Day: January 21, 2014

Speaking Of Corruption

And that darn pesky Citizens United……….

As I commented….”corruption is corruption, it is not open to gradation”…….we may call it whatever we like but politicians getting money and freebies from PACs is a form of bribery….we can pretend that it is anything but corruption…but if it smells like manure and looks like manure…it is most likely MANURE!

All us dedicated politicos have an opinion on the SCOTUS ruling for “Citizens United”…..basically it legally allows the buying of elections….just as certain as gerrymandering picks the candidates voter…..

There is a law that prohibits law makers from taking gifts and such from lobbyists…just ask Virginia’s governor (he and wife have been charged with illegal gifts)  and attorney general…….but just like ALL laws made by lawyers there is a way around the law…..for instance…….

In 2007, Congress passed measures largely barring lavish lobbyist-funded trips and gatherings. But what the New York Times calls “destination fundraisers” haven’t stopped, and, indirectly, they’re still funded by the lobbyists, who schmooze with lawmakers in places like Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Bermuda. The money for the trips technically comes from lawmakers’ PACs: The lawmakers sponsor the jaunts and their PACs see donations of $1,000 to $5,000 from the donors and lobbyists who attend; the lobbyists foot their own plane and hotel bill, too. “An informal setting is an effective way to build a better relationship,” says a lobbyist. “It’s a way to get some large chunks of a lawmaker’s time.” Many lawmakers maintain they’re a great way to raise funds and say they bring in tens of thousands after expenses; those on both sides of the aisle hold such events. Among the Times‘ past and future examples are Maryland’s Steny Hoyer (Ritz-Carlton’s Dorado Beach hotel in Puerto Rico), Michigan’s John Conyers (Grammy Awards-tied event at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills), Missouri’s Ann Wagner (“Spa Weekend” in Vegas), Minnesota’s Collin Peterson (quail hunting in Georgia), and lots and lots of ski trips (see: Kelly Ayotte, Park City, Utah). At one recent two-day event in Vail, lobbyists got nearly six hours with Kentucky’s Edward Whitfield and other co-sponsors, the Times notes, “time that would be all but impossible to arrange in Washington.”

Bribery is bribery and it is also not open to gradation…….politics has become a wealth generating device and has stopped being how the nation is run…..

Enough With Christie!

Finally, the professor will actual comment on the Chris Christie debacle!  He has been avoiding it like the plague…..but there comes a time when the avoidance must cease…..today is that day…..joy, joy!

I heard recently a major news anchor say that the whole country is disgusted with the actions in New Jersey, Bridge-gate if you like.

I say bollocks!  There is NO one in Peoria that gives a crap what happens in New York/New Jersey and people in LA have their own sets of problems…..so hyping the story by saying that the whole country is disgusted seems a bit disingenuous.

If you are one of those that could care less….let’s review what we ‘know’…….a traffic study was done in close proximity to the GW Bridge that closed off access to the city of Ft. Lee, NJ….the mayor did not endorse Christie………now there are emails that appear to be some sort of retribution against the Dem mayor of the city….those that are involved are many close Christie advisers and appointees…..but Christie has not been implicated by any yet with the exception of the media.  An investigation has been set up and subpoenas issued…..and the investigation continues…..

That is a very simple explanation of what is happening so far….if you want a more detailed one then I suggest that you clean off your Goggle finger and go to work….

Christie the Bully

Before I go any further I want to state that I Am Not Defending Christie!  Personally, I think is an egotistical prick, a typical maniacal politician that wants everything his way and will do whatever he must to get his way…..a typical politician.

Now to the reason that I am posting this……..knowing how politics works I think the investigation will find, that is according to what we know now, that the people involved in this political retribution did it without informing the governor….why?  Plausible Deniability!

