Posted on 05/28/2007 4:24:08 AM PDT by Kaslin
WASHINGTON -- Democrats controlling the House of Representatives demonstrated this month the hollowness of their claim that they have ended the corruption of 12 Republican years. Rep. John Murtha quietly slipped into the Intelligence authorization bill two earmarks costing taxpayers $5.5 million. The beneficiary was a contractor headquartered in Murtha's hometown of Johnstown, Pa., whose executives have been generous political contributors to the powerful 17-term congressman.
This scandalous conduct would be unknown except for reforms by the new Democratic majority. But the remodeled system is not sufficiently transparent to expose in a timely manner machinations of Murtha and fellow earmarkers to his colleagues, much less to the public. It took Republican Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona, the leading House earmark-buster, to discover the truth.
Jack Murtha, the maestro of imposing personal preferences on the appropriations process, looks increasingly like an embarrassment to Congress and the Democratic Party. But there is no Democratic will to curb Murtha, one of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's closest associates. Nor are Republicans eager for a crackdown endangering their own earmarkers.
On May 10, as the Intelligence bill neared passage, Flake took the floor of the House to relate how Capitol Hill works. Told there were no earmarks attached to the bill, a skeptical Flake sought the measure's classified annex but was sent on a wild goose chase for earmarks -- first to the clerk of the House and then to the parliamentarian. When he finally found 26 earmarks, it was five hours after the deadline to submit amendments to the bill. Flake requested a secret session of the House on Intelligence earmarks, but got no support from either party.
Five days later, in a letter to House Republican Leader John Boehner, Flake revealed (without describing them) Murtha's two earmarks for the Johnstown-based Concurrent Technologies. One provides $2.5 million for the Mobile Missile Monitoring and Detection program. The other supplies $3 million for the Joint Intelligence Training & Education with Advanced Distributed Learning Technological Phase II.
Murtha's earmark requests attest (as required by the new reforms) that "neither I nor my spouse had any financial interest" in either project. What he did not attest was that officers and employees of Concurrent Technologies contributed $56,475 to Murtha from the 2000 election cycle to the present. That includes $4,500 from CEO and President Daniel DeVos and $5,000 from Vice President Emil Sarady.
Flake, in his May 15 letter to Boehner, made "another appeal" for House Republicans "to take a more proactive position in opposition to earmarks." The minority leader did not respond. Instead, on May 21, Boehner wrote Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Murtha's $23 million earmark for a National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown was "a questionable project" secured by "highly suspect methods." Indeed, the project was not placed on the earmark list, as required by the new rules. An effort by Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan to eliminate this project led to Murtha's notorious threats, in violation of House rules, to eliminate Rogers's own earmarks "now and forever."
In fact, Rogers, a 43-year-old former FBI agent, has 10 current earmarks to protect, costing more $45 million. Flake is a rare Republican who understands that pounding on Democrats will not cure the GOP's earmark addiction. "I am concerned," Flake wrote Boehner, "that the only action taken regarding earmarks by Republicans thus far this year is to ask for clarification of the earmark rules, in order to ensure that we can take full advantage of earmark opportunities." Boehner, who personally does not use earmarks, told me "I can't agree with that." But he did not respond to Flake.
Nor do Democrats show interest in curbing earmarks. Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, Pelosi's hand-picked Intelligence Committee chairman, blamed non-disclosure of earmarks on a mistake by the Government Printing Office. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey first skirted the new rules by claiming no earmarks were contained in the supplemental appropriations. Last week, he decreed that henceforth, earmarks in his bills would not be revealed until a measure passes both the House and Senate. The test for Democrats is what they will do about Murtha now that it is known he rewards contributors with federal funds.
Murtha has been a major crook since his ABSAM days. He is a typical democrat party thief, looting millions in bribery over the years.
So the Democrat Congress is still batting a perfect ZERO. They have NOT even managed to clean up their OWN Ethics!
I hope they continue to ride this mule.
Murtha’s Pennsylvania district is tantamount to a third-world dictatorship. It is virtually devoid of private sector jobs. The population has become almost totally dependent upon suckling the government teat. His constituents look at this guy like Rush Limbaugh’s pony-tailed guy looked at Clinton. “You are our daddy...what are you going to do to take care of us?” This moron is actually considered a hero for making rude cloakroom threats, so long as it preserves government work for a few dozen people in Johnstown. Sad, but the business climate in PA is so lousy I would not count on it changing anytime soon.
