WMD Blast: Kasich and Shelton Edition

Kasich Goes Full Obama and Enlists Help of Children to Lobby His Agenda?

Columbus Dispatch's The Daily Briefing blog has the story.

He's probably joking, but this is exactly the sort of thing one might expect from our governor these days.

What's next, John? An Enemies List???

Judy Shelton LIED to Her Own Party

Judy Shelton is the Central Committee Chairman in Butler County. She's been engaging in some shenanigans with the Board of Elections to rearrange the precincts. She actually told the Central Committee that it wouldn't happen and that those who were concerned were "ill-informed" but here is the Hamilton Journal News reporting that the lines will be redrawn.

So, Republicans of Butler County I ask you this: NOW WILL YOU VOTE THIS CHARLATAN OUT???

Why is this such a big deal? Shelton is consolidating her power base by minimizing the number of seats in Central Committee in Tea Party areas of the county. Having Dave Kern as Executive Chairman is nice and all, but if the Tea Party wants to wield actual power in this county, they have to get Judy Shelton replaced with someone who holds real conservative values.

Nichols vs. Borges Followup: I Still Think the Appointment Is Stupid

From my state central committeeman, Scott Nichols:

This is a follow up on the appointment of Matt Borges
to the position of executive director of the ORP by Chairman Bennett.

After the release of yesterdays email I received both email and call from ORP executive director, Matt Borges. The conversation was very insightful and informative.

Mr. Borges informed me that he has been the target of the media for quite sometime and that the media is doing all it can to make it look like the ORP is fractured.

He discussed with me his work (one time only) for the Gay and Lesbian organization (where he felt it was legally necessary to register as a lobbyist) was over a proposed housing bill in the Ohio Congress. The organization was a client for the law firm Mr. Borges worked for. This law firm deals in public affairs and works with groups in a large spectrum of political positions on both sides of the aisle.. He met with Ohio GOP representatives to see what was in the upcoming bill and if this group could get a hearing on it.

The answer from the Ohio congress was no to the hearing and Mr. Borges filed his report to the organization. That was it. That is far from a lobbyist.

Now, you might say, Scott, you jumped into this with both feet and overreacted. Really?

I don't say that. I believe Mr. Nichols was on to something, but not just because Borges represented a gay group. I am thinking in terms of repercussions. But Mr. Nichols continues:

In my very short time with the ORP I have been blindsided multiple times already. This is just the latest occurrence.

As a SCC member representing four counties in SW Ohio it would be nice to not have to operate in a reactive mode all the time. It would be nice to have our leadership think carefully about fully vetting those they are consider hiring to keep these things to a minimum. An email on items of controversy to SCC members in advance would be helpful to keep us ahead of things. Even better, how about a committee of SCC members to interview these people first and then we vote on them?

No, Mr. Nichols, that would make too much sense and would lessen the influence of der chairman, Bob Bennett. Better to snap these decisions and then strong arm members into agreeing, rather than do the proper due dilligence.

As far Mr. Borges goes, I believe the damage is done here. In our short news cycle this will be yesterday's news. You will have to decide how you feel about this and make recommendations to the Chairman or simply forget about it.

The sad part to me is that once again I met a person in their late thirties who did not realize at the time he was working against conservative principles, even though he firmly believes himself to be conservative.

Hate to tell you, Scott, but the ORP offices are full of these people.

It is easy to say that since he is a lawyer he has to take this work. Really? When I asked if he would be fired he said he would not be most likely. Yet, he saw no issue on taking the work as a violation to conservative beliefs. Does that mean billable hours trump conservative values? I can't answer that for him but it seems we have a generational problem when money meets principles.


The ORP is split and the reason is we have many progressives in our party. Those many progressives do not even realize that they are so, and believe themselves to be conservatives.

Until we establish leadership that will stand hard against progressives, and their creeping agenda, too many will once again stay home and not vote.

America is @70% conservative in their beliefs, yet less than 50% show up to vote in presidential elections. 1/3 now consider themselves independent with no party and growing.

The Tea Party grew massively because it proudly pronounced just three conservative values. They continue to have a huge effect on voter turnout. Why? They do not play the middle of the road and people respond to that. That is what they are looking for. The ORP needs to learn this and the victories will follow for many years.


Sincerely,

Scott A. Nichols
Senate District 14

Mr. Nichols may have backed off on Borges but I do not. Matt may be a good guy, but his short time even as a proposed appointment has been a lightning rod. CCV is having a fit. Other groups that have been strongly GOP are pulling away. And for what? So Bobby Bennett gets one of his guys in as executive director who happens to be a kasich guy. Not worth the trouble.

Senate Dist. 14 Central Committeeman Stands Up to Bob Bennett and Squish ORP

From the Notice:

The appointment of Matt Borges
to the position of executive director of the ORP by Chairman Bennett cannot stand.

It is outrageous that a person with such a checkered past and working as a lobbyist for a Gay and Lesbian Organization promoting same sex marriage is not what the ORP needs to present to voters going into this falls election.

