Stupidak's Vote Paid For With Earmarks

A government watchdog group called the Sunlight Foundation, has uncovered the "payoff" for Bart Stupidak and ten other House members who exchanged their vote on health care for earmarks. I looked all over the news for this and found nothing. A google search (using logical words from this story) also uncovered NO RESULTS in the "news" section. (This article was found under a blog search). If you wonder how they were able to get the needed votes to pass the "Health Care Theft of Freedom Act", now you know...

A day after Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and ten other House members compromised on their pro-life position to deliver the necessary yes-votes to pass health care reform, the “Stupak 11″ released their fiscal year 2011 earmark requests, which total more than $4.7 billion–an average of $429 million worth of earmark requests for each lawmaker.

The eleven members were the focus of high level pressure by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats because they threatened to vote against the health care reform bill, whichpassed the House on Sunday, March 21, by a seven vote margin. Granting earmark requests are one of the ways leadership can encourage members to vote their way.

Stupak requested more than $578 million in earmarks, including $125 million for a replacement lock on the Sault Ste. Marie, $25.6 million to build a federal courthouse in Marquette, Mich., $15 million to repaint the Mackinac Bridge and $800,000 to preserve the Quincy Mining Company smelter near Hancock in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

In 2009, the first year that members disclosed earmark requests, most members requested far more earmarks than were funded by the Appropriations Committee, which approves or denies requests. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, Stupak’s funded earmarks–including those he requested jointly with other members–totaled $28.6 million.

Despite a newly enacted ban on earmarks to for-profit firms, Stupak requested a total of $52 million for companies in his district out of the $65.9 million he requested from the Defense Appropriations bill.

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Conyer's Wife Resigns

Today, we get the following story as another example of the culture of corruption that exists within the Democratic Party.

Detroit (AP) - City councilwoman Monica Conyers resigned from office Monday, days after admitting in court that she accepted bribes from a company in exchange for her vote on a lucrative city sludge-treatment contract.

 

Conyers, the wife of powerful Democratic congressman John Conyers who was voted into office in 2005 largely on his name, submitted her resignation in a letter to the city clerk's office Monday. It will take effect July 6.

 

"I am glad she did the right thing and resign from the Detroit City Council," Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. said in a statement. "Now we as a council and a city, can move on and forward in focusing on the vital issues our city faces - and we will."

 

Monica Conyers did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment Monday.

 

She pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges Friday and faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she is sentenced. Conyers admitted she took bribes from Houston-based Synagro Technologies in exchange for her vote on a city contract. The council voted 5-4 in favor of the Synagro contract with Monica Conyers' support.

 

Prosecutors made clear that John Conyers, the 80-year-old chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, knew nothing of his wife's corruption.

 

Prosecutors said Monica Conyers accepted two payments in late 2007 from a Synagro Technologies official, Rayford Jackson, in exchange for supporting a 20-year, $47-million-a-year, contract that November to have Synagro recycle wastewater sludge and build a modern incinerator in a poor Detroit neighborhood.

 

The council voted 5-4 to approve the contract with Conyers' vote. It was rescinded in January amid the accusations of wrongdoing.

 

Monica Conyers is the most prominent person snagged in the Synagro investigation. Jackson and the company's Michigan representative, Jim Rosendall, also have pleaded guilty to bribery charges in the case. Rosendall's plea agreement described how he distributed cash and other gifts to officials.

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Walpin update

The White House is dodging for cover on the firing of Inspector General Walpin. It seems that the defense coming from the administration now is that this was an "isolated incident."

... as was the firing of Inspector General Neil Barofsky, tasked with watching over the financial stimulus spending. 

... oh, and so was the firing of acting Inspector General Judith Gwynne who works for the International Trade Commission. In this case, incriminating documents were forcibly taken out of her hands by another ITC employee. To be fair, instead of being fired, she was told here contract, which expires next month, would not be renewed.

Yes, folks, CHANGE is coming to America.

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Bawney Fwank Lies About ACORN

House Financial Services Committee chairman Bawney Fwank (D-Massachusetts) lied to Lou Dobbs on national television the other night but no one seems to have noticed.

On the May 18 edition on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) said she was worried about the fact that ACORN and other organizations would "have access potentially to $8.5 billion" in federal funds.

