Michael M. Bates
Lifestyles of the rich and famous - - and connected
By Michael M. Bates
Teddy Kennedy's brother-in-law pleaded guilty to fraud charges in federal court last week. Moreover, it appears as though the man is also a confidential informant in a case against a former Hillary Clinton aide.
This story has gotten little play in the media, which is too busy cranking out articles and impassioned editorials about Tom DeLay to notice much else. You'd think that when a major Democrat player who's worked in the Clinton, Gore and Kerry campaigns begins to sing like a birdie for the Feds, it would be newsworthy. You'd be wrong.
Kennedy's brother-in-law, Raymond Reggie, is the son of a multimillionaire. Kennedy's wife, Victoria Reggie, is the daughter of a multimillionaire. Their father is a Louisiana judge, a close personal friend of governors and other power brokers, and ran John F. Kennedy's successful 1960 campaign in the Pelican State.
Being so politically wired has its perks. The judge managed to send his six children to Tulane University for a combined 27 years. And the really nice part for his honor is that it didn't cost him anywhere near what an unconnected parent would have paid.
According to a 1995 article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the kids received tuition waivers from various state legislators for all those 27 years. Kennedy's wife completed both her undergraduate and law school training with tuition waivers. Sort of a No Child Left Behind program for insiders. Yet another reason Teddy and other libs just love those government programs.
Here in Illinois, state legislators are blessed with a similar scam. Every year, each of them can award a 4-year scholarship to the University of Illinois and a 4-year scholarship to any other state-supported university.
The scholarships, initially created to increase enrollment at the University of Illinois, have been on the books for a century. Like so many other government programs, it refuses to die.
The original reason for which it was established no longer exists, but most pols aren't willing to give up this juicy political plum. The system has been abused by lawmakers of all persuasions.
More than 1,000 fortunate recipients currently are availing themselves of the benefit at a cost of almost $8 million a year in tuition. If you think this largesse comes with no price tag, you have a promising future in the politics of compassion.
As in Louisiana, legislative scholarships have proved a boon for politicians' relatives, cronies, contributors, coat holders, lobbyists and flunkies.
Some legislators set up a committee to award the scholarships with at least a modicum of evenhandedness. Others do not, and there is no obligation that they do so.
One requirement is that the student lives in the legislator's district. That's been ignored as the scholarships have been traded as IOUs. Some legislators have even awarded the scholarships to their own children.
At a press conference two years ago, Governor Blagojevich made news by announcing his intent to end legislative scholarships. Illinoisans know that whatever the Boy Wonder says at a press conference or photo op must be taken with a very large grain of salt.
His overriding concern in these situations is to get a little face time on the ten o'clock news. Whether he'll follow through on anything is a separate matter.
And so it seems in this case. He really, really wanted to reform the system and end these scholarships that have been used for political payoffs for so very long.
But not enough to disclose the individuals to whom he personally awarded scholarships during the four years he was a state lawmaker. No, no, how he used public funds is a private matter. His initiative was moved to a back burner.
Perhaps he feared that the legislature would retaliate, maybe even take away the armed state trooper who carries the Gov's hairbrush to keep those bangs just so.
Last year in Springfield they took a vote on eliminating the scholarships. The bill needed 60 votes to pass in the House. It failed with only 54 votes, which is significant because it's actually been approved in the House several times before.
Legislators could have saved the taxpayers some money. They could have ended the potential for further abuse and perhaps saved themselves a little embarrassment.
They didn't. Many years ago an alderman made the judgment that "Chicago ain't ready for reform." All this time later, neither is the rest of the state.
This appears in the April 28, 2005, Oak Lawn (IL) Reporter.
© Michael M. Bates
Teddy Kennedy's brother-in-law pleaded guilty to fraud charges in federal court last week. Moreover, it appears as though the man is also a confidential informant in a case against a former Hillary Clinton aide.
This story has gotten little play in the media, which is too busy cranking out articles and impassioned editorials about Tom DeLay to notice much else. You'd think that when a major Democrat player who's worked in the Clinton, Gore and Kerry campaigns begins to sing like a birdie for the Feds, it would be newsworthy. You'd be wrong.
Kennedy's brother-in-law, Raymond Reggie, is the son of a multimillionaire. Kennedy's wife, Victoria Reggie, is the daughter of a multimillionaire. Their father is a Louisiana judge, a close personal friend of governors and other power brokers, and ran John F. Kennedy's successful 1960 campaign in the Pelican State.
Being so politically wired has its perks. The judge managed to send his six children to Tulane University for a combined 27 years. And the really nice part for his honor is that it didn't cost him anywhere near what an unconnected parent would have paid.
According to a 1995 article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the kids received tuition waivers from various state legislators for all those 27 years. Kennedy's wife completed both her undergraduate and law school training with tuition waivers. Sort of a No Child Left Behind program for insiders. Yet another reason Teddy and other libs just love those government programs.
Here in Illinois, state legislators are blessed with a similar scam. Every year, each of them can award a 4-year scholarship to the University of Illinois and a 4-year scholarship to any other state-supported university.
The scholarships, initially created to increase enrollment at the University of Illinois, have been on the books for a century. Like so many other government programs, it refuses to die.
The original reason for which it was established no longer exists, but most pols aren't willing to give up this juicy political plum. The system has been abused by lawmakers of all persuasions.
More than 1,000 fortunate recipients currently are availing themselves of the benefit at a cost of almost $8 million a year in tuition. If you think this largesse comes with no price tag, you have a promising future in the politics of compassion.
As in Louisiana, legislative scholarships have proved a boon for politicians' relatives, cronies, contributors, coat holders, lobbyists and flunkies.
Some legislators set up a committee to award the scholarships with at least a modicum of evenhandedness. Others do not, and there is no obligation that they do so.
One requirement is that the student lives in the legislator's district. That's been ignored as the scholarships have been traded as IOUs. Some legislators have even awarded the scholarships to their own children.
At a press conference two years ago, Governor Blagojevich made news by announcing his intent to end legislative scholarships. Illinoisans know that whatever the Boy Wonder says at a press conference or photo op must be taken with a very large grain of salt.
His overriding concern in these situations is to get a little face time on the ten o'clock news. Whether he'll follow through on anything is a separate matter.
And so it seems in this case. He really, really wanted to reform the system and end these scholarships that have been used for political payoffs for so very long.
But not enough to disclose the individuals to whom he personally awarded scholarships during the four years he was a state lawmaker. No, no, how he used public funds is a private matter. His initiative was moved to a back burner.
Perhaps he feared that the legislature would retaliate, maybe even take away the armed state trooper who carries the Gov's hairbrush to keep those bangs just so.
Last year in Springfield they took a vote on eliminating the scholarships. The bill needed 60 votes to pass in the House. It failed with only 54 votes, which is significant because it's actually been approved in the House several times before.
Legislators could have saved the taxpayers some money. They could have ended the potential for further abuse and perhaps saved themselves a little embarrassment.
They didn't. Many years ago an alderman made the judgment that "Chicago ain't ready for reform." All this time later, neither is the rest of the state.
This appears in the April 28, 2005, Oak Lawn (IL) Reporter.
© Michael M. Bates
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