Update on Bonusgate

Approximately 27 months ago AG Tom Corbett started looking into allegations that Pennsylvania taxpayer money was being used to finance campaign work. In July of last year he announced the first indictments against Democratic operatives allegedly involved in fleecing the taxpayers out of their hard earned cash used to reimburse state workers for performing campaign work. The work allegedly occurred in 2005 and 2006.

On March 30, 2009 Angela Couloumbis and Mario F. Cattabiani of the Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau wrote a piece titled "Will Corbett Charge Republicans in Bonusgate?" They questioned whether Corbett would ever charge members of his own party. Anyone with common sense knows that Corbett is going after and will be charging members of the Republican party;

Corbett must mobilize the resources and manpower available in his office to review the voluminous emails in search of credible evidence that will result in successful convictions. He knows that and so do the investigators and attorneys that work for him.

Within his office there are two divisions that are dividing the work necessary to bring information to the attorneys for review. Normally these divisions are territorial about their domains so it is creating a less than congruent team. However, their boss has one focus, Bonusgate.

My information is that by September charges are likely to be filed against
Republicans involved in bonuses for campaign work. Names have been thrown out there but for now lets talk about the facts. While Republicans will be the focus it is not the end for the Democrats either.

Pennsylvania's governing principles lead to the corruption involved in Bonusgate. It is winner take all for committee posts and WAM(WALK AROUND MONEY) money available to influence constiuents into believing your legislator has influence. Legislators return from their communities to "announce" they brought home the bacon and money from Harrisburg that will end up in their communities. Think about the reverse. If they didn't fund projects within the Commonwealth what would they do with all the money extracted from taxpayers and businesses?

We buy into believing that a Representative or Senator is powerful and influential. We should be selling not buying. We should sell them on the fact that there are too many of them in Harrisburg. It only takes one doctor to wait on a community of patients. It doesn't take 253 legislators to take care of Pennsylvania's business.

Bonusgate is about control, plain and simple. He who controls, controls everything in Pennsylvania. It is not about us, it is about them. As long as we, as taxpayers, allow that system to remain we will see much more of those "Bonusgates."

For now, know that employees of the AG are working overtime to develop cases against those individuals who sought greed and power over faith and justice. Corbett has set this probe as his top priority. Unfortunately this lesson has not deterred those who still hold office from continuing the practices that got Corbett's attention in the first place. The cultural thinking in Harrisburg is a cesspool that spawns corrupt ideology.