ACORN, which Bachmann noted has received about $53 million in federal money since the early 1990s, has "a pattern of indictment for voter fraud," she said. "It's very concerning. No organization has a right to federal taxpayer money."

During the heated discussion that followed, longtime ACORN ally Fwank said, "the notion that they're eligible for $8 billion is nonsense." A moment later Frank, who appeared last year in one of the group'spromotional videos on YouTube called "ACORN Grassroots Democracy Campaign," repeated his mantra.

"But it's not $8 billion," he said.

Read the whole scoop here from the writer who came up with the $8 Billion figure.

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The Cost of Corruption in Illinois

The corruption in Illinois is so excessive, the state has become a national punchline. Blagojevich's national humiliation tour was the most recent event, but Illinois and Chicago have a long history of tolerating corruption.

In Chicago the phrase "vote early, vote often" is usually said with a laugh. It is also widely accepted the dead in Chicago rise every two or four years to vote.

With the conviction of patronage chiefs Robert Sorich and the HDO's Al Sanchez, does any reasonable person think Mayor Daley is not complicit? These convictions occurred after the Shakman decree was signed stating the city would not partake in hiring based on political clout.

Even employees at the Board of Review which evaluates property tax assessments state it is a cesspool of corruption.

It is stunning how this level of corruption is tolerated. Republicans are even culpable because they are terrified Jesse Jackson Jr. will become Mayor and immediately devolve into a race-baiting poverty pimp like his father.

Some think the corruption is tolerated because it has slowly built up over time like a frog in a pot of water on a stove. Does this excuse the apathy?

At political events it is painful to hear the aphorism "people get the government they deserve." There is truth in this saying.

There are always two ways at looking at voter disinterest. Either people are very happy with their lives or they are too self-absorbed to care about voting. Half of the people eligible to register to vote are registered. And half of the registered voters vote. Therefore, our elected officials win with 12.5% of the population supporting them.

One of the barriers to voting is people do not understand the true cost of corruption. Most Chicago residents think corruption is awarding snow removal contracts to the Mayor's friends.

The awarding of clout contracts and no bid contracts is the 300% to 1000% increase in contract value to fair market. $300,000 value contracts are charged well in excess of $1million. Repeat this process thousands of times and you will start to see a massive budget gap developing.

It is less of a concern that a politically connected person gets a city job (assuming they do it adequately) than the long-term impact of corrupt no bid contracts and their corresponding debt.

Governments operate at significantly less efficient levels than the free markets, but Chicago and Illinois governance essentially does not work. The state of Illinois is a year behind in paying their bills. Many Illinois businesses, espesically pharmacies, will not take a check from the state of Illinois.

When patronage and no bid contracts go to a small circle of corrupt power hungry cronies, the needs of the people are not met. There would be revenue to renegotiate the police contracts if but for the corruption tax.

Public safety, mass transit infrastucture, education, and healthcare have all degraded to unacceptable levels because of the cost of corruption. Blagojevich is not the problem, merely a symptom. If voters do not hold elected officials to higher standards, expect more of the same.

Chicago is more dangerous than Baghdad. How many lives are lost every year as a cost of corruption? Less than 50% of Chicago Public School high school students graduate and less than 6% graduate from college. Patients go to Stroger hospital with bags of food because they know they will be there 2-3 meals before seeing a doctor. The jails are overflowing. Public transit is falling apart. And they cannot afford police services.

This is the cost of corruption.

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Another Tax Cheat in the Obama Administration

To the surprise of nobody, it turns out that Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary is ALSO a tax cheat.  

Apparently, it is a requirement for this administration that you cheat on your taxes before you can be nominated for a cabinet post. 

Of course, once again, these are "honest errors."  I'm just curious why all of these honest mistakes are only found when these people get appointed to a cabinet post?  Is there some Special Version of Turbo Tax that asks the question "Are you a democrat in a highly visible public office?  If so, you are eligible to dodge some of your taxes.  But if you get nominated for a cabinet post, you may have to pay these taxes...."?

Like Michelle Malkin said, "Knock me over with a feather!"

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An epidemic of lying

Remember just a few months ago when George W. Bush was president?

