Ted Van Dyk in today's P-I - "Questionable aspect of city's recent past gets an update"
Van Dyk says that Seattle's corruption scandals of recent decades involving gambling, vice and shady union rackets pales in comparison with the massive public frauds of today:
The two most salient examples are Mayor Greg Nickels' proposal for a waterfront highway tunnel, to replace the shaky Alaskan Way Viaduct, and Sound Transit's taxpayer-financed campaign for a crushingly expensive and inefficient regional light rail system. Both projects have been endorsed and supported by a cross-section of present and former public officials, business and labor leaders and vendors who will profit from project contracts. All pretend not to know that more efficient transportation alternatives are available at far less public cost.Van Dyk also considers certain Washington Education Association activities and public subsidies for sports franchises to be instances of corruption. And he's right. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 15, 2007 11:26 AM | Email This
2. It doesn't matter what the party, corruption is wrong.
3. Once a culture of corruption sets in, everyone is affected. Here is an example of a culture of corruption in operation:
Out of order
(http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/258333,CST-NWS-judges15.article)
February 15, 2007
BY ABDON M. PALLASCH AND ERIC HERMAN Staff Reporters
"Sixty-four highly rated lawyers did not make the cut for candidates for associate judge of Cook County Circuit Court, which pays $147,000 a year.
But 18 attorneys found unqualified by one or more bar groups squeaked in. They include:
• Sheldon Harris, friend of state Supreme Court Justice Charles Freeman. Harris lost a judicial election in 2002 and lost the last associate judge competition in 2005. Freeman has reappointed Harris to temporary vacancies on the bench since 2000. The Chicago Council of Lawyers calls Harris "arrogant and rude" on the bench.
• Leonard Murray, whose law license was suspended for three months for neglecting seven clients' cases, two after Murray's sister was murdered. The state lawyer discipline board said the death mitigated his neglect.
• Michael J. Finley, who filed for bankruptcy 10 years ago. The council found him "not qualified" to be a judge.
• Sheila Wilson-Freelon, a member of Chief Judge Timothy Evans' church. The council found her "not qualified," saying she lacks sufficient litigation and courtroom experience.
At least nine who made the cut are spouses, siblings or children of judges.
"There's nobody on this list that doesn't know somebody," said Associate Judge Jim Linn, whose girlfriend Maritza Martinez is a finalist, found qualified by eight of 11 bar groups."
Once the corruption sets in, money is diverted from groups that are the neediest, particularly children.
Crooked people know no party.
First, this entire scenario is rather heavy laden with irony. Numerous personal conversations with Seattle libs on the topic of fed involvement in public education revealed a reliance upon the "need" of the feds to intervene to overcome the endemic corruption, inefficiency, and prejudice in "backwater" states, like Arkansas and Mississippi, thus the feds need to step in to ensure the education of the affected students.
I suspect that the same people would not appreciate the same logic and standards being applied here. It's a disquieting notion that elected public officials and the entrenched bureaucratic establishment are completely dysfunctional and in need of substantial remedial psychological therapy.
Secondly, the application of the RICO statutes...I have yet to hear anyone explain how the situation here is substantially different than Tammany Hall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammany_Hall "Kinder and gentler" is still corruption. Voting scandals, the letting of contracts, influence peddling, organized union pressure...it's all here. The problem is that the "reformers" would rather point at the evil Republicans or simply extract more in taxation.
There are few ways that my goals would intersect with those of FDR and Eleanor, but they did oppose Tammany Hall, even if for their pecuniary interests. Tim Sheldon and Brian Sonntag aside, I see very little potential from the Dems in Washington State to recognize, let alone correct the problem in a similar manner. Or any manner.
Typical usage:
As the stock value plummeted today on the Nasdaq, investors were disappointed to learn that the company had seattled their capital.
Posted by: Jeff B. on February 15, 2007 12:14 PMWe do not hear much about their ongoing criminal enterprise since they have moved south, to Tacoma & Lakewood due to lack of any responsible Media coverage in Tacoma. (Exception the New Takhoman)
The latest "crime in planning" is Ladenburg's Folly, the extension of light rail to Lakewood from Tacoma that will take present bus riders and shift them to rail, at a cost of $33,000 per rider per year in operation costs. (Why don't we just buy each rider a new Toyota Preus each year?) Let us not forget that the cost of construction is $37,000 per inch!
Who said "CRIME DOESN'T PAY?"
There's something funky with your math skills. The Tacoma to Lakewood Sounder rail extension is 8.2 miles and will cost $136M including stations and a new railroad yard in Lakewood. If you use your figures ($37,000 per inch) it would cost $19.2 billion! And, by the way, it's an extension of the commuter rail system to Seattle, not a light rail extension.
Posted by: Someone who can do math on February 15, 2007 06:25 PMPopular opinion is a very weak basis upon which to base an argument. If popular opinion ruled, I would still be a slave and women wouldn't be able to vote. The problem with secular progressives is their moral relativism. You have to extend a finger to see which way the wind is blowing.
Here is an an example:
Spokane assessor gives new job to chief deputy's 23-year-old son
By The Associated Press
SPOKANE -- More turmoil over the hiring of relatives of high-ranking officials has erupted in Spokane County government, this time in the assessor's office.
Assessor Ralph R. Baker picked Adam Best, 23, the son of his chief deputy, Kevin Best, as property data manager this week at a salary of $38,471 -- three steps above the $33,118 starting rate for such a position.
Baker never checked with the county personnel department on whether young Best met minimum job requirements, and both the hiring and setting of pay were "outside our practice and our process," said Cathy L. Malzahn, human resources director.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003575187_webassessor16.html
My questions to you:
1. Is the hiring wrong?
2. Is the hiring wrong if I don't agree with it or is it wrong because it shows evidence of a corrupt system?
We'd be better off, if you could follow the money back to US. If taxpayers are the big contributors, then when legislators sway policy to benefit the donors they'll be working to benefit taxpayers. It just makes sense.
That's why I encourage you to support public campaign financing in Washington State. There is a bill in committee in both the House and the Senate that can make a real change in this culture of corruption. Please write to your legislators, and tell them how important it is to get it to the floor, and pass it. They're afraid to do it, and lobbyists oppose it. The media just wants spending on campaign advertising to keep going up, so they're not going to help either. Your legislators need to hear from voters.
You should know, that states that have tried public funding are seeing positive results. Races are more competitive. The cost of campaigns is reduced. Regular people like firefighters, farmers, teachers, homemakers, and small business owners are able to run and win. And they don't owe their seats to anyone but the taxpayers, and the people who voted for them.
You can get more facts at www.washclean.org.
Posted by: Bob Koerner on February 16, 2007 10:46 PM