Murtha Moved Earmark Between Brothers’ Clients & Hoyer To Be Forced to Disclose PMA Probe
Uh Oh! Could this be the moment of reckoning for the Democrats? Jack Murtha and Steny Hoyer may both be in the lime light in the coming days.
The Democrat Culture of Corruption Continues:
First, it was discovered that Murtha moved an earmark over $8 million between his brothers’ clients. Nepotism and corruption much? That’s sure to stimulate the economy and doesn’t remind me at all of what dictators did when given money. No dictator I read about would ever take money and give it to his family members or their businesses to line their pockets rather than provide for the betterment of his/her constituents/sarc.
In early 2005, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) apparently added language to a tsunami relief bill shifting $8.2 million from a former client of his brother’s lobbying firm to a new client of the same firm.
That earmark is now tangled up in a federal indictment alleging that some of the money was skimmed by contractors and a Defense Department employee for their personal use.
Murtha’s spokesman said that no one in his office has any recollection of the transaction, and the House Appropriations Committee was unable to provide any information about how the language appeared in the tsunami relief bill.
Of course they knew nothing about it – seems like this is the norm coming from Washington, D.C. these days – I don’t think they know much of anything, in fact scratch that, they don’t know anything.
But sources familiar with the appropriations process agreed it was impossible that a provision removing earmarks from one company in Murtha’s district and transferring the money to another company in his district could have been added to the bill without Murtha’s involvement, since he was at the time the ranking member on the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the language.
The provision appears in the House committee report of a March 2005 bill providing billions of dollars worth of military spending and aid to the Asian countries that were devastated by the December 2004 tsunami that killed more than 250,000 people.
The bill included a “technical corrections” section, which transferred $8.2 million to “other procurement, Air Force” for a project called the “mobile common data link gateway.” This project — later called the “ground mobile gateway” — was an effort to build a unified battlefield communications platform for the Air Force by a Pennsylvania company called Coherent Systems.
Read roll call for the fully story and timeline of this corruption…
Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is also being pressured into complying with the federal probe into PMA and their long ties with top/senior Democrat officials. One of which was the aforementioned Murtha who probably has the most ties – I think this may be Murtha’s last stand!
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) plans to offer as early as Wednesday afternoon a privileged resolution to force the ethics committee to disclose whether it is investigating senior Democratic appropriators’ ties to the PMA Group, Democratic sources say.
Hoyer’s move follows eight attempts by Republican anti-earmark crusader Rep. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) to jump-start a probe — and aims to pre-empt Flake’s ninth stab at the issue, which was due for a vote on Thursday. It marks a sharp break from Democratic leaders’ previous approach to the burgeoning controversy involving the now-defunct lobbying firm, which amounted to them trying to keep their ranks in line opposing the Flake resolutions.
In late winter, when Flake began his assault, Hoyer argued in leadership meetings that Democrats should embrace the resolution to neutralize it.
But Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pushed back, contending that such a move would open lawmakers up to ethics witch-hunts down the line. Since then, Democrats have slowly peeled off to support Flake: While only 17 broke ranks on his first attempt, 29 supported his latest, offered just before the Memorial Day recess.
The move comes just after Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) acknowledged his offices and some staff had been subpoenaed as part of a federal probe into PMA. Other Democratic appropriators, including Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), have long ties to PMA and its clients.
Hoyer squared off against Murtha in 2006 for the Majority Leader post, beating him by an overwhelming margin.
Jeff Flake has been proposing an ethics panel for a couple of years and has been blocked by the Democrat majority in the House and it’s understandable as to why – they are guilty! Most of the ethics violations are within the Democrat Party, that’s not to say that some Republicans may be found guilty of some violations, but as of now the culture of corruption lies within the majority party.
National Sales Tax Anyone?
Sounds like our very own EU VAT coming to the U. S. of A. How lucky we are that the usual common sense of Congress and the President is kicking in! When the economy is recessed and there is the possibility it could get worse with an impending bond implosion or inflation in the coming months, why not raise taxes on everyone?
