Beltway Christmas: Cash for corruptocrats
My column looks at the year in Washington political bribery. And what a year it was for the Beltway’s reverse Santa Clauses, who are suspended simultaneously in mental states of denial and indignation. Democrat Sen. Mary “Louisiana Purchase” Landrieu defended her payoff while declaring that she “can’t be bought.”Democrat Sen. Tom “Iowa Bounty” Harkin dismissed the hundreds of millions of taxpayer-subsidized gifts to pols in the Demcare package as “small stuff.” And don’t even get me started on the 1,720 earmarks worth more than $4 billion in the defense appropriations bill. It’s nothing new, the Dems say in their defense. And that is precisely the point, isn’t it?
Related developments: More lawmakers — hello, Rep. James Clyburn — are lining up for Ben Nelson bonanzas — while attorneys general in seven states are investigating the legality of the deal.
Of course, sometimes it’s not what’s illegal in Washington, but what’s entirely legal, that perturbs…
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Beltway Christmas: Cash for corruptocrats
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2009
The Democrats are right. Sleazy bribes and pork payoffs didn’t start with their government health care takeover bill. They’ve been doling out taxpayer-funded goodies for votes all year. Harry Reid’s latest Cash for Cloture deals are the culmination of Washington’s 2009 shopping spree at our expense.
Go back to January and February. The multi-trillion-dollar stimulus bill was the Mother of All Legislative Christmas Trees. The ruling party used the economic downturn to redistribute wealth from struggling Americans to favored congressional districts, phantom districts, special interests from golf cart makers to fly-by-night beauty salons. According to a new study by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Democrat districts have raked in nearly twice as much porkulus money as GOP districts – without regard to the actual economic suffering and job loss in those districts.
In fact, the researchers found far more stimulus money went to higher-income areas than lower-income areas.
That includes Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s backyard – where a $54 million no-bid contract was awarded to a firm with little experience to relocate a luxury Bay Area wine train due to flood concerns.
And it includes Barack Obama’s home state of Illinois, which reaped the single biggest earmark in the porkulus bill – $1 billion for the dubious FutureGen near-zero emissions “clean coal” plant earmark championed by disgraced Democrat and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin.
And it includes Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s backyard – where he secured billions in high-speed rail stimulus earmarks from which he plans to fund a pie-in-the-sky public transportation line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
When taxpayers objected to business as usual masquerading as economic recovery, New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer sneered: “You lost.” And, he jibed on the Senate floor while wagging a grabby finger, “let me say this to all of the chattering class that so much focuses on those little tiny, yes, porky amendments, the American people really don’t care.” The “American people” Schumer referred to, of course, were the privileged minority of stimulus beneficiaries – not the rest of us “chattering” dissenters stuck with the bill for those billions in “little tiny, yes, porky amendments.”
No legislation has been immune to congressional shakedown. After the Congressional Black Caucus balked loudly enough, Democrat Rep. Barney Frank – chairman of the House Financial Services Committee – larded up the majority’s Wall Street regulatory “reform” bill with $4 billion in payoffs to minority special interests – including former failed Air America radio partner Inner City Broadcasting Corp. The cash-strapped firm is run by Percy Sutton – a New York City crony of Charlie Rangel and Al Sharpton. The money will come out of the ever-morphing TARP bank bailout fund – which went from a toxic assets purchase plan to a capital injection plan, back to a toxic assets purchase plan, to a life insurance company bailout, to an auto supplier bailout.
Leading the charge for the Cash for Cronies of Color drive: California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters, who had already extracted $12 million in TARP funds for OneUnited, a minority-owned bank that is one of her key campaign donors and a company in which both Waters and her husband own massive amounts of stock.
Which brings us up to Demcare, the latest wealth redistribution scheme disguised as health care reform. In addition to the infamous $300 million “Louisiana Purchase” for Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu and the (at least) $45 million “Cornhusker Kickback” for sellout Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Harry Reid threw around other, less-publicized gobs of cash for cloture votes to cut off debate and ram the bill through. He tossed in a Hospital Helper of $100 million to Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Dodd, whose re-election bid is in hot water.