At the last SCC meeting I voted against Kevin Dewine being appointed to any position outside of his newly elected one on the committee itself. I felt his actions as Chairman harmed the ORP and he should simply step away quietly. I felt it was a matter of ethics. When you bend the rules and then break them publicly you must be shamed and pay the price. You are not to be given public praise and gifts and then awarded a position of influence.

It was for the fear of what is coming next that I voted "nay".

Now, since the SCC stood for nothing regarding ethical behavior before, we get this.

Will you join me on Friday, and request that Chairman Bennett withdraws the appointment of Mr. Borges? If you will not then I only ask you this.....what will come next?

Sincerely,

Scott A. Nichols
Senate District 14



**If you are not part of SCC, but a precinct committee person in Senate District 14, I ask you to contact Chairman Bennett and join me in asking for Matt Borges appointment to be withdrawn.

Chairman Bennett contact info:
216-961-8400 bennett@ohiogop.org

Mr. Nichols is the gentleman who took over for my Senate District, formerly occupied by Dr. No himself, John Becker. Mr. Becker is running for a statehouse seat, so he could no longer serve on the Central Committee.

Matt Borges is a lobbyist based in Columbus. The Dispatch has more:

Matt Borges is a lobbyist for Equality Ohio, founded in 2005 by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists after Ohio voters’ passage of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

He’s also the new executive director of the Ohio Republican Party.

Borges, recently named to his role by Ohio GOP Chairman Robert T. Bennett, said he will take a leave of absence from the Columbus lobbying firm Roetzel & Andress through the end of the year and will resign as a lobbyist registered with the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee.

His leave will begin soon — there’s one little-known bill in the legislature of interest to a client he’d like to see through — and will include a hiatus from lobbying for his 16 clients currently registered with the state. They include the MetroHealth System of Cleveland and Akron public schools.

As the executive director for Gov. John Kasich’s inauguration committee, Borges said he’s a member of the “Kasich gang” and is aware of Kasich’s repeated, public denunciations of the influence lobbyists have on state government.

“I understand the appearance part of that, and I am a guy who has to be very concerned about appearances,” said Borges, also referring in part to a 2004 misdemeanor conviction related to soliciting illicit campaign contributions that was later expunged from his record.

“I don’t want to leave anybody with a wrong impression.”

Bennett, who returned to his longtime post as GOP chairman in April after the Kasich camp’s victory over then-Chairman Kevin DeWine in a bitter fight for party control, said he’s already resigned as a lobbyist. It’s not illegal for someone to be a registered lobbyist and work for the state party.

This is stupid all the way around. First, the gay and lesbian issue is a non starter in Ohio. We have that whole defense of marriage thing. Also, it is a non-starter nationally. Once again, Bob Bennett has put his fingers to the political winds only to find them stuck to focusing on squish moderates. Ohio has spoken on the issue of gay marriage. Having someone who was hired to change that does not speak well of the Republican image for respecting law and order, especailly since it was Republicans who put that law into place. Also, we have seen how just making a move to get a splash for political correctness has fared: Obama has lost points not necessarily because he supports gay marriage but because most people view his little quip for what it is: taking advantage of an issue for political gain.

A second reason this appointment is stupid is that it rails against everything Kasich is griping about when it comes to lobbyists. The Dispatch story talks about Kasich's position about not liking lobbyists jumping into government or having influence. What the hell do you think this is? It makes Kasich and the Republicans look as hypocritical as Obama when Obama said he wouldn't have a White House filled with lobbyists and then went out and, well...hired a bunch of lobbyists.

A third reason this appointment is a bad idea is that Borges comes not only with the homosexuality lobbying tag, but also with scandal. Even though, as the Dispatch pointed out, the offense was expunged from his record, he still has the smell of scandal.

So we are in effect pulling an Obama. Obama told religious people to screw off with the contraception mandate and the gay marriage thing. We are telling CCV we don't need your vast organization efforts anymore, essentially. Also, we are telling people that past offenses don't mean anything. What next? We welcome Tom Noe and others back to the fold with open arms?

I thought Kevin DeWine was bad and needed to go. However, Bob Bennett is worse. He is an old crook from the past who, despite letting Tom Noe and others run wild with party money, was let back into the castle after being thrown out. Bad idea all around. If Obama didn't suck so bad, I would daresay this Bennett regime and this whole Borges appointment might be a game changer. It certainly doesn't bode well for "unity" or "having the grassroots fired up" unless you mean p**sed off at leadership.

I stand with Scott Nichols and the majority of not just Ohio Republicans, but Ohioans. Matt Borges needs to go.

Tom Niehaus Thinks a Guy at a Church Social=Big Time Lobbyists

I am so glad that dirtbag Senate President Tom Niehaus is term limited and cannot come back to the Ohio Senate. The guy doesn't give a rat's about his constituency or conservative values. Remember, he is THE GUY who voted to retroactively raise your taxes with his former master, ex-Senate President Bill Harris. He also is doing everything in his power to sabotage the Issue 2 effort. Remember, he is the guy who basically helped the anti vote write at least one of their commercials. How, you ask? He gave his staff pay raises during this controversial time. Well, Tom Niehaus thinks that lobbyists who make six figures and give out freebies and have all sorts of access are the same as Joe Average coming up at a church social and pitching an idea. Don't believe me? Here's the WCPO I Team evidence in video and in script:


The key cut comes in the last minute or so....

