Snowflakes in Hell

Looks like the legal work on the I-80 toll issue goes to the Governor’s law firm.  Conflict of interest?  Bite your tongue!

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) has handed his former law firm millions in payment for legal work on plans to toll Interstate 80 and privatize the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Over a period of about a year, the law firm Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll has collected $2 million, according to invoices obtained by yardbird.com. Rendell decided that the law firm where he worked as a partner from 2000 to 2002 was better suited to the job, rather than use the seventy lawyers on staff at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Rendell fundraisers became big winners in the toll road deal. Kenneth M. Jarin, co-chairman of Rendell’s re-election campaign, billed the state $24,703.15 for forty-six hours of work with Ballard Spahr. The payment was approved by Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robin L. Wiessmann, who also happens to be Jarin’s wife.

Pennsylvanians, as someone who lives near the City of Brotherly love, let you me give you some brotherly advice.  Never, ever, under any circumstances, and I don’t care how much you like the guy, elect someone from the Philadelphia political machine to a state wide office.  Just say no!  Don’t do it!  Do the Dew instead, for all I care, but Philadelphia politics is dirty and corrupt, and we don’t need it soiling the rest of our fair state.