In the end, Rowland wins so tell me again why I should vote for his number two?

Tell me again why I should vote for Jodi Rell?

Tell me again why it's unfair to connect Gov. Rell to Rowland?

After spending less and a year in jail, John Rowland adds insult to injury by selling his Bantam cottage and makes a HUGE profit at the expense of the taxpayers .

How is he allowed to get away with this? Where was Jodi Rell when the entire Rowland scandal was unfolding? This article brings back old memories and questions about what Rell knew when Rowland was running the show.

Former Gov. John G. Rowland has sold his Bantam Lake cottage, reaping a hefty profit thanks in part to the free renovations performed by state employees and contractors that led to his downfall.

[...]

The sale was approved recently by the White Memorial Foundation, which owns the property and held the $110,000 mortgage Rowland took out when he purchased it in 1997.

It's unclear how much of the profits Rowland will actually garner. His former wife, Deborah Rowland, filed a lien last year claiming that Rowland owes her more than $272,000 from their divorce settlement.

Her attorney, James R. Greenfield of New Haven, could not be reached Thursday for comment. John Rowland also could not be reached for comment Thursday.

In the end, Rowland got a minor slap on the wrist, Jodi Rell claims she knew nothing and gets a pass by the public, and we all get stuck with the bill while Rowland is laughing to the bank.

Lets take a walk back down memory lane...

Repairs to the cottage were among the more than $100,000 in gifts that prosecutors charged that Rowland received in exchange for the former governor's help in obtaining state work.

Rowland resigned July 1, 2004. Later that year, he pleaded guilty in federal court to a corruption charge. He served 10 months and was released in February of this year.

Building permits showed that Rowland had about $13,500 worth of work done on the cottage. When The Courant reviewed those records and talked with subcontractors, it became clear that far more work was performed.

Rowland at first insisted that he had paid for all of the work. At a press conference in his hometown of Waterbury, Rowland downplayed questions about the cottage, saying that the cabinets were off the shelf from The Home Depot and that he had bought a hot tub that was sitting in the backyard.

He complained at that time about the high mortgage he and his wife Patty were paying.

Within days of the press conference, The Courant revealed that the hot tub was really a gift from a governor's office subordinate and her husband, a Rowland political appointee.

It was later revealed that much of the work had been done free, either by Rowland cronies or by employees of TBI Construction, owned by William Tomasso. Former Rowland aides Peter Ellef, Lawrence Alibozek and Vincent DeRosa had either paid for or arranged some of the work.

So lets recap:

1. Rowland lets power get to his head, becomes arrogant and openly rips the taxpayers off (on numerous occasions) while Jodi Rell is second in command.

2. Rowland lies to everyone, tries to cover up his actions and lashes out to the press (who will forget Patty's X-Mas poem).

3. The Republicans (who knew better) came to his defense while Jodi Rell (knowing that she would eventually become top-dog in CT) remained silent.

4. The press finally nails Rowland and he fesses up to his crime.

5. Rell becomes our new governor as Rowland is hauled off to jail (for less than a year).

Next thing we know...

6. Gov. Rell's Chief of Staff Lisa Moody lets power get to her head, becomes arrogant, and transforms into Karl Rove's evil twin sister.

Moody is freely allowed to go overboard with her historical hardball tactics and aggressively shakes the political money tree to the point where she crosses the line. Moody personally hands out invitations to Republicans to a Rell fundraiser (which in political terms means I'm handing you this invitation because I want money out of you so better bring your checkbook or else). This boneheaded action sets off a chain of events for Rell's Chief of Staff that results in the shamefully under-reported scandal called "Moodygate."

7. Moody gets investigated, allegedly lies under oath (and I use the term allegedly very loosely) and again, Gov Rell repeats her pattern of not knowing anything and gets a pass from most of the press.

Trust me, I just scratch the surface here folks. Those in the mainstream media could (and should) not only fill in the blanks, but start asking Jodi Rell some hard questions regarding her role in the entire Rowland scandal AS WELL as her role in Moodygate.

Remember, I'm just getting started.

Tell me again why I should vote for Jodi Rell?

Tell me again why it's unfair to connect Gov. Rell to Rowland?