Massachusetts Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi announced his resignation yesterday amid charges of financial impropriety involving influence-peddling with friends and lobbyists. DiMasi had represented the North End since 1978 and was heavily involved in legislation supporting gay rights and health care reform in addition to his opposition of Governor Deval Patrick's bid to bring casinos to Massachusetts.
Speaker DiMasi's financial impropriety is especially distressing at a time when the entire country — and Massachusetts in particular — is undergoing a severe recession and dire budgetary outlook. Although DiMasi's departure from the Bay State political scene was mercifully swift (he did, of course, take the obligatory shot at the shadowy conspirators and gambling lobbyists who, according to him, were really to blame for his moral failings), we at the Daily cannot help but feel dismayed by the moral lassitude of some of our men and women in elected office. From former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.)'s sexual shenanigans to former Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.)'s cold cash to Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.)'s profanity-laced machinations to former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)'s lobbyist-funded home, we have seen over the past few years that corruption in America is not limited to any group or party. Moreover, we have seen that some of the worst violators of the public trust are those charged with upholding it.
This is certainly not to say that politicians as a group are immoral or dishonest. Indeed, the vast majority of those who hold elected office are people who play by the rules and have a real desire to serve the public, and it would be unfair of us to doubt their obvious and commendable will to serve. Nevertheless, just as crimes committed by a police officer are especially disheartening, so too are wrongdoings perpetrated by the men and women who take a vow to serve the public above themselves.
America today finds itself in a precarious position. A new administration in Washington faces a financial crisis and two long wars, and foreign adversaries continue to demonize our interests abroad. We the people simply do not have the time or the patience to put up with this kind of injurious disservice from those who are tasked with bettering our nation and upholding our way of life.
In an article in the Boston Globe yesterday, DiMasi said that the enemies he has made in the casino industry "are going to be pretty happy by the fact I won't be here." To be honest, Mr. Speaker, so will we.
