Seriously, Rep. Rangel, let it go

Everyone knows a few things, at minimum, about House of Representatives Democrat Charlie Rangel, I think. One of those is that he's been in the House for a LONG time. Another is that it's widely assumed that he's "dirty", as in, not clean, as in guilty of ethics violations concerning the performance of his job. And yes, yes, I know we're supposed to presume innocence until guilt is proven otherwise but, hey, it's Charlie Rangel. Both sides of the aisle assume he's had his hands--both of them--in the proverbial cookie jar and more than once, I bet. But here's some things that the average person on the street doesn't know about Rep. Rangel--Charlie has been in the House 40 years. Holy cow. Another is that Charlie is 80 years old. Get that. 80 years old. He's been in the House half his long life. Word came out yesterday that Rep. Rangel is negotiating with the House ethics panel right now so he can leave somewhat gracefully and without such a tarnished record. I think that's too bad. I think we should find out what he's done, if anything, and hold him accountable. It won't happen but I believe that's what should come about. (and this from a Democrat, right?). My conclusion, easy as it is, is that Mr. Rangel needs to go. He has needed to go for some time, actually, and now is a good time for it. In fact, the sooner he goes, the better I think the House of Representatives will be. I just hope we aren't letting a really guilty guy go free with no "example" being set for everyone else in Congress. Here's hoping. Link to original post: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100727/ap_on_go_co/us_rangel_ethics

At what point will elected politicians understand?

First, we get a report from The Kansas City Star, just earlier this week, that a bunch of our elected pols took a pretty good deal of corporate paid-for trips--junkets--and that they also, illegally, didn't report and now comes word--as if we're surprised--that "The House Ethics Committee says 20-term Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel repeatedly violated ethics rules by accepting corporate money for lavish trips to the Caribbean."

And this is just the latest for Charlie Rangel: "Rangel, chairman of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, also faces investigations into his use of office resources to raise money for a college center bearing his name and his failure to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets and income."

It's so frustrating.

All these people feel as though, apparently, that as long as the American people don't raise cane (cain?) about it, it's okay--that if they just "get by with it," even though it's illegal, that all will be well.

I assume they figure "If everyone else is doing it, I can, too."

How else can you explain such blatant disregard for ethics, the appearance of really poor judgement and virtually total disregard for law?

If a business or business person is paying for your trip to New York City or the Masters tournament or Japan (which is what Missouri representatives all did) or, as in the case of Charlie Rangel, a trip (trips?) to the Carribbean, how do you accept that trip as an elected representative and not know it's at least unethical, if not downright illegal?

What, are you stupid?

And we're sick of it.

It's not as though this is anything new, certainly, and we all know that but it just seems the graft and appearance of graft and unethical behavior is going beyond the pale in an atmosphere that, otherwise, needs a great deal of attention.

As taxpayers, as voters, as citizens, we are sick of our representatives taking care of themselves first, last and foremost, and then, incidentally doing a little of the public's business by voting on this or that, almost as a sideline.

They have fantastic health care, as elected officials--at least in the US Congress.

We certainly don't.

They have wildly lavish pensions to take care of them later in life, once they're off the public dole.

Again, corporate America has seen to it we don't have that option.

They have travel and franking (postage), both, budgets we don't have.

And in the meantime, America is kind of going to heck in a handbasket, economically and financially, in case they haven't noticed but who are they taking care of?

Themselves.

It's time for this party to be stopped.

We need to raise hell and get the kind of representatives and government we deserve.

Let's start by throwing Charlie Rangel out of Congress.