Rocky & Hoodwinkle

As if El Pueblo de Los Angeles didn't have enough problems, what with el alcade Antonio Vinaigrette being divorced by his loving wife and being dumped by thirteen of his mistresses, and his difficulties controlling his police officers, now we learn that the Pueblo's City Attorney is up to his neck in "petty theft."

According to this story in the Los Angeles Daily News, along with several others in the LA Times and on radio and tv, Senor Delgadillo, the petty thief's facilitator, henchman and co-conspirator, his wife, Michelle, has been on a petty theft rampage for at least five years.

Michelle's first antic (about which we were informed) was her 2004 accident while driving Senor Delgadillo's city-owned vehicle. City government does not allow employees to allow others to drive its vehicles. Senor Delgadillo attempted to cover up the incident until it became impossible to do so. According to Steve Lopez, an LA Times writer, Michelle had no auto insurance at the time, and was driving with a suspended driver's license.

"How inconvenient that this news broke just as Delgadillo was ripping Sheriff Lee Baca for springing (Paris) Hilton so soon after she was locked up for driving on a suspended license, of all things," writes Lopez.

Soon after, it was finally noted that Mrs Delgadillo has an outstanding warrant for her having failed to appear in court to answer for having been cited, in 1998, for driving on an expired Montana license, in her maiden name, and driving a car with expired plates, and with no proof of insurance.

Then, because all the above caused an abnormal degree of focus 'pon Senor Delgadillo, stories began to leak out about his use of his staff to run some of his personal errands and to babysit his two children during business hours.

Then, just the other day, it was disclosed that Michelle ran a home-based corporation for three years, from 2002 through 2005, without going through the trouble and expense of obtaining a city business license nor filing state income tax returns. This part of the story is detailed here.

Now I'm, as many of you know, opposed to the entire series of notions involving mandatory forced financing of government at any level. I don't consider it a state prerogative to issue licenses or otherwise decide who is to be allowed to pursue any particular professional endeavor. These ought to be done by voluntary means between consenting individuals. Qualification to drive or otherwise travel 'pon streets and highways should be the prerogative of the owners of the streets and highways, who should not be the state. Damages for mishaps should be the responsibility of the individuals who cause the mishap, or their insurance carriers.

Senor Delgadillo, by actively trying to cover up his wife's disdain for the law and lying about his own misuse of his office staff, places himself in the category of Corrupt Civil Servant. He should resign. He should be fired.

Actually, I advocate that any elected office holder or any civil servant convicted of lying--any lying during the performance of his job--be publicly hanged by the neck until dead. Of course, that'd thin their ranks dramatically, which could be nothing but good for the productive segment of society. I nominate Rocky Delgadillo for an early court date.

Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. --Lord Acton

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California