These people did what they thought would help their friend and boss and did not tell him to protect him from recriminations.  They did what they thought would be in the best interests of the admin and will go down covering Christie’s butt.  So it is plausible that his people did this without his knowledge….loyalty is a funny thing……people will act impetuously to try and make things ‘right’…..for lack of a better word….and those acts are not always on the up and up.

Is Christie guilt free?  Probably not, but he has the buffer zone to survive the ‘scandal’…….all this depends on whether or not another shoe falls…but for now I do not see this as a problem for him in the 2016 election….the only problem he has for now, is the media is like a Pitt Bull with a human leg bone….just will not let it go.

PS:  After I wrote this draft for future post….that damn ‘other shoe’ dropped!  Now he, Christie,  is in some lukewarm water, not hot yet, over the possibility that he withheld some Sandy recovery money from a city in New Jersey for political reasons…..someone is lying….either the mayor or the governor……is it possible I was a bit premature?

And now runner Carl Lewis is throwing accusations at Christie…….

Add Carl Lewis to the list of people piling on Chris Christie. The Olympic legend today revived his allegations that Christie’s administration abruptly ditched a plan to name him New Jersey’s “youth fitness ambassador” as soon as Lewis announced that he’d be running for state Senate as a Democrat, the Star-Ledger reports. “I felt like he was trying to intimidate me, absolutely,” he says, alleging that Christie directly told him that “if you run, we’re going to have to cancel the program.” Lewis first made the allegationsback in 2011. Christie’s administration has always denied them. “A lot of people said, ‘He didn’t do that, he didn’t say that,'” Lewis tells the paper. “Now you’re calling to ask about it because it’s a lot more plausible.” Christie’s administration ultimately got Lewis kicked off the ballot for not meeting state residency requirements. “It’s interesting, everyone calling him a bully. I don’t really see him as a bully,” Lewis says. “I see it more as someone who’s insecure … and has got power.”

Could all these shenanigans really have some substance behind it?

Let me have your thoughts.

Dirty Politics?

By now everyone, at least those interested in the country, have heard the debacle of the bridge in New Jersey……and because you have heard all the hoopla you have formed your opinion on the matter.  To some it is yet another scandal.  Others will see it as what some have called ‘dirty politics’.  And yet others may see it as some sort of retribution, politically that is…..

We all hate dirty politics and the art of political retribution because it makes our governmental system look corrupt……guess what?  IT IS!

Let me explain.

There could be NO bi-partisanship without it.  LBJ did it to get his programs passed.  Unfortunately, if you want it to change (there’s a word that gets overused) then the only good answer is change the system…..we will do that for a whole array of reason but the simplest one is because we don’t wanna.

Now you ask why, right?

Well since I am tired and want to make sleep I will turn you over to another…..

Chris Christie’s career in bullying is over: After Bridgegate, “Christie can’t be Christie anymore,” writes David Plotz at Slate. “That’s a shame,” because we need more corruption in American politics. It’s how things get done, Plotz notes: “Minor forms of corruption—votes bought with earmarks, traded favors—create a political flexibility that keeps the entire system from collapsing in moments of crisis.” Indeed, the end of earmarks under John Boehner has rendered the House less effective. Earmarks allow politicians to effectively buy the votes they need to push legislation through; President Obama got Arlen Specter’s stimulus backing through an earmark, and LBJ spent his presidency using them. Meanwhile, the ban on earmarks prevented Democrats from getting the votes for gun control reform. The real trouble with Christie: “The closing of the George Washington Bridge lanes was so stupid, so heavy-handed, so public,” and he was caught. “It suggests Christie actually isn’t an effective practitioner of kneecap politics,” Plotz writes. Click for his full column.

Whether it is favors, retribution, a ‘hit list’ or earmarks………It is called doing business as normal.  Get over it or do something about it!  Americans are too docile to change things…we had rather rant and rave then let the ‘tools’ go about their work a day lives doing business as usual……we are afraid of change…..we bitch about it and write about it but deep down we fear change….it is that simple!