There is great fun unfolding in the one-party kingdom of Ohio's Cuyahoga County. By "fun" I mean Eliot-Spitzer-caught-with-his-pants-down type of mirth. Apparently while I was sitting at the airport waiting for my plane to NYC the FBI and the IRS were serving search warrants at the homes and offices of various county honchos and construction magnates, taking possession of files and hard-drives in what appears to be a major corruption scandal.

Gotta love it. Ever since I moved here I've been repulsed by the grinning image of the county auditor who had the nerve (and the access to county money) to have a photo of himself placed on a sticker that attaches to every gas pump in the area. Every time I filled the tank I saw his ridiculous image and thought to myself, "We need term limits." Now I can think to myself, "We need more federal penitentiaries."

Now that I'm caught up with the various news accounts I am struck by another aspect of this scandal: just about everyone targeted in the investigation has stated publicly how surprised and shocked (shocked!) they are that the FBI came to seize their papers and records.

That can mean only one thing: they knew the raid was coming. Which makes sense: it borders on extraordinary for the FBI to have swooped in to take records this way rather than through grand jury subpoena. So they also must've realized the investigation targets were aware of the surveillance -- and were already destroying evidence.

My bet (pure speculation): all the evidence of dirty business was expunged prior to Monday's raids. Which, of course, is why they are all insisting that the raid came as a total surprise to them.

Eh, doesn't matter to the local voters anyway. They like things just the way they are.

And I'm starting to get used to it myself -- kind-a reminds me of New York in the 1970s. Except without the Wall Street revenues to keep the rent-seekers in high cotton. (Actually, today's New York is itself looking like New York in the 1970s without the Wall Street revenues... dumb bastards brought it on themselves.)