One of the most common charges leveled at the Bush administration by liberal politicians, commentators, editors and bloggers was the "lies" told by President Bush.  They were especially angered (an anger which festered year after year) about the lack of WMDs in Iraq.  Of course, they fail to mention that bad information isn't really a lie.  All of our intelligence, the British intelligence, and all of the evidence that was in the possession of members of Congress suggested that Saddam still had WMDs, even if that couldn't be confirmed by UN investigators at the time.

The point is, that if you say something you believe to be true, it may be wrong, but it isn't a lie. A lie, by definition is saying something you know not to be true, or deception by word or deed.

Yesterday, we learned that Chris Dodd, D-Conn (or is it D-Con?) intentionally and knowingly lied to reporters about the AIG bonuses.  I don't care what anyone says about how "important" this lie might have been or might not have been. Dodd lied for political reasons to protect himself, and he lied about something he did that cost the American taxpayers millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars.

Today, we learn that the lies probably go deeper.  In fact, right into the heart of the Obama administration. In fact, this could have been predicted, based on past behavior.  The man who lied about owing taxes and blamed the complexities of Turbo Tax for his problems may have lied to us again.

Time magazine, that arch-conservative publication, is reporting that Timothy Geithner "misled" Congress in his testimony about the AIG bonuses yesterday.

From TIME:

Although Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told congressional leaders on Tuesday that he learned of AIG's impending $160 million bonus payments to members of its troubled financial-products unit on March 10, sources tell TIME that the New York Federal Reserve informed Treasury staff that the payments were imminent on Feb. 28. That is 10 days before Treasury staffers say they first learned "full details" of the bonus plan, and three days before the Administration launched a new $30 billion infusion of cash for AIG.

"Treasury staff was informed about the new bonuses in a Feb. 28 memo that the March 15 [bonus-payment] date was upcoming," a Federal Reserve source tells TIME. A Treasury Department source, speaking on background, confirmed the e-mail memo and its contents, saying, "Everybody knew that [AIG] had a retention issue."

Of course, there is already an innocent explanation.  You already know what it is:  They are pinning the blame on some low level staffer.  Blame rolls downhill in Washington.  The buck never stops at the top. Dodd blames the treasury, Geithner blames a low level staffer, and some low level staffer, who has probably given their whole career for a low paying government position will become a sacrificial lamb for the Democratic party.

Geithner should resign.  If he didn't know about the AIG bonuses earlier than he says, he's incompetent.  If he did, he is a liar and a deceiver (which has already been established).  The problem is, the Obama administration could (and probably will) stymie any investigation into this by claiming executive privilege protects Geithner's emails from being examined by congress.  It is those emails that would prove Turbo-Tax Tim's complicity in this scandal. 

The AIG scandal is getting bigger and bigger, but at this point the only thing that will likely cost Geithner his job would be the potential political fallout which might cost the administration votes down the road.

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Roland Burris Update

I was Googling "Roland Burris" for an update on his status a few minutes ago and ran across this gem:

Think Democratic leadership is going to yank Roland Burris soon? Think again. “There is already a process in place that includes investigations by Illinois state officials and the Senate Ethics Committee,” Reid spokesman Jim Manley said. “Let’s let the appropriate process play out and let all the facts come to light. But, in the meantime, he is still a Member of the Senate."

In other words, "He ain't no Republican, so let's see if it will go away quietely.  Besides, we need that extra vote in the Senate."  If Burris were a Republican, you could expect a much different reaction to this whole situation.

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Black Ministers Call for Burris' Resignation

A group of black ministers who previously supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now plan to ask for his resignation, one of the ministers told The Associated Press on Thursday. Many of the city's influential black pastors supported Burris because of his supposed "scandal-free reputation" — even though he was appointed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich after the governor was arrested.  Of course, black pastors in Chicago are obviously not opposed to supporting candidates who do not have a "scandal-free reputation."

But, prompted by revelations Burris attempted to raise money for Blagojevich while seeking the Senate job vacated by President Barack Obama, some of those pastors will ask Burris to resign, according to the minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a meeting with Burris had not yet been scheduled.

Sentiment in the black community is not unanimous, but the clergy's silence as the maelstrom of criticism swells around Burris "speaks volumes," said another minister, Ira Acree, of the Greater St. John Bible Church.

