And good riddance
http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-021307-krg-blackplead.7e3d9a17.html

Quote :

" Former House Speaker Jim Black is expected to plead guilty to a public corruption charge in federal court in Raleigh Thursday, ending the career of North Carolina's most powerful speaker of the modern political era. Under the deal, Black is expected to plead guilty to one count of accepting illegal gratuities, according to his lawyer and an Observer source. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. In response to questions from the Observer, Black's lawyer, Charlotte attorney Kenneth Bell, confirmed Black's plans today. "Since somebody is talking who shouldn't have and has leaked what's happened, I will confirm that Dr. Black will enter a guilty plea to accepting illegal gratuities in federal court on Thursday," he said. Black is expected to plead guilty in state court within the next week, according to two sources familiar with the arrangements. He will also have to resign his House seat, as the N.C. constitution bars felons from holding office."

2/13/2007 9:27:58 PM

Damn right, good riddance.

2/13/2007 9:29:56 PM

The illegal stuff Black did was with the lottery correct?

2/13/2007 9:46:15 PM

Quote :

" One source said the former speaker's plea is unrelated to controversies surrounding the video poker industry, the creation of the N.C. lottery, the appointment of then-lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings, illegal lobbying or former Republican Rep. Michael Decker's admission last summer that he accepted a bribe."

2/13/2007 9:55:28 PM

meredith norris, lottery (geddings) and michael decker.

2/13/2007 10:01:58 PM

Taking all those illegal contributions from optometrists and then requiring children to get an eye exam before being allowed to go to school.... that's a classic in corruption.

Why can't they use this to re-vote on the lottery? Decker's bribe-induced party switch was a key reason this losing boondoggle got passed.

Next they should be investigating Gov. Easley's waterfront land purchase in Carteret County. He The Gov. bought the land a year ago for about half of its value from a developer. The land developer in turn was appointed to a six year term on the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. That looks pretty fishy.

2/13/2007 10:16:13 PM

^ North Carolina politics is very corrupt, both parties just cause both operate on the good ole boy system. It's nothing new. The only thing you can say is that at least we're not as bad as Louisiana. Where in Carteret County did Easley buy the land by the way?

As for my opinion on the lottery:

Quote :

"state lottery : n. a regressive tax imposed by the state on those of its citizens it has failed to provide a basic education in the laws of probability. Usage: "You don't see many Harvard graduates waiting in line to buy lottery tickets." Related quotation: "I never play the lottery. I figure I have about the same chance of winning whether I play or not." - Fran Liebowitz"

2/13/2007 11:18:17 PM

we're not as corrupt as New Orleans or New Jersey, but damn

2/13/2007 11:37:35 PM

Quote :

"Flyin Ryan: Where in Carteret County did Easley buy the land by the way?"

Cannonsgate, this block on the waterfront

2/13/2007 11:38:33 PM

Quote :

"Next they should be investigating Gov. Easley's waterfront land purchase in Carteret County. He The Gov. bought the land a year ago for about half of its value from a developer. The land developer in turn was appointed to a six year term on the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. That looks pretty fishy."

2/14/2007 3:27:26 AM

that shit pisses me off.

i'm hoping that i'll be in financial position to decline my salary when i make it into politics, or at least not too long thereafter (not to mention not take any money or favors from anyone)

2/14/2007 8:35:22 AM

I'd vote for you Josh Maybe even send a campaign contribution.

2/14/2007 10:59:59 AM

haha, I got on tv today while they were interviewed Sen. Brock.

And I met Jared from Subway here at the Legislative building....yaaaay

2/14/2007 11:34:58 AM

Quote :

"The illegal stuff Black did was with the lottery correct?"

He did all sorts of illegal stuff and didn't even really try to cover it up. Just another day in NC politics.

I hope he gets the max.

2/14/2007 12:47:55 PM

People get power and think they're invincible. Good riddance.

I wish more politicians were like Russ Feingold: frugal

http://www.vote.com/magazine/editorials/editorial3489430.phtml

[Edited on February 14, 2007 at 12:52 PM. Reason : .]

2/14/2007 12:51:14 PM

One of the biggest "NO-NOs" for Black was when he gave money to Decker for him to change from Republican to Democrat...

2/14/2007 1:04:06 PM

one day



these fucking govt officials will be held accountable for the bullshit they pull on the taxpayers that pay their fucking salary


I hope you rot in jail you slimey fucktard

[Edited on February 14, 2007 at 1:07 PM. Reason : .]

2/14/2007 1:07:30 PM

Every time I saw an interview of Black I thought to myself

"this guy just comes across as slimey and corrupt" and he has only said like 10 words.

2/14/2007 1:46:49 PM

Quote :

"one day these fucking govt officials will be held accountable for the bullshit they pull on the taxpayers that pay their fucking salary "

Yeah, and one day the Democrat and Republican parties will be deposed as major parties and cease to exist.

