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The In Box blog is a general news and discussion site for the News Department of North Country Public Radio. In Box contact information 
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The In Box blog is a general news and discussion site for the News Department of North Country Public Radio. In Box contact information
Latest NCPR News
Yes it was a shame to convict and jail a man that has done so much for his constituents. Over the years he may have been a little shady but his dedication and his achievements fart out weight his deeds. Many in congress and the senate deserve jail time if this conviction stands. It’s a disgrace to a land that is suppose to be free. Even China has better rights than this
Last I knew serving your constituents is part of the job description. A job he was paid very well for. Running a racket within his office and employing state personnel to help him do so was not part of that job description. While certainly not the only one enriching himself unethically on our dime, he deserves what he got.
Yes, conservatives and Republicans are usually enthusiastic about “law and order” and stiff sentences for convicted felons
I have no sympathy for him. He was well paid and used his office to enrich himself. There is a good chance these two years will be his final two years. I feel bad for his family.
The irritating part is that so many obvious crooks remain in office.
Along those lines, I’ve seen nothing locally about Gillibrands husbands shorting stocks. Couldn’t be any “Do as I say, not as I do” going on here, could there?
Bret,
Link please on Gilibrand accusation? There is nothing wrong with shorting stocks, per se. Was there something illegal? Any charges? Investigations? Something factual please?
http://weaselzippers.us/2010/05/04/husband-of-dem-sen-kirsten-gillibrand-was-making-leveraged-short-trades-during-financial-crisis-at-the-same-time-she-was-condemning-such-activity/
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/fundmastery/2010/05/04/did-congress-sell-america-short/
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/article/109442/congress-members-bet-on-fall-in-stocks
The point is The Sainted Kirsten was crying foul over “Wall St Executives” shorting stocks while hubby was making a mint off the practice. “Do as I say, not as I do”.
Wasn’t Gillibrand talking about Goldman’s offering investment vehicles they knew to be “shitty deals” and then selling them, rather than regular market trading?
Correct me if I’m wrong there.
Sounds to me like hubby saw the end of the housing bubble and shorted individual housing stocks, which was a good investment, no?
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/the_journal_comes_up_short_on.php
Anyhow, all your links agree there was nothing illegal. Which makes this different than Bruno, even if it can be construed as hypocritical.
The vast majority of posters here decry “legal” Wall St maneuvers on a regular basis while supporting the Democrat machine and Gillibrand in particular. You can’t have it both ways- it’s either wrong or right, she either stands for the principals she espouses, or she’s a lying, scum sucking politician…just like 90% of the rest of them. This is typical of the mindset I see here all the time. An example- Hillary and Newt both published books. I will bet money most here, 90+%, would support Hillary as being right, but Newt was wrong to do a book deal and that it was okay for Hillary to keep her royalties but right that Newt had to give his up. Another example- Dick Cheney, despite selling off all his Haliburton stock and whatever control he had there, is suspect because of his relationship with that company. Yet, Obama received huge donations from BP but no one questions his relationship with them in the midst of the biggest oil spill we’ve ever seen.
IOW- had someone on the right been shorting stocks while talking against the practice he’d be toast. It’s a double standard, it’s apparent and it’s hypocritical.
Didn’t Dem speaker Jim Wright go down in flames, at Newt’s behest, because of book royalties?
And then, when Gingrich signed a $4.5 million book deal (for an advance, not royalties) just as he was assuming the speaker’s chair, the controversy arose.
Unless history needs revision, seems like Wright paid a pretty heavy price, while Gingrich was paid a heavy price.
Got me. I don’t recall Wright. But Newt had to give up his $$$, Hillary didn’t.
It’s worth your time to look up Jim Wright.
Okay, Wrights problem was the 116 blatant violations of House Rules and using the book as a way to get around donation limits. Newts was that he cut a sweetheart deal with Murdock at the same time there was legislation in play affecting Murdock and Hillary was a Senator at a time when her publishers parent company had the same issues as Newts. But Hillary got to keep her money and Newt couldn’t and lost his seat. Wright’s 116 violations stood as far as I can tell whereas 84 of the 86 charges against Newt were dropped. Nothing stuck to Hillary.
What this tells me is none of these guys should have been breaking the rules. Same for any other politician. Did I miss something?
Yes.
What you missed was that Newt basically helped bring down Wright because of book-based corruption while Speaker of the House, then engaged in … wait for it … book-based corruption while Speaker of the House.
So he was hoist on his own petard, as they say.
Though he got to keep the speaker’s job.
I agree Hillary shouldn’t have taken the money, ethically, from such a huge corporate interest like Viacom. Looks bad, if nothing else.
However, she took it before she took office, and didn’t break any rules, and was never formally accused of doing so.
Other than that, you’re right. Just like Newt.
“…However, she took it before she took office…” Yeah, by the skin of her teeth! This is the same type of double standard I see all the time. Any right wing politician that turned a zillion percent profit on cattle futures would be roasted. Dick Cheney is suspect for eternity because of his position with Haliburton (before he took office) and yet NO ONE says anything about Obama
getting huge donations from BP and the possible effect that could have during this little oil spill in the gulf.
Come on people! At least open your eyes to the reality we live in.