Update: Illegally investigating Joe the Plumber earns Kelley a VACATION.
By Taskr36
@Taskr36 (13963)
United States
November 26, 2008 1:02pm CST
For those of you who listen to the media and are likely unaware, Helen Jones-Kelley Director of Jobs and Family Services Department in Ohio, illegally investigated Joe the Plumber's private records following the third presidential debate. After trying to sweep this under the rug Ohio governor "Strickland put Jones-Kelley, on paid administrative leave after charges of the improper use of e-mail emerged on Nov. 7. She also is receiving protection from the Ohio Highway Patrol" while the investigation was under way.
Her defense was that they regularly run checks on people "thrust quickly into the public spotlight." She later claimed that it was standard to investigate his finances because he implied he had enough money to buy a business earning over 250K a year. Both turned out to be lies. There is no record of her office EVER looking into anyone for those reasons. So what did the investigator come up with?
"The report issued on Thursday, Nov. 20, by Inspector General Tom Charles found that Jones-Kelley improperly authorized searches of state databases for information on Wurzelbacher. Charles also found that Jones-Kelley's use of state e-mail resources to raise money for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was improper."
http://www.western-star.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2008/11/20/ddn112008helenweb.html
So we have a woman who lied, violated a man's privacy, and improperly used state e-mail resources to fundraise for Barrack Obama. As punishment she has received a two week paid vacation from November 7 to 20, and an unpaid vacation for the month following. It should end just in time for her to get her Christmas bonus and spend the holidays bragging to her family about how Obama's minions protect their own.
If this were a normal person, and not a minion of Obama, they would be fired on the spot. Several people have been fired in the past year over illegally looking at celebrities passport and DMV records in California. They didn't get paid vacations or unpaid vacations. They got the axe and faced criminal prosecution.
Here's what happens when you illegally access the records of a Democrat.
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/03/snoopergate_two.html
1 person likes this
3 responses
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
26 Nov 08
They should be fired for the misuse of their power. Regardless whether people like Joe or not, whether they support Obama or not, everybody should be concerned that this took place, that confidential information was not only researched but also made public. Yet they only get away with a slap on the hand?
I heard Joe will most likely sue the agencies involved. Rightfully so. So on top of being fired, those people should be made to pay up. Despicable!
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
26 Nov 08
I did hear that there are now teams of lawyers begging him to let them sue on his behalf. By the time this is done he may end up buying a lot more than a 250K plumbing business. Personally I think that rewarding this woman for her behavior makes him that much more likely to cash in. It shows that not only did the government do this to him, but they failed to properly discipline the person responsible. I'm still waiting to see what will happen with the various other illegal investigations done on him by other employees.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
27 Nov 08
Let me get this straight - are you comparing what this woman did regarding Joe the Plumber with someone illegally snooping into the passport files of U.S. Senators and Presidential candidates? (Clinton and McCain's files were also breeched.)
I'm not justifying what Kelley did and I definitely think she should be punished however her actions aren't nearly as serious as those involving the passport files. Also, are you still blaming Obama and the media for poor Joe's troubles? I see no evidence of a vast left-wing conspiracy here; it appears that Helen Jones-Kelley acted alone. Whatever happens to her in the long run, let's face it, Joe should send her a thank you card! She helped keep his story going, therefore extending his fifteen minutes far more than was warranted.
I see she misused state e-mail resources much like Sarah and Todd Palin allegedly did in Alaska regarding "trooper-gate". Is that somehow different?
Annie
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
27 Nov 08
"are you comparing what this woman did regarding Joe the Plumber with someone illegally snooping into the passport files of U.S. Senators and Presidential candidates?"
Yes I am. Both are violations of privacy and both involve people who abused their authority to snoop into such records. As Sndcain said, do you think they deserve privacy more than the average citizen?
I'm not blaming Obama or the media for this. I don't think Obama had anything to do with it, but I do believe she is getting off easy since both she and the governor are democrats and Obama supporters. I am however, blaming the media for completely ignoring this. Again, O'Reilly was the only person to send a reporter to talk to her. She ran into a fire station and called the cops. It was much like Ayers reaction to the same reporter. If she were a republican, media vans would be on her front lawn. It wouldn't be one lonely reporter.
Just so you know, I don't believe in sending thank you cards to people who violate the rights of private citizens because they don't like having their messiah questioned. You claim you're not justifying her actions, but you clearly don't care at all that she violated his rights because you just don't like him.
As for your last statement, the investigator determined that she misused state email resources to fund-raise for Obama. That is completely different than the accusation that Palin was using a private email account to conduct government business. In Palin's case the investigation also showed no wrongdoing with her email. The only thing the two have in common is that they both involved email. The similarity ends there.
