Mayor busted
Kwame M. Kilpatrick, former mayor of Detroit, guilty of corruption. Listening to the story on the news I really thought they were leading up to the name William Lantigua! The two sound like they could have taken their “rules” from the same exact playbook!
Tax cheats
As we are doing the work to get our taxes paid in total and on time, I hope everyone is aware that 312,000 federal workers owe back taxes to the tune of $3.5 billion and there are 40 White House workers who owe over $334,000. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling, doesn’t it, to think that we pay the salaries of these people. They supposedly work for us; they make tax laws that impact what food we can put on the table but they don’t bother to pony up like the rest of us do. Makes you wonder why they can’t understand that we don’t like them, don’t trust them and wish they would get out of our way!
Deputy chief
OK, I am ready to give up on Lawrence after reading the story about the refusal of the City Council to cut the position of deputy chief. We have a deputy collecting his full pay and benefits while under indictment. All this for a position the chief says we don’t even need! The City Council had the opportunity to do the right thing, and flubbed the ball. I just don’t understand it! Does the deputy chief have too many friends on the City Council? They say we get the government we deserve. Maybe it’s true.
Award winner
Congratulations to Lt. Mary Bartlett for her “Woman of the Year” award from Delamano Inc. Finally the people of Lawrence have an officer who actually earns her salary and doesn’t get paid for doing nothing.
Bank robberies
With all the recent bank robberies in Methuen, I think we should station a police officer in all banks the way it used to be. Maybe not. They may be labeled baby sitters for the tellers.
Solicitor search
Kudos to Councilors Ronald Marsan, Jeanne Pappalardo, and Lisa Ferry for putting Methuen’s residents ahead of politics. Councilors on the selection committee who’ll also make the final selection? Secret meetings to trim the candidates down to the final four? Accepting the application of someone who was fired from the same position and is now suing to get his job back plus compensation? A 6 to 3 vote to continue a process that has been obviously flawed from day one? I’ll give the council majority the benefit of the doubt but I think that something fishy is going on — and apparently two 11th hour candidates felt the same.
Corporate crime
At a recent Senate banking hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked how much drug cartel money has to be laundered by a big bank before anyone goes to jail? Of course she received no reply. If corporations are people as Gov. Mitt Romney suggested in Iowa, how come they never go to jail for crimes that would land us in jail for decades or life?
