Dean Skelos is a worm. And so is his son Adam. With any luck, the not so early bird Preet Bharara will have them for breakfast.
The Skelos fellows bellow about how innocent they are of corruption and bribery charges. But eventually, they’ll be convicted of something.
The elder Skelos is the majority leader of the New York State Senate. He is a Republican and has been in office since the mid 1980s.
He joins Sheldon Silver on the wanted poster roster. Silver was the speaker of the state assembly and is a Democrat. He has been in office since the invention of matzo and is facing similar charges.
It’s nice to see something bipartisan come out of Albany. It would be nicer yet to see all involved get out and stay out of Albany.
When you turn over the rocks of a state government, these are the people that crawl or wriggle out. Too often. When “for life” is in the job title, this is what you get.
At the moment, the New York legislature faces several critical issues and a session that soon expires. So, here’s our chance to see if a rudderless ship can find port by accident. You know… like locking monkeys and typewriters in a room and expecting to find they’ve written “King Lear.” Not a really good chance of either.
Is it fair to pick on poor little old New Yorkers? Sure. They’re the poster boys of the moment. But you can turn these rocks over pretty much anywhere.
Every once in awhile, a real mensch like Bharara turns up in a position of power. Go for it, Preet. We’re all with you. And when you’re finished with Dean and Adam and Shelly, we have a long list of others waiting for your chopping block.
So… a question for all those who howl for states’ rights: Are Skelos & Co. the people you’d rather have running your life? Or Brownback? Or Rick Perry? Or Blagojevich? Or Christie? Or Huckabee?
You may think your congressman or US senator is The Godfather. If so, your state reps are just streetcorner wannabes. But a street corner wannabe with a gun poked into your ribs is a more immediate danger than guys pulling strings in Washington or Long Beach.
Shrapnel:
--Here’s a survey, if you will: Which of the present candidates or possible presidential candidates makes you sickest? So far, the only one talked about here is Fiorina but others will appear here soon. Send comments to the address below and thanks.
--Al Jazeera America is having NBC-esque problems. No, no one’s accused anyone of faking news. Jazzy’s problems, according to the NYTimes, come from having a head honcho who, like NBC until Andy Lack was re-hired, is not a journalist but who micromanages the newsroom.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com
© WJR 2015
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