Here is the quote in print, from the story:

Senator Niehaus denies any back room deals. He says lobbyists “certainly they have access because we’re sitting at the table with them but… I don’t see any correlation between lobbying and whether people have access because anybody who wants to have access can call the office and set up an appointment.”

Niehaus says he meets with constituents all the time. He defends the rights of the sponsors giving gifts, saying "Do they have an influence? Only to the extent that they provide you information, you know, but it isn’t a matter of I am going to call someone and say, ‘Well, how do you want me to vote on this?’”

While Niehaus lauds the opportunity for professional education, Turcer says the conference offers an opportunity for much more. “If you’re hanging out with a bunch of bank lobbyists after a while those are the people that you could listen over your neighbor, over your constituent.” She says, “It would be wonderful if there was an opportunity like this for the public.”

Niehaus says it happens all the time. “If I go to a church festival and someone walks up to me and you know, makes a pitch about a particular bill that they want me to support, are they lobbying? Sure they are.”

This guy should not be in a role to represent the values of the Republican Party, even the Ohio Republican Party. His career is one of sucking up to others (Doug White), using their influence to get ahead, and building a network of toadies and influence. He is what is wrong with politics and politicians. I will be glad when he is gone and hope that whomever takes his place will not be as easily influenced by cashola and not be quite the dullard when it comes to sticking one's foot in one's mouth.

Cuomo and Lobbyist Cash: Why is NY Times Surprised?

Andrew Cuomo is a lying hypocrite. In other news, the grass is green. However, the NY Times is shocked, SHOCKED to find lobbyist cash in his coffers. I mean, after all, he was just assailing the lobbyists and special interests not that long ago:

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, declaring his candidacy for governor of New York, could not have been clearer. “The influence of lobbyists and their special interests must be drastically reduced with new contribution limits,” Mr. Cuomo said last month. “We will be taking on very powerful special interests which have much to lose. We must change systems and cultures long in the making.”

But as he delivered his announcement, Mr. Cuomo was sitting on millions in campaign cash from the very special interests whose influence he said he wanted to limit.

An analysis by The New York Times shows that of the estimated $7.1 million that the Cuomo campaign has received from political action committees, associations, limited liability corporations and other entities, more than half has come from the biggest players in Albany: organized labor, the real estate and related industries like construction, the health care sector and lobbying firms.

In the spirit of reform, Mr. Cuomo pledged in 2007 not to accept donations over $10,000 from most categories of contributors during an election cycle. But he did not stick to that vow and has at times received amounts five times as great.

Gee, hasn't the Annointed One berated Goldman Sachs and BP, but yet has taken hundreds of thousands in campaign cash from them? Haven't all statist libs done this, even as they are claiming to be "for the little guy?" Give me a break. However, certain other "insiders" trying to have it both ways should take note:

The donations underscore the awkwardness of Mr. Cuomo’s effort to run against Albany and its insiders at the same time he is benefiting from their largess and, in some cases, his long relationships with them. He drew a similar proportion of his campaign money from special interests in his failed 2002 campaign for governor and his 2006 bid for attorney general.

Yes, awkward indeed.

Malfeasance Honored and Protected by Barack Obama: Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson used to be a basketball player in the NBA. He was a guard, who won AllStar appearances for his ability to steal. Well, I guess this is just an extension of that and Barack Obama's incessant desire to get his ESPN on. Check out this story from the Washington Times:

Only in the Obama administration would a public official sanctioned for a form of malfeasance be honored as a speaker by the same organization that sanctioned him. It helps, of course, when he is a self-proclaimed Friend of the First Couple. It also doesn't hurt that the administration already found it politically convenient to fire the inspector general, Gerald Walpin, who blew the whistle on his misdeeds.

Still, the public should consider it a brazen affront for this administration to feature Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson as a key speaker at a major conference sponsored later this month by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Common decency should disallow such a scandal.

On the grounds of image alone, Mr. Johnson sends the wrong message, considering that four different young women or teenage girls have accused Mr. Johnson of inappropriate sexual conduct. Three of the four were actually affiliated with the very institution, the St. Hope Academy, that was sponsored through CNCS grants. (CNCS is the parent body for the AmeriCorps national "volunteering" program.) In none of the cases were charges ever pressed, but one of the students said she was offered $1,000 per month in exchange for her silence, and two staff members resigned from St. Hope to protest how the academy tried (in the words of one of them) to "intimidate the student*." And in the first instance, in the summer of 1995, Mr. Johnson at one point agreed to pay the girl $230,000, according to the Sacramento Bee, after protesting that he "didn't recall us being a hundred percent naked" during the incident.

The sordid sex allegations weren't even what caused Mr. Johnson, a former National Basketball Association star, to be sanctioned. Instead, he was found responsible for multiple financial misdeeds and ordered personally to help St. Hope repay nearly half a million dollars to AmeriCorps. Specifically, investigators found that Mr. Johnson and St. Hope misused federal funds to assign political projects to AmeriCorps workers; to have them run personal errands for Mr. Johnson, wash his car and drive him to personal appointments; to pay staff salaries at St. Hope from funds meant for AmeriCorps grantees; and several other similar improprieties.

