City of Brotherly Love Shares NY's Feelings on Corruption

PA is booming when it comes to political corruption, a.k.a. political terrorism
The Pittsburgh Independent Examiner by Mike Ference - September 1, 2009

Pennsylvania made the news again. But sadly enough, it was once again for all the wrong reasons. According to Corporate Crime Reporter, Pennsylvania ranks number 7 in public corruption, concerning convictions that result from federal prosecutions. The vast majority of public corruption prosecutions – as high as 80 percent of them – are brought by federal officials. That’s according to Russell Mokhiber, editor of Corporate Crime Reporter, a weekly legal newsletter based in Washington, D.C. Sadly, in states that have a high volume of political corruption, such as in Pennsylvania, where federal law enforcement resources are already strained, one can only imagine how many political criminals are getting away scot-free. None the less, let’s review a sample of typical Pennsylvania cases that involves those politicians who did get called to accountability: A farewell bash was held for former PA State Senator Vince Fumo before he was to report to a federal prison in Kentucky. The former DeMOBocrat power broker was found guilty on all charges – 147 to be exact – in a corruption case that found Fumo guilty of defrauding the Senate and two nonprofits to the tune of $2.1 million. The same case resulted in Fumo being found guilty of obstructing the FBI investigation. It would be the third time in Fumo’s career as a public serpent that he would face federal prosecutors. Justice finally prevailed. Was Fumo’s last hurrah bash any less disgusting than the cheering crowd that greeted Pan Am Flight 103 terrorist Abdelbaset Ali Al-Megrahi on his return to Libya? In both cases, it’s simply a mockery of justice. Another political corruption case, tagged Bonusgate, stars former state Rep. Mike Veon, headliner of the Pennsylvania Dirty Dozen DeMOBocrats. He and his fellow public serpents were indicted for doling out millions of dollars in taxpayer money to government workers who supported certain political campaigns, doling out the money under the guise of bonuses. The prison time for all 12 alleged scoundrels could conceivably total 1,892 years, if they get convicted on all counts. But wait. It gets worse. In a story out of Luzerne County, two more red-handed crooks, namely, Judge Mark Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael Conahan, agreed to plead guilty to various federal charges involving their Cash for Kids program which consisted in them sending children to privately owned detention facilities with no justification for the sentences imposed. Altogether, the judges took $2.6 million in kickbacks via the very lucrative child trafficking scheme. Now that U.S. District Judge Edwin Kosik recently rejected the plea deals, on account of the two State judges not accepting responsibility for their actions, they could receive much longer sentences if convicted. These three cases indicate how unfortunate PA taxpayers are when it comes to responsible government. We learned from experience to expect our elected politicians to steal from the taxpayers every chance they get. But for judges to cash in on the lives of children, by means of dispensing unjust sentences in exchange for cash, it's almost beyond comprehension. What can we do to stop political corruption in PA? Maybe nothing. Then again, maybe it’s time to get even with these bastards. Here are some things that our legislature should be considering, in order to get PA back on the road to good government: Political corruption is a crime much like treason or even terrorism. Therefore, the criminals who abuse their offices should be dealt with as if they were traitors or terrorists. If and when the parties are found guilty of a corruption case, all of their assets should be seized. If they refuse to cooperate with authorities and refuse to provide information about their criminal behavior – the who, what, when, and where thereof – then an added punishment should be exacted upon them for a crime similar to Contempt of Court. But, in those cases of non-cooperation, the charge should be Contempt of the Taxpayer. This includes all persons who partook in the politicians' crimes, including all family members who used the ill gotten gains for their own pleasure.

It’s time to disenfranchise anyone whose paycheck is dependent upon a friend or relative in office. The legislature must free Pennsylvanians of the nepotism that helps someone to remain in office indefinitely. This is that same nepotism which makes the hired friend or relative a hired hand in covering up criminal behavior. My solution is not without precedent. After all, the Hatch Act already prohibits federal employees from engaging in a wide range of political activities. The reasoning, at least in part, is that such employees, who should ideally be servants of the entire citizenry, should not be allowed to use their positions for partisan purposes. Equally important is the need to see to it that government corruption is not handed down through generations of the same families. Stopping the transfer of pilfered commonwealth money through corrupt family bloodlines is a necessity. The way I see it, government employees in PA who have essentially been given jobs for life, with great benefits attached – whether they are qualified or not – should not be allowed to vote for those giving out the jobs. That is a conflict of interest. PA government employees have secured more than most PA taxpayers could ever hope to gain while living in our commonwealth. PA government employees should only be allowed to sell their souls but one time. Anyone with additional information on this story or similar events please feel free to send a message to Ference@icubed.com or drop a dime and dial 412-233-5491. Reporting live from Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle – where the confluence of the Sicilian mob and the Democratic Party meet to form the deMOBocrats.