It has been clear for virtually her entire tenure as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that President Obama's choice for the post, Jane Lubchenco, has little to no respect for fishermen, for members of Congress and other political leaders at the state and local level, and for taxpayers in general.
But her actions this week pushes it to the level of raw contempt.
Dale Jones, former director of federal fishing law enforcement, was deposed last spring after a series of audits by U.S. Department of Commerce Inspector General Todd Zinser.
And Zinser and his investigators found that Jones had presided over wildly excessive and disproportionate treatment of New England fishermen, extensive misuse of government funds, and even a good ol' fashioned case of document shredding while Zinser was actively investigating his department.
Indeed, nothing may scream corruption like a shredding party. Yet, Jones continued to collect his $158,500 salary; as Congressman Barney Frank put it, "Apparently the reward for highly questionable actions (at NOAA) is a paid vacation."
Read the complete editorial from The Gloucester Times.