Thursday, August 27, 2009

Fairy Tales


I was going to write about Ted Kennedy, but I'll leave that up to more skilled writers. I still might visit the topic someday soon.

Something happened Tuesday that just begs for comment. Former Pittston Area School Director Joseph Oliveri appeared in federal court to plead guilty to taking a bribe from a contractor.

Oliveri's attorney called it a "reward" for his vote on a project involving the contractor, who hasn't been charged. If that wasn't enough, the attorney said Oliveri used the $1,000 to pay for his share of a Christmas party for some vo-tech school workers in Luzerne County. What a swell guy! He's Santa Claus and Robin Hood, all rolled in to one. It doesn't make a difference where the money went. It was dirty money, no matter how you look at it, and it was money Oliveri had no business possessing.

Oliveri will likely spend a year or two behind bars. He'll be sentenced in late November, in time for Christmas.