A Knight in Dragonland » Corruption

Ding, Dong, the Blago’s Gone!!!

Knight in Dragonland — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:20:06 +0000

About freaking time!!!

Blago in Chains

Knight in Dragonland — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:23:47 +0000

Not really … but that’s an entertaining thought, isn’t it?

Illinois is experiencing interesting political highs and lows this year. One of our U.S. Senators is elected president, but then our governor is arrested before he can sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder.

I “love” this quote in the Tribune from Robert Grant, FBI special agent in charge of the Chicago office:

If [Illinois] isn’t the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor. Even the most cynical agents in our office were shocked.

Isn’t that nice?

Quote of the Day

Knight in Dragonland — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:46:33 +0000

If you fire the governorâ€™s chef and then charge the state a per diem for every night you sleep in your own house, does that make you an agent of change or Charles Rangelâ€™s accountant?

Gail Collins, New York Times.

Palin Just LOVES Pork

Knight in Dragonland — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:01:28 +0000

Governor Sarah Palin my have signed the final death warrant on the already moribund Ketchikan to Gravina Island “Bridge to Nowhere”, but she still supports a project that would cost even more – $400 to $600 million for the Knik Arm Crossing. This project would benefit … (drumroll) … Sarah Palin’s hometown of Wasilla, offering residents there quicker access to Anchorage.

Hat Tip: Andrew Sullivan.

Culture of Ethical Failure

Knight in Dragonland — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:05:19 +0000

A “culture of ethical failure” pervades the Bush administration. This time those words were used to describe the atmosphere at the Interior Department, where the departmental inspector general, Earl E. Devaney, recently reported astonishing levels of corruption. A section of the department in charge of collecting oil & gas royalties indulged in a regular orgy of perks including golf outings, tickets to sporting events & concerts, and even illegal drugs and sexual activity with representatives of the energy industry.

Do you think John “Drill here, drill now” McCain and Sarah “I love the Bridge to Nowhere” Palin are going to change this culture of corruption? The whole idea that these two are pork-fighters and scions of ethical governance is complete hogwash … window dressing not at all backed up by the facts. It is … dare I say it? … lipstick on a pig!