The Bay State Blues

 I guess if it happens enough people will take notice.

 "Salvatore DiMasi, the former speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who was found guilty of extortion, conspiracy, and mail and wire fraud, faces 25 years in prison at his September 8 sentencing. The Boston Democrat’s June convictions stemmed from a scheme to steer state contracts to a Canadian computer company. Cognos, the tech outfit, got millions; DiMasi, apparently motivated by credit-card debt, loans, and high living to seek supplemental income, got thousands. Governor Deval Patrick, a witness in the case, responded to the verdict by saying, “I hope what it means is the end of a long, sad chapter.”
Others fear a trend. DiMasi is the third consecutive Massachusetts House speaker convicted of a felony. Speaker Extortion succeeded his mentor, Speaker Obstruction of Justice, who succeeded his mentor, Speaker Felony Tax Evasion. DiMasi’s own protégé, Robert DeLeo, currently sits in the speaker’s chair. Like his immediate predecessors, he condemns corruption, but he doesn’t believe that there is much of it on Beacon Hill. “I don’t think I can imagine anything more damaging than the idea that the defendant’s conduct was nothing other than ‘business as usual’ on Beacon Hill,” DeLeo said. “This was definitely not business as usual—and it is a slur on every hardworking public servant to suggest otherwise.”"

H/T: The Agitator