A Fool and His Money

You know the expression A fool and his money are soon parted? Well in the case of Maryland State Delegate Jon Cardin, a fool and only a little tiny bit of his money are soon parted.

Delegate Cardin made the news a couple of weeks ago when he somehow finagled a deal with Baltimore City Police to conduct a marriage proposal prank. Cardin and his girlfriend were staying on a friend's boat somewhere in the Inner Harbor. The police would then come aboard and demand a search of the boat while the Foxtrot helicopter circled above. This would give the impression that they were searching for drugs or something of that nature. The police then find the ring, all the while keeping his girlfriend thinking that they are in trouble. Then Jon would get down on his knee and propose.

The good news is that she said yes. The bad news is that she is marrying a politician who abused the power of his elected position for special privileges.

Once the incident was exposed he issued a half-hearted apology. Once the half-hearted apology was exposed, he issued a real apology and said that he used bad judgment and would reimburse the city for the costs of the operation. Baltimore City Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld then determined that the total cost was $300 (or more likely some out-of-college intern calculated it and he supports it).

$300. Bad judgment? Is this insulting or what? How stupid does the city think everyone is? And if it weren't for his last name, Cardin would not be getting off so easy. His uncle is U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, one of the Maryland Senators that favors Obama's socialized healthcare plan. If his last name was Eludius he probably would have been arrested.

So when are a fool and his money not parted? When you're a Cardin.