He could walk into Congress with a machine gun and mow down 100 Republicans, and get sentenced to community service and time served.
Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 11/20/2010 7:18:07 AM PST by Kaslin
Leave it to Congress to create a punishment one is hard-pressed to identify. Rangel deserves much worse, as his crimes would put you or me behind bars.
Charles Rangel has been found guilty of 11 of the 13 charges filed against him, with two of the charges having been rolled into one. As punishment for his crimes/violations, the chief counsel of the House ethics committee, Blake Chisam, recommended a sentence of censure for the disgraced congressman to the full House, despite Rangel’s protestations for “a drop of fairness and mercy” in a prepared statement read prior to the start of the hearing.
Not only does the punishment not fit the crime, it is in fact no punishment at all.
According to AOL News:
Censure is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution — it falls under Congress’ right to adopt resolutions. … Censure is stronger than a rebuke, but not as strong as an expulsion. It is a formal, open reprimand given to a member of Congress for going against its standards of ethics and behavior.
In other words, Rangel must stand in the well of Congress and have the members tell him he behaved poorly. No, really.
Pursuant to the gravity of the charges he was found guilty of, this is beyond nonsense. One charge alone is that Rangel failed to pay taxes for 17 years on Punta Cana, his Dominican luxury beachfront villa that he keeps booked solid year round. With the battery of attorneys, accountants, and financial advisors that people like Rangel have, are we to honestly believe he had a luxury resort property and somehow forget to pay taxes on it, and no one remembered to remind him … for 17 years?
Regarding Obama, Pelosi, et al. banging the drum regarding how the rich aren’t paying their fair share, should we assume they had good old Charlie in mind?
Rep. Jo Bonner, R-AL, was concise in his opening statement to the committee:
For the small business woman who didn’t pay her taxes for 17 years and had the IRS breathing down her back, [we] can only imagine how she would have liked to have the chance to help write the tax code of this country and make it less burdensome and simpler for everyone else.
Rangel’s repeated fallback was that he was only guilty of “sloppy bookkeeping and disorganization.” Not altogether surprisingly, Chisam saw it exactly the same way — even though it sounded as if his tongue caught in his throat as he said it was his opinion that Rangel had not intentionally tried to make gains or use his position as influence.
Of course, that was exactly what he was trying to do. How else are we to interpret his targeting corporations having legislative business before his committee to make donations to a City College of New York building that bears his name? Rangel is about to get what appears to be a complete pass for actions that, as I have previously written, were they committed by you or me, we would be getting our affairs in order prior to a long jail sentence.
To suggest that Rangel “brought discredit” upon the House and that his actions served to “undermine the public confidence” we have in the institution, for him to receive a punishment of having to stand and listen to his colleagues (most of whom are possibly guilty of similar offenses) denigrate him? Its a public charade. We pay for the campaigns of the elected and we pay for their salaries and perks while they are in office. We pay their pensions. Asking them to behave with decorum and integrity, and to deliver justice to one of their own, is not too much to ask.
Even if Rangel were to resign, he would keep his full pension and all his ill-gotten gains. This episode is the face of everything awful in U.S. politics, from the White House to local government.
Not sure about Hillary's balls, but the Republicans wouldn't dare make this a campaign issue. They're as guilty as the Democrats. Our government in particular at the Federal levelis corrupt to the core. Don't believe for a second the old guard (and probably a lot of the new) Republicans think of themselves any different than the Democrats do. With a few exceptions they are all elitists who are only interested in lining they're pockets and holding on to power at virtually any cost.
Particularly by their own black voters. Rangel will be reelected by his constituents in 2012 by a larger margin than in 2010
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Isn’t that the ‘in your face’ syndrome?
Marion Barry in DC a fine example of such, as A C Powell, Maxine etc etc etc
Goes way back to when the Irish kept electing Irish etc even when in jail as a ‘symbol’ of “You can’t tell us who to vote for”.
NO, I am NOT Irish bashing, I am of Irish (Catholic) descent myself and while on the subject how many people just went and voted for JFK because he was Irish and Catholic AND admitted to doing so?
I didn’t vote that year as I was in the Navy and figured that it didn’t matter who won, would be ‘serving’ under him anyway.
He will rise rapidly within the ranks of the democrat party.
Pardon my ignorance, but is he (as a memeber of HOR) precluded from any and all criminal prosecution?
He could walk into Congress with a machine gun and mow down 100 Republicans, and get sentenced to community service and time served.
I wonder how many "bookings" were ghost tenants using the cover of "rent" to funnel cash to corrupt old Charlie.
Business as usual, after all, if he continues, what are they gonna do, censure him again?
This is a resume enhancement for a Rat politician. He will be re-elected until he dies and gets to lie in state in the rotunda.
There are three standards in the US..citizen..democrat..and black democrat.
The GOP majority needs to punish this creep in unofficial ways..move his office to the broom closet. Take away his keys to the bathroom..etc.
I am confused:
What about the $600,000 Charlie embezzled from the PAC he controlled & then used the money for his legal fees?
Isn’t that a criminal event>??
Isn’t that subject to indictment & prosecution??
Isn’t that a criminal event>??
Isn’t that subject to indictment & prosecution?
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Believe both questions answered in # 29
Ethics and behavior standards for congress? I am still chuckling about that.
Where is the IRS? Why haven't we heard Word One about his tax evasion making him subject to investigation and indictment by the Infernal Revenue Service?
I don't believe he gets congressional immunity from the revenuers.
What gives? You and I would be in Club Fed by now if we had been evading taxes for years and years.
Leni
This wont stop until Rangle (or a few like him) are laughed out of Congress..
I have a hard time believing that Holder will initiate anything against Rangel.
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