Despite such flagrant abuse of CNCS programs, CNCS has invited this man to be a featured speaker at the June 28-30 National Conference on Volunteering and Service, which is advertised as "the world's largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders from the nonprofit, government and corporate sectors." Such an over-the-top level of inappropriateness is flabbergasting even for the O Force.

And Byron York weighs in on this as well, with more of the details:

In 2004, St. HOPE received a three-year grant from AmeriCorps totaling $847,673. The money was to help St. HOPE “revitalize inner-city communities through public education, civic leadership, economic development and the arts,” according to the group’s mission statement. But in 2008, the inspector general of AmeriCorps found that Johnson used large portions of the grant for, among other things, “driving [Johnson] to personal appointments, washing his car, and running personal errands.”

After an investigation by federal prosecutors, Johnson and St. HOPE were required to repay AmeriCorps $423,836 — half the original grant. At the same time, officials at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which oversees AmeriCorps, banned Johnson from receiving any more federal dollars. Johnson was not charged with any crime, and the funding ban was lifted in 2009 when Sacramento officials expressed the fear that it might prevent the city from receiving millions of dollars in federal stimulus money. But the fact remains: Kevin Johnson misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in AmeriCorps money.

Here is a pdf of the charges.
Here is a copy of the settlement.
But what do we expect from a guy who sells out Eastern Europe and whose career was launched by Bill Ayers? This guy flaunts his lousy buddies as heroes. He gave us Van Jones, for goodness sake! However, team Obama and Americorps is trying to play "don't blame us:"

A spokeswoman for the Corporation for National and Community Service says CNCS had nothing to do with selecting Johnson and that the Sacramento mayor will appear at the request of a group called “Cities of Service.” “He was invited by Cities of Service, which is working to harness the power of volunteers in cities across America,” says CNCS press secretary Ashley Etienne. “He’s participating in a panel organized by Cities of Service, and we were not involved.”

“Cities of Service” is an organization founded last year by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as part of President Obama’s “United We Serve” initiative. According to the White House website, Cities of Service was created “in partnership with CNCS.”

Hmmm....kind of not adding up, is it? Well, let's ask the guy who got fired for investigating Johnson, former Inspector General Walpin:

“This is a CNCS/AmeriCorps conference,” he says. “I can’t believe that CNCS doesn’t control who is invited and who speaks at a CNCS national conference.” And even if Bloomberg’s group wanted to include Johnson, Walpin says, what was CNCS’s reaction? “Assuming that the invitation was tendered to Johnson by Cities of Service (hard to believe without CNCS approval), when CNCS learned about it, what did it do?” asks Walpin. “Did it, as it clearly could, being the host, tell the supposed independent inviting entity that CNCS would not allow it?”

The audacity of arrogance of this administration is amazing! Thug life, baby, thuggin and buggin.

Watering the HealthCare Plants Update: Obama/Hitler Poster Exposed as Plant! Bowling for Plants on CraigsList

Obama/Hitler Poster a plant!

I heard the news about this poster at a Dingell rally and was shocked. Especially as it was held up by a young African American person. But, that got me thinking. I tried to investigate, but others were already out front. It turns out this guy is a plant! He is a Dingell supporter. And, it turns out the poster is not from the "loons on the right" but that loon Lyndon LaRouche. The Blog Prof has all the goods and coverage. Go over and check out the videos and the links. It is very informative. Here are some excerpts. However, I implore you to check it out:

Note the black man holding up the poster. This screenshot was used in reports by the MSM who painted the protesters as Nazis. Here's the thing, though - that black man is a Dingell supporter! Last Friday, Frank Beckmann on his show broadcast on WJR 760 AM interviewed an eyewitness that said not only were union thugs let in through a side door before anyone else was let into the venue, but that he clearly saw from his vantage point that very Obama as Hitler poster in that back hallway after the union thugs took their seats. The interview was around 11:00am, but WJR chose not to post that audio (they only tend to select one or two clips a day to post). I thought it would have been bigger news, and needed more than just that to write a post, albeit an audio clip would have partially sufficed. In any case, I've been scouring YouTube and the web for more info, and have finally found some. Here is one account that was posted Monday over at FreeRepublic:


A couple that were at Dingals TH meeting said there was a black man outside with a sign comparing Obama the Adolf Hitler. After the meeting ended and when everyone was leaving this same man was handing out Dingal campaign flyers.

The post has the video of the couple discussing the "gentleman" who had the Obama poster. The origin of the poster is from Lyndon LaRouche, but the guy holding it was a union guy/Dingell supporter who was seen handing out Dingell campaign paraphanelia. Odd, don't you think? But wait...there's more...

The Dems are paying for protestors!

Bowling for Plants on CraigsList

There is this other item from RedState...

