Or not.
Uncle, or in your case Aunt! We bow to the superior corruption of Philadelphia.
Pray for America and Our Troops
Since the culture of corruption is so thoroughly entrenched in the State of Illinois, I propose the death penalty be reinstated specifically for crooked politicians. Upon conviction there will be no long, drawn out 20 year appeals allowed, just thirty days for affairs to be wrapped up, then swift sure justice. Death by guillotine wouldn’t really be cruel and unusual, it would be historic!
Of all the cases of corruption I have seen, Chicago leads by a long shot. New Jersey is 2nd and I have not done enough on Portland, or Pennsylvania to make any claims.
In Michigan, we are just led by the imcompetant Gov. Grandmole. Jennifer, we still have not yet been blown away.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.