Monday, March 18, AD 2024 11:06pm

Blagojevich Gets 14 years

 

Blagojevich, the foul mouthed former governor of my State, the first governnor in the history of the State of Illinois to be impeached and removed from office, will not have to pay rent for the next 14 years, as he will be serving time for that period after being sentenced today by Federal District Judge James Zagel.

Blagojevich is the fourth Illinois governor in the past four decades to be sentenced to prison, and he has received the longest sentence of any of them.  His sentence is a substantial one and I hope it starts a trend in sentences imposed on corrupt politicians.  14 years is a long time, and I am sure the sentence imposed on Blagojevich has given corrupt politicians in Illinois something to think about today.  Good

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c.g.a.
c.g.a.
Wednesday, December 7, AD 2011 8:29pm

I am not surprised. What politician from Illinois is not corrupt?. Can anybody tell?

Chris
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 4:00am

I remember when he tried to get on a reality show in the middle of his trial. Maybe reality will finally catch up with him.

Elaine Krewer
Admin
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 4:30am

More likely than not, other corrupt pols in Illinois are either thinking about ways to legally achieve the same results (oodles of campaign cash) as Blago, or more creative ways to avoid getting caught.

As for what politician from Illinois is NOT corrupt, I can think of a few examples from the recent past. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, for example, a Republican who preceded Obama in the seat that later became the subject of Blago’s “sale”. He was pro-life and generally conservative, and was most responsible for getting Patrick Fitzgerald (no relation), the man who eventually prosecuted Blago, appointed U.S. attorney.

Likewise, I do not believe the current governor, Democrat Pat Quinn, is corrupt in the legal/criminal sense (i.e. directly soliciting bribes as Blago did). However, non-corruption alone does not a statesman make. He is incompetent, waffling, and very messed up in his notion of Catholic moral teaching. As far as basic competence and in potential damage to state (and especially Catholic) institutions, arguably Quinn is as bad or worse than Blago.

In theory, Blago could end up as a cellmate of his predecessor, George Ryan, who is currently in the federal pen at Terre Haute, Ind. and has a year left to go on HIS sentence. However, since Blago’s sentence is over 10 years he will most likely be sent to a slightly higher security institution than Ryan and not a “Club Fed”.

Paul Primavera
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 5:44am

“I am not surprised. What politician from Illinois is not corrupt?. Can anybody tell?”

The same could be said of NYS where I once lived. They are, however, good at not getting caught, but not always so good at avoiding scandal. Can you spell Anthony Weiner?

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 9:03am

I have a dream.

In a couple years you will read this headline. “Obama Gets 50 Years to Life for Stealing $3 trillion Dollars and Wrecking America.”

Paul W Primavera
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 9:17am

“Obama Gets 50 Years to Life for Stealing $3 trillion Dollars and Wrecking America.”

What does he get for authorizing the indiscriminate murder of the unborn and the sanctification of homosexual filth?

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 10:30am

Dante would provide a specific trench in the Inferno for Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Sibellius, Teddy Chappaquidick, et al.

Paul W Primavera
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 10:34am

I agree, T. Shaw, I agree!

Elaine Krewer
Admin
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 7:55pm

A commenter at one of my favorite Illinois political junkie blogs said this today: Blago’s sentence amounts to about 30 seconds for each of his 13 million victims (Illinois residents).

Actually, Dante did assign a specific trench in the Inferno to “grafters,” i.e. corrupt rulers/politicians, who spend eternity immersed in boiling tar, symbolic of their “sticky fingers.” At one point a demon shows up bearing one of “Santa Zita’s elders,” an alderman from the Italian city of Lucca, where “no is yes, and yes is no, for a fee” — the 13th century version of “pay to play.”

Paul W. Primavera
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 8:20pm

13th century – 21st century – it’s all the same.

Foxfier
Admin
Thursday, December 8, AD 2011 8:23pm

13th century – 21st century – it’s all the same.

Human-nature wise, yeah. (And, as it’s popular to notice once again, politics is very much about human nature.)

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