Michelle Malkin » Murtha Inc.

Murtha Inc.

By Michelle Malkin • October 30, 2007 09:17 AM

Update: Sen. Jim DeMint is leading “100,000 Strong for Earmark Reform.” Help out if you can.

***
John Murtha and Johnstown, Pa., have been living high on the hog for decades. The Wall Street Journal reviews the pork-laden record today with “How Lawmaker Rebuilt Hometown on Earmarks.” It’s Earmark-a-palooza!

In the massive 2008 military-spending bill now before Congress — which could go to a House-Senate conference as soon as Thursday — Mr. Murtha has steered more taxpayer funds to his congressional district than any other member. The Democratic lawmaker is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which will oversee more than $459 billion in military spending this year.

Johnstown’s good fortune has come at the expense of taxpayers everywhere else. Defense contractors have found that if they open an office here and hire the right lobbyist, they can get lucrative, no-bid contracts. Over the past decade, Concurrent Technologies Corp., a defense-research firm that employs 800 here, got hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to Rep. Murtha despite poor reviews by Pentagon auditors. The National Drug Intelligence Center, with 300 workers, got $509 million, though the White House has tried for years to shut it down as wasteful and unnecessary. Another beneficiary: MTS Technologies, run by a man who got his start some 40 years ago shining shoes at Mr. Murtha’s Johnstown Minute Car Wash.

A review by The Wall Street Journal of dozens of such contracts funded by Mr. Murtha’s committee shows that many weren’t sought by the military or federal agencies they were intended to benefit. Some were inefficient or mismanaged, according to interviews, public records and previously unpublished Pentagon audits. One Murtha-backed firm, ProLogic Inc., is under federal investigation for allegedly diverting public funds to develop commercial software, people close to the case say. The company denies wrongdoing and is in line to get millions of dollars more in the pending defense bill…In addition to using taxpayer money to build a local defense industry, Mr. Murtha has funded by legislative fiat miles of new roads, water projects, medical facilities and federal offices for his district. He even brought a Marine attack-helicopter squadron here; it’s next to the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport. Mr. Murtha has steered at least $600 million in earmarks to his district in the past four years, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan Washington group. The nonprofit group estimates he’s sent $2 billion or more to the district since joining the appropriations committee.

As is his usual stance, Murtha told the WSJ he’s “not going to apologize.”

He never does.

***

The WSJ piece ends with a trip down memory lane to Murtha’s Abscam infamy:

Mr. Murtha’s devotion to his district became clear 26 years ago, in an infamous encounter that would foreshadow the young congressman’s long career. He told an FBI agent — posing as a lawyer for a rich Arab sheik — that he was reluctant to take the $50,000 in cash the agent placed on a desk, supposedly in exchange for help getting the sheik a U.S. visa.

…”I expect to be in the f-ing leadership of the House,” he told the agent. “I’m delighted to do business with you. S-, I do business like this all the time to get companies into the area.”

Here’s your Murtha Abscam video flashback: Diana Irey’s campaign ad, “Now We Know Why:”

***
Don’t forget: William T. Russell is running to unseat this vulgar porker. Give him your support.

Posted in: John Murtha

Send to a Friend
Printer Friendly

comments (30)

trackbacks (4)

See what others have said

Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.

Trackbacks

Trackback URL

Comments

#1

On October 30th, 2007 at 9:21 am, cpodug said:

Kinda gives new meaning to the phrase “living high on the hog,” doesn’t it?
#2

On October 30th, 2007 at 9:27 am, mnmike said:

John Murtha would not make a pimple on a good man’s…err…rear
#3

On October 30th, 2007 at 9:29 am, Marshall Russ said:

I would love to see Murtha get the boot but, politicians of both parties know to get re-elected you send home the pork. Politics is local.
#4

On October 30th, 2007 at 9:30 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

William T. Russell is PA’s only hope…

I have nothing pleasant to say about Murtha, so I’ll keep it to myself, this time.
#5

On October 30th, 2007 at 9:39 am, ajmontana said:

This corrupt SOB should be behind bars.
#6

On October 30th, 2007 at 9:50 am, terrig said:

Yes all politics are local but honestly, if I was one of his constituients, the way he talks about the military-I’d have to vote against this clown. I guess on the upside (if you can call it that) the new person would eventually start bringing home the pork as well. Maybe not so much right away but within 10 years, there probably wouldn’t be a difference. There’s not one Marine I know who calls him a Marine, they all call him “former” or something that would get me banned for typing!
#7

On October 30th, 2007 at 9:53 am, ctmom said:

The congress has only been democratically controlled since January. How has he gotten so much pork through? Why wasn’t it vetoed? If ever there was a case for line-item veto, this is it!
#8

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:02 am, Marshall Russ said:

It would be great to have the line item veto but, it would probably not get past the SCOTUS if challenged.
#9

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:10 am, Klaatu said:

Think he invented financial malfeasance? From wikipedia:

As a result of the damage from the 1936 flood, the Pennsylvania General Assembly imposed an emergency tax on all alcohol sold in the Commonwealth. The “temporary” 10% tax was initially intended to help pay for clean up, recovery, and assistance to flood victims. The tax was never repealed and in 1963 the tax was raised to 15% and again in 1968 to 18% (not including the statewide 6% sales tax). The near $200 million collected annually no longer goes to flood victims, however, instead going into the general fund for discretionary use by law makers.[2]

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue states that, “All liquors sold by the LCB are subject to this tax which is computed on the actual price paid by the consumer including mark-up, handling charge and federal tax. The first sale of liquor also is subject to the sales and use tax at the time of purchase.”

