DeWeese at it again

==Editorial==
===Source:===
* http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/printerFriendly.cfm?brd=2280&dept_id=468517&newsid=17802554
==About Bill DeWeese== 
Despite his mea culpas and insistent pledges that
Harrisburg has heard the public's "clarion call" for
reform, state Rep. H. William DeWeese, D-Waynesburg,
continues proving by his actions and those of his
minions that he just doesn't get it. Based on his
latest stunt, we doubt, frankly, that he ever will.
How else can you explain DeWeese's insider dealings
uncovered this weekend by the Harriburg Patriot-News?
It seems that DeWeese, as his party's leader in the
House, awarded "special meritorious bonus payments" to
some of the Democratic caucus staffers under his
command. The exact number of recipients and the dollar
size of the bonuses aren't known, because DeWeese
isn't telling. He's quite a reformer, wouldn't you
say?
And don't bother asking Tom Andrews, DeWeese's
spokesman, for any details, including how much of your
tax money was spent for this purpose. Andrews, in a
response worthy of the best bought-and-paid-for flack,
told the newspaper, "That's an internal personnel
matter."
Since Andrews works directly for DeWeese as the
Majority Leader's press secretary, we can correctly
extrapolate that he speaks for his boss. So if Andrews
thinks the expenditure of taxpayer money doesn't have
to be revealed to the public because it's an "internal
personnel matter," then DeWeese must feel the same
way, or else he'd order his spokesman to release the
information.
Given DeWeese's role as an architect of the notorious
2005 pay raise, and last fall's defeat of his former
right-hand man, state Rep. Mike Veon of Beaver County,
you'd think that he would have learned something by
now. Sadly, he has not. DeWeese apparently continues
thinking that you, the paying public, will fall for
his continued line of superfluous comments.
According to the Patriot-News, employees granted bonus
checks by DeWeese earlier this month also received a
letter urging them to keep mum about the
taxpayer-funded largesse. In underlined italics,
DeWeese wrote, "Since this bonus payment is of an
extraordinary nature not widely received by your
colleagues, we cannot stress strongly enough the need
for you not to discuss this with any other staff
person or member." We guess he forgot to mention "the
press."
There's some real reform and a change in attitude for
you, huh? To us, the new DeWeese sounds and acts a lot
like the old one:Viewing the substantial amount of
public money he controls as a personal bank account,
one where public glimpses into the vault are to be
tightly controlled and, if at all possible, completely
avoided.
Citizen activist Gene Stilp has filed a lawsuit to
force House leaders to reveal the extent of these
bonuses. It shouldn't have to come to that, but old
leopards like DeWeese apparently can't change their
spots
category:news coverage