Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Captain Virgil Hilts on March 29, 2007, 07:01:25 AM
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Okay boys and girls, after nearly four years of constant crap about Cheney and Haliburton prosecuting an "illegal war for oil and profit", let's see how much mileage Feinstein's little deal gets in the media.
"SEN. Dianne Feinstein has resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee. As previously and extensively reviewed in these pages, Feinstein was chairperson and ranking member of MILCON for six years, during which time she had a conflict of interest due to her husband Richard C. Blum's ownership of two major defense contractors, who were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein.
...Perhaps she resigned from MILCON because she could not take the heat generated by Metro's expose of her ethics (which was partially funded by the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute). Or was her work on the subcommittee finished because Blum divested ownership of his military construction and advanced weapons manufacturing firms in late 2005?
...Feinstein abandoned MILCON as her ethical problems were surfacing in the media, and as it was becoming clear that her subcommittee left grievously wounded veterans to rot while her family was profiting from the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. It turns out that Blum also holds large investments in companies that were selling medical equipment and supplies and real estate leases—often without the benefit of competitive bidding—to the Department of Veterans Affairs, even as the system of medical care for veterans collapsed on his wife's watch.
As of December 2006, according to SEC filings and http://www.fedspending.org, three corporations in which Blum's financial entities own a total of $1 billion in stock won considerable favor from the budgets of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs:
# Boston Scientific Corporation: $17.8 million for medical equipment and supplies; 85 percent of contracts awarded without benefit of competition.
# Kinetic Concepts Inc.: $12 million, medical equipment and supplies; 28 percent noncompetitively awarded.
# CB Richard Ellis: The Blum-controlled international real estate firm holds congressionally funded contracts to lease office space to the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also is involved in redeveloping military bases turned over to the private sector."
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i demand a congressional investigation.
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yep.. she would ban guns for everyone except herself and her bodyguards.. She is the perfect example of a sleazy politician who has been in the game too long.
I am not surprised by this.
lazs
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Where is the outrage? Where is the outcry?
Oh... that's right... .it's OK......... she's a Democrat.
"These aren't the droids we're looking for......."
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she's a twit as are most of the dumbarsecrats
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dispicable
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its very difficult to find honest politicians anymore (as if there were some in the first place??)
Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes:
Jack Abramoff, Former Lobbyist – Abramoff is at the center of a massive public corruption investigation by the Department of Justice that, in the end, could involve as many as a dozen members of Congress. Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and a host of other charges on January 3, 2006, and was sent to prison in November to serve a five-year, 10-month sentence for defrauding banks of $23 million in Florida in 2000.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) – In January 2006, Hillary Clinton’s fundraising operation was fined $35,000 by the Federal Election Commission for failing to accurately report more than $700,000 in contributions to Clinton’s Senate 2000 campaign. New information also surfaced in 2006 raising more questions about Hillary and her brother Anthony Rodham’s connection to the Clinton Pardongate scandal, where presidential pardons were allegedly traded in exchange for cash and other favors.
Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) – In November 2005, Cunningham pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. He was sentenced to 8 years, four months in prison and ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution in March 2006.
Former Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) – Tom DeLay, who was forced to step down from his position as House Majority Leader and then resign from Congress, decided in 2006 not to run for re-election. Congressman DeLay has been embroiled in a series of scandals from bribery to influence peddling, and was indicted twice by grand juries in Texas.
Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) – Foley left the House in disgrace after news broke that he had been sending predatory homosexual emails to a House page. A recent House Ethics Committee report indicated that Republican leaders knew about Foley’s dangerous behavior, but failed to take action. Democrats, meanwhile, shopped the story to the press to influence the elections. Outrageously, the Committee recommended no punishment for those involved.
Rep. Denny Hastert (R-IL) – In addition to mishandling the Foley scandal, outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert allowed House ethics process to ground to a halt on his watch. Gary Condit, Cynthia McKinney, William Jefferson, John Conyers, Tom Delay, Duke Cunningham, Jim McDermott, Patrick Kennedy are examples of alleged wrongdoers who faced little-to-no ethics enforcement in the House.
