The other shoe has dropped. A Cabarrus County senator has a federal indictment to go along with his state indictment on campaign finance violations. If you recall, Hartsell had reported paying for a lot of stuff on his campaign report, with campaign funds, that really really really sounded like personal expenses. This latest development has to have SOME P EOPLE around Jones Street a bit nervous. I mean, all of this has to really be hitting close to home for SOME PEOPLE.

Gosh. Paying rent, out of campaign funds, to a company YOU OWN. Paying yourself, with campaign funds, for working on your own campaign. Paying for “international travel” with campaign funds. And you KNOW these campaign funds are provided mostly by lobbyists and other special interests who have “needs” these legislators can, um, meet.

The GOP took over Jones Street in 2010 and 2012 promising something different from the previous, um, “owners.” Unfortunately, it appears to be same corruption, different perps.

Cleaning up state government is going to take more than changing parties. It’s going to be about finding some good men and women of character and integrity to step in and return it TO US.