Monday, January 08, 2007

Accountability

Due to a rash of criminal proceedings facing New Haven's Board of Aldermen (30 seats total, 3 have police problems), the NH Register's editor has called on the Board to hold its own members to account. I agree with the Register. As well, I think the Legislature should be doing the same with its own members.

State Rep. Pat Dillon (D-92, New Haven) was arrested for drunk driving a few days ago (New Haven Independent), but don't worry. She's already apologized. So all is well.

Seriously though, Speaker Amann ought to immediately punish her. He should remove her title. This may have already happened. Does anyone know? Because as I mentioned in a recent post, one way that legislators give themselves a raise without calling it a raise, is by giving themselves titles and attaching payments to those titles. Rep. Dillon is an "Asst Majority Leader." She should lose the title, thereby giving her a pay cut.

I doubt anything will happen though. I know US Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), pulled this same stunt last year. And as far as I know, nothing happened to him. So I'm not expecting anything to happen to Rep. Dillon.

How low are our standards that we tolerate this and don't call for real punishment? I recognize that elected officials are to be held to account by the electors. But they also ought to be held to account, to at least a minimal degree, by their own body... in this case, the state House.

Tim White
Town Council, 4th District

9 comments:

redtown said...

But Patrick Kennedy is really, sorry. He went into rehab, don't you know, so we must have more "compassion".

I don't know if the New Haven aldermen and state rep are going into rehab, but they're really sorry too. Plus they always fight for "the children", so we must have "compassion".

And Bill Clinton is really, really sorry. He didn't go into rehab because getting a b*** j** in the Oval office was his "personal business" don't you know. (You're so "judgemental" with your talk of punishing wrongdoing).

But Mark Foley -- he's bad. He's a Republican. He never actually touched that page, don't you know, but he's got to be crucified to show what hypocrites those Republicans really are.

You ask, how low can our standards get? It seems to depend on whom you ask and the political party of the transgressor. In our modern liberal culture, this is called "situational ethics".

Anonymous said...

we are angry drunk Dems we are

Don't trust us with a budget or a car

But if you punish us it's no use

we call it substance abuse

and blaming the victim leaves scars

Anonymous said...

Hey randy Cunningham and mark foley did far worse things than clinton and that is why they are in hotter water

Anonymous said...

THE BOTTOME LINE WITH NEW HAVEN IS THAT ALL THESE COUNCILMAN ETC ARE ALWAYS GETTING BAGGED STEALING FUNDS....THANK GOD DESTEFANO WASNT VOTED IN...

Anonymous said...

THE BOTTOME LINE WITH NEW HAVEN IS THAT ALL THESE COUNCILMAN ETC ARE ALWAYS GETTING BAGGED STEALING FUNDS....THANK GOD DESTEFANO WASNT VOTED IN...

Anonymous said...

Redtown...are u defending Mark Foley?..think he was only interested in talking? "he never actually touched that page"....are you on the sexual "defender" list?

redtown said...

Of course I'm not defending Mark Foley. I think it's clear that I'm criticizing the *double standard* by which some transgressing polititians are treated. Mark Foley was appropriately forced to resign for what he did. Clinton should have done the same. (Don't forget, he was impeached for *perjury*, a felony, not for turning the Oval Office into his personal toilet).

Had Clinton not done these acts, or if he'd had the decency to resign, or if the Democrats had not defended the indefensible, Al Gore would be president today.

Anonymous said...

We are pissed and Republican
We think we are the only Americans
We are proud to be Dallas fans
But we are all corrupt
Peace

Anonymous said...
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