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) – Hastings is one of only six federal judges to be removed from office through impeachment and has accumulated staggering liabilities ranging from $2,130,006 to $7,350,000. Hastings was “next in line” for Chairmanship of the House Select Committee on Intelligence until a wave of protest forced Nancy Pelosi to select another candidate. Nonetheless, Hastings is expected to continue to serve on the Intelligence Committee.
Rep. William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson (D-LA) – Jefferson is alleged to have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to help broker high-tech business deals in Nigeria. According to press reports, he was also caught on tape discussing the deals, while an FBI search of his home uncovered $90,000 in cash stuffed in his freezer.
Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) – Ohio Republican Congressman Bob Ney resigned in early November 2006, three weeks after pleading guilty for accepting bribes from an Indian casino in exchange for legislative favors. Ney was the first congressman to be convicted of a crime in the web of scandals involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and is expected to serve a jail sentence.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) – Senator Reid came under fire in 2006 for failing to properly report to Congress a $700,000 land deal. Reid also accepted more than $30,000 of Abramoff-tainted money allegedly in return for his ''cooperation'' in matters related Nevada Indian gaming.
Dishonorable Mentions include:
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) – According to complaints released by the House Ethics Committee recently, aides to Representative John Conyers (D-MI) alleged their former boss repeatedly violated House ethics rules, forcing them to serve as his personal servants, valets, and as campaign staff while on the government payroll.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) – In May 2006, Kennedy crashed his car into a Capitol Hill barricade at nearly 3 a.m. in the morning. Kennedy blamed the incident on a reaction to prescription pills, but officers at the scene said he smelled of alcohol. Nonetheless, they escorted him home rather than arresting him.
Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) – McKinney assaulted a Capitol Hill police officer in April after refusing to go through a metal detector. While McKinney was never forced to answer in a court of law for her behavior, she lost her bid for re-election in 2006.
Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) – Iraq war critic John Murtha was incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s first choice for House Majority Leader despite the ethical skeletons in his closet. Murtha is an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1980 “Abscam” scandal, which included the arrest and convictions of a senator and six congressmen. Murtha, whose current ethics continue to be questioned, lost his bid for Majority Leader to Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer.
Sen. Barak [sic] Obama (D-IL) – News reports surfaced in 2006 that Illinois Senator Barak Obama entered into an unusual land deal with a now-indicted political fundraiser, Tony Rezko. The complicated real estate transaction occurred when it was widely known that Rezko was under federal investigation in a political corruption scandal.
David Safavian, Former Bush Administration Official – Safavian, the former White House Chief of Procurement and former Chief of Staff for the General Services Administration, was indicted on September 19, 2006 on five counts of lying about his dealings with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and obstructing a Senate investigation of his dealings. Safavian resigned from his White House position three days prior to his arrest.
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This one hits really close to home for me. I'm not suprised by the scandal or the lack of coverage. My sons going to be needing a lot of medical assistant from the VA in the future. I'd hate to see any of the wounded vets get short changed because of sweetheart deals, and pocket stuffing. Just from what I've witnessed in the past seven weeks, there is going to be quite a strain on the VA as the Vietnam era vets reach their later years, and more of this generation of servicemen and women are coming home wounded.
Damn shame.
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Originally posted by Ripsnort
its very difficult to find honest politicians anymore (as if there were some in the first place??)
Very funny list. It lists some republicans who did nothing wrong on the main list, but goes on and doesn't even bother to mention the corrupt hordes of democrats.
And Cynthia McKinney? I wouldn't go as far to say she's corrupt. Dumber then a brick, sure, but I don't think she's gone out of her way to do something wrong.
But then we it doesn't even begin to mention Slick Willy.
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Well the dem fanboys will use the same rhetoric in her defense as the repubs did to justify the no bid Halaberton contracts.
And according to the logic expressed in here so often, thats a valid defense..."those guys on the other side did it, so can we" :rofl
shamus
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term limits, if not now, when?
we do not need nor do we want life time career professional politicians
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Originally posted by lasersailor184
Very funny list. It lists some republicans who did nothing wrong on the main list, but goes on and doesn't even bother to mention the corrupt hordes of democrats.
