I live in a state that has sent 3 governors to prison since 1960, with a 4th on his way. And I live in a city and county where public officials who aren’t under indictment can be assumed to be wearing a wire (Todd Stroger, President of the Cook County Board, has quite a few relatives on his staff. And while, like the rest of the country, we’re frantic for ways to find money for essential services, Todd hired a man whose only job experience was as a busboy to run part of the county highway system. Not only that, while waiting trial on a domestic violence charge, the man’s bail was allegedly paid by Todd’s cousin and –now former–county chief financial officer.)
So thank you, New Jersey, for three mayors and a bunch of rabbis operating scams and schemes that would make the Chicago Outfit faint with envy. Quoting from July 24 New York Times coverage:
Even veteran political observers were nearly breathtaken at the scale of the arrests. “This is so massive,” said Joseph Marbach, a political scientist at Seton Hall, who called it the biggest sting operation he could remember in the state. “It’s going to just reinforce the stereotype of New Jersey politics and corruption. While we thought we were cleaning up New Jersey, it just shows how much more needs to be done.”
You can read the whole story, and see what the rabbis were doing. Meanwhile, everyone in Illinois is grateful. Our ex-governor with his mop of hair and promise to sell Barack’s senate seat (this is gold!) is no longer the most corrupt elected official in America!