So I received an email/comment this morning about a craigslist ad soliciting health care activism for money. “Activism for money,” I thought!! Was this it at last? The missing link Democrats have been searching for? Obamacare opponents turning up at town halls really are a mob?

We really are nothing but a slew of paid hacks drummed up by the promise of easy cash by cynical Obamacare opponents to create an artificial appearance of opposition?!?

Ummmm, no.

This post has listings from CraigsList with photo captures where you can see the LEFT is advertising and PAYING people to go and pretend to be in favor of Obamacare. They are providing them with manufactured shirts and signs. Check out the whole thing....

And if you think this isn't enough evidence of who is really astroturfing, check out this from RightOhio:

According to ProgressOhio’s email, Senator Sherrod Brown is coming to to town to discuss health care. And Brown has been a supporter of this sort of centralized Grandma-killing health care even back as a wife-beating pot-smoking Congressional benchwarmer from Lorain. From the email:

Can we count on you to go to Senator Sherrod Brown’s upcoming event, and simply hold a positive sign in support of healthcare reform? You’ll be in good company. Our partners in the Health Care for America Now coalition will be standing together at the event – partners like Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) Ohio, SEIU, Organizing For America, and many others. We need healthcare reform supporters both inside and outside the event.

WHEN: Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 12th at 9:00 AM (event starts at 10, but it’s important to get there early!)

WHERE: OSU Biomedical Research Tower, 460 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-2210

Sen. Brown’s event inside is entitled “What Does Health Care Reform Mean to Me?”

Now, who is bussing people and getting people paid to be spokespeople and ready made protestors at town halls?

Laying it Out There: Waxman Markey is all About Controlling OUR Lives, not About the Environment

From the National Review:

The stimulus bill was the legislative equivalent of the famous cantina scene from Star Wars, an eye-popping collection of the freakish and exotic, gathered for dubious purposes. The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, known as ACES (the American Clean Energy and Security Act), is more like the third panel in Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights — a hellscape that disturbs the sleep of anybody who contemplates it carefully.

Two main things to understand about Waxman-Markey: First, it will not reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, at least not at any point in the near future. The inclusion of carbon offsets, which can be manufactured out of thin air and political imagination, will eliminate most of the demands that the legislation puts on industry, though in doing so it will manage to drive up the prices consumers pay for every product that requires energy for its manufacture — which is to say, for everything. Second, it represents a worse abuse of the public trust and purse than the stimulus and the bailouts put together. Waxman-Markey creates a permanent new regime in which environmental romanticism and corporate welfare are mixed together to form political poison. From comic bureaucratic power grabs (check out the section of the bill on candelabras) to the creation of new welfare programs for Democratic constituencies to, above all, massive giveaways for every financial, industrial, and political lobby imaginable, this bill would permanently deform American politics and economic life.

But read the bill before voting, surely you jest, right Steny, you illiterate sack of maggot poo?

The article goes on to give 50 reasons why this thing must be stopped...Here are some excerpts, but read the whole thing and tell your friends and educate the sheeple who still think Obama and co. have the best interests of this country at heart:

1. The big doozy: Eighty-five percent of the carbon permits will not be sold at auction — they will be given away to utility companies, petroleum interests, refineries, and a coterie of politically connected businesses. If you’re wondering why Big Business supports cap-and-trade, that’s why. Free money for business, but higher energy prices for you.

2. The sale of carbon permits will enrich the Wall Street investment bankers whose money put Obama in the White House. Top of the list: Goldman Sachs, which is invested in carbon-offset development and carbon permissions. CNN reports:


Less than two weeks after the investment bank announced it would be laying off 10 percent of its staff, ***Goldman Sachs confirmed that it has taken a minority stake in Utah-based carbon offset project developer Blue Source LLC. . . . “Interest in the pre-compliance carbon market in the U.S. is growing rapidly,” said Leslie Biddle, Head of Commodity Sales at Goldman, “and we are excited to be able to offer our clients immediate access to a diverse selection of emission reductions to manage their carbon risk.”

Funny, I thought we had to go after the banks who engaged in this type of mad speculation, and that Obama was going to fight the banks for the little people. Guess that goes out when the cashola comes flooding in....but wait, there's more:

13. Waxman-Markey channels billions of dollars into subsidies for “international clean technology deployment for emerging markets.” David H. McCormick of the Treasury Department recently gave a speech on the establishment of an $8 billion fund for that purpose; those who showed up to gets the specs on this new gravy train included Sequoia Capital, the United Steelworkers Union, the Clinton Climate Initiative, Ernst & Young, Duke Energy, SunPower, Honeywell, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Credit Suisse, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, and Goldman Sachs. If you’re wondering who’s going to make real money off of Waxman-Markey, this list would be a pretty good place to start.
14. Naturally, Big Labor gets its piece of the pie, too. Projects receiving grants and financing under Waxman-Markey provisions will be required to implement Davis-Bacon union-wage rules, making it hard for non-union firms to compete — and ensuring that these “investments” pay out inflated union wages. And it’s not just the big research-and-development contracts, since Waxman-Markey forces union-wage rules all the way down to the plumbing-repair and light-bulb-changing level.
21. The bill regulates every light fixture under the sun. Actually, the sun might be the only light source that isn’t regulated specifically in this legislation. There are rules governing fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, intermediate base lamps, candelabra base lamps, outdoor luminaires, portable light fixtures — you get the idea. The government actually started down this road by regulating light bulbs in the 2005 energy bill. This bill merely tightens the regulations, which means the unintended consequences produced by the 2005 bill — more expensive light bulbs that burn out quicker — will probably get worse.

