Another Big Time Lawmaker Charged With Criminal Fraud in New Jersey!

Richard G. Jones, "Lawmaker In New Jersey Is Charged With Fraud," in The New York Times, March 30, 2007, at p. B1.
Richard G. Jones, "After Senator's Indictment, Republicans Ask Corzine for a Special Session on Corruption," in The New York Times, March 31, 2007, at p. B5.

"TRENTON, March 29 -- One of New Jersey's veteran legislators was indicted on fraud and corruption charges on Thursday. He is accused of using his considerable influence to gain a $37,000-a-year no show job at the state medical school in exchange for bringing it millions of dollars in grants."

"The 20-count federal indictment against State Senator Wayne R. Bryant -- Camden County Democrat and former chairman of the Budget and Appropriation Committee -- was the outgrowth of a federal monitor's report on the troubled University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey."

"The former dean at the university's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Camden County, R. Michael Gallagher, who arranged the position for Mr. Bryant, was also charged in the indictment."

"... the United States attorney [for New Jersey] Christopher J. Christie, continued his crusade against what he described as a 'culture of corruption in New Jersey.'" You ain't kidding, Chris.

" ... Mr. Christie said that Mr. Bryant 'corrupted multiple political and public agencies, according to the indictment, all to feed his own insatiable desire for more public money to put in his own pocket.' "

"In all. Mr. Bryant was earning about $175,000 a year from his government jobs, including his $49,000 salary in the state legislature."

"The indictment sent shock waves through the State House. One analyst said that it might be the most important case brought against a sitting public official in recent years."

"TRENTON, March 30 -- "Less than 24 hours after one of New Jersey's most powerful Democratic state senators was indicted on federal charges of bribery, fraud and corruption, Republican legislators on Friday asked the governor to call a special [legislative] session to pass tougher laws on corruption."

"... Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., another Democrat from Camden [who is, allegedly, "allied with" Camden County power broker and "Big Boss" George E. Norcross, III] discounted the need for a special session, [I am not surprised!] but he promised that the legislature would take steps to address some of [these] concerns within 90 days."

What steps?

"... 'I believe we are at a critical mass on corruption in New Jersey,' Mr. Baroni [Republican] said, 'What do we do? It is time for us to come to a special session.'"

A "special session"? I think there may be a little more required here. Like getting rid of the organized crime families that have infiltrated party politics, especially among Democrat club houses and machines in Hudson and Camden Counties.

Big criminals in those counties pay off public officials or become public officials. For years illegal gambling machines were placed in businesses in West New York by police officers, who came by regularly to pick up a share of the proceeds -- until a former police chief and his associates were indicted. Now they are more subtle about that sort of thing, people say, but not much more.

There are no aspects of political life untouched by corruption and crime in the Garden State, as would-be judges pay off -- I mean "contribute" to -- politicians in order to be appointed to judgeships, often despite a visible lack of intelligence or capacity for the job. This includes New Jersey's "feces-smeared" Supreme Court justices ignoring heinous unconstitutionality and crime in agency procedures conducted in their name, while seeking death penalty cases to uphold and ways to ensure that racial profiling survives "by other means" in state highways. "We will pretend that nothing is happening." Well, something is happening.

These are your tax dollars being stolen. You happy about that? If not, give 'em a buzz and tell them what you think of them in Trenton. If you can help the feds, please do so. This is not the kind of government you want in your children's lives.

"How the hell are ya?"