And Cynthia McKinney? I wouldn't go as far to say she's corrupt. Dumber then a brick, sure, but I don't think she's gone out of her way to do something wrong.
But then we it doesn't even begin to mention Slick Willy.
FWIW, its from a conservative website.
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/21353.html
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^
Heck, I don't even want them to be insession more than about 2-3 weeks per year.
They should be able to deal with the actual major problems in that amount of time. If they can't... send 'em home anyway.
We've got laws out the wazoo, no shortage there. 2-3 weeks would make them focus on the real problems.
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Originally posted by Ripsnort
FWIW, its from a conservative website.
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/21353.html
If it looks like a democrat piece, sounds like a democrat piece...
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You know what boys ? I've come to realize that both parties play us off as idiots and we are the biggest fools as we swallow it all and vote accordingly.
Wish there was a credible 3rd party out there and we could maybe get some decent folks in there, too many crooks on BOTH sides for my liking.
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Originally posted by Hawco
You know what boys ? I've come to realize that both parties play us off as idiots and we are the biggest fools as we swallow it all and vote accordingly.
Wish there was a credible 3rd party out there and we could maybe get some decent folks in there, too many crooks on BOTH sides for my liking.
I'm with you Hawco, but like john9001 said. "Term Limits" I believe the real problem is professional politicians no matter what party.
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Originally posted by Ripsnort
FWIW, its from a conservative website.
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/21353.html
Too late Rip. You are now branded a librul. :rofl
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Hey, you're all socialists to me.
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Well I guess it's comforting to know that Cheney and Halliburton are not the only profiteering warmongers. What's good for the goose and all that.
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Just more evidence that there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two.
The Democrooks and the Republicrooks are screwing us all.
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Originally posted by Toad
Just more evidence that there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two.
The Democrooks and the Republicrooks are screwing us all.
They keep doing it because voters keep voting for them.
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On balance, we're not morally superior to our politicians.
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Speak for yourself.
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I say it is still so, on balance. And on balance, those who say otherwise excepting the minority of virtuous people in here, lie.
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A smaller .gov is a less corrupt .gov. The bigger it gets, the more fraud, waste and abuse will be present per capita.
Want less possibility of corruption? Don't think Democrat or Republican.
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Hap, telling a lot of people that you know better than them what they are thinking is a lot like what politicians do.. so maybe it's just you that's no more and no less virtuous?
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Originally posted by VOR
A smaller .gov is a less corrupt .gov. The bigger it gets, the more fraud, waste and abuse will be present per capita.
America has 300 million citizens. 1% = 3,000,000
The # of people that constitute government is not the problem, nor would decreasing the # of people who constitute the government erradicate corruption.
It's a moral matter. We need better people all around in and out of government.
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Originally posted by Hap
America has 300 million citizens. 1% = 3,000,000
The # of people that constitute government is not the problem, nor would decreasing the # of people who constitute the government erradicate corruption.
It's a moral matter. We need better people all around in and out of government.
Only way to do that would be to eliminate any & all financial rewards. :(
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The love of money being the root of all evil, eh? Saint Paul has a better track record at being right than I.
I like your idea indy :aok
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Originally posted by Hap
America has 300 million citizens. 1% = 3,000,000
The # of people that constitute government is not the problem, nor would decreasing the # of people who constitute the government erradicate corruption.
It's a moral matter. We need better people all around in and out of government.
Hap, assume corruption in every wallet. To reduce corruption, reduce wallets.
To believe political promises or party rhetoric or that a certain politician is morally above reproach is naive. The only viable solution is a strict adherence to the constitution and to reduce the number of hands that can get into the cookie jar.
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Originally posted by Hap
I say it is still so, on balance. And on balance, those who say otherwise excepting the minority of virtuous people in here, lie.
Real simple... would you have done what Feinstein did if you were in her position?
I wouldn't. Period. It's a clear conflict.
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Originally posted by VOR
Hap, assume corruption in every wallet.
I won't because it's false. Corruption resides in the heart -- so to speak.
To reduce corruption, reduce wallets.
[/b]
I'd like to hear more on that one VOR. Not kidding either.
To believe political promises or party rhetoric or that a certain politician is morally above reproach is naive.
I agree!