"I'm a little disturbed, but because of his track record, don't want to rush to judgment," Acree said Thursday. "But neither will I attempt to defend his actions."

Burris spokesman Jim O'Connor would not say whether the senator would meet with the ministers, and referred to Burris' previous pleas that fellow politicians and constituents alike "stop the rush to judgment." 

Burris lied to an Illinois House committee in January when he testified that he hadn't had contact with key Blagojevich staffers or offered anything in return for the seat.  Last weekend, Burris released an affidavit admitting that he had spoken to several Blagojevich advisers, including Robert Blagojevich, the former governor's brother and finance chairman, who Burris said called three times last fall asking for fundraising help. This week, Burris admitted trying, unsuccessfully, to raise money for Blagojevich.

Not surprisingly, Burris has resisted a growing chorus of calls for his resignation, including from within his own party.  Burris is clearly following the Bill Clinton example.

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The Audacity of Dirty Politics

The following is an excerpt from this article from American Spectator:

Those heartened by the hope that a President Obama would be more tolerant of critics and criticism than a candidate Obama had their expectations dashed. In only his third full day as the 44th president Obama personally went on the offensive against a media personality. On January 23rd, Obama warned Congressional Republicans against listening to Rush Limbaugh. The man who offered to sit down with Holocaust denier and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without any preconditions whatsoever views an American radio talk show host as a dangerous threat.

In precedent-setting action, Obama moved his director of political affairs, a highly partisan post, from the Old Executive Office Building into the West Wing. Political operative Patrick Gaspard was given White House access not experienced by his predecessors. Obama official Shauna Daly, a non-lawyer and career opposition researcher described as a "partisan dirt-digger," was assigned to the White House counsel office. The move signals not only a new low in partisan activities, but suggests the office assignment may be intended to hide Daly's political activities under the guise of the counsel's attorney-client privileges.

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Calls for Burris Resignation Mount

Here is the article from Fox News:

Major newspapers, government watchdogs and Illinois lawmakers are all calling for Sen. Roland Burris to resign after he admitted he tried to raise money for ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich -- the man who appointed him to the Senate despite being accused of seeking favors for the seat. 

Burris made the admission to reporters late Monday, after releasing an affidavit over the weekend saying he had more contact with Blagojevich advisers about the Senate seat than he had described under oath to the state House panel that recommended Blagojevich's impeachment. The Democrat said in the affidavit, but not before the panel, that the governor's brother asked him for fundraising help. 

But his story took another twist Monday when he admitted he tried to raise the money, to no avail. 

The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post are now calling for Burris, who replaced President Obama in the Senate, to step down. 

"This latest revelation makes a mockery of his professions of no quid pro quo. It is a violation of the public trust. The people of Illinois have suffered enough. Mr. Burris should resign," according to the Post.

(read the article)

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More Scandal in Illinois

It would seem that there is no end to the corruption in the Democratic party, and particularly in Illinois.  While the Democrats certainly do not have a monopoly on corruption, by all appearances, they have as strong a hold on it as they do on Congress at the moment.

Roland Burris clearly obviously and intentionally lied to the Illinois State legislature when testifying for Rod Blagojevich.  Most likely, he did this because he knew that telling the truth would tarnish his own appointment to the Senate Seat that had been held by POTUS Obama.

A month after he testified that he had no contact with people in Blago's administration regarding the seat, he filed an affidavit clarifying (changing) that testimony.  It seems obvious to anyone looking objectively at this that he filed the affidavit quietly, with the aid of a Democratic State Senator, in hopes that nobody would notice.  Republican Senators read about the "clarification" in ... hold on to your seats ... the NEWSPAPERS!!!

It is only a matter of time before Burris is charged with perjury.  The only question is whether or not he will get away with it, anyway, as many Democrats seem to be able to do.

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Another Tax Cheat Nominee

This is getting old.  How many is it now?  Four?

It seems yet another would-be member of the Obama administration accidentally forgot to pay taxes.   It was revealed today that the husband of Secretary of Labor nominee Rep. Hilda Solis had 15 outstanding state and county tax liens totaling $7,630 against his automobile  business, some of them dating back over 16 years.

White House Spokesman Robert  Gibbs had this to say:. 