22. The bill extends its reach to cover appliances as well. Clothes washers and dishwashers, portable electric spas, showerheads, faucets, televisions — all these and more are covered specifically in the bill. You thought we were kidding when we said this bill represents the federal government’s attempt to expand its regulatory reach to cover everything. We weren’t.

23. Appliances will be required to come with “carbon output” labels, and retailers will get bonus payments for marketing those that are certified “best-in-class.” The bill sets up a payment schedule to reward the manufacturers of these “best-in-class” products: $75 for each dishwasher, $250 for each clothes washer, and so on. So go out and splurge on that new super-energy-efficient refrigerator — under this bill, you already made a $200 down payment.

24. The bill requires the EPA to establish environmental standards for residences, meaning a federally dictated one-size-fits-all policy for greening every home in America. When you’re retrofitting your home according to EPA guidelines, it will come as little comfort to know that the government is reimbursing you for your troubles, especially if you’re doing the work around April 15.

25. The bill would affect commercial properties, too. In fact, all buildings would be governed by a “national energy efficiency building code” that would require 50 percent reductions in energy use in all buildings by 2018, followed by 5 percent reductions in energy use every three years after that through 2030. No one disputes that these changes will be costly, but Waxman-Markey supporters argue that they will pay for themselves through lower energy bills. This argument holds up only if we assume that energy prices will stay flat or fall over time. But the aforementioned carbon caps instituted elsewhere in this legislation make that prospect highly unlikely. Businesses and homeowners will pay twice — once to retrofit their roosts and again when the energy bill arrives.

Yes, so much for your property being your own. You must comply with Obama's nutty mandates and Al Gore's suppressive, er, I mean settled...science. Read the whole thing. You might think it is Orwell's missing chapter from 1984, but sadly, it is not fiction. Don't let it become law.

Let Them Eat Cake Update: Congress Travels High on the Hog, While You Stay Home...

Yes, we are truly returning to the era of the Aristocracy and the rest of the people. The aristocracy is now made up of the government class and the wealthy, while the rest of us sit and stew and pray that we can make ends meet. While our savings are drying up and we work longer, and just take one day off for the kids, Congress's travel budget has swollen and they are getting luxurious trips...ON OUR DIME!!!!!! From the WSJ:

Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.

The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That's a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.

The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as "codels," has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.

Although complete travel records aren't yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes -- as they usually do -- their spouses can fly free.

Paris Air Show
In mid-June, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii) led a group of a half-dozen senators and their spouses on a four-day trip to France for the biennial Paris Air Show. An itinerary for the event shows that lawmakers flew on the Air Force's version of the Boeing 737, which costs $5,700 an hour to operate. They stayed at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, which advertises rooms from $460 a night.

The lawmakers were invited to a dinner party at the U.S. Embassy and had cocktails at a private party at the Eiffel Tower. Mr. Inouye attended a dinner sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, a U.S. trade group. Another senator on the trip, Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, took a cruise on the River Seine with defense-industry executives and elected officials from Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.

Mr. Inouye and Mr. Shelby declined to comment.

Hey, members of Congress, how about a Motel 6? They leave the light on for you! It is ridiculous. When the Chosen One and his minions in Congress and the Rollover Republicans are telling us to make do with less, stories like this make one want to storm the Bastille! It is a crime how our money is spent by these spoiled brats, and all they do is ask for more.

Funny, the budget has swelled for travel to these luxurious and exotic locales by 50% under Bullwhip Nancy's watch. I thought she was going to bring this type of graft and corruption under control. But wait, isn't she the one that demanded a jumbo jet for her and her posse to parade around the world in? Never mind. Wake up America!

Most Ethical, Transparent Congress Ever? NOT!: Murtha and Co.

I thought John Murtha hated the military he formerly served in. I thought he hated the contractors that profiteered off the war. Well, I guess he only hated the profiteers he wasn't receiving kickbacks and money and other fun from....

Defense contractors raked in $137 million in the past two years thanks to their political donations to Democratic Congressmen John Murtha, Jim Moran and Pete Visclosky — who all sit on the defense appropriations subcommittee.


Which Murtha chairs.

And which had as its chief of staff Paul Magliocchetti, until he formed a lobbying company called PMA Group.

PMA’s clients naturally were defense contractors.

And in the last 20 years, PMA clients have given Murtha $2.4 million, Visclosky $1.4 million and Moran just under $1 million.

Hmmm...maybe he didn't like Blackwater and Halliburton because they weren't part of PMA? If this were a Republican, the calls for his head would be coming from all over? What is especially egregious is how Murtha may have been manipulating things against the contractors who had contracts into losing them so his buddies he provided help and earmarks for got contracts. Scary stuff.

