Tag: Political Gifts

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…..

Money Well Spent!

Today is the BIG health summit….you know that piece of political theater that will set the stage for health reform….just wanted to add a thought or two into the mix…..

There have been a massive amounts of accusations that health reform is being beaten by the lobbies that are spending lots of cash on our diligent Congresspeople…..and if you think that is a bit harsh then you need to drop the playstation and pay a little more attention to what will be effecting you in the future…..I know….not an easy thing to do when you are so close to the high score….but give it try….

For months we have been bombarded with the facts that the health insurance industry has a anti-trust exemption and can basically gouge the crap out of its consumers with NO fear of reprisal by the government….in other words they have a Free Ride to make all the money they can off the plight of those insured……

The good news was that the Dems were fed up with the insurance companies and would do all they could to change the anti-trust exemption……they were going to make them more responsive and accountable…..well, that was the plan…..but as usual Washington is just full of surprises……the Politico’s Patrick O’Connor is reporting:

In an upcoming House vote to repeal the long-standing antitrust protections for the insurance industry. To most members of Congress, it seems like a no-brainer: Why should insurers be exempted from antitrust laws, anyway.

But Democrats look like they’ll scale back the legislation to protect insurance companies that offer malpractice coverage to doctors and other health care providers, bowing to industry pressure in the latest concession of the health care fight.

Democratic aides in the House said the final bill likely won’t include controversial new restrictions on medical malpractice insurers. Its authors also appear inclined to strip new authority for the Federal Trade Commission because it sparked similar unease.The concessions illustrate just how hard it’s been for the president and his congressional allies to overhaul a single sector of such an enormous segment of the economy.

Just goes to show that the lobbyist money is well spent……the free ride continues and the plight of the insured remains bleak…..As I keep saying…NOTHING about the health reform proposal is reform….it is a tweaking….minor adjustments that have the appearance of success…..and the American people wait…….

Sen. Stevens To Get His

Senator Ted Stevens, Alaska’s dominant political figure for more than four decades, was found guilty on Monday by a jury of violating federal ethics laws for failing to report tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and services he had received from friends.

The jury of District of Columbia residents convicted Mr. Stevens, 84, on all seven felony counts he faced in connection with charges that he knowingly failed to list on Senate disclosure forms the receipt of some $250,000 in gifts and services used to renovate his home in Girdwood, Alaska.

The verdict comes a week before a second jury of sorts, the voters of Alaska, will decide whether to return him to the Senate or elect his Democratic opponent, Mayor Mark Begich of Anchorage. After Mr. Stevens’s indictment in July, he asked for a quick trial so he might clear his name before Election Day.

If Mr. Stevens loses his seat, the trial’s implications could be felt on a broad political scale, helping Democrats in their drive to win enough seats in the Senate to give them a filibuster-proof majority of at least 60 votes. Within an hour of the verdict’s becoming public, Democrats in Senate races around the country immediately sought to make the conviction an issue for their opponents, demanding that those who had received money from Mr. Stevens, who was generous with contributions to his colleagues, return it.

Here is a kicker.  Did you know that if he wins his election he can still be a senator, unless the senate throws his butt?  Ok, now why is it that a person that was convicted of a felony and has been a good guy cannot vote at all in some states?  That is a little sick–a felon can be a senator that leads this country, but a person cannot vote.