"The White House believes that if you owe taxes you should pay them." Robert Gibbs

I certainly hope that they do.

The couple is claiming ignorance of the outstanding liens.  

While I have little specific knowledge of the tax lien process in California, this doesn't pass the smell test.  Liens aren't usually imposed until there have been a series of notices asking for payment.  In addition, in our age of computerization the existence of unpaid taxes often effects an owner's ability to keep the business completely legitimate. That's because city, county and state agencies now readily share information about the unpaid taxes and may refuse to renew many licenses and certifications until shown proof that all applicable taxes have been paid.

During the Obama campaign, he promised not to include lobbyists in his adminsitration.  (A promise which he broke, but that's beside the point, at the moment.)  What he didn't tell us was that he would make as a requirement that anyone in his administration MUST be a tax cheat.  All this is very ironic, given that all the rest of us simple folk are going to be stuck with mammoth tax bills for years to come because of the Obama Porkulus Spending Package.

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Democrats and the Culture of Corruption

As the Rod Blagojevich scandal continues to unfold, it’s worth recalling that Democrats in 2006 -led by Representative Rahm Emanuel- ran on the theme that they would end “the culture of corruption.” Indeed, Emanuel, in dismissing wrongdoings by Democrats at the time, explained them away as simply the actions of a few individuals. About Republicans, Emanuel said, “They have institutional corruption.” The argument put forth was that Democrats would bring ethics and high standards to public office and that the Democratic Party would embody integrity and police its ranks.

It hasn’t quite worked out that way.

As the sportscaster Warner Wolf used to say, let’s go to the videotape. In 2008 alone, we have the arrest of Democratic Governor Blagojevich on charges of public corruption, which include trying to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. Former Democratic Representative William Jefferson, a nine-term incumbent, lost his seat in Louisiana because of corruption charges, including allegations that he took bribes -of which $90,000 were allegedly found in his freezer during an FBI raid- from a company seeking lucrative contracts in the Nigerian telecommunications market. Tim Mahoney, the Democrat who succeeded Republican Mark Foley after the latter resigned due to a sex scandal, lost his seat when he, Mahoney, became embroiled in a sex scandal of his own. Former Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace after he was caught up in a call girl operation. Democratic Representative Charlie Rangel is now under investigation for reportedly helping to retain a multimillion-dollar tax loophole for an oil drilling company at the same time that the company’s CEO was pledging $1 million to the Charles B. Rangel School for Public Service at City College of New York. Also, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick resigned as part of a plea bargain in which he pled guilty to two felonies for obstruction of justice.

Democrats seem to be doing a rather fine job at building on a culture of corruption rather than ending it.

Corruption and scandals plague individuals in both parties, of course, and Republicans have had their fair share of them (including the conviction of Senator Ted Stevens earlier this year). There are scoundrels and honorable people in both political parties. But three things are worth bearing in mind at the moment:

The first is that Democrats, in their effort to gain political power, made ethics a defining issue. They are the ones who set the expectations and the ethics bar very high. Having so far failed miserably to meet their own standards, they are vulnerable to the charge of hypocrisy.

Second, when enough scandals occur in a concentrated time period, they reach a tipping point. The public begins to associate corruption not simply with individuals but with the party they represent; and that, in turn, can do tremendous damage to the “brand” of a political party. Such a thing happened to Republicans in recent years, and they paid an enormous political price for it. Now that same thing may be happening to Democrats.

Third, President-elect Obama made the centerpiece of his campaign the promise that he would “turn the page” on the old politics and clean out our political Augean stables. As head of the Democratic Party, he is now responsible for its conduct, including its ethical behavior. It looks as if he has his work cut out for him.

The Democratic Party has, in a matter of mere months, succeeded in creating a record of corruption that extends from mayors to governors to member of Congress. And the Blagojevich scandal is not only far from over, it may well extend beyond what we now know. It’s fair to assume that a lot of people are beginning to talk to U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in the hopes of gaining leniency, so we will see how far the tentacles of this scandal extend.

The “culture of corruption” appears to be alive and well, aided and abetted by Democrats at almost every level. I rather doubt the national media will be as eager to highlight this issue as they were with Republicans. But the public might connect the dots anyway.

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