‘My Bad, Your Honor’
Angelenos’ opinions of union leaders and elected politicians took a plunge when Martin Ludlow, a former L.A. City Council member and ex-head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, pleaded guilty to a felony charge that he conspired to illegally steer union money to his 2003 campaign. Ludlow apologized for his mistakes, vowed to spend the rest of his life “being a better man” and agreed to cooperate with authorities. Harley Shaiken, a UC Berkeley professor specializing in labor matters, was impressed. “It’s a tough situation but he resorted to candor,” Shaiken said. In this kind of case, “that’s about as refreshing as it gets.” No doubt, but we still can’t get these song titles out of our heads:
“Politics as Usual” by Jay-Z
“Workin’ Man Blues” by Merle Haggard
“Money & Corruption/ I Am Your Man” by the Kinks
“The Democratic Circus” by Talking Heads
“Guilty Conscience” by Eminem
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