In January I blogged about the 70-year-old Marion “Da Mayor” Barry’s arrest for dodging taxes and testing positive for cocaine. It looks like he’s caught another break. Barry won’t be sent up for his crimes. Instead, he received probation and cut a deal to pay half the taxes he owes. (Source)
Barry could be locked up if he violates this probation, although he violated the terms of a different probation when he tested positive for cocaine. Theoretically, he should be in jail right now.
The D.C. Council Member and former mayor doesn’t know how lucky he is. 
The liberal Post takes an extremely careful stand on the issue in an editorial:
Standing before the bar of justice yesterday, Mr. Barry invoked the Scriptures on forgiveness, suggesting, it would seem, that claims against him for his conduct should be overlooked. Whether his taxpaying fellow citizens should grant him a pardon is not for us to say. But this much Marion Barry should know by this stage in his life: Disobeying the law — even for an ex-mayor and sitting council member — is not and never will be acceptable.
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Wow. Only half the taxes he owes?
AND he gets away w/ the cocaine charge.
So. Apparently, the best way to get out of paying taxes is to become a DC council member, load up on crack, and violate parole. Then the IRS will cut you a break and give you a 50% tax credit.
“Disobeying the law — even for an ex-mayor and sitting council member — is not and never will be acceptable.”
Never be acceptable? This jackass has broken the law many times and has been accepted to the point that he has served as mayor again and as a city councilman. Disobeying the law apparently is an insignificant matter to DC voters.
And I am sure he’ll be reelected because he’s a black man being picked on by the white establishment! The man is keeping him down, vote for him again to stick it to the man!
Chris,
That appears to be true, but as a black woman I will never understand why this druggie continues to be elected to public office.
Marion Barry is not what I would want my son to grow up to be.
I’m going to try and send in half the amount of taxes that I’m supposed to pay on April 15th and see if I can get away with it.
Too bad I don’t do drugs ‘cuz me and the mayor could probably party together without fear of prosecution.
Bev,
As a lifelong DC resident, I can tell you the explanation for his incredible political longevity is simple: the race card. When he took office in 1979, DC government’s bond rating was top. By 1987 it was junk bond status. Not a peep for the hundreds of churches, “civil rights” activists, or the cosmic justice crowd the entire time. He, with quiet support of DC Council, ran the city like a Third World country – right into the ground. We are still trying to dig ourselves out of the massive waste, fraud, and cronyism he got us into.
In addition, the people he hurt most are his biggest supporters. They have been fed a continuous stream of victimhood pathology (whenever I hear “it’s racism” or “the Man”, I always ask “what’s his name, phone number, address?” to no response). Quite simply, it’s a severe case of battered-wife syndrome. And, sadly, I haven’t seen a bit of progress in my 30 yr lifetime, nor do I ever expect to live to see it change. Simply, the socialist exploitation of black people and white guilt are far too profitable as socialists know if the poor in DC ever were to become happy, productive citizens, they’d be out of their 6 to 8 digit salaries.
Marion Barry is an empty shell. He has tried women, drugs, fame and defiance and all he had gotten for his efforts is a liberal’s pass to keep on truckin’. He is begging to be knocked out, but no one of substance wants to waste the effort on the chump.
At least he hasn’t stepped so low as to take on the Clinton “atonement” tour or to call the Reverend Jessie Jackson to come by for a laying on of hands.
He is a clown and his followers are no different from the vermin who trailed after the Pied Piper of Hamlin in fairly tale times.
One day, Marion Barry will turn toes up and what will the obituary say? Perhaps: “Here lies a man who……………finally quit trying to escape the gallows. In all things he was a cheat and a charlatan until he met death.”
Bev, I don’t mean to portray all voters in Washingon DC in the pattern I described. Just stupid ones, and apparently there’s a lot of them in some places.
Marion Barry??? Again???? Will this guy ever get it?
Chris,
I know what you mean. It is just so disturbing that Marion Barry gets re-elected while still on drugs and getting into other kinds of trouble.
I considered living in DC after graduating from Bowie University in the early seventies (state college back then). There is no way I could have voted for Barry in his post drug conviction and continual drug using state.
Stupid has got to be the descriptor for people who continue to vote for him.
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