Friday, December 12, 2008

~Being Bold in the Soprano State ~

Early on, “bold” was a word Gov. Corzine threw around a lot during his campaign. Corzine even penned an article entitled “A Time to be Bold” which, Corzine speaks to fighting for one’s convictions.

Someone should have reminded Corzine of his “fighting” words when he rolled over in late September and paid his ex-flame’s brother-in-law some $362,500 on top of the $15,000 he previously paid to Rocco Riccio. Riccio claims Corzine promised him a job in the private sector after Riccio somehow couldn’t keep his State job. There’s been some speculation that Riccio improperly snooped into tax records. Whatever Riccio did, it must have been pretty bad, or embarrassing to someone, because losing a government job isn’t easily accomplished and peeking around in someone’s financials doesn’t rise to a level of job termination in the Soprano State. After all, hardly anything does.

Corzine said he paid Riccio this outlandish settlement based on the advice of his lawyer. Angelo Genova, naturally a very politically connected lawyer, represented Corzine in this latest episode of the Soprano State. As any good lawyer knows, in order for a plaintiff to win a case, he must prove that he was damaged in some way. Even IF Corzine promised Riccio a job and that promise was broken, what were Riccio’s damages? The answer is none. Since Riccio was already unemployed, Corzine’s alleged broken promise left Riccio right where he started ... unemployed.

Even forgetting that Riccio’s case appeared pretty weak on its face, what strikes me is Corzine’s own weakness and lack of conviction in defending his own honor. Corzine called the claim “meritless”. A person of “conviction” does not pay money to a person who is trying to extort money from them. A person of basic principle just doesn’t do that. Neither does a bold person.

On Monday, a bill sponsored by Sopranoiette Codey to allow municipalities to defer its next pension payment will be put to a vote. If allowed, this means the burden will have to be made up by the taxpayers at a later date. It’s nothing more than a gimmick to prolong the truth from the participants and the taxpayers that the current pension system is unsustainable in its current form.

According to 101.5 news this morning, Sopranoiette Lesniak is planning on spending his time fighting to lift the federal ban on sports betting in NJ. Just as the revenue from the lottery and Atlantic City casinos haven’t cured NJ’s penchant for overspending, mismanagement of assets, conflicts, corruption and waste, sports betting won’t either.

What’s needed is a principled Governor to lead our legislators to fix the dirty deeds of the past, not one who compounds them by boldly repeating them.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

read charlotte in wheelchair was she always or just happen this year stress

NFS said...

No, she wasn't always in a wheelchair ... could be the Pall Malls too.

Anonymous said...

thanks in pa

Anonymous said...

do you know how much money organized crime takes in from sports betting in NJ? estimates are in the millions and millions, perhaps a billion. so lets forget whether your little rant about how casinos didn't help either ( which may be true)and focus on cutting into their profits a little. because those profits are used to bribe people and/or enslave them to hard drugs.

Anonymous said...

so you think its better to have organized crime make the money on sports betting?

NFS said...

My comments on sports betting was hardly a rant. I only wish our legislators would make a legitimate effort in cutting waste, mismanagement & corruption. Afterall, our elected officials can be classified as NJ's own brand of organized crime. The more money the State gets, the worse it behaves.