Letters

Featured Letter: For politicians, it’s all a game

To the editor:

Regarding the recent downfall of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver highlighted in last week’s editorial and the lack of disclosure on the part of some of our local elected officials, there seems to be one common thread: They are all lawyers or connected to legal firms.

Ever needed, worked with or been set upon by an attorney?

These guys are all about one thing: winning. Right, wrong, truth, justice, none of this comes into play; pay them enough and they’ll manipulate facts and fiction to suit their purposes or the aims of those they represent. I have known some fine people who practice law; smart, dedicated, motivated individuals, fine members of the community, demons not.

But the nature of their profession promotes the art of coming out on top, for a fee. Why are we so surprised by endless corruption in government when we draw from such a tainted well? Do I have a solution? I do not, but when convicted, perhaps they can be sent to prison work farms and made to shovel manure — a task they are well-suited to.

Jack Gismondi, Peconic