DAN ROSTENKOWSKI, THE ACCEPTABLE CROOKED POLITICIAN-HE IS THE LAST, HE WAS THE BEST FOR THE COUNTRY AND HIS NATIVE CHICAGO

The death of Dan Rostenkowski, the big smiling affable politician, the former Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee brought back some memories for me.

Dan Rostenkowski represented what we always imagine politicians to be; gregarious, cigar smoking, hard drinking, on the take in a small,reasonable and quiet way and loud...but also they were expected to bring to their district the treasures from Washington, that is why we as voters set him there.

In return for that, we fully expected then to be involved in petty graft, expected then to supplement their income with cash payments from lobbyists, and others, that is why they would spend millions to get elected...it was not for the salary alone.

We however never expected them to get caught, but we expected them to just do it, and come home bringing in the goods from their lofty perch of power.

I grew up in Dan's Congressional district, and saw him for the first time at our Church steps where he and the first Mayor Daley were announcing the future construction of "affordable public housing, townhouse units-a first in the country" just across the street on some empty lots.

I was 1967 and I was an 8th grader at the Holy Trinity Elementary School adjoining, and was impressed with that gigantic man standing next to a short stocky funny looking Mayor Daley who was about a foot shorter than Congressman Dan. The money for the housing came from Washington, and Congressman Dan announced how he secured it for the Mayor and now we would benefit by having that housing.

Even back then all us kids knew that public housing represented a different class of people and that they were going to move right into our neighborhood, it would not be my family living there...we did not qualify...my dad had a job apparently, so we had to fend for ourselves.

So that being said, we moved to the suburbs!

Dan continued in Washington as Mayor Daley's powerhouse bringing home the goodies for years and years, in fact another almost 30 years working his way up the ladder to the highest position in the House.

Then, after years of "acceptable" graft and payoffs, he actually was so bold as to do the unthinkable...got caught in a petty graft, and went to prison, losing it all at the pinnacle of his power and illustrious career. Apparently, to make a long story short, he would send a staffer to the House post office to buy a stamp, one stamp apparently, but would give him a $5000 check, and then got the change back in cash...which he apparently just kept!

It was probably the way he did it for years, but then he got caught.

His graft was acceptable, getting caught was the ultimate violation of our "trust".

He went to prison, his seat was "won" by a "unknown" republican, who made it for one two year term, and the was ultimately replaced by, no other that Rod Blagojewich; apparently inheriting the graft and corruption curse attached to that seat.

Same story, different decade!

So, Dan was the last of the acceptable politicians, those who were supposed to steal small amounts, and not get caught. He changed the thinking, now we do not accept that anymore...I think.

I could be wrong, but I remember big Dan, the last of the politicians from the old school, who still brought in the bacon, while stealing stamps for himself!

Now, it seems that BILLIONS are unaccounted for in all types of domestic and foreign programs...I sure will miss Dan, the pilferer of stamps....no wonder our deficit is now $1.8 trillion, they seem to be stealing way more than stamps today.