Cigar? Cigarette? Wad of cash?

So how does a truck dealer pass a bribe to an elected official? Seems the preferred method locally is to stuff the cash into a cigarette pack or cigar tube and pass it along at an area restaurant, as shown in our story Saturday about the 19-count indictment against the owners of a Howell truck dealership. They were charged last week with bribing officials in Monmouth and Ocean counties over eight years. See: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/NEWS/607290351

Hey, at least that method kicks some to the state, with New Jersey's costly cigarette tax. For every grand or so shoved into a cigarette pack for a local elected official, we get a couple of bucks back to the state coffers, so they can waste it by giving somebody's relative a no-show job. Whoohoo!

Reading through the story is enough to turn anyone's stomach, such as reports of $2,500 shoved in a cigar tube, $1,200 stuffed in a cigarette pack, then town and county governments being "regularly" overcharged for vehicles from this company, and county officials ordering "unnecessary equipment and supplies" from the truck dealer. With my money. And yours. Somebody hand me a loose-change-filled bottle of Pepto.

Of course it was from the federal Operation Bid Rig investigation that these indictments arose. Our state Law & Public Safety Department couldn't find corrupt, unethical activity if it was sitting right there in the AG's office.
Oh. Never mind.