Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

[StinkyTheGrump]

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ap...ID=20103050370

I'm sure many of you have known that this guy's a bum for years (I haven't followed his career) but any time that I hear of a politician buying his wife a Valentines Day dinner (or similar abuses) and charging it to me and my fellow taxpayers I get disgusted.
How is this guy not going to jail for fraud?

[TuNnL]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

I'm sure many of you have known that this guy's a bum for years (I haven't followed his career) but any time that I hear of a politician buying his wife a Valentines Day dinner (or similar abuses) and charging it to me and my fellow taxpayers I get disgusted.
How is this guy not going to jail for fraud?

The answer ofcourse, is that the city ethics commission allowed Tam to repay the money that he spent, in lieu of any punitive action. At this point, it would be very premature to suggest Tam should be sent to prison. He hasn’t even been charged with a crime. Misuse of discretionary funds is one of those gray areas that fall within the jurisdiction of ethics commission chair Chuck Totto.

Not surprisingly, Tam says he will continue his run for mayor, despite the fallout from this latest incident. That’s just par for the course in Tam’s long history of thumbing his nose at rules, propriety and common sense. He’s not out of the woods yet, however. The last investigative reporter on local t.v., Keoki Kerr, unveils that Tam also spent nearly $50,000 in campaign funds on food and drinks over the last four years. Now that the city ethics commission has had its turn, could Tam be facing an investigation by the state campaign spending commission, as well?

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

It can't be called crooked when every politician does it. I don't see a zero amount for campaign spending for any politician.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

I'm sure many of you have known that this guy's a bum for years (I haven't followed his career) but any time that I hear of a politician buying his wife a Valentines Day dinner (or similar abuses) and charging it to me and my fellow taxpayers I get disgusted.
How is this guy not going to jail for fraud?

LOL! Uhhh, if you're a prosecutor and you want to send Mr. Organized Crime Kingpin up the river for life, do you try to do that on a jaywalking charge?

The Valentine Dinner at Kabuki restaurant is cute and fun to talk about, but there's much more serious allegations to which Rod Tam has to answer for, such as his failure to disclose his business dealings with numerous companies that may have benefitted from decisions he made while being the chairman of the City Council's Zoning committee. The Hawaii Free Press submitted this writeup on the matter.

[StinkyTheGrump]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

Come on FM, I'm talking about more than just that one dinner! It just came out recently that he repeatedly abused the discretionary fund by fraudulently charging taxpayers for thousands of dollars of meals and he was fined for it. To me, (i'm no attorney) that equals fraud and he should at least have to resign and at most serve time in jail. Like I said, I haven't followed this guy's career and I'm not surprised he has done much worse things than blatantly steal thousands of taxpayers' dollars. Thank you for posting that link; it's always good to put information out there exposing crooked politicians IMO.
FWIW, I don't think anyone is holding off on charging this guy on the lesser charges because they are building a huuuge case and that would compromise it. I would LOVE to be proven wrong though, as prosecution of any crooked politician is worth much more to me personally than to be right.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

I'm talking about more than just that one dinner!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Uz_I7pdPo

People in history who never got a dinner.

[tutusue]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

My doctor is running for Governor. I told him today that, if elected, he is forbidden from taking his wife to a restaurant for the duration of his term! Nor can he drink. No driving either. Definitely no messing around! And, first and foremost, he has to show preferential treatment to his patients!

[anapuni808]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

who is your doctor?

[tutusue]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

Tom Pollard

[StinkyTheGrump]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Uz_I7pdPo

People in history who never got a dinner.

This is gold and I thank you for the link *bows*.

[Bobinator]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

My doctor is running for Governor. I told him today that, if elected, he is forbidden from taking his wife to a restaurant for the duration of his term! Nor can he drink. No driving either. Definitely no messing around! And, first and foremost, he has to show preferential treatment to his patients!

Many doctors are guilty of something of a similar nature. My friend is a pharmaceutical sales rep, and he tells me all the time how he hosts groups of doctors at expensive dinners so they prescribe his company's drugs to their patients. The doctors actually expect it, and often won't even let him in the door at their medical offices unless he brings food. The staff are in on it too. The first thing they often say when he walks in the door is, "what did you bring this time"?

He's disgusted at the whole thing, but it's part of the job. The company gives him an expense account for such things. I know for sure many doctors don't prescribe what's best for their patients, but who they have the "best" relationship with. I sort of experienced this myself.

It's not the same as what Rod Tam did, but the effect on the community is similar. It also adds to the cost of our medicine.

[TuNnL]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

he should at least have to resign ... prosecution of any crooked politician is worth much more to me personally than to be right.

In spite of your guilty until proven innocent approach, Stinky, it appears the entity that matters in this instance — the Honolulu City Council — disagrees with you. In a unanimous vote to pass a resolution censuring Rod Tam for the second time in the past six months, the council took out the meat of the indictment favored by Councilman and Congressional hopeful Charles Djou — a recommendation that Tam resign his position.

[sansei]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

hi,i thought the censour should be enough,charles djou shouldnt send a person who's a citycouncilman to jai,how would it be if it was the other way around,may anyone think if rod tam would send charles djou to prison,i wouldnt believe so. it's only fair to give rod tam a censour and it'll be enough.

Well thank's for your time=O)

[StinkyTheGrump]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

In spite of your guilty until proven innocent approach, Stinky, it appears the entity that matters in this instance — the Honolulu City Council — disagrees with you. In a unanimous vote to pass a resolution censuring Rod Tam for the second time in the past six months, the council took out the meat of the indictment favored by Councilman and Congressional hopeful Charles Djou — a recommendation that Tam resign his position.

First of all, if there was any chance at all that this guy was innocent he wouldn't have voted to censure himself *or* agree to pay back the money in the first place! Seriously.

Regarding the "meat of the indictment", it seems the majority of the council does not want to "rub his nose in it" and force him to resign when he is leaving office shortly anyway. Forcing him to resign would be a symbolic measure more than anything, and, apparently, he still has at least a little bit of clout. Also didn't Djou say that there is a criminal investigation proceeding?

[sansei]

Re: Rod Tam, another crooked politician.

hi,i just read somewhere that cdjou had many time's try to censure rod tam and he imoho is unethical and he cdjou would love to have rod t in the poke,aka jail,that's not right is charles djou isnt an upstanding person since he tried many time's to have rod tam outsted from the city council,may this mean charles djou be a way better man than rod tam?

if anyone may wish on hawaii reporter,you'd put in charles djou or rod tam and you'd find what im sharing and you'd put the name's in google and you'd find the article in hawaii reporter.

well thank's for your time