Yup, the list of suckers from the Northeast PA cash udder is fairly extensive…DeWeasel, Veon, Sturla, Perzel, Brightbill, Mellow, Musto, Corbett, Street, Philly Pacs, Pa Dem and GOP Pacs.

I’d imagine it’d be fun to knock on DeNaples’ front door. He’d answer and give you a gift basket for just stopping by. “Take these oranges and rolled up $50s to your mom. There is good cannoli in there too”

Come on, I know it’s good business sense to give to both “sides,” but this is just blatant wheel greasing.

Mr. DeNaples doesn’t need “mob” connections when he has Harrisburg connections. Bob Mellow appoints Ray Angeli to the Gaming Board and presto, Mt Airy gets a gaming license. You know Ray Angeli, president of LJC, where the auditorium is named The Mellow Theater, where Mr. DeNaples brother served on the board and so on and so on. Oh right, I forgot, Bob Mellow said their was no conflict of interest in his appoinment of Mr Angeli and the awarding of the Mt Airy gaming license. Voters of NEPA need to wake up and see this guy for the true politico he is and oust Bob Mellow in the next election.

Greg,

I don’t mind you borrowing my stuff, as long as you credit me or link back to it. But you should have grabbed this quote from former state Senate President Pro Tempore Bob Jubelirer.

Jubelirer, who acccepted $20,000 from DeNaples, praised Corbett for starting an anti-corruption task force in 2006, saying, “Gambling has never proved to be a corruption-free enterprise, no matter which state tries it, and no matter how strong the regulatory oversight is designed to be. So there is no question there is trouble ahead for Pennsylvania. The only questions seem to be when, where, and how much trouble hits.”

Now we know.

- Dave Ralis

When we finally find out what really was behind the gambling initative, it will make this set of revelations look like nothing.

Certanly looks like DeNaples bought himself the slots bill and a slots license. Don’t think for a minute that he is the only one.

.

Dick Cheney divested all of his Halliburton stock before he became V.P. in 2001. This was all widely covered years ago. http://money.cnn.com/2003/03/25/news/companies/war…

I don’t buy it. Sure he doesn’t have any Halliburton stock, but what about it’s many other subsidiaries, like Brown & Root?

And I quote, “unexercised stock options and deferred salary are among those benefits described by the Office of Government Ethics as ‘retained ties’ or ‘linkages’ to one’s former employer.”

- Dave Ralis

Oh and by the way, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette got Gambling Control Board Executive Director Anne Neeb to say that all of the profit DeNaples would have received as the parlor’s owner will now be placed in an escrow account, and either returned to him if he is cleared or kept by the state if he is convicted.

Cheney and his wife Lynne have assigned any future profits from their stock options in Halliburton and several other companies to charity, according to FactCheck.org. The “Gift Trust Agreement” the Cheney’s signed two days before he took office turns over power of attorney to a trust administrator to sell the options at some future time and to give the after-tax profits to three charities.

However, he continues to collect deferred compensation both in cash and unexercised stock options from his time as CEO.

- Dave Ralis

BTW, this is kind of an esoteric discussion considering it was merely meant as an aside to give people perspective on DeNaples’ profits from his own casino being held in escrow.

Can’t remember who said that first, some comedian I think, but that’s what Bush, Cheney, et al did when they moved into DC.

Pilt

How long will it take before the people of PA see that this had nothing to do with tax relief: it had to do with paying off large contributors like DeNaples.

The only way to remedy this would be to repeal the bill and start over fron scratch in a deliberative process which is wide open so that all parties have a real say in the matter. PA was sold to the highest bidder in July ’04.

I’ve been saying the same thing since July 4, 2004. I just wish you didn’t say it anonymously.

- Dave Ralis