According to USA Today, secondhand stores and sales on eBayare up during these recessionary times, but this is ridiculous
It seems that, wanting in on the craze to make side income by selling recycled goods, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was offering a nice, somewhat used Senate seat for sale. But the seat didn’t come cheap, say the Feds, who have just clapped cuffs on the good governor.
Furthermore, the Chicago Sun-Times says that Blagojevich shook down the Tribune Company to get members of the Trib’s editorial critical of him fired, and that Sam Zell had plans to comply under the guise of Chapter 11 reorganization.
Intercepted calls allegedly show that Blagojevich directed Harris to inform the Tribune and an associate, identified as Tribune Financial Advisor, that state financial assistance would be withheld unless members of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board were fired, primarily because Blagojevich viewed them as driving discussion of his possible impeachment.
And here are some clips from the WSJ story on Gov. Blagojevich’s….uh….entrepreneurial efforts.
Throwing a harsh spotlight on a city that has been celebrating the election of Barack Obama to the White House, federal agents Tuesday arrested Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and a senior aide on broad corruption charges, including allegations they tried to sell Mr. Obama’s Senate seat.
According to a 76-page two-count indictment unsealed by prosecutors in Chicago on Tuesday, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents allegedly heard the governor on wiretaps attempting to trade or sell the Senate seat being vacated by Mr. Obama when he becomes president next month.
In exchange for the seat, federal agents say Mr. Blagojevich is heard seeking a number of arrangements, including a salary for himself at an organization affiliated with labor unions, a cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself, cash or campaign funds, and placing his wife Patti on paid corporate boards.
During a Dec. 4 wiretapped conversation, Mr. Blagojevich allegedly told an adviser he would “get some [money] upfront, maybe” from one candidate for the Senate seat.
Mr. Blagojevich considered appointing himself. The affidavit said that as late as Nov. 3, he told his deputy governor that if “they’re not going to offer me anything of value I might as well take it.”
Did I mention that Blagojevich was elected as a…(insert sound of hysterical laughter)…..reformer?
The Chicago Trib (featuring it’s newest and most hideously headache-producing, web layout) says that folks on both sides of the aisle are calling for Blagojevich’s resignation.
(Duh! Y’think????)
What astonishes me is that someone this corrupt probably didn’t JUST BECOME corrupt given this “opportunity” (to fill the senatorial opening). I am absolutely amazed, especially in today’s environment, that no one ever came forward or challenged this bastard.
Tell me that this is actually an SNL skit.
We’ll see who’s corrupt once we review the associations that the gov had with others, like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Here’s another one to muddle through: How Close Were Blagojevich and Obama?
Word is that Rahm Emanuel helped bring Blago down when he started pressing Obama for favors. If so, this is very good news for Democrats. A great relief for the country to be governed by honest people for a change.
Yeah, nothing like a bunch of honest Clinton holdovers. Unless they are blind, Obama and Emanuel knew that Gov. Blagojevich was dishonest and had been for a long time. However, I’m glad and hopeful that Obama might have had enough with him.
Governor Blagojevich would fit in perfectly in Mexico, si se puede !!!
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico10-2008dec10,0,2574405.story
Corruption hurting Mexico’s fight against crime, Calderon says.
A study this year by Transparency Mexico found that Mexicans paid about $2.6 billion in bribes in 2007, or more than $24 each on average.
Police corruption is among the biggest hurdles facing Calderon’s 2-year-old campaign against drug trafficking. Many police officers, especially at the state and municipal levels, are paid by smuggling groups to provide protection and tip them off to pending police actions.
This issue hasn’t drawn nearly the outrage from the left that Larry Craig’s bathroom stall incursion created. What a surprise.
So, Obama’s team changes the story about when Obama and Blagojevich last spoke. Also, Obama even acted a little coy when asked about Blagojevich yesterday. Is Obama “stonewalling?” Questions Arise About the Obama/Blagojevich Relationship
We don’t know how pervasive the corruption was before the special prosecutor and crew stepped in and began their video and audio surveillance.
There are a few things here that trouble me: the governor knew he was under surveillance and yet he continued his behavior, his obscene solicitations for funds and favors. Call it hubris, call it arrogance, but if you’ve never been around a manic-depressive in the throes of a manic episode, then, let me tell you, this guy provides a textbook definition. In a manic state the bi-polar personality believes that he or she is indestructible and that the world is their oyster and the pearls inside belong to them and them alone. Furthermore, left untreated manic episodes can last for months on end, even, in some extreme cases, years, followed by a successive series of depressive episodes, usually brought on by the bursting of their somewhat psychotic bubble … the intervention of a special prosecutor’s office might produce that effect.