I know that liberals see this as a great idea. They can raise taxes on all those evil fat-cats, actually wind up hurting the middle and lower class, all to pay for their own fiscally irresponsible habits.
As lawmakers toy with the idea of an across-the-board sales tax on just about everything, tax reform advocates are starting to drum up opposition with the same fervor they employed during last month’s anti-tax tea parties.
The idea of a national sales tax was once unlikely. But now that the federal government is doling out billions in stimulus spending and bailouts, and looking for billions more for health care reform, the prospect could be gaining some traction.
The frenzy over the idea kicked up after a Washington Post article Wednesday reported that Congress is starting to pay closer attention to this largely academic proposal and that the Obama administration, though shushing speculation, is soliciting advise from supporters of the idea.
“It should certainly raise alarm bells that they think they can inject it into the debate,” said Phil Kerpen, policy director at Americans for Prosperity.
The value-added tax, or VAT, as it is called, amounts to a tax-on-everything — or TOE, for the acronym-inclined. It’s a tax on goods that’s applied in pieces throughout the chain of production and distribution and results in an increase in the cost of virtually everything you buy.
The fact that the United States has dug its own hole regarding our debt where Bush and Obama combined can be blamed for a lot of it (I should also state that the liberal congress who has been there since the end of 2006 is also a huge culprit when it comes to voting on and setting budgets). The National Debt is around $11.3T and growing at a steady pace, while the GDP is somewhere between $13 & $14T, seeing negative growth and possible stagnation in the out years. This spells disaster for anyone in financial analysis, who understands debt ratios.
Inflation at this point is inevitable and that will mean higher prices for every American. Each individual household is also responsible for $668,621 based on the latest article out of USA Today. This obligation includes the total federal debt obligations per household as well as the average debt obligation for an American household at a personal level. My question is this: With median household income below $60K in the U.S. (if debt was all your income was used on – no taxes, no food, gas, clothes, shelter etc.), – do you think Americans would be able to pay that off in their lifetime? Buhbye American Dream…
The sad fact is that Americans became spoiled – the government was not a good role model, and the sense of saving and living within one’s means quickly flew out the window.
What USA Today, because it’s biased, fails to do is disclose the fact that 2008 alone cannot be blamed for the debt obligations of American citizens tied to the government like serfs. The Stimulus package, the omnibus package and the budget of Barack H. Obama has increased deficit spending unlike anything this country has seen and his debt obligation alone is more than all presidents in history combined. His out year budgets are also something to shriek at – he did not have to spend this much money, although the liberal propagandists will spin it and continue to say it was a crisis and he had to do what was necessary because he inherited this mess – I call Shenanigans! Use Reagan’s model to dig out of a recession/depression – not FDR’s fallacious one, in which he hurt rather than helped.
It should be no surprise to anyone that in order to balance the budget and pay off this debt, taxes have to be raised. Taxes have to increase to sustain the ever increasing size of government and due to the large drop in tax revenue for 2008 filing it really was an inevitable idea of the beltway gang.
Raising taxes while people are already hurting will make things much worse. This proposal of a sales tax, much like the EU VAT, will be dreadful on our economy and on average regular “Joe’s.”
Rasmussen just conducted a poll asking Americans what they thought about a national sales tax at this point in time. A whopping 68% of respondents were against the tax and only 18% approved. If the White House is really using polling data to govern it may want to take a look at this one!
If the U.S. VAT passes I’ll be happy to point out to the young college-aged waiters that they no longer get tips – just like Europe! 
You voted for it!
California Goes Galt!
California made its voice heard today when a proposal for higher taxes, being passed as ‘solvency’ for California, was rejected via a vote by the people.