Please note that in PA, you pay the Johnstown Flood Tax on the state sales tax, i.e. you pay tax for the privilege of paying some other tax.
#10

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:11 am, walterc said:

The case for term limits poster boy.

Two terms. . .one in office, one in jail.
#11

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:21 am, trinitytim said:

Two Words: Term Limits

Three Words: Term Limits-Jail

Four Words: Term Limits-Jail-Murtha
#12

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:45 am, Ken M. said:

WOW !! He’s right up there with neighbor KKK-Byrd, and Sen. Bridge-to-Nowhere, on those pork projects.

Haven’t checked lately — need to go back and review:

http://www.cagw.org/
#13

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:53 am, On-my-soap-box said:

YOOOOOOHOOOOOO - PA, where are you? Someone reach over and wake these people up. Our Founding Fathers never intended this - let alone from a Marine.
#14

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:53 am, tgillian said:

There should be a law (I can’t believe I’m saying this!) that nothing can be named after a LIVING Senator or Representative. Murtha has hundreds of buildings, bridges, roads, airports, etc named for him. This encourages his “questionable behavior”. (It took a while, but I cleaned up this post before submitting it)
#15

On October 30th, 2007 at 11:01 am, Just A Grunt said:

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:02 am, Marshall Russ said:
It would be great to have the line item veto but, it would probably not get past the SCOTUS if challenged.

The Supreme Court has already ruled it unconstituional. Want to hear who brought the case to the court?

The case was brought by an Idaho potato growers’ group and New York City.

Hint, think Mayor of NYC.
#16

On October 30th, 2007 at 11:05 am, Brian72 said:

On October 30th, 2007 at 10:10 am, Klaatu said:

Please note that in PA, you pay the Johnstown Flood Tax on the state sales tax, i.e. you pay tax for the privilege of paying some other tax.

Wow. I did not know that. The state of Pennsylvania taxes your taxes. Simply astonishing to someone who lives in a state with no income tax at all(Tennessee).

Everyone should go see this if you haven’t yet.

Le Tour De Sheets

Murtha has learned from the Grand Kleagle Dragon of pork barrel politics, Robert C. Byrd, (D-WV) aKKKa “Sheets”.
#17

On October 30th, 2007 at 11:05 am, Snooper said:

I have placed the news of a Murtha challenger on the Vets For Freedom Forum.

WE MUST rally behind Russell!
#18

On October 30th, 2007 at 11:15 am, Eric_CharlotteNC said:

This is why Russell will NOT have a chance! People will not put their country before their cash.
#19

On October 30th, 2007 at 11:51 am, DesertLover said:

terrig said:

There’s not one Marine I know who calls him a Marine, they all call him “former”

The term “former” still bestows the honorable respect of “Once a Marine Always a Marine” and we do not consideer this clown to be worthy of that repsect … we call him “EX” … he has no right to the title any more for his actions and statements against all of our military but especially against my Corps.
#20

On October 30th, 2007 at 11:52 am, josetheguerilla said:

Shameful. I don’t know who I’m more angry with, Murtha or the people who put him in office.
#21

On October 30th, 2007 at 11:56 am, StrangeLove said:

Right or wrong, its kind of hard to de-elect someone that brings that kind of money home. This is one of the big reasons Byrd is still in office - people vote their wallets first. Russell has his work cut out for him.
#22

On October 30th, 2007 at 12:01 pm, conservativesRus said:

Concerning #15. JAG I’m still baffled by something in our form of government here in the USA. How come we let a group of 3 (appeal court judges) overturn what a group of over 500 (Congress & Executive) has decided. Just never made lots of sense to me. (NOT that I have any confidence in Congress or the President either)
#23

On October 30th, 2007 at 12:25 pm, cf said:

I think the WSJ article said that earmarks so far are down 50% from last year with the Democrats taking over. I hope that we can find out what the final totals for earmarks are. I suspect that last minute earmarks will raise the total to a very high level.
#24

On October 30th, 2007 at 12:28 pm, ACHefty said:

Term Limits! Now!

Someone, please go out there and read my idea — 12 years, then you must sit out in the private sector for 12 years before jumping back in. The only exception is a bid for the White House.
#25

On October 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pm, blues said:

As much pork as Murtha collects,you would think that as one of his costituents,my community would get a little piece of it.Sorry,I guess it all goes to Johnstown.
No,jose,it isn’t the money that keeps getting him elected,it’s the stupidity.
#26

On October 30th, 2007 at 12:45 pm, blues said:

Sorry,jose,I was responding to Eric.By the way I agree with you,I don’t know who I am more angry with, Murtha or the voters.
#27

On October 30th, 2007 at 1:08 pm, AlohaGuy said:

Oink, oink.

Bribe on the table. “I do business like this all the time.”

Nice.
#28

On October 30th, 2007 at 1:35 pm, Marshall Russ said:

Just A Grunt: You made my point. Congressional restraint to spending everything on anything needs to come from voters voting for representatives that put the good of the country ahead of pork barrel spending. Regardless of who brought the the suit an even more conservative court would more than likely rule the same way.
#29

On October 30th, 2007 at 5:03 pm, altoonacharlie said:

I live about 25 miles from murthaville, the guy makes me ill. I went to a defense contractors expo in Johnstown earlier this year. Not having a high regard for this porker I watched as he worked the people at this expo. Everyone appeared to be his best friend, much back slapping, hand shaking, and butt kissin was to be seen. If some of these contractors weren’t there I have no doubt the porker would go out on the street, drag people in, call them defense contractors, and give them a pork dinner. What a piece of work
#30

On October 30th, 2007 at 8:37 pm, Jonathan said:

I see why Marines are now referring to him as an “Ex-Marine”…Aside from being deceitful, he unjustly assigned pork for, “the few, the proud, the Murtian way”!