Darrel Dexter Fessing Up Is A Smart Move

by 3. February 2010 22:07

New Democrats love money.  They love money so much they want to take as much as they can from you and give it to other people.  That's a legitimate ideology.  But thankfully, New Democrats don't get to govern that often, so it's pretty rare you hear about them taking your money and stealing it for themselves.

Darrell Dexter, Nova Scotia's NDP Premier, has admitted to stealing almost $8000 to purchase a digital camera and two laptops.  He is apologizing and has pledged to return the money.

Rather than criticize the theft which I'm sure many will do, I wish to salute Dexter for the acknoledgement of his mistake and the promise to repay.  It's the right thing to do, and it's also the polticially smart thing to do.  The Handle Scandal Manual says to get out in front of the story and fess up.  This will kill the story every single time.

One thing that caught my eye for purely selfish reasons was this:

An MLA spent $6,234 for website design and programming. There were claims of $3,250 for a projector screen and accessories, $2,600 for a printer, and $2,499 for a 40-inch LCD television.

I'm a software developer too - and $6000 for a political website is a tremendous amount of money.  I have developed a website for a mainstream provincial political party and several websites for grassroots EDAs.  I'm much cheaper than whomever the unnamed MLA went to.  Give me your business; Conservatives, Liberals, Greens, and NDP are all welcome, your money is good with me.  You will get a great site much cheaper, and the value of your investment will be fifty-fold what that poor schmuck* spent.  Seriously.  Contact me - splatto AT gmail DOT com.

 

* (To be accurate, I guess we're the schmucks, since that was stolen taxpayer money too)

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Matt
Matt Canada on 2/6/2010 11:00:10 AM

You are absolutely right!  I got sidetracked when I realized I could make a lot more money developing websites and software than I currently do.  It is my understanding the MLA who spent $8000 on a generator for their house is a Tory.  There may be others too, but I don't know which party each MLA represents unless I'm told.  

As this scandal hits the Premier, I wanted to point out that while he had a lapse of judgment, he did the right thing by getting out in front of it and promising to repay.  That's a good example for politicians of all stripes to follow, both politically and especially morally.

Thanks for your comment.

Ian in NS
Ian in NS United States on 2/6/2010 4:29:32 PM

I am no NDP voter, but let's be fair here. The AG's report details expenses going back to 2006, and that's when the Tories were in power. They get to wear this just as much as the Dippers do.