There are bennies for insurance companies and hospitals in Michigan and “Frontier freebies” for hospitals in Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming. There’s a New England’s Special Syrup for Vermont and Massachusetts – who will get similar (though less generous) special treatment by the feds as Nebraska in covering Medicaid expansion costs. Combined with Nebraska’s tab, the exclusive clique’s payoffs will cost at least taxpayers $1.2 billion over 10 years. There’s an ACORN/community organizer-friendly provision for minority health bureaucracies that was sought by Illinois Democrat Sen. Roland Burris, according to John McCormack of the Weekly Standard.
And there’s a $10 billion socialized medicine sop to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for “community health clinics” serving in essence as universal health care satellite offices. “We are talking about a revolution” here, Sanders enthused during the Senate’s sneaky Sunday session. No, revolution will come when taxpayers have a chance to kick these reverse Santa Clauses posing as saviors out of office. It can’t happen a minute too soon.
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Trackbacks
- LOG: SENATE VOTING FOR OBAMACARE – Christmas 2009 « FactReal
- Caffeinated Thoughts
- ~ Simple Health Care Test for the Average Joe: What Do You Plan To Do, When… « Critical Political Thinking
- ~ In Which I Suggest That the Brains of Progressives Are Wired Backwards (Or, Why You Just Cannot For the Life of You Understand Liberals) « Critical Political Thinking
- Michelle Malkin » “A Reading Guide to the Senate Bill’s Backroom Deals”
- Michelle Malkin » The Demcare bribe list, Pt. III
- The bribery continues « Try 2 Focus
- ~ Simple Health Care Question: At What Point Does the Reality of What Congress is Really Doing Hit Home to You? « Critical Political Thinking
- Veronique de Rugy shows that stimulus money was allocated for political gain « Wintery Knight
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If this is true, it is good news, as there are serious differences between the bills from the House and Senate. But I know Oba-mao wants this socialist takeover of health care to happen yesterday.
The story is further down on the page. But don’t count on it!
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/12/23/wh-putting-health-care-off-until-february/
That is stunning, Phil and Happy. I only scanned, because I’ve got to go do Christmasy stuff. On the face of it though, it looks like victory for our side. Really, this upcoming Senate vote — if it even happens — becomes meaningless; the 60 votes can never hold together for that long or against determined House opposition. We’re back to the drawing boards, I’d say.
Sounds like the best Christmas gift this country has ever received (other than the original Christmas birth, that is!!) I will believe it when I see it. But it does seem like congress still has a lot of problems before they can call this a done deal. I hear some people are going to try and meet congresspeople at the airport when they fly home for Christmas. I dont’ know how to find out the flight schedule of someone in congress!! Of course, here in Minneapolis, we will be SNOWED IN over Christmas with up to two feet of snow starting tonight and continuing tomorrow and Friday, thus cancelling our family parties. Big bummer. But if the health ins. bill is shelved, I am giddy!!
The House process appears to be developing into a procedural gauntlet run for the ages. I read this as bigger bribes being paid out through January. It’s one thing to bribe 15-20 Senators. It’s another to bribe hundreds of congressmen. Wrong message to be dominating the news while the administration is trying to assure voters that they are serious about creating jobs and getting spending under control.
‘Tis the season…
Yes, I do believe the other senators are rising up against the sweetheart deals that Ben Nelson and Mary Landreau got. Each and every one of their votes is needed to pass this monstrosity. So aren’t they all equally entitled to be bribed? And shouldn’t each bribe be bigger than the one before? $300 million for Landreau, Medicaide for everyone in Nebraska forever, hmmmm…how to top that? This is getting interesting…
Not enough votes
Putting the item on the shelf
On every turn there has been rumors of this bill not having a chance, yet the machine has slowly cranked its way through. Frankly, why stop now when they are so close. Would you?
I fully expect to see this to keep on moving forward until I physically see otherwise and you should too.
Keep calling and demanding that your senators kill it. It is the only thing we can do.
Oh yeah – Have a Merry Christmas!
Man, I picked the wrong career! I need to run for the senate. I have two teenagers that need braces and an ailing family mini-van. I’m cheap; I’d settle for waaaaaaay less than what Ben “Buy Off” Nelson got.
We’re looking at a high of 81 for Christmas day. Somehow, it’s just not Christmas-y if it’s not at least cool outside.
The USA … We’ve got the best lawmakers money can buy!