California has been engaging in various protests, tea parties, tax revolts, what have you, over the course of several months to make a point to the state legislature, as well as the rest of the country. Folks, I hate to say it, but with our current out of control government and spending practices in D.C. the rest of the nation could very well end up like the state of California and sooner rather than later!
Ahhhhhnold tried to pass another budget measure which would increase taxes on anything from cigarette butts to pets to raise revenue for the state. This didn’t fly with Californians – quite interesting for such a blue state! Maybe some of the citizens are beginning to realize that the progressive/liberal policies enacted through the state legislature have done incredible amounts of damage. The unfortunate outcome may in fact be that the rest of the states will have to bailout California, which could set a horrible precedent for any other state going through tough economic times.
California voters overwhelmingly rejected five of six budget referendums yesterday which would have approved higher taxes as a means to patch budget woes in the Golden State. Had the measures passed, the state would still have faced a $15.4 billion deficit. With the failure of the measures, the state now grapples with $21.3 billion in red ink.
Out of control spending and high taxes driving business out of state are at the core of California’s budget problems. Now voters in a tax revolt have overwhelmingly rejected more of the same from California lawmakers, choosing instead a path that could force budget cuts and spending restraint. Imagine that.
The only measure on the ballot that passed was one that bars state officials from receiving a pay increase during tough economic times.
Left wingers are up in arms over the voters’ decision, because they loves taxes and government control! So leave it to the nasty, hateful liberals to call those who voted against the measure a moronic mob! The only morons I see are those who continue to vote for these liberals who implement horrible and irresponsible policies that cause these disasters and hurt California citizens.
Captain Obvious Moment of the Day: Debt Unsustainable, We Must Stop Borrowing From China
Thank you Captain Obvious… err… I mean Obama!
Ironically enough the debt and the borrowing that Obama is concerned about will mostly come from his irresponsible spending habits within his first 100 days. When Dick Morris mentioned that Obama’s first 100 days would come back to haunt him, he was right!
President Barack Obama, calling current deficit spending “unsustainable,” warned of skyrocketing interest rates for consumers if the U.S. continues to finance government by borrowing from other countries.
“We can’t keep on just borrowing from China,” Obama said at a town-hall meeting in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, outside Albuquerque. “We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.”
Holders of U.S. debt will eventually “get tired” of buying it, causing interest rates on everything from auto loans to home mortgages to increase, Obama said. “It will have a dampening effect on our economy.”
That calls for a big “DUH!” but that is simple common sense, something that is much like an endangered species in the halls of D.C.
The amusing part of all of this is the fact that Obama is just simply unwilling to look in the mirror and realize that he has quadrupled the debt and increased our deficit more than any other president in history. He has spent more in his first 100 days than all presidents throughout history combined – and that includes Bush to all you liberals.
Obama continuously uses the blame Bush rhetoric for having to take “drastic” measures, but as any intelligent human being should realize, when the government and politicians make things out to be a crisis, yet you don’t really feel that way (unlike a physical attack against your country), you should be incredibly wary. Politicians lie, they lie to pass an agenda, and Obama is a genius when it comes to manipulation, deceit, and drama.
Earlier this week, the Obama administration revised its own budget estimates and raised the projected deficit for this year to a record $1.84 trillion, up 5 percent from the February estimate. The revision for the 2010 fiscal year estimated the deficit at $1.26 trillion, up 7.4 percent from the February figure. The White House Office of Management and Budget also projected next year’s budget will end up at $3.59 trillion, compared with the $3.55 trillion it estimated previously.
Two weeks ago, the president proposed $17 billion in budget cuts, with plans to eliminate or reduce 121 federal programs. Republicans ridiculed the amount, saying that it represented one-half of 1 percent of the entire budget. They noted that Obama is seeking an $81 billion increase in other spending.
We are now learning that the supplemental spending for war funding and emergency funding that is sitting in the House and Senate are both over $90 billion at this point. There will most likely be a compromise of some sort between the House and Senate but I believe that the real amount of additional appropriations will most likely stay above the $90 billion threshold.
