Boss Tweed political era reminds us of our modern situation today…wide-open law-breaking, theft, and destruction of our US Constitution and Bill of Rights What goes around comes around. Its coming.
“Political corruption is the abuse of public power, office, or resources by elected government officials for personal gain, e.g. by extortion, soliciting or offering bribes It can also take the form of office holders maintaining themselves in office by purchasing votes by enacting laws which use taxpayer money. Systemic corruption, the complete subversion of a political or economic system. Governmental corruption of judiciary is broadly known in many transitional and developing countries because the budget is almost completely controlled by the executive. The latter undermines separation of powers, as it creates a critical financial dependence of the judiciary. The proper national wealth distribution including the government spending on the judiciary is a subject of the constitutional economics. It’s important to distinguish between the two methods of judiciary corruption the government (budget planning and various privileges), and the private.” The Boss Tweed Gang were pikers compared with modern bankster and polical corruption.
Political and Economic Corruption is so deep and embedded in many nations it will take high drama and revolt to root it out. We would encourage good citizenship, voting and a peaceful resolution. History says its get done with supreme violence.
“Tweed was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1852, but his two year term was undistinguished. In an attempt by Republican reformers in Albany, the state capital, to control the Democratic-dominated New York City government, the power of the New York County Board of Supervisors was beefed-up. The board had 12 members, six appointed by the mayor and six elected, and in 1858 Tweed was appointed to the board, which became his first vehicle for large-scale graft; Tweed and other supervisors forced vendors to pay a 15% overcharge to their “ring” in order to do business with the city. By 1853, Tweed was running the seventh ward for Tammany.”
“Although he was not trained as a lawyer, Tweed’s friend George Barnard certified him as an attorney, and Tweed opened a law office on Duane Street.
He ran for sheriff in 1861 and was defeated, but became the chairman of the Democratic General Committee shortly after the election, and was then chosen to be the head of Tammany’s general committee in January, 1863. Several months later, in April, he became “Grand Sachem”, and began to be referred to as “Boss”, especially after he tightened his hold on power by creating a small executive committee to run the club. Tweed then took steps to increase his income: he used his law firm to extort money, which was then disguised as legal services; he had himself appointed deputy street commissioner – a position with considerable access to city contractors and funding; he bought the New-York Printing Company, which became the city’s official printer, and the city’s stationery supplier, the Manufacturing Stationers’ Company, and had both companies begin to overcharge for their goods and services. He also started to form what became known as the “Tweed Ring”, by having his friends appointed to office: George Barnard became recorder; Peter B. Sweeny the district attorney; and Richard Connolly the county clerk.”
“With his new position and wealth came a change in style: Tweed began to favor wearing a large diamond in his shirtfront – a habit that (artist)Thomas Nast used to great effect in his attacks on Tweed in Harper’s Weekly beginning in 1869 – and he bought a brownstone to live in at 41 West 36th Street, then a very fashionable area. He invested his now considerable illegal income in real estate, so that by the late 1860s he ranked among the biggest landowners in New York City. Tweed was elected to the New York State Senate in 1867, where he helped financiers Jay Gould and Big Jim Fisk take control of the Erie Railroad from Cornelius Vanderbilt by arranging for legislation that legitimized fake Erie stock certificates that Gould and Fisk had issued. In return, Tweed received a large block of stock and was made a director of the company.”
An Epidemic of theft and corruption has spread through politics, the banks, think tanks, the UN and its subsidiaries and of course the world’s central bankers. Us Sheeple can do nothing. They have the money, power and the guns. It ends when their money gravey train, the huge bond markets fail and fall into dissarray.
“As long as I count the Votes, what are you going to do about it?”
Boss Tweed’s Demise: “Tweed was released on $1 million bail, and Tammany set to work to recover its position through the ballot box. Tweed was re-elected to the state senate in November, 1871, due to his personal popularity and largesse in his district, but in general Tammany did not do well, and the members of the Tweed Ring began to flee the jurisdiction, many going overseas. Tweed was re-arrested, forced to resign his city positions, and was replaced as Tammany’s leader. Once again, he was released on bail – $8 million this time – but Tweed’s supporters, such as Jay Gould, felt the repercussions of his fall from power.”
“Tweed’s first trial, in January, 1873, ended with a hung jury, but his retrial in November resulted in convictions on 204 of 220 counts, a fine of $12,750 ($225,000 in 2010, adjusted for inflation) and a prison sentence of twelve years. Tweed served a year before the sentence was overturned, but was then hit with a civil suit by New York State attempting to recover $6 million in embezzled funds. Unable to put up the $3 million bail, Tweed was locked up in the Ludlow Street Jail, although he was allowed home visits. On one of these, Tweed escaped and fled to Spain, where he worked as a common seaman on a Spanish ship. The U.S. government discovered his whereabouts and arranged for his arrest as soon as he reached the Spanish border; he was recognized from Nast’s political cartoons. He was turned over to an American warship, which delivered him to authorities in New York City on November 23, 1876, and he was returned to prison. Desperate and broken, Tweed now agreed to testify about the inner workings of his corrupt Ring to a special committee set-up by the Board of Alderman, in return for his release, but after he did so, Tilden, now governor of New York, refused to abide by the agreement, and Tweed remained incarcerated. He died in the Ludlow Street Jail on April 12, 1878 from severe pneumonia, and was buried in the Brooklyn Green-Wood Cemetery.”
Ed: Expect an epidemic of USA voting corruption in November. Greece and Portugal have already installed new political leaders without elections. Russia’s Putin prepares to openly seize control of that nation after being their hidden leader for years. Fresh news says he is trying to appease street demonstrations with hollow promises. Will Putin end up like some Arab leaders de-throned and killed? We think not given his violent history and cunning. Old age and treachery continues to win. However, the herd in the street is milling around and getting nervous. It won’t take much. Some small negative event that in normal times would nothing, will set-off something really nasty. Then is goes totally out of control.
How much of this stuff can you see and understand in our situation?
