Rangel Sdandal, Charlie Should Step Down

Making Charlie Rangel step down would help clarify the message that things are changing in Washington DC. I am from New York, and although Rangel is not from my district, I still considered him my congressman. The actions of Charlie Rangel are deplorable and there should be a penalty, he is on the Ways and Means Committee for goodness sake, he is a serious liability and a distraction. They need to get him out. Shame on them for electing to keep him in the chairman’s seat. Charlie unfortunately spent his congressional years living the high life. He didn’t report assets, that’s like taxes 101. The first thing when you do your taxes is to list all of your assets - unless you are hiding something. 

This is a colossal blunder on Charlie’s part to have all these skeletons in his closet. What is Charlie hiding? Democrats need to set an example, Rangel is becoming an albatross. It’s not worth keeping Rangel, questions are sure to be asked about where Rangel got the finances for certain properties, and holding down four rent stabilized apartments, trips, quid-pro-quos, he is wallowing in it. He needs to resign from congress or at least step down from chair. Serving the people is a privilege and not a right. Rangel needs to see that his current situation is not good for the people or democracy. Patterson’s current defense of the congressman does not surprise me since Patterson is also enjoying his rent stabilized apartment in Harlem.

(http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20080516/FREE/537488281)

I think Rangel needs to resign so he can go work in the private sector to make the money he is going to need for his legal bills, rather than raising it from tax payers under the guise of campaign contributions. So far he has spent about one million dollars on legal bills, and who know how much the final number will be after all the investigations and legal battles are done. By staying in the seat Rangel is preventing someone else from rising and vying for the seat. I am for voting anyone out who has been taking advantage of the system. There are many people who are not happy with the results of his empowerment zones in Harlem; some feel they have been priced out of the area. Rangel has been in congress since 1971, thirty-eight years, that’s a very long time.