Doolittle Was Corrupt from the Start

From the beginning of his political career, Congressman John T. “Demagogue” Doolittle operated in the hinterland of ethical behavior. In Auburn he it called “Demagogue” because he fits Webster’s School Dictionary of a demagogue “as a person who appeals to the emotions and prejudices of people in order to arouse discontent and advance personal political ends.” He is paid for and packaged by his developer/corporate handlers to get the Auburn Dam built at any cost so the water can be used to build the six cities currently on the Placer County’s General Plan located between Roseville and Lincoln. His commitment to this end is Ahab-like in its fanaticism. Yet his unethical behavior is nothing new. He was unethical from the beginning of this political career.

In his first run for office Doolittle received the largest fine ever levied at the time (1985) by the California Fair Political Practices Commission. His first treachery was to rig his own election against fellow Republican Ray Johnson. Doolittle illegally and unethically supported Democrat Jack Hornsby to run against Johnson, knowing full well that Hornsby would skim off Democratic votes from the moderate Republican Ray Johnson, giving Doolittle the election. Doolittle’s treachery paid off and the fine was simply the price of doing business Doolittle style. Treachery paid off for Doolittle in his first election, and he has been treacherous ever since. Treachery is his only political virtue.

He had put the people of Sacramento at risk of flooding for years by refusing to retrofit Folsom Dam. Only when he saw there was no chance at the time to fund the Auburn Dam did he agree with the late Congressman Robert Matsui to retrofit Folsom Dam. Matsui agreed to give Doolittle financial compensation for agreeing to retrofit Folsom Dam, and Doolittle has been playing Santa Claus with that money by funding local projects in his district. Now that agreement to retrofit Folsom Dam is imperiled because Doolittle is working with cronies in the House to once again trot out the Auburn Dam feasibility study, and he is trying to find a local fall-guy organization to fund the three million dollar study. Doolittle is not a person who is ever bound by his word of honor.

Every study on the Auburn Dam done to date indicates the earthquake fault on which the site is located is so porous that no amount of concrete could ever shore up the foundation to make Auburn Dam safe. Every time a butterfly flies over Auburn, Doolittle interprets that flight as a sign that the Auburn Dam should be built. His stooge Bruce Kranz, a right winger Doolittle robot on the Placer County Board of Supervisors, is currently the ramrod for the Dam. The citizens of Auburn demonstrate against the Auburn Dam every time Doolittle attempts to restart the dam circus, but he listens to no one but his developer/corporate handlers and charges full ahead with his mindless Auburn Dam. Any rational person knows the Auburn Dam will never be built.

His political machine in Placer County is not limited to the dam. He placed three of his stooges on the Board of Trustees of Sierra College. Jerry Simmons, Aaron Klein and Scott Leslie then fabricated a witch hunt to get rid of the Sierra College President, apparently just to increase Doolittle’s sphere of influence by adding Sierra College. The Placer County Grand Jury formally reprimanded Aaron Klein and directed him to apologize for his campaign of lies which destroyed President Kevin Ramirez’s career. With the overweening arrogance that has characterized Doolittle’s career, the stooge Klein has refused to apologize and criticizes the findings of the Grand Jury. This disregard of the law by Doolittle and his minions is reflective of George Bush’s current disregard of the law. A lawless society is a society run by demagogues and tyrants.

Doolittle is currently attempting to cannibalize his own handpicked Board of Supervisors member Robert Weygandt with current darling Jerry Simmons. Weygandt has grown too environmentally friendly for Doolittle’s developers so he must go. Doolittle’s machine operates much like Tony Soprano’s family.

Doolittle is owned by everyone except those who elected him. He serves only those people who pay his way and serve his personal ends. There is word for those whose virtue is for hire and that word applies to Doolittle. Let’s return the US Fourth Congressional District to the people.