No discussion here about the DM corruption and scandal?

[Hardrada]

Ramona Cunningham and all the others and Cynthia Eisenhauer and Mike Tramontina and others called in to testify.Doesn't look good. Looks like the people involved in this are in rather a picturesque debacle. Not sure of Vilsack's people are going to go unscathed either. I suppose the theory is that if Delay got brought down by misappropriated $$ then the same can befall corrupt Democrats. Yepsen and Borsellino have had some good articles on this stuff (though I normally detest Yepsen it looks like this time he might have some legitimate targets).

[Debi]

1. These are ALL Vilsack's people

Maybe that's why I've been hesitant to post. Every morning I open the paper and see yet another name I recognize as a Friend of Vilsack.

The DMR has the listing of 2005 salaries for all the State of Iowa employees. I realize that the scandal doesn't include payments to State employees, but have you looked at what Vilsack's friends make as compared to even what he makes?

My fear is that this is just the tip of the iceberg in Vilsack's career-long providing for those who got him there and we're going to see a REAL mess ahead of us.

[Hardrada]

2. I was never really sold on Vilsack anyway

and began a more active disdain when he signed on to the "teacher comp" bill which the teachers (who had gone all out for him) didn't want. He feels he has to SOMETHING to put on his career resume, however pernicious.

[Debi]

3. I'm not Vilsack fan. Obviously, I won't get on the Blouin band wagon

for Good Old Tom.

I worry how this will play out for the people who didn't get the huge salaries, who weren't a Friend of Tom. He'll take out or take down all the good, clean Democrats just to protect himself.

What? You think he's going to say, "Yeah, I paid all my buddies truck loads of tax-payer cash as a thanks for getting me into the Governor's office". Right, now that he wants to be President Vilsack he'll sell all those buddies out (he needs national cash now, not this piddly Iowa cash - and anyway he's gonna win the Iowa Caucuses didn't you hear?).

This is just rotten.

[Rambis]

4. Vilsack is,was toast

He has no political career outside of Iowa. There is a backlash against our state for choosing kerry (not saying it is right or wrong) .
There is no way the Dems will nominate a X governor from a small midwestern state like Iowa to be president.
I Loved Clinton but he was the downfall of the democratic party and the last governor from a small state that will get a chance to be elected.

[DU9598]

5. IWD

I think by the time this is over, it won't be just Democrats. I think a lot of this stuff was going on long before Vilsack ever thought of becoming Governor. There are a lot of people who may yet become involved. And, let's not forget, the Federal Department of Labor cleared these salaries for the past three years. If the Feds who provided the money had no problem with the pay, why should the state?

I don't think this has much legs, but if the Repubs keep digging, they will dig down the corruption all the way to the Branstad and perhaps Ray administrations - IWD was reorganized into its present form under Branstad.

[Debi]

6. I have to agree with you there

I think there is always political payback to a sitting Governor's friends.

Vilsack's mistake may have been to keep up Branstad's traditions (and adding $$ to the sweet salaries) rather than 'uncovering' the buddy-system that had been going on for so long under republican leadership. He should have cleaned house, put his people in there with reasonable salaries (How many people make more that the Governor now?) and weeded out the big spenders.

As for the Federal Department of Labor clearing salaries - can anyone say $600.00 toilet seats & $400.00 hammers? Who the hell trust the Federal Government to keep an eye on Iowa? Harkin didn't seem too thrilled that he had helped provide $1.4 million just to pay three salaries.

[Hardrada]

7. Crony System

I know Cynthia Eisenhauer was head of IWD in the Branstad Era since my wife was and is a member of our regional Workforce Commission (with no salary). She was simply kept on, as you indicate, amd moved to another position. Her husband is a judge I believe. I'm just using her as an example of how little the power structure changed in DM after the inimitable Vilsacks arrived in Terrace Hill. Tramontina has been a Dem apparatchik in DM for decades.

[Debi]

8. So maybe the power structure of the statehouse needs to get a good

shaking up :shrug:

[Hardrada]

9. It very badly does. It needs fresh blood

and therewith a general rejuvenation. I would think we could insist on an end to cronyism and children of loyal party members getting nice posts in DM. There is aan activist in Dubuque for instance whose son effortlessly got a DM job. Shouldn't have stuff like that since it also blocks the way for younger people who are outside the power structure from having an input. Another issue is the effect of the financial power structure wanting to have the same old comfortable see-no-evil bureaucrats to deal with. One case in point is that Ankeny land deal which involved, again, Vilsack's political and financial buddies like Bill Knapp and others. And everywhere always and at all times one always comes across people like Michael Gartner and others who are trying to make all thr major decisions for the state universities and so forth. We need to disconnect wealth from sociopolitical influence. These geniuses have screwed up our educational systems, our environment, our economy and our morale as a state. Plus the idiotic top-down schemes these satraps keep coming up with like that Rain Forest idea.