Pawlenty busted for stealing from vets to hire a partisan staffer

Now back to reality for a moment (0.00 / 0)

"Nevertheless, Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner Pugliese said the work by the staffer, Lee Buckley, was exemplary and well within the bounds of what state law designated for the money."

You may now carry on with your alternate version of reality.

---

by: Dave Thul @ Mon Mar 15, 2010 at 23:23:04 PM UTC

You are pathetic Dave (0.00 / 0)

I would guess the deputy vet affairs commiss is a TPaw appointment. Screwing Vets shouldn't be a partisan thing Dave. The money should have gone to vets and you know it.  

---

by: Alec @ Mon Mar 15, 2010 at 23:44:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

So ... it's not stealing? (0.00 / 0)

Just because a right winger and political appointee rushes to the defense of the guy responsible for giving him his job, doesn't make the theft okay.

To repeat ... cuz maybe then Tool might understand:  Pawlenty appointed Pugliese.  

Why wouldn't Pugliese defend his benefactor?  I linked to dictionary.com just to help Tool out ... benefactor is a pretty big word, after all.

Notice of Appointment of Commissioner Michael Pugliese

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 15.06, Subd. 5, that Governor Tim Pawlenty appointed
Michael Pugliese to the office of Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs effective December 9, 2004.   He succeeds Commissioner Jeff Olson.
(MN State Register, p. 26, warning PDF)

Obviously this is a classic case of IOKIYAR.

---

by: The Big E @ Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 01:45:35 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

So according to MPP... (0.00 / 0)

...serving your country and being a veteran counts for nothing if you were appointed to lead the DVA by a Republican governor.  Apparently any veteran of conscience should wait for a Dem governor to accept the job.

The only one politicizing veterans is you two.

And had the Big E bothered to do more than a cursory google check, he would have found that the deputy commissioner is not a position appointed by the governor-
196.021 DEPUTY COMMISSIONERS; DUTIES.
Subdivision 1. Appointment.

The commissioner shall appoint a deputy commissioner for veteran services and a deputy commissioner for veteran health care. Both deputy commissioners serve in the unclassified service at the pleasure of the commissioner. Both deputies must be residents of Minnesota, citizens of the United States, and veterans as defined in section

On December 9th, 2004, Pugliesi was appointed as acting commissioner where he served for 4 months until the present commissioner was appointed.  The governor did not appoint him to his current position of Deputy Commissioner for Programs and Services.

---

by: Dave Thul @ Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 04:31:24 AM UTC

You deny it? (0.00 / 0)

So ... Tool,

You deny that Pawlenty appointed Pugliese?

---

by: The Big E @ Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 12:56:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

No more than (0.00 / 0)

you deny that a US military veteran somehow defames himself by accepting a job to help other veterans from a governor you don't approve of.

Still waiting for an apology.

---

by: Dave Thul @ Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 00:51:06 AM UTC

That doesn't even make sense.... (0.00 / 0)

"No more than you deny....."

Either you are saying that you do not deny that TPaw appointed Pugilese, which makes your earlier comment idiotic.

Or you are saying that E denies that a veteran defames himself by etc. I also deny that Pugilese defamed himself by taking the job. Are you saying that Pugilese defamed himself Dave?

---

by: Alec @ Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 01:20:06 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The Tool abides... (0.00 / 0)

The Tool doesn't have to make sense.  That's why he's here.  He provides the comic relief.

---

by: The Big E @ Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 01:29:28 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The question then is (0.00 / 0)

Will your government use your money more wisely than you would yourself?  It seems unlikely that this is the only instance of our State government using money in ways that progressives would object to.  Someone needs to take a scalpel to the entire budget and use the savings for progressive causes.

---

by: tom a. @ Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 01:52:36 AM UTC

I'll use small words for Eric and E (0.00 / 0)

Yes, Gov Pawlenty did appoint Pugliesi to the acting position.  (Was he honor bound to fall on his sword right then, or should he wait until he was sworn in?)

No, Pawlenty did not appoint Pugliesi to the position he currently holds and for which you are attacking him.

I did not deny either statement.

Nor has E or Eric denied that they are attacking and criticizing a US military veteran for the crime of having accepted an appointment from a Republican governor.  You have both insinuated if not flat out stated that Pugliesi put politics above his duty of serving veterans, and neither one of you have a shred of proof, other than to say he was appointed by Pawlenty, therefore he must be guilty.

You both are so intent on trashing Pawlenty that you are willing to slander a veteran just to sling some mud at the governor.

You find me some evidence that what Pawlenty did was wrong, out of the ordinary, or a misuse of the funds in question, and I will join you in criticizing him.  Until then you should both be ashamed of yourselves, and you still owe an apology to the men and women who safeguard your right to make asses of yourselves.

---

by: Dave Thul @ Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 12:57:29 PM UTC

blah blah blah (0.00 / 0)

Dave,

Earlier in session, lawmakers discovered that Gov. Pawlenty had transferred $30,000 out of the Support Our Troops fund to pay for gubernatorial staff and office functions both in Minnesota and Washington, D.C.  Sen. Olseen and other lawmakers objected to the transfer, arguing that the Legislature established the Support Our Troops license plate program in 2005 to provide needed services to military veterans and their families.

With every ounce of respect that is due, it's not MPP as a community or any of its bloggers who are disrespecting those who serve in uniform. What Eric is decrying here is Governor Pawlenty's transfer of funds from the SOT fund to support political operations. Accusing him of disrespecting the troops smacks quite simply of political gamesmanship.

---

by: Joe Bodell @ Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 13:13:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks, Joe ... (0.00 / 0)

But I think pretty much anyone reading this post can see that The Tool's argument isn't even logically consistent.

Pugliese appointed by TPaw
The Big E points out that Pugliese defended his benefactor

EQUALS

The Big E dishonors Pugliese's service to his country?

There's a logical-defying leap in The Tool's logic somewhere which is, as you point out, incomprehensible.

---

by: The Big E @ Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 15:29:04 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

So, E and Eric- (0.00 / 0)

Were every one of the veterans in the hearing room Pawlenty cronies?  Did the governor appoint all of the state commanders of the Legion, VFW and DAV to civil service positions as well?

"Murphy made his apology after representatives from several veterans groups testified that the work that was done produced strong results.

I didn't know what we were using the money for," Murphy said. "Any time the governor's office has been involved in negotiations that I've been involved with, it hasn't come out very good. That's why I questioned the program. I was wrong. The money has been well spent."

Sen Murphy made his apology for not knowing what he was talking about.  You two can make your apology any time now.

---

by: Dave Thul @ Fri Mar 19, 2010 at 18:14:01 PM UTC