Cantrell, Patronage, and Election Fixing

The buffoons at The Times newspaper published a story, that they made sure to "hold" until after the election so as to ensure the re-election of Baby Mac to Mayor of Hammond.  The story is of how Baby Mac's super-qualified wife (as evidenced by the number of high-profile law firms seeking to employ her) decided that she would forgo getting a job based on merit but decided that it was better to gain money and influence from the daughter of her husband's former political-consultant Robert Cantrell.  (If it's not too much to ask, maybe Judge Cantrell can make Mrs. Baby Mac's cover letter and resume -- you know -- the one she must have submitted when applying for a job -- available for all to see.  Shouldn't be too hard to produce, now should it.  And while Judge Julie is at it, maybe she can produce the job advertisement because I'm just absolutely sure there was an actual job search conducted.)  That's right, the federally indicted Cantrell -- the one who, according to previous Times news articles, illegally obtained medical insurance for both Julie and John (otherwise called, Bob Cantrell's children).  When it comes to criminal and fraudulent behavior, I think it's safe to say that the apples didn't fall far from the tree. 

There is no doubt that if the story of illegal patronage of Mrs. Baby Mac by the medical defrauding judge had come out in the newspaper before the election, Mr. and Mrs. Baby Mac could have been reduced to kicking their dog back under their house porch waiting for David Hamm to come save it.  What would have been intriguing to see is -- if Baby Mac had lost the election -- would both he and the Mrs. still have been able to keep their "patronage" jobs at Purdue Calumet, which under Cohen has turned into just another Northwest Indiana political patronage cesspool where all the Democratic Hammond politicos go to earn a little extra spending money and give themselves "academic" credentials that look good on the political resume?

How stupid does Judge Cantrell think we are?  This is not a question of competency it is a question of looking like you are a judge and therefore fair; none of which has ever been attributed to the Cantrells, especially the judge.  (Note to Purdue Calumet: when Judge Julie complains about me, you might want to think twice about defending her.)  Many women lawyers, who have had children, in Lake County are as competent as Mrs. Baby Mac.  Why Mrs. Baby Mac?  Because it is patronage and illegal and shows that the judge is not free of corruption.  The sad part is that we all know that it is fraud; we all know that it is illegal patronage; we all know that the Democrats in Lake County are as corrupt as you can get.  The problem is proving it and this is the difficulty the Feds have and will always have.

What The Times has done is a "legal" form of campaign fixing.  By not running the story, they insured their interests continued and Baby Mac was re-elected Mayor of Hammond.  It did not matter to them that his pilfering of the City was so obvious to its citizens that in spite of all their efforts and a $400,000 war chest he politically lost to an old man in a wheel chair with $2,600.  Baby Mac, the Democrats and most of all The Times Newspaper and its publisher should be ashamed of themselves.  They should be most ashamed of enabling the continuation of graft, corruption, and illegal patronage to continue in Lake County and worse in many cases supporting it.

It is the specific reason that NWI Federal Judge, and former U. S. Attorney, Joe Van Bokkelen has always specifically indicated that the problems of corruption in NWI cannot be solved through legal means or through "ethical codes."  There are so many of them that you just cannot arrest and convict all the bastards.  The only way to end NWI corruption and to turn the area around so that education, business, and civil life can improve and be normal is when the voters act to "kick the bums out."  This will only happen when the institutions that are responsible for presenting the information so that the citizens can act make it public.  That is the failure of the local newspapers.  Their role has been to promote or ignore the corruption that has continued to undermine the citizens of Lake County and NWI.  They have played along to get along.

I challenge any of the newspapers to follow up on any of the investigations of the improper behavior of politicos in Hammond, Purdue Calumet, Purdue West Lafayette, etc. in these very blogs, which I know they read.  It will never happen.  They do not care to investigate and inform when it may go against their "patron saints."  The newspapers "play along to get along." 

It is one of my important functions as a professor and as an educator in the community to continue telling the truth and calling the shots as I see them.  It is the only way in which the electorate can get honest information and evaluation upon which to make decisions.  In NWI, there are no information outlets that provide that and therefore the charlatans and incompetents continue to thrive. 

In spite of everything that "true evil" has tried to do to me to stop educating the public I will stick by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' famous words "I Won't Back Down."

Comments

[cj]

I find McDermott's recent appology to be lacking any value. The Mayor would have had a wonderful opportunity to really present an appology, the health department had nothing to do with his poor turn out. People hate to be used a fodder, Tommy's dad making big bucks on Cabella; $100,000 of Hammond Tax Payers monies to Purdue in exchange for a job; Diombala, a Department Head owning $12,000 in past due property taxes; the tie with Cantrell and a lot more... Shame on you Tommy

[cj]

I am sure the folks at the Times have read this. I am more confident that they will not dare to address this issue....
What happend to ethics Nagel?