Bad attitude in A.G.'s office
After Peter C. Harvey's term as state Attorney General mercifully expired, I hoped New Jersey would finally get a top law enforcement officer who was both competent and intolerant of political corruption. Unfortunately, Gov. Corzine chose an unqualified Democratic hack, Zulima Farber, whose casual regard for the law was epitomized by a driving record that included 13 speeding violations, three license suspensions and a bench warrant.
That attitude surfaced again yesterday, when she told a Senate committee she opposed mandatory prison sentences or loss of pensions for corrupt politicians. She said it would be unfair to deny the pension of someone who has served the public for 30 years if the official turned corrupt in year 31. Unbelievable.
Since 2002, about 200 public officials have been indicted by federal and state authorities. If the state A.G.'s Office hadn't been sitting on its hands and protecting its political friends, the number would be far higher. Corruption is a major problem in New Jersey. The state needs to do everything it can to fight it, including imposing severe penalties on those who engage in it. Jail time and loss of pension should be mandatory for corrupt politicians - regardless of whether they committed the offense the day after they were first sworn to office or 30 years later.
Farber's mindset is scary. The last thing New Jersey needs is an A.G. with a tolerance for political corruption. Farber needs an attitude adjustment. Help her adjust it by e-mailing your thoughts on the subject to http://www.nj.gov/lps/formmail.htm or by phoning her office at 609-292-4925.
Read today's full story: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060616/NEWS/606160433
That attitude surfaced again yesterday, when she told a Senate committee she opposed mandatory prison sentences or loss of pensions for corrupt politicians. She said it would be unfair to deny the pension of someone who has served the public for 30 years if the official turned corrupt in year 31. Unbelievable.
Since 2002, about 200 public officials have been indicted by federal and state authorities. If the state A.G.'s Office hadn't been sitting on its hands and protecting its political friends, the number would be far higher. Corruption is a major problem in New Jersey. The state needs to do everything it can to fight it, including imposing severe penalties on those who engage in it. Jail time and loss of pension should be mandatory for corrupt politicians - regardless of whether they committed the offense the day after they were first sworn to office or 30 years later.
Farber's mindset is scary. The last thing New Jersey needs is an A.G. with a tolerance for political corruption. Farber needs an attitude adjustment. Help her adjust it by e-mailing your thoughts on the subject to http://www.nj.gov/lps/formmail.htm or by phoning her office at 609-292-4925.
Read today's full story: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060616/NEWS/606160433
posted by Randy Bergmann at 8:50 AM
2 Comments:
Folks often call for "mandatory sentences" when they are passionate about fighting a particular crime. I think they like the word mandatory. It has a seriousness and finality about it. But mandatory sentences are not the same thing as tough sentences. With discretion, judges can hand out sentences that are just as tough as mandatory sentences. Moreover, discretion sentencing is more in keeping with the concept of judgement.
Look, the woman is dumb as a post.
Nuf said.
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