Tape: Blago cursed voters as ingrates

CHICAGO, July 9 (UPI) -- Ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich cursed bitterly that voters weren't grateful for all he did for the state, a tape played at his corruption trial indicated.

"I (expletive) busted my ass and pissed people off and gave your grandmother a free (expletive) ride on a bus. OK? I gave your (expletive) baby a chance to have healthcare," Blagojevich ranted in a secretly taped phone conversation with former top aide Deputy Gov. Robert Greenlee about his low approval ratings among the people in Illinois.

"And what do I get for that?" he continued, "Only 13 percent of you all out there think I'm doing a good job. So (expletive) all of you."

Greenlee testified Blagojevich was stunningly disengaged from his work as governor during his tenure from 2003 to 2009.

Blagojevich would spend only two to eight hours a week in the office -- and there, he refused to make decisions, even hiding from his staff in the bathroom to avoid dealing with tough problems such as the budget, Greenlee said.

Greenlee would often have to "capture" Blagojevich in a car or plane so he could be pinned down "when he had nothing else to do," the Chicago Tribune reported.

Once Greenlee met with Blagojevich and his family at a "bowling alley/bar and grill" because that was the only way he could talk with Blagojevich about pressing legislation awaiting his veto or signature, Greenlee testified.

Greenlee's testimony echoed that of other former top Blagojevich aides who earlier testified they found the governor cavalier about his official responsibilities and quite willing to use powers for personal and political benefit, the Tribune said.

Blagojevich is charged, in part, with trying to profit from his choice to fill Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat after Obama was elected president.

Blagojevich was removed from office in January 2009 after an impeachment trial, which came six weeks after his arrest on federal corruption charges.