Posted on 09/09/2009 1:25:13 PM PDT by Shellybenoit
Have you noticed that despite the Speaker's claim that hers will be the most ethical congress in history the list of Democrats getting caught in ethics violations? And even when the violations are being investigated, some politicians (Charlie Rangel) try to "pay off" their colleagues on the ethics committee with campaign donations.
Rangel's ethics problems are massive, and the list is very long, here are just a few:
* In September he admitted a failure to report $75 thousand in taxes.
* He was discovered taking a tax break for people whose primary residence was in Washington DC, but if his primary residence was in DC he couldn't be congressman representing NYC. And besides, he was occupying four rent controlled controlled apartