I'm Shocked to Discover Corruption in Politics

No, I'm not really shocked. Politics is defined by corruption. (I'm originally from Illinois.) The Other McCain has a story about politics. BUSTED: ‘Anti-Poverty’ Democrat Activist Joe Sanberg Accused of Massive Fraud

Veteran blogger Lawrence Parson has a long post examining the (alleged) $145 million scam (allegedly) perpetrated by Joe Sanberg, who at one point was considered a “rising star” in the Democratic Party and even talked about as a potential presidential candidate. The extra use of “allegedly” in my lead is necessitated by the fact that, unlike most accused criminals I write about, Joe Sanberg has fat stacks of cash and many influential connections, so I wouldn’t want to risk a libel suit by stating as a fact that he is guilty — GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!

There is a statement from the DOJ, and some info on his (alleged) partner-in-crime, now a .gov witness.

Also, isn’t America a great country? Where else can you find a Jew and an Arab cooperating in a scam to defraud Hollywood big shots of millions of dollars? (Allegedly, I hasten to add.)

Go read the whole thing.

As for Illinois. Four of the past 10 governors have gone to prison over ethics violations. Here is a more complete list. The Dishonor Roll: Meet the public officials who helped build Illinois’ culture of corruption

My favorite is Paul Powell.

There's only one thing worse than a defeated politician, and that's a broke one.

That link on Powell is to the Wiki, but it hits all the high points, including the fact that he had $800,000 in cash stashed in various places when he died in 1970. That doesn't include the $1 million worth of stock in Illinois racetracks that was determined to be the result of bribes.