Deciding who to vote for

When Jon Corzine first ran for the Senate, one of my friends voted for him on the grounds that he was too rich to be dishonest. In New Jersey, that decision makes sense. Pick the richer guy.

But you can only do that the first time. After one election cycle, they are all rich. An example: the former Mayor of Albany, New York, Erastus Corning, who set a world record for holding on to his job. Starting out penniless, he became a millionaire in short order. This must have happened through shrewd investment of his $9,000 annual salary. Can you think of another reason? The man should have been an investment counselor, offering his talents to a wider audience.

Now there's Harry Reid, who managed to make a tidy sum by selling a property that wasn't even his. Wow! What a guy! His talents are wasted in the Senate. He's also known as a caring family man, practically all of whose relatives are on the public payroll somewhere or have lucrative lobbying careers.

John Murtha, despite his geographically challenged brain--he thinks it's a short stroll from Okinawa to Iraq-- has pocketed a lot of money over the years. That's pretty good for a man who couldn't get a job in the mailroom of a medium-sized company on the basis of his brains.

Another Congressman, this chap Hollohan, is a brilliant investor, who managed to turn a lump of coal into a nice piece of change through his brilliant investment strategy.

It's not only Democrats, however. I think the Republicans may be too dumb to get away with much chicanery, which is saying a lot about their brains or lack thereof. Many Republican legislators have recently taken up residence in local jails upon advice of a jury of their peers. Ney comes to mind. Perhaps member of the Grand Old Party should be more honest. Or more circumspect.

And strolling down Memory Lane, back in the 20th century, Spiro Agnew took a bribe while a sitting Vice President. (Nelson Rockefeller, another Vice President, never took a dime. See what I mean about the advantage of being rich to begin with?)