Bonusgate: A Tsunami for Reform

From PACleanSweep

In 2005, the legislative pay raise was a seismic disturbance that rumbled beneath the surface of Pennsylvania's political ocean. In 2006, the electoral effects were felt in what was commonly dubbed a "political earthquake." Three years later, the resultant tsunami - otherwise known as Bonusgate - has finally come crashing to shore.

Citizens should applaud the agents of the Attorney General's office and members of the grand juries. The volume of man-hours apparently involved in pouring through mountains of records and testimony to reach this point is astounding. That the investigation continues and more arrests are likely is even more breathtaking.

The biggest accolades, however, must be reserved for the people of Pennsylvania and their historic reaction to the pay raise. Absent the intense citizen activism during the 2006 election cycle, Bonusgate would not even be a blip on the radar.

Although the grand juries found that the intermingling of campaigns and legitimate legislative functions began prior to 2006, the sheer number of electoral challenges that year created an opportunity for the practice to be utilized to an extent that commanded the attention of the media and law enforcement.

Without pay raise outrage, the practice might have quietly remained behind the scenes for years to come. Without pay raise outrage, journalists might not have had the editorial foresight and ripe audience required for stories that grow "legs." Without pay raise outrage, law enforcement might not have felt compelled to launch such a substantial investigation.

Under grant of immunity, one individual involved in the scandal nailed it: the pay raise "changed the whole map."

Bonusgate should spur aftershocks from voters for the same reasons the pay raise did. Both incidents arose from the fault line of arrogance and greed that unfortunately runs directly beneath our Capitol's dome. For some, apparently, the weight of incumbency is simply not enough advantage in the ongoing fight for power and personal privilege.

Despite gerrymandered legislative districts, the availability of free media coverage for legislative work during re-election season, the ability to dole out public funds, taxpayer-funded newsletters and public service announcements, certain individuals within at least one caucus viewed retaining their positions and gaining a majority in the House of Representatives as objectives that reside above the law.

Although the recent revelations are likely just the first phase of the tsunami, Pennsylvanians must begin considering the cleanup and rebuilding efforts now. Clearly there are instances of individual abuses, but many of the problems of Harrisburg are rooted in the structure of government and inherently systemic.

Will further internal legislative rule changes be enough? Will stronger statutes and threats of stiffer penalties prevent such activity in the future? Can any legislative body effectively police itself, or should Pennsylvania tackle the Mother of all Reforms - an objective constitutional convention where sitting public officials are prohibited from serving as delegates?

These questions can only be answered properly if Pennsylvania's citizens are informed, actively engaged in the process, and honest about both the mistakes of the past and the challenges that lie ahead.

As the waters from the Bonusgate tsunami retreat back to the proverbial sea, some parts of the political infrastructure in Harrisburg will have crumbled while others remain standing. Those that remain standing will have been built on the solid ground of the law, ethics and accountability. It is these principles that will guide us in finally ending Pennsylvania's crisis of confidence.

Constitutional Convention Enabling Act (SB1290)
About PACleanSweep
PACleanSweep is a non-partisan effort dedicated to reforming state government in Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit www.PACleanSweep.com.
For more information:
Russ Diamond, Chairman
chair@pacleansweep.com
717.383.3025

PACleanSweep' Russ Diamond Thursday on WITF's SmartTalk Harrisburg PBS

On Thursday, October 4 at 8:00 p.m., PACleanSweep founder & chair Russ Diamond will square off again with Pennsylvania Bar Association president Andrew Susko on the November 6 judge retention races. The conversation will be held on WITF-TV's SmartTalk public affairs program. WITF is Harrisburg's PBS affiliate - Channel 33. Check your local directory for the cable channel in your area.

Every Pennsylvanian - regardless of party affiliation - will be eligible to cast a 'yes' or 'no' vote on seven individuals who currently sit on statewide appellate courts. These individuals are asking for another ten-year term.

PACleanSweep says Vote NO on Nov. 6

PACleanSweep (on The Hankster sidebar) is urging every Pennsylvanian to go to the polls on November 6 and cast a resounding 'NO' vote on every one of the PA judges who accepted a pay raise. You can select your county for the list.

I first met Russ Diamond, the founder of PACleanSweep, when he attempted to run for gov of Pennsylvania as an independent in 2006. He failed to reach the ridiculous ballot access requirement of 68,000 signatures (volunteers collected a hefty 38,000 statewide), but he has never given up on organizing independents, anti-incumbents and just plain folks to speak out about the corruption of the two-party system and the democratic process.

Earlier in September, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that "some anti-pay-raise activists, such as Russ Diamond of Pennsylvania Clean Sweep, note that Saylor [a State Supreme Court Justice seeking re-election] was part of a 6-0 Supreme Court decision upholding the way the Legislature approved slot-machine parlors - a dead-of-night vote on a bill that received no detailed public scrutiny until after it passed."

USA Today reported last week: "Pennsylvania judges went a decade without any raise in base pay, according to Stuart Ditzen, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. In July 2005, the Legislature raised salaries for lawmakers, judges and other state officials — during a 2 a.m. vote that enraged voters and led to the defeat of at least six legislative leaders that November. Voters also ousted Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro — the first time in state history, Ditzen says, that a high-court justice was voted off the bench. After the election, the Legislature repealed the pay raise for everyone."

It's not about the money, Russ is quoted in the article, "it's about the way they got it."

Keep up the good work, PACleanSweep!

Pennsylvania: Online parody recalls Russ Diamond's law suit

A tangled Web at state House
GOP campaign material was improperly stored on a Pa. government Web site funded by taxpayers.
By Mario F. Cattabiani ...Kate Philips, Rendell's press secretary, called the cartoon "bush league."
"Wrong doesn't begin to describe it," Philips said. (Rendell shatters a scale during the fight's weigh-in.) "It was disrespectful, distasteful and, frankly, a little dumb."
It's not the first time House Republicans have faced questions about use of state computers.
Last year, Russ Diamond, founder of PaCleanSweep, a group formed in response to the 2005 pay raise, sued a House GOP staffer for defamation.
The suit alleged that the staffer, Bob Nye, had created an online parody equating Diamond with former Enron chief Kenneth Lay. Nye acknowledged the site was his, but said he had done it entirely on his home computer. A federal judge dismissed the case in October.... (Philadelphia Inquirer)