Illinois: A Modern Pattern Of Corruption

Here is an article that lists the governors that have served time in prison for misdeeds they committed while in office. Here they are:

_Otto Kerner, a Democrat who was governor from 1961 to 1968, served less than a year of a three-year sentence after his 1973 conviction on bribery, tax evasion and other counts. He was convicted of arranging favorable horse racing dates as governor in return for getting horse racing association stock at reduced prices. Kerner died in 1976.

_Dan Walker, a Democrat who was governor from 1973 to 1977, served 1 1/2 years of a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty in 1987 to bank fraud, misapplication of funds and perjury. The charges were not related to his service as governor.

_George Ryan, a Republican who was governor from 1999 to 2003, was convicted of corruption in 2006 for steering state contracts and leases to political insiders and helping cover up bribes paid in return for truck drivers licenses while he was secretary of state and then governor. He is serving a 6 1/2-year prison term.

In addition, William Stratton, Illinois governor from 1953-1961, was later indicted but was acquitted on charges of income tax evasion.

That's three of eight (four, if you count Stratton), who got caught with their hands in the cookie jars. And it is my opinion that Stratton merely beat the rap. So with Blago making his big splash in Illinois gubernatorial history, what we now have here is something that is strikingly close to a pattern.

How much more of this pattern will see from Obama's administration? After all is said and done, we cannot forget that he too is an Illinois machine candidate. And yet, just when we think this is the end of it, we get this new revelation that Jesse Jackson Jr. was on the short list of possible candidates for Obama's Senate seat because he was going to pay for it.

Candidate #5 offered some serious money to Blago.

Of course JJ Jr. is denying everything, he and papa will probably turn this into a racial issue if any real heat comes down on him. So unless there is a huge outcry that resonates throughout the media, he's probably going to skate. But there is one bright shining aura that flows from this turn of events: At this point in time, there's precious little chance he will be the one appointed to fill the vacancy.

But let's be clear about this and make no mistake here. This is a damaging turn of events for the Obama camp. There is a remarkable amount of damage that can and will be absorbed.

I believe they had plans for Junior all along. Maybe Blago is outing the whole plan and of course there's always the chance he will spill more beans if he goes to trial. Why else would he be so defiant? It's the old crash and burn policy, take everyone you can with you, spare nothing if you can.

Too bad something like this couldn't have come out, before the election, right? Well it did. It did here at PYY, on the Nobama 08 Blogbursters, and countless other platforms in and out of the blogosphere. We hammered this thing hard, to no avail.

And the sickening thing about all of this? The people of America demonstrated they didn't care. It's painfully apparent, they didn't give a damn about Obama's Chicago and Illinois connections of the past. They didn't care that he sat in a church under a whack job for 20 years, they didn't care that he had questionable ties to a one-time avowed terrorist that showed no remorse. They just didn't care.

They just wanted change they could believe in. So they bought into the delusion and voted it. Thanks to them, here we are today, staring at one of the worst possible moments of corruption ever discovered, knowing it extends to the new White House.

Good job, America. Who knows what new revelation we'll have, next?