The only viable solution is a strict adherence to the constitution and to reduce the number of hands that can get into the cookie jar.
I agree, again.
How we going to do that? Or are we doomed?
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Hap, it's a difficult proposition and will most certainly be met with resistance from the mainline "status quo". No solution is perfect, but I think the most viable option is third party politics. The big two are too far gone to be of any positive use anymore.
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the constitution says nothing about political parties , therefore i rule them unconstitutional.
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If you were our King John, your ruling would have some weight.
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Originally posted by Toad
Just more evidence that there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two.
The Democrooks and the Republicrooks are screwing us all.
Word.
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for them it is more power than money. It is being in the spotlight.. they are simply frustrated actors and stalins.
lazs
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All politicians are crooks. How else would they get to where they are? What I hate even more is how old senators have sons, who become senators. They think of themselves as royalty.
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The REALLY sad thing is back in the old old days royalty and public leaders were beheaded for alot less corruption.
Times have changed tho, now we sit down in front of our boob tubes and practically BEG for more BS to be shoveled down our pie-holes! its like daytime soap opera's only its all real! matter of fact someone should commision a study to see what effects the daily soap operas have had on us as a society. Would make about as much sense as what the polocrooks spend OUR money on anyways.
Hope i live long enough to see the revolution!!!:furious
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Originally posted by lazs2
for them it is more power than money. It is being in the spotlight.. they are simply frustrated actors and stalins.
lazs
Says the man who sees it as morally right to vote for them.
You are a joke.
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Originally posted by FiLtH
All politicians are crooks. How else would they get to where they are? What I hate even more is how old senators have sons, who become senators. They think of themselves as royalty.
Yeah! And what about those people who vote these people in and then get all irrate when the person they voted in office does something wrong? They act like they're all innocent and stuff!!
Yeah. w3rd.
And what about those people who b*tch about those people who voted someone in office and then think they're innocent when they person voted into office does something wrong? What about them?
Make the mind boggle. Or boggles the mind. It's all so confusing.
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lazer... grow up.
you are a joke not I... you wish to let the worst of the politicians in.. the ones who will listen to you the least. You do this to sooth your delicate and undeveloped sense of morality.
I don't think I need a lecture from someone who's whole political philosophy is to get the worst possible president elected so that we can have the bloody revolution that much faster..
If we do have one... do me a favor and stay away from me.... You will just get in the way. I won't have time to babysit you and listen to your whining and self rightious crap and you will probly get good people killed.
lazs
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If by reducing the wallet, you are referring to less pay or renumeration for the position, it won't work. That only would reduce the number of people able to run for the job based on personal wealth. If you can afford it, you basically buy the job. The decent person who is not wealthy and I mean really wealthy, could not afford to run. That means the jobs would be monopolized by the already powerful well heeled. It's already deep into that situation now. :mad:
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Mav, I think you were referring to my post so I'll reply.
I don't mean a reduction in pay, I mean a reduction in .gov jobs and more importantly programs across the board. It's not so simple you can sum it up in one sentence and I'm not referring to elected seats. See my sig.
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Originally posted by VOR
Mav, I think you were referring to my post so I'll reply.
I don't mean a reduction in pay, I mean a reduction in .gov jobs and more importantly programs across the board. It's not so simple you can sum it up in one sentence and I'm not referring to elected seats. See my sig.
Yep it was your post I was referring to. Thanks fro clarifying the situation.
My thought on it is similar to some others in that term limits are long overdue. Two terms should be enough, no more lifetime careers like kennedy. It works for the executive branch.
I don't know how you can get a handle on govt. jobs and more importantly, pork, without getting a handle on those that pump the pork into the govt. operations. I really don't have an idea how a politician can be held accountable.
I'd like to see a couple things right away. Pay level held except after a full election approval for a raise by the voters. Congress should not be able to raise their own pay. Secondly they lose the pension. They can deal with social security and will only be concerned to maintain it when it's going to be paying them like it does other folks.
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Good idea about the pension. Might encourage free investments.
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congress cannot raise their pay for the present term, however, they can raise the pay for the next term, and because over 90% are re-elected they are de facto voting themselves a pay raise.
term limits.