Posted on 07/19/2012 3:00:01 PM PDT by Da Bilge Troll
WASHINGTON, DC - Project Veritas, the group headed by James O'Keefe and known for their undercover video operations on ACORN, NPR and voter fraud, has released a new video that exposes waste and corruption behind stimulus-funded "Green jobs."
"The purpose of our investigation is to illustrate that many of the jobs being championed -- and funded -- by the Obama administration are merely paper positions that come at great expense to the American taxpayer," says O'Keefe. "Digging holes just to fill them up again is not meaningful work, nor does it produce economic output for a recovery. Giving people jobs for jobs' sake will not revitalize an economy or restore our country's future."
In the investigation, top New York union bosses are caught in candid discussions regarding a federally-funded program known as "Green Jobs, Green New York," with one leader calling much of the $112 million program "bullshit."
"This is significant because labor unions are some of the biggest beneficiaries of taxpayer-funded jobs," says O'Keefe. "If they're intentionally propping up paper jobs, then they're complicit in the fleecing of taxpayers."
The video from Project Veritas also captures union officials discussing their lobbying power with state and federal officials in passing of "job bills," which help fund this scheme.
"Our investigation shows union officials explaining that as long as you say it's a 'job' for laborers, public officials will pass a bill," explains O'Keefe. "Is it really that easy? That's what Project Veritas intended to find out."
John Hutchins, ranking member of the Broome County legislature, told the undercover reporters posing as "Earth Supply and Renewal" his opinion on taxpayer-funded grant contracts; "You know the Green Jobs – Green NY, between us, a lot of it is bullsh*t". Anthony Tocci, business manager for LIUNA-Local 601, states, "You just wanna(sic) get the money. Then you figure out afterwards." Former NY assemblyman Ron Tocci is also featured laughing about the irony of the company"s services, "One thing about it, it"s shovel ready."
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