“Bonusgate” moves closer to court

‘ ‘ ‘ Pennsylvania taxpayers footed the bill nearly two years ago, when several state House… ‘ ‘ ‘ Pennsylvania taxpayers footed the bill nearly two years ago, when several state House Democrats allegedly awarded themselves more than $1 million in bonuses. ‘ ‘ ‘ And taxpayers footed the bill months ago, when those House Democrats hired lawyers to defend themselves against the subsequent corruption charges filed by Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett in July. As it stands, House Democrats have used more than $1 million in public money for defense purposes, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ‘ ‘ ‘ This corruption scandal, known as ‘Bonusgate,’ has gone on largely unnoticed for far too long. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But political activist Gene Stilp is determined to stop it. Stilp recently asked the Commonwealth Court to stop House Democrats from using public funds to defend themselves in court. Stilp also demanded that those accused refund the money they used to taxpayers. ‘ ‘ ‘ Stilp claimed, according to the Post-Gazette, that House Democratic leader Bill DeWeese has spent at least $1.4 million in public money to defend his caucus members against Corbett’s charges. ‘ ‘ ‘ Those charged are Rep. Mike Veon of Beaver County and Rep. Sean Ramaley also of Beaver County. ‘ ‘ ‘ In addition, 10 current or former Democratic House staffers were charged, including Michael L. Manzo, former chief of staff to DeWeese and Brett W. Cott, a top aide to Veon. ‘ ‘ ‘ We commend Corbett and Stilp for their efforts in bringing those charged to court. ‘ ‘ ‘ As public money is being wasted on funding the personal causes of those charged, Pennsylvania is losing money that could be used toward bettering its infrastructure, its transportation systems and more. ‘ ‘ ‘ The money used was intended for more pressing initiatives, not the bonuses and court costs of our elected officials. ‘ ‘ ‘ The ‘Bonusgate’ crime probe has been going on for nearly two years. But it is likely that many Pennsylvania residents haven’t even heard of it. This is the glaring fault of the news media. ‘ ‘ ‘ As the government’s watchdog, the news media have the responsibility to inform the public of the mishaps of elected officials and to act as a check to the government’s power. ‘ ‘ ‘ But for a corruption scandal that has lasted so long, the news media hasn’t done nearly enough. With the exception of front-page stories in the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review when the news first broke, we have not seen consistent day-to-day coverage since ‘mdash; the kind of coverage that would bring the trial to its knees and get the public fully invested in the circumstances.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ When the Post-Gazette broke the story of the West Virginia University degree scandal in April, articles appeared on the front page in the newspaper day after day for months. ‘ ‘ ‘ The same coverage needs to happen here from our regional news powerhouses.