 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Calling it entertaining would belittle the weight of the charges against him - 139 counts in all that include lavish personal spending using public money, and using a nonprofit as an ATM. Besides, taxpayers should pay close attention to the trial for education rather than entertainment. There are few occasions for the kind of transparency into how government operates that this trial will provide.
And that's the heart of the problem.
At best, the indictment pulls back the veil on a public servant who lost sight of the boundaries between public and personal, and hence, between right and wrong. At worst, it a picture of criminal arrogance, a stunning violation of the public trust that involved the expenditure of millions of dollars that went undetected for years.
For taxpayers, this trial could be a tipping point, an outrage that could pave the way for real reform, if not outright revolt.
There are a few things that tell us that this tipping point is near. The Harrisburg legislative pay raise opened the floodgates, and new charges are pending on legislative bonuses. But it's not only on Harrisburg that citizens should be focused. With the country staggering under a credit crisis, a huge war-fueled deficit, and a slowed economy, the divide between the public and those elected to serve the public interest grows ever wider.
Fumo will no doubt argue that politicians like himself are on call 24/7 and using employees for personal chores like picking up dry cleaning and doing home repairs is the price of doing business.
Fumo has been in fixes before, and has managed to come out unscathed.
What is the appropriate use of tax dollars by public officials and how do we better hold them accountable? Is the behavior Fumo is accused of the exception, or the rule? Will taxpayers look on the charges as simply the quid pro quo for the billions that Fumo was able to send back to Philadelphia?
Whatever the outcome, the trial should deliver an invaluable lesson in power, politics, and how business gets done in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. We hope it also leads to a louder round of questions about what we should be demanding from those we trust to spend our money. For more on that subject, go to ourmoneyphilly.com. *
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fr
Dec 5
|
Sa
Dec 6 |
Su
Dec 7 |
Mo
Dec 8 |
Tu
Dec 9 |
TOP STORIES
SPORTS
Green
today's poll
express headlines
Promotions
photo GALLERY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
email this
print this