But, I thought these last two congresses under the Pelosi family were supposed to be the most ethical and transparent ever...well, I guess transparent means blatantly corrupt....
Don Surber was on this case 2 years ago. The AP just gets in the game this week.

From the Surber 2007 article:

In 2006, PMA Group lobbyists gave $1,333,074 to three Democratic congressmen and walked away with $100 million worth of contracts for PMA clients. That’s a return of $75 for every $1 invested in just 6 months. In 2008, look for mo’ money and mo’ Democratic congressmen to cash in.


The 3 Democratic rent-to-own congressmen are John Murtha, Jim Moran and Peter Visclosky.

On Monday Paul Singer of Roll Call said Jesus Reyes set up a political action committee on behalf of his brother, Democratic Congressman Silvestre Reyes, who heads the House Intelligence Committee.

Singer reported the Reyes PAC “raised $50,000 this spring almost entirely from staff and clients of powerhouse lobbying shop PMA Group, and within weeks, those same donors reaped millions of dollars in earmarks from Reyes and other Members of Congress closely affiliated with PMA. ”

He noted many of the donors “are long-time supporters of Reps. John Murtha (D-Pa.), Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) and Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.). The offices of Murtha, Mollohan and Visclosky did not respond to requests for comment last week. ”

What a crew. PMA, Mollohan, Moran, Murtha, Reyes and Visclosky, aka, Earmarks Inc.

I’m not kidding. PMA was founded by Paul Magliochetti, who worked for Murtha on the defense appropriations subcommittee. Richard Kaelin went from being Visclosky’s chief of staff to lobbying for PMA. At least one of its clients — Concurrent Technologies Corp. of a Johnstown, Pa., — was set up as a tax-exempt group by Murtha in the 1980s.

You donate — invest — rent — a congressman and he then forces the Pentagon and CIA to give you a fat contract — at a time of war.

Singer reported: “In July, those three Members and Reyes provided 12 earmarks in the House-passed Defense appropriations bill for donors to BEST PAC, totaling about $30 million.”

And conservatives thought the only kleptocracy was the UN.

And the idiots in the birthplace of our democracy, Pennsylvania, voted this scumbag Murtha back to office. Shameful and disgraceful!

Clinton's 3rd Term Update: Eric Holder

We have discussed on WMD how the man-child President Elect, Barry Obama, has put some grown ups, albeit flawed ones, on his Cabinet team. We highlighted Rahm "Wall Street" Emanuel yesterday. Today we discuss one Eric Holder, the ironic choice for Attorney General who will head up the Justice Department, or when he takes over, the "Just-us" Department, as it was known during the Clinton years. From John Fund:

President-elect Barack Obama said this week that Eric Holder, his nominee for attorney general, "has the combination of toughness and independence" needed for the job.

Certainly Mr. Holder was tough during his time as No. 2 official in the Clinton Justice Department. He overrode the recommendations of career prosecutors and consistently carried out Attorney General Janet Reno's "see no evil "approach to the burgeoning Clinton scandals, whether they involved illegal Asian fundraising during the 1996 campaign or Al Gore's "no controlling legal authority" meeting at the Buddhist temple in Los Angeles. In every case, Ms. Reno and her department declined to appoint independent counsels to investigate matters.
As for "independence," Mr. Holder didn't exercise much in the last hours of the Clinton White House, when he was caught up in the pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, who had been convicted of oil trading with the radical Islamic regime in Iran. Pressing for a pardon for Mr. Rich was his lawyer, Jack Quinn, a former White House counsel.

After the pardon was granted, it became clear that Mr. Rich didn't even qualify. Under Justice Department guidelines, pardons are supposed to be requested no sooner than five years after the completion of a sentence in a criminal case. As a fugitive, Mr. Rich wasn't eligible since he didn't serve his sentence, but the prosecutors in his case were never consulted about the pardon decision.

Mr. Holder later testified that he told White House counsel Beth Nolan the day before the pardon was issued that he was "neutral, leaning toward favorable" on the matter. The Associated Press also discovered that "to make matters worse, Holder had asked Quinn for his help in becoming attorney general in the event then-Vice President Al Gore won the 2000 election."

Mr. Holder told Congress that with hindsight he wouldn't have supported the pardon, saying he never learned the details of the case amid the flurry of last-minute pardons issued by the White House. Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen suggests the pardon episode tells us Mr. Holder "could not say no to power. The Rich pardon request had power written all over it." This is "independence"?
Critics of the pardon spanned party lines, including not only Clinton confidant Lanny Davis but Rep. Henry Waxman, then ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, who called the pardon an end-run around the judicial process. In the press, it was widely noted that Mr. Rich's former wife, Denise, has contributed $450,000 to Mr. Clinton's presidential library, $1.1 million to the Democratic Party and at least $109,000 to Hillary Clinton's Senate candidacy.

All in all, Mr. Holder seems an odd choice to bring "real change" and the new ethical tone that President-elect Obama promised during the campaign. Here's hoping Senators don't give the charming but slippery Mr. Holder a pass during his confirmation hearings.

Hope/channge? I guess when you hold it up to scrutiny, it really reads "MORE OF THE SAME."