This POS was a crooked POS, now he's a treasonous, crooked, lying POS and he'll go to his grave being a treasonous, crooked, lying POS.
His legacy is that of a treasonous, lying, crooked POS.
I had the distinct displeasure of once meeting the treasonous, lying, crooked POS...and find it extremely hard to accept the fact that the treasonous, lying, crooked POS was once a member of the United States Marine Corps.
Everyone of my good friends in the USMC have told me that the "Once a Marine, always a Marine" was rescinded for this treasonous, lying, crooked POS.
I can understand why.
C’mon, tell us how you really feel!
;-)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-GA, currently of immigration (un)reform fame, once said, when asked about Murtha’s comments about our soldiers “My good friend John Murtha...”
All I thought was “WTH?”
You can’t expect hypocrites, which they are to clean up their own acts
“Murtha has been a major crook since his ABSAM days. He is a typical democrat party thief, looting millions in bribery over the years.”
See? They hide this behind ideology. The Soviets perfected the technique. Communism is the perfect crime. You take money from the people for the benefit of the common good and wash it through massive government programs.
Problem with the soviets is they tried to be expansionist and do it through the military. Well that cost money. Today they are accomplishing the same thing, getting the same results politically and are pocketing billions.
Murtha, Reid, Pelosi and the rest of them aren’t Marxists. They are common criminals trying to destroy this country for their own wealth.
We shouldn’t let Hillary fool us either. Follow the money.
I’ve been harping on this in other threads. But I was so mad to see Murtha on the Memorial Day concert last night, standing next to the brave soldier who lost his arm in Iraq. He and his wife had their wrenching story told by Gary Sinise and Bonnie Hunt. When I saw Murtha sitting with them I almost barfed. He has done everything he can to undercut our war efforts but he stands there acting as if he is supportive. What a sleaze.
The guy has nerve being there after voting against funding our troops.
I’ve been harping on this in other threads. But I was so mad to see Murtha on the Memorial Day concert last night, standing next to the brave soldier who lost his arm in Iraq. He and his wife had their wrenching story told by Gary Sinise and Bonnie Hunt. When I saw Murtha sitting with them I almost barfed. He has done everything he can to undercut our war efforts but he stands there acting as if he is supportive. What a sleaze
Yep, once we saw that last night we changed the channel. I usually watch the concert every year, but last nights was quite disappointing. I did flip back when the sang the services medley and when they got to the Marine Corps Hymn and the camera panned to Cut & Run Murtha....I almost put my foot thru the screen!
Murtha is catching hell on this one. Murtha is trash,a thief ,a bribe taker, an anti-American,treasonous posier.
Read the whole thing. Members of both parties had the opportunity to point out Murtha’s earmarks. They didnt. Why didnt they? Thats right folks,they are all in on the theft.
They all use their incumbency to enrich their own constituents so they can go back in office.
Murtha is a POS,but he isnt alone up there. He has plenty of Company , from both parties.
Did you notice when they panned the tombstones at Arlington, one of the headstones said, John Edwards __________ (I did not get to the last name, because I was so surprised.)
What are the odds that of all the tombstones in Arlington they would show that one headstone.
Sad about Durnets (sp) I think I remember he had a stroke. While reading he really seemed confused a couple times. Sad, I have always been impressed with his presentation during the concert. Now he was a true hero, Normandy, Bulge, and I think in 101st.
I know I was very ofended to find out that the R’s thought they could buy our votes with earmarks after the 06 election. We should have made a huge stink.
The several times I have walked along the hilly wandering roadways through Arlington National Cemetery, I am always amazed at how many interesting names and bits of information are etched in tombstones along the way. Out of respect for the Cemetery, I have rarely ever left the roadways, but out of respect for those interned there, I would love to someday walk out to read as many tombstones as I could.
To this day, I still can't understand why RFK was given such a grand location for his final resting place. There are several other politicians of note who have been laid to rest in very modest locations there.
No I can’t. But I would expect good politicans, and the scum are usually better politicans then this, to realize that promising to ride in on their white horse and “Clean up” DC and then do NOTHING is not going to play well with the voters.
But I suppose they can just rely on their lap dog “Journalists” to cover for them yet again.
Last week, he [House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey] decreed that henceforth, earmarks in his bills would not be revealed until a measure passes both the House and Senate.
So now they want to hide the pork until it's too late to do anything about it?
If true, this is positively outrageous!
RATS OUT!
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