2/14/2007 4:27:40 PM

depends on your definition of accountability and how one is held accountable for his actions

2/14/2007 4:30:42 PM

dude was accepting large cash donations (like $8,000 to $10,000) in bathrooms lol what a piece of shit

2/15/2007 3:44:18 PM

Quote :

"The illegal stuff Black did was with the lottery correct?"

Some of it may have been, but that's not what this is about. The charges he plead guilty to were soliciting and accepting $25k from chiropractors to influence legislation.

2/15/2007 4:29:08 PM

yeah pretty much the chiropractor stuff

here is a copy of the actual document of the charge(s)

http://www.newsobserver.com/content/politics/jimblack/20070215_blackcriminalinfo.pdf

2/15/2007 4:46:10 PM

its so pathetic. a year ago he had over a million dollars in his campaign account and he got bought off for 25,000 bucks. so slimy.

2/15/2007 9:10:02 PM

Quote :

" Power doesn't distinguish between right and wrong. Once the power is granted, it will be used - and used for whatever purpose pleases the person in possession of it. And the greater the power, the more likely that ruthless people will seek possession of it. -- Harry Browne"

2/15/2007 11:00:07 PM

What I like is a guy I talk to a lot is a HUGE liberal. Posts all the time when the republicans make any missteps, or even if it just something he can blame on the Republicans. But he holds all Dem's blameless. Clinton has NO responsibility about Osama. It is all on George W. and Bush, Sr. Apparently al Qaida took the 8 years off when Clinton was in office. (Just using this as one of many examples) But anyways I posted about Black and here are a couple of excerpts from his response:

Quote :

"That just means he's a great leader who's taking the fall for subordinates that didn't follow the rules, kind of like Frank Ballance. It's tough when you're on top, everyone is gunning for you."

Quote :

"These kind of things are an everyday occurance in politics and aren't really "news" so to speak. I just thought it was kind of comical that with all of the corruption going on with the Republican Party you decided to post this."

So apparently its the lesser of two evils. Frank Ballance and Jim Black are cool because their crimes were minor compared to what George W. has done. Anybody else think this is completely diverting the issue when you get called the fuck out? Black was going into the fucking bathroom and trading votes for hard cash. Thats not a great leader taking a fall for subordinates. Thats a dirty, corrupt motherfucker getting busted and going down.

[Edited on February 15, 2007 at 11:41 PM. Reason : ]

2/15/2007 11:40:18 PM

Quote :

"Rep. Alma Adams, Dem-Guilford: "I'm disappointed. He made some mistakes, but he also did some good things and I think he can be remembered for the contributions that he made." Gov. Mike Easley, through a spokesman: "It is a sad day when any public servant faces criminal charges. Unfortunately, these matters of misconduct may well overshadow his 25 years of public service." "

Wow..some hard-hitting condemnation there.

2/16/2007 9:17:22 AM

Well he did do a lot of good for the state.

I, however, think he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.

2/16/2007 11:29:32 AM

Quote :

"Well he did do a lot of good for the state"

?????????????????????????????????????????????????

2/16/2007 11:32:06 AM

Well, he probably had a hand in everything good (and bad) that came out of the legislature over the past 25 years. So that's a fair statement.

But good riddance.

[Edited on February 16, 2007 at 11:50 AM. Reason : ?]

2/16/2007 11:50:07 AM

i dont think its a fair statement when nobody can give an example of something good he did

i know aside from his bathroom bribes, he hasnt done a whole lot to get 485 completed

2/16/2007 12:05:30 PM

Quote :

"he hasnt done a whole lot to get 485 completed"

I guess nobody was willing to pay for it.

2/16/2007 12:14:06 PM

a buttload of commuters in charlotte were more willing to pay for it to be completed than they were to pay for the light rail system

2/16/2007 12:48:48 PM

^^^^^^^^^I don't know your friend so I can't really argue about him. Perhaps you should start a thread were you include his name and a brief profile.

2/16/2007 2:20:54 PM

^^ all it would have taken was a few grand in cash.

2/16/2007 2:49:21 PM

lol

2/16/2007 3:58:19 PM

Quote :

"Black looking to deal after guilty plea By The Associated Press : By The Associated Press, Feb 16, 2007 DEAL MAKER: The attorney for ex-Rep. Jim Black says the former state House speaker is ready to deal after pleading guilty to taking thousands of dollars from three chiropractors while pushing for legislation they supported. LOWER SENTENCE: A former federal prosecutor says Black likely faces roughly between 2 and 3 1/2 years in prison. The sentence could be lowered if Black provides information that leads to the prosecution of others. FALSE HOPE? A law professor says Black is the kind of defendant others typically testify against, because corruption investigations tend to move up the ladder and Black was at the top. That raises the question of whether prosecutors are interested in anything Black has to say. "

Maybe he'll rat out Easley.

2/17/2007 12:01:26 AM

Easley is the only target they would have. As someone in the article said, "why accept a plea bargain from him to take down a lobbyist?"

2/17/2007 11:19:23 AM