Fibber's closet has nothing on Congressman Schock's - Part II

Monday, I posted on the continuing troubles of Peoria's conservative darling, Congressman Aaron Schock, comparing the avalanche of ethical troubles pouring down on him to radio legend Fibber McGee's hall closet. Tuesday, Schock, saying he was 'shocked, shocked', that people were questioning his character, hired top layers and PR people to close the door on the charges tumbling down on him. Wednesday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, filed a third ethics charge against Schock saying that available evidence "warrants a full investigation."

My beef with Schock is that his governance and lifestyle, voting against every sensible measure to improve the lives of the poor, the marginalized, the needy, while gaming the system to live like a jet set celebrity, debases our government and society. Being elected to the House at the tender age of 28 has noting to do with Schock's shocking governing style. It has to do with character. As far as being a decent congressman, Schock's character closet is empty.

Billionaire Bruce: Channel billionaire Mark

There is nothing wrong with being a billionaire governor. To be a good one you just need a heart, a soul and a good dose of governing wisdom. Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota has all three. Gaining office in January, 2011, Dayton, billionaire heir to the Target fortune, inherited a $6.2 billion budget deficit and 7% unemployment rate from his predecessor, extreme fiscal conservative Tom Pawlenty. By never raising taxes Pawlenty impoverished Minnesota, adding a Pawlenty paltry 800 jobs yearly over eight years. Enter Billionaire Mark. He raised state income tax from 7.85 to 9.85 percent on individuals earning over $150,000, and on couples earning over $250,000 when filing jointly – a tax increase of $2.1 billion. He's raising Minnesota's minimum wage to $9.50 and hour, guaranteed equal pay for women, and created an online voter registration system to increase the voter rolls of the little people being helped by this extraordinary uplifting of the entire Minnesota populous. How uplifting? In his first term Dayton added 172,000 jobs, 166,000 more than Pawlenty created in two terms. While Minnesota has the 4th highest income tax rate of 50 states, it now has the 5th lowest unemployment rate at 3.6% and is the 5th fastest growing state economy. And that $6.2 billion dollar budget deficit is now a $1 billion surplus, with a third of that earmarked for improving public education.

Meanwhile, in Illinois, our billionaire governor gave all the folks already well off a big tax cut to be paid for by all the people in need. He's clearly using the wisdom he possesses that made him a billionaire manipulating struggling companies and tax codes to further enrich himself and his wealthy base. Knowing how frugal Billionaire Bruce is, maybe if enough of us chip in a few bucks apiece, we can buy him a one way ticket to Minnesota. He can't do much damage to a state near the finish line of an astounding economic recovery. And Billionaire Mark needs a new challenge.

Fibber's closet has nothing on Congressman Schock's

The now, not so secret life of Peoria Congressman Aaron Shock reminds me of the old time radio hit, Fibber McGee and Molly. The husband wife team of Jim Jordan and Marian Driscoll were also from, amazingly, Peoria, IL They stared on radio and TV for 24 years from 1935 to 1959, with Fibber the self important denizen of Whistful Vista, and Molly as his down to earth, ego deflating wife. Their most famous running gag concerned Fibber's hall closet. He kept pilling up junk in the closet and every time he opened it the junk crashed down on him. It never failed to provoke gales of laughter.

Fibber's closet could be a metaphor for Congressman Schock's troubles as new allegations of impropriety, insensitivity and tone deafness tumble down on him daily to deflate the once rising GOP hunk whose vision does not include the 'little people'. It does include Downton Abbey décor for his office, gifted by his Peoria decorator pal's Euro Trash business. Schock's communications director was summarily fired after caught communicating stupid racial Facebook postings. Then, publicity hound Schock, prone to posting Instagram pics of his jet set travels, was outed by investigative sleuths who used those pics to tie Schock to unethical private plane flights by supporters. This newest ethics flap is on top of a previous one involving dubious campaign fund solicitations.
  
After Fibber's close encounter with Closet Trash, he'd mutter, "Straighten out that closet one of these days." Methinks that day has passed for fibber Aaron.

Rudy, leave America and never come back

“I do not believe — and I know this is a horrible thing to say — but I do not believe that the president loves America. He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”
- Rudy Giuliani, speaking at a private NY dinner -- featuring Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and a group of 60 right-leaning business executives and conservative media types.
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Every decent American should condemn Giuliani's despicable, hateful and incendiary comments that are almost a call to violence to the more unstable haters in America. The media should shun Giuliani like they would the Ebola virus. He should be picketed and booed wherever he deigns to appear. Better yet, we should all encourage him to emigrate to a country which relishes such disgusting poison being spread in the public discussion. The president has more love in his little finger than Rudy Giuliani has in his entire being.