The Blago Scandal

Yesterday our governor, Rod Blagojevich, who is currently both under indictment and in the process of being impeached, appeared on national television news programs to plead for his job.

He hammered the same message to every question his interviewers asked: He is innocent, the rules of impeachment prohibit him from calling witnesses, and he won’t resign because it would disgrace his family.

Yesterday several companies announced layoffs - firings if you will. Caterpillar Tractor, headquartered in Peoria, IL, the state Rod ‘governs,’ is letting 20,000 workers go. John Deere, another Illinois company, announced several thousand layoffs earlier. Others include 8,000 at Sprint, 7,000 at Home Depot, 3,400 at Texas Instruments, and 18,000 possible layoffs at Pfizer.

That’s 36,400 lay offs announced yesterday alone, in addition to the Deere cuts.

Not one of those 36,400 people was able to get on The View and argue that s/he should be able to keep his or her job. Not one was able to get on the Today Show and argue that s/he should be able to keep his or her job. Not one was able to get on Larry King Live - and preempt former President Carter in the process - and argue that s/he should be able to keep his or her job.

Our governor cries foul. He says he isn’t being given due process although he had the opportunity to present rebuttal. He refused to listen to his lawyers and failed thereby to meet deadlines to have due process.

I would wager that most of the 36,400 whose layoffs were announced yesterday were given less opportunity to fight for their jobs. No doubt some of them will rail at the economy, at former President Bush, at current President Obama, and whine just as loudly as Rod Blagojevich. But they’ll be just as out of a job, and if they don’t get a retirement package will be out pounding the pavement looking for one, adopting frugal measures as they find them necessary, and otherwise adapting. Some of them will do drastic things to survive, and a few of them will not survive.

But not one of them will have the opportunity to whine to a national audience on three different ‘news’ shows in one day.

It’s time for Rod Blagojevich to stand up straight, accept the destiny he has brought upon himself, and have some dignity. Stop whining for Pete’s sake!

Please feel free to comment below. And if you know of an interesting part time job, let me know about that too. I’ll pass it on.