Observer-Reporter forum

Brant · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:26 pm Post subject:

The people in this investigation are essentially accused of using our money to pay for political campaigning. It's not something I think should be just brushed under the rug as business as usual.
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ellipses · Mod Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 9218 Location: WashPa!

I understand that... but even that explanation is REALLY vague... is there like a specific event that they can point to?

Like "Jim Smith used 1,200 dollars from this account which was supposed to be used for this thing... and used it, instead, to pay for a banquet room and food at this hotel where these 40 people came to do these things with Bill DeWeese..."

That would be something that we can say is clearly and deliberately wrong... but just saying that they used taxpayer money for campaining... picking up lunch in the coroner's van could be construed that way... when I'm sure we can all agree that it's pretty nit-picky...

We're hungry, there's a vehicle, you can drive... go get lunch... it's not like you have to be a criminal mastermind with no heart to pull that one off Smile

Local politics are frustrating like that to me... You hear "DeWeese" or "Pettit" and it seems like everyone has an opinion but nobody can say exactly what they did or didn't do... "Corruption!" Ok, how? Why? Where, when and how much?

Those things are important... but if he went to pick up his sign order and was 50 bucks short of the bill and took it out of petty cash... it's almost like... if you don't like the guy, can't you come up with better ways of getting rid of him?
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Brant · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:40 pm Post subject:

The allegations are much more serious than that. One of them, to illustrate the case, is that employees were paid with public money for doing political campaign work.
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The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

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ellipses · Mod Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 9218 Location: WashPa!

Here's a story about it...

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/02-03-2010-CORRUPTION-SCANDAL

I guess I just don't understand HOW you could do this... not whether or not it was done... I thought state employees' pay was rigidly structuralized... and that it was a matter of doing X,Y, and Z and receiving a set amount of compensation for doing that... and that bonuses would be "triggered" and couldn't be arbitrarily given out.

At my company... my boss could just randomly give me a check for 5 grand just because he likes me... it's his company, he can do what he wants... but at the state level, I just don't see how you can even get the funds to distribute without having some sort of an authorization... and if the action that grants that authorization exists, then you wouldn't be able to STOP the funds from being disbursed...
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Brant · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 4:08 pm Post subject:

Unfortunately, the people who run the two houses of the legislature have a whole boatload of largely unregulated or under-regulated money at their disposal. It's a cesspool.
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busdriver · Journeyman Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 3497

[quote="ellipses"]Which... while not legal... has somehow caused people to revile him as if he... say... cheated on his cancer-stricken wife, fathered a bastard child, lied about it for two years and got a married aid to claim the baby as his... Yet, all will survive financially intact and actually make money on this, now compared to the banks, AIG, Hedge FUND managers et al piling grief on millions through their legal but illegal ploys that drove America and many Americans to devastation does not make me that crazy about what went on with the Edwards family.

Do you have anything more specific on this? Because this is like the same sort of thing that Cyril Wecht was put on trial for... having an intern take the coroners van to go pick up lunch...

Heck, then my eating at CiCi's today was like eating in an OR , compared to, yuk,Eating from a van that picks up bodies, like from places where they have been a long time and just found. Sad

Pittsburgh Cy the dead man's Gy should have been put on trial for this.

countrybumpkin · Rookie Joined: 05 Jan 2010 Posts: 18

"My people have encouraged me to run. Pam Snyder and I are good friends and she has been an effective public official and I would like her to remain a very dynamic county commissioner."

Since he is from Greene County area, and since we did vote him out in the last election in the Greene County area, I wonder just whom here in Greene other then Pam he could say was his "people". It was hard to believe when he ran in the last election, that he knew nothing about the bonuses as he stated. How could he not have known, when it was with his own office this was being done? And yet once again he seriously wants us to believe that he can run an effective office without taking responsibility for his portion of this bonus gate? Once again a Politician asking the voter to roll over and play stupid!!!!! Embarassed

amom · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:49 am Post subject:

Bumpkin, if he can get through the Primary, as long as you have lazy voters who vote straight Democratic ticket in the fall, you'll have Bill DeWeese.
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countrybumpkin · Rookie Joined: 05 Jan 2010 Posts: 18

guess it can be said Greene County voters weren't lazy................ wonder what happened with Washington and Fayette Counties?

Brant · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:54 am Post subject:

I always hear Greene County people saying "We voted against DeWeese, but Fayette and Washington voted for him." But what they don't tell you is that it was by a margin of only 150 votes. So there are still plenty of people in Greene County who support and vote for DeWeese.
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The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

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countrybumpkin · Rookie Joined: 05 Jan 2010 Posts: 18

very true, however it still showed a 150 more people voted against him. The point was he couldn't carry the county he is from.

pap · Understudy Joined: 23 Nov 2009 Posts: 538

amom · Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 5:49 pm Post subject:

Yes, I was wrong. Surprised the heck out of me. Rolling Eyes

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"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"

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