Sorry for the lack of posts. I'm recovering from a bout of the flu. For a few days there, I didn't have much energy for anything besides reading and napping.
Once I started feeling better, one of the first things I did was go online to make sure that the latest round of Bonusgate allegations wasn't some bizarre fever dream I had while I was laid up.
Those allegations against former House majority leader John Perzel are pretty huge. When I first read them, I found myself thinking of that Dennis Miller joke about Bill Gates -- that he's "a monocle and a Persian cat away from being the villain in a James Bond movie."
Perzel, predictably, is saying that state Attorney General Tom Corbett is just picking a fight for political reasons. That's the same claim made by former Democratic minority whip Mike Veon, who was the biggest target in the last round of Bonusgate allegations.
Veon said that Corbett was just picking on Democrats. Now Perzel says that Corbett went after him only to prove that he isn't just picking on Democrats.
And both Veon and Perzel claim that Corbett's ultimate goal, of course, is to make a name for himself in preparation for next year's campaign for governor.
You know what? There's probably something to that.
I remember similar behavior from U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. This was back in 2003, when Casey was state auditor general, and getting ready to run for state treasurer.
As the election got closer, it seemed like every week, Casey's office was putting out a press release about this audit or that audit. How he discovered appalling waste of taxpayer funds and resources, and how this would not stand!
So yeah, maybe Corbett is engaging in a bit of grandstanding for political purposes. WHO THE HELL CARES?
This isn't some piddling little alleged infraction that Corbett is making a big deal out of. This is Perzel allegedly using $10 million in taxpayer money for the sole purpose of getting his people elected.
Forget for a second that the $10 million could have gone for child care, or elder care, or even -- here's a radical concept -- stayed in our pockets. The idea of elected officials getting into office and then using public resources to keep themselves there is very frightening. It subverts the very concept of government being ultimately accountable to the people.
So I don't care what Corbett's motivations are. I just want to know one thing -- are the charges true?
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