Opinion A Fine Point A loss for words: There's only one for DeWees...
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That conclusion is inescapable whether one believes the jurors who listened to seven days of testimony and convicted Mr. DeWeese of felonies for taking advantage of his office for political gain -- or one believes the former House speaker himself, who says he was a trusting boss who was duped by underlings and didn't know what was going on in his office.
Either way, he was not properly fulfilling his duties, representing the 50th District, centered in Waynesburg, Greene County.
But a defiant, combative Bill DeWeese disagrees. He will appeal his conviction, which is his right, but he should step aside while doing so. His conviction will not become official until sentencing, and then he will lose his right to serve in the House. With his April 24 sentencing coincidentally set for the date of Pennsylvania's primary election, Mr. DeWeese would be asking voters to nominate him for a 19th full term on the very day that he becomes disqualified for it and faces minimum prison time of nine to 16 months.
Not that this matters to his constituents. They have twice returned him to office while the criminal case was developing, and even after Monday's guilty verdict, some heaped praise on him for being helpful and a strong, though long-winded, voice for their downtrodden region.
It's worth pointing out that Mr. DeWeese, who wants to remain in office pending appeal, argued against that accommodation in 2000, when a Republican House member sought the same break. So add contrarian to the list of adjectives that stick to this unusual character, a man who exhibits a parochial charm that plays well in his largely rural district while casting himself in Harrisburg as the intellectually superior victim of political attacks by Gov. Tom Corbett, who led the bipartisan Bonusgate investigation as state attorney general.
The acts that the jury said make Bill DeWeese a convicted felon -- using taxpayer dollars to pay people for campaign work -- form another chapter in the saga of Pennsylvania's political corruption. Enough is enough.
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written by Deke, February 08, 2012 - 07:15 AM
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written by Ironman, February 08, 2012 - 07:44 AM
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written by GBRetired, February 08, 2012 - 10:36 AM
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written by LeBro, February 08, 2012 - 10:38 AM
I hope that Billie D spends a lot of time with his old crony Mike Veon.
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written by fishcop326, February 09, 2012 - 12:09 AM
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written by PghGirl412, February 09, 2012 - 08:19 AM
fishcop sums it up nicely. I also saw the news coverage of folks happy to re-elect DeWeese. Term limits are the only thing that may force people to educate themselves about the issues & candidates. Think of term limits as kind of truancy laws for adults.
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Until we can remove the money from politics, greed, graft and corruption will continue to exist.
Their Oath of Office also means little, to support, obey and defend the Constitution and the media does not keep issues in the public conscientiousness to hold them accountable. One such point, the 1995 pay grab. This perpetual crime in progress violates PA Const. Art. 3, Sec. 27, which prohibits increases in salary after their election or appointment and that’s exactly what a COLA does.
We also need a stronger campaign and ethics code, otherwise money will continue to corrupt our elected officials. So we’ll add Bill DeWeese to the list of convicted state officials:
Senator Lisa Boscola, Senator Pat Browne, Senator Dan Delp, Senator Jim Ferlo, Senator Vince Fumo, Senator F. Joseph Loeper, Senator Frank Mazzei, Senator William Slocum, Senator Leanna Washington, Senator John Wozniak, Representative Linda Bebko-Jones, Representative Robert Bellomini, Representative Paul Costa, Representative Gary Day, Representative Bill DeWeese, Representative Thomas Druce, Representative Brett Feese, Representative/ House Speaker Herbert Fineman, Representative Frank Gigliotti, Representative Michael C. Gruitza, Representative Jeffrey Habay, Representative Max Homer, Representative Thaddeus Kirkland, Representative Frank LaGrotta, Representative Dave Levdansky, Representative John Myers, Representative Scott Perry, Representative John Perzel, Representative Joe Preston, Representative Kenneth W. Ruffing, Representative Tracy Seifert, Representative Ulysses Shelton, Representative T. Milton Street, Sr. (2011 Primary Mayoral Candidate in Philadelphia), Representative Leonard E. Sweeney, Representative Mike Veon, Representative Ronald Waters, Representative Jake Wheatley Jr., Representative Jesse White, State Auditor General Al Benedict, State Treasurer Bud Dwyer, State Attorney General Ernie Preate, Judge Mark Ciavarella & Judge Michael Conahan (cash for kids), Judge Rolf Larsen, Judge Patrick McFalls and Judge Willis Berry.
Yet still, there are more awaiting trial or under investigation; Senator Jane Orie, Senator Robert Mellow Senator Raphael Musto, Representative Joseph Brennan, Representative John Galloway, Representative Bill Keller, Representative Cherelle Parker and Representative Steve Stetler. Some catch and release notables were “Gun-Toting” Senator Bob Mensch and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl who was handcuffed at a Steeler’s game.
Gary J. English
avigilantone at yahoo dot com