Tobacco, Pro-Death Lobby and Congress

In a post that I have been meaning to comment on ever since I saw it hit my email box, Bill Sloat seems to think he's discovered GOLD! in them thar hills by stating that Republicans, including Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner -- accepted contributions from the...(gasp)...tobacco lobby.

He even admits that "sadly" first term Democrat Zack Space has taken this dirty filthy money from people who are out to kill your children.

Wait a minute...

...kill your children...

Uhh... Bill...

Democrats take money from the pro-kill-the-children movement all the time...

3 out of 3 female Democrats took money from pro-death group Emily’s List

Kilroy, Mary Jo (D-OH15) - $32,950
Weirauch, Robin (D-OH-05) - $11,300
Sutton, Betty Sue – (D-OH-13) - $250

It should be noted that Emily’s List only supports female candidates who also support the right to kill children in the process of being born.

NARAL Pro-Choice America:

Robin Weirauch (D-OH-05) - $1000 - 12/6/2007
Victoria Wulsin (D-OH-02) - $2,500 – 9/29/2006
Mary Jo Kilroy, (D-OH-15) - $5,000 – 7/12/2006
Betty Sutton, (D-OH-13) - $5,000 – 5/12/2006

At least with the tobacco lobby, the kid gets to live a little...

Not even RINO squish Deb Pryce took money from these people...

NOTE: Special thanks to Maggie Thurber for some research assistance.

Norman Hsu Case Delayed: I Smell Clinton Inc.

Disgraced HillRaiser Norman Hsu is going to wait for his case while his lawyers do "research." It seems Mr. Hsu is in no hurry to get his case heard:

Gaunt and glancing nervously at reporters, disgraced Democratic moneyman Norman Hsu appeared in a California court yesterday and agreed to spend another 10 weeks behind bars while his lawyers do "research."

The surprise delay raised eyebrows because Hsu's lawyers had filed motions asking the court to refund the $2 million bail he skipped out on in September and toss his 1992 fraud conviction altogether.

The postponement could signal anything from plea deal discussions to a ploy to fend off federal prosecutors in New York, who recently accused Hsu of a separate $60 million Ponzi scheme, one expert said.

"We're doing more research. These things take time," Hsu's lawyer, James Brosnahan, said after the judge postponed the case until Jan. 4.

Columbia law Prof. Daniel Richman said California and New York authorities could be in "some sort of negotiation toward a global resolution" of Hsu's cases.

"It might also serve [Hsu's] purposes to stall until the presidential campaign is over," Richman said.

Are you sure it just serves Hsu's purposes, Mr. Richman? Wouldn't it also serve Clinton, Inc., who are bearing financial scandal after scandal, especially as it relates to being bought and paid for by Chinese dishwashers and people whose incomes should not be able to support such giving? I smell some collaboration with Clinton Inc. Maybe in exchange for delaying, Hsu will be able to get a pardon, or just sent back to China to report back to his ChiCom or Triad masters. We here at WMD have been profiling the interesting links between Clinton Inc. and the Chinese Triads and the Chinese Communist Government.

I still have a question: where is Winkie Paw?

Rep Jean Schmidt: "Bringing Accountability to Washington"

Via email:

Washington, DC - I think everyone agrees that we should be encouraging more accountability and transparency in the legislative process. This week, we got some good news when the Department of Justice(DOJ) posted the Foreign Agents Registration Act(FARA) database online at www.fara.gov. I was especially pleased with this news because I introduced legislation, H.R. 4679, the FARA Sunshine Act of 2006, which began the process of making this online database a reality.

The Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 was originally enacted to protect national defense and national security by ensuring that Americans knew who was working for foreign entities and governments to try and influence public opinion. The law requires individuals working on behalf of a foreign governments or entities to register with the Department of Justice. In fact, the FARA of 1938 was a valuable tool in keeping tabs on Nazi agents and other propagandists before and during World War II.

FARA is still relevant today because foreign governments and companies employ agents to represent on them. FARA filings show who is advocating for a foreign government as well as their payments and expenditures on behalf of that government. Prior to it being posted on the internet the information was extremely hard to access.

I introduced legislation because access to FARA filings ridiculously difficult to access. The data was only available to the public if a person physically traveled to the Department of Justice's FARA office in Washington , D.C. Once there, an individual would need to sign in, present identification, go through a security screening, and ask a reference person to view specific information. Needless to say, this process is extremely inconvenient, not to mention impossible for the millions of Americans who live miles away from Washington .

My legislation sought to bring FARA filings into the 21st Century - and into the sunlight - by creating an online database so that this information is more readily available and accessible to the general public.

I believe that the posting of this online database is necessary because it brings accountability and transparency to the activities of registered foreign agents. Americans have a right to know whom foreign entities have retained to do their bidding; and now anyone with access to the Internet can do just that. Although I think the process took way too long, I am delighted that there is finally sunshine on the Foreign Agent registrations at the Department of Justice.

Congress has taken some positive steps in ensuring more transparency in the government's dealings with lobbyists and others. It is only right to increase transparency and disclosure of foreign agents as well.