We were in Hawaii one year over Christmas and it was really strange. The palm trees were all lit up and they had Santas on water skis and in boats. I loved it! But I would miss the snow if I never had it. This year, we celebrated with our immediate family here at our house already, so Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were going to be at relative’s homes. They may change to Saturday evening and Sunday. If they do, we will have dug out by then won’t miss a thing. My husband has already gone to the store and stocked up on the essentials in case we can’t get out for a few days. You just go with the flow here in MN!
Abnd you too Cadman–right at the moment I am desperately seeking a UPS delivery. Someday I am going to shop earlier–someday.
Who cares whether it’s Constitutional or not, it’s a feeding frenzy of power-grabbing. They want their own Christmas present; money and power. 60 senators will go home to celebrate Christ’s birth knowing they violated an a sacred oath. Power corrupts absolutely.
It’s over. They just voted for cloture. Reid, Schumer, Dodd, all the a$$holes who are destroying the American Dream are at the mike, grinning and talking about their great achievement, giving slaps on the back and kudos to all their cronies. I wish I could reach into the TV and personally strangle every one of them. They are TRAITORS, put and simple.
All that is left is for 51 liberals in the Senate to vote for it tomorrow night and we are screwed. I am turning off the TV and the computer until after Christmas. I can’t take this right now. I am weeping for my country.
Touché Arizona, but us late shoppers get two smiles, when most only get one.
The smile of our loved one getting the gift they wanted.. & .. The smile of our local deliveryman greedily snagging exhorbitant shipping fees from our helpless hands.
Thank God for capitalism! You got the money, you’ll get the goods.
Give Ben Nelson the boot
and
http://givebentheboot.com/index.html
They want to retire him–I really do have cowboy boots with really pointy toes to KICK him. Dingy Harry wants us to get back to being nice to each other-right. Same boot, same pointy toe.
And now we have more pork rinds going on with Pelosi and Reid. Seems they are so afraid not to get the Health Scam passed that they are going to hold closed door meetings to iron out the differences between the House and Senate bills.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704254604574614183270356274.html
The only way it makes sense for Obama to shelve this bill into February is if he is lying and plans to force a compromise out of committee right after the holidays and catch everyone off guard. Looking more and more unlikely.
Pelosi is really hearing it from every corner. High-ranking Rep. Louise Slaughter-D, Chairwoman of the Ways and Means Committee, just called for scrapping the bill. The Senate bill just won’t pass the House without the government option and the Senate will not approve one with it.
All of this brazen bribery may very well amount to nothing more than an epic and very embarrassing episode of corruption that will cost many of them their jobs. These kamikazes may have just blown themselves up for nothing! Hahahahaha!!
Fox is reporting that on the WH Christmas tree, Obama has an ornament of Mao and Hedda Lettuce. Supposely, there is also an ornament of Mt. Rushmore with Obama’s head on it, being made. I don’t know if it is true. I certainly hope not. It would show the American citizen just where his philosophy is and how arrogant he is. To support an murderous dictator that way, would be an “impeachable” offense in my book, but, these days, congress will probably praise him.
The link shows Barney Frank larding up for $6 billion, not the quoted $4 billion in this article.
Pasadena – all the same, I hope we will never get the chance to see the House and Senate implode.
My Senators answering machines are full in D.C., so I have left messages on their instate phones. Sent emails, will fax in the early morning before work.
Fight every corner – because there is only one stop after this one.
Whatever, this idea is not a joke. You’d be appalled by how sizable a majority of the minority community are for it, not to even talk the Black Caucus. Rangle shies any mention of it. Obama is literally FDR reincarnate to many people now rewarded by Nannycare which further Americans will be irreversibly weaned to. I do not joke when I ruefully say Conservatism is a fading force in this country thanks to a biased MSM and educational system, and maybe the most radical way to preserve our traditional way of life is take the example of the original concept of Utah as a Mormon State and via move-and-vote “balkanize” state counties as conservative enclaves independent from U.S. Gov’t control like American Indian nations here are. If anyone knows of a site hosting this concept please let me know!
Merry Christmas in the last one in a non-socialist America.
James Greenidge
Queens NY
Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) — New York Senator Charles Schumer defended the special Medicaid payments that Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska obtained for his state before agreeing to support health-care legislation, saying all states got something in the measure.
Oh yes, to the senators favorite campaign contributors’ benefit.