Let’s not forget that under the Obama administration and this radical left Congress that government is growing and the private sector is shrinking. Entitlement programs are growing because liberals know that the more you can put your thumb over people and oppress them by getting them “hooked” on entitlements and the government, the more they will win votes… that’s just cruel.
The issue is that we are going to go bankrupt quicker by upping the ante on entitlements. Entitlements themselves are already unsustainable.
Baby boomers — that 70-million-strong population lump — begin officially retiring this year. That means the government’s bill for retirees’ pensions and health care has no where to go but up, for decades to come.
Everyone knew this day would come. And virtually every economist and actuary who had run the numbers could tell you, within a few years’ certainty, the system was going bankrupt.
But all this seemed to happen in the distant future. Last year, both political parties virtually ignored the topic during their presidential campaigns. It became a non-issue issue.
Well, thanks to a profligate federal government, which will double the national debt to $11.5 trillion in just four years, and a recession that has weakened federal tax revenues, we can no longer ignore the problem. The day of reckoning is at hand.
The Social Security Board of Trustees reported Tuesday that costs will exceed revenues in 2016 — a full year sooner than expected just last year. And total assets — including more than 70 years of “surpluses” built up in the “trust fund” — will be completely gone by 2037 — four years earlier than in last year’s report.
The deficit over the next 50 years is expected to be about 2% of taxable payrolls — up from 1.7% last year. By the way, changes in the last year alone have added $5.3 trillion in costs to the program.
Long-term, unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare top $53 trillion — about four times the size of current GDP. Taxes must either rise or benefits shrink by that amount to close that gap.
Maybe we could try to work on some issues that really matter, those that could possibly destroy people’s lives? Instead of criticizing private social security accounts, maybe we should revisit the idea and work from there. Many economists argue that private accounts of some sort would be more cost effective and better for everyone.
We also cannot forget that Obama and his lefty contemporaries want to reform health care and create a possible single payer system. Many do not believe that the single payer legislation will get passed, but something that makes the private sector compete with the public sector by providing a choice. The issue that I have/see with this “competition” is how the government can become so forceful and, as it has done in the past, force out of business anything competing with it. Either way, any additional programs provided by the government must come out of taxpayers’ pockets, so medical care will never technically be free – it will only be free to those who don’t work or pay taxes. This is the crux of the problem. Health care provided by the government will just increase our debt to China even more…
Obama is concerned with China? He’s concerned with owing the Chinese more and more? Well, maybe if we took a look at the recent auto industry news regarding GM it would be evident that all we do is take China’s money, give China jobs, and all in all are in the pocket of China.
As thousands of General Motors workers await word on more U.S. plant closures, reports that the company plans to import Chinese-made vehicles to the U.S. have created a political problem for the automaker and the White House.
The reports, which GM will neither confirm nor deny, could mean trouble because GM is supported by $15.4 billion in U.S. government loans, largely due to the Obama administration’s desire to preserve the company’s 90,000 U.S. jobs.
The United Auto Workers charged last week that the Detroit automaker intends to almost double over the next five years the number of vehicles it imports to the U.S. from Mexico, South Korea, China and Japan.
“GM should not be taking taxpayers’ money simply to finance the outsourcing of jobs to other countries,” Alan Reuther, the union’s Washington lobbyist, wrote in a letter to U.S. lawmakers.
Maybe if the Unions were not allowed to lobby on Capitol Hill to force the hands of Democrats and completely crush the auto industry, this would not have been a problem and the outsourcing of jobs would not have been so enticing to the ailing auto giants. But why would Democrats ever put the good of the country or an industry over that of a big donor?
I have an idea for all who read this – let’s attempt to elect someone who is for the people, by the people – not bought and paid for. Let’s elect somebody who is honest and integrity means more to them than politics and agenda… Stop electing these corrupt, pathological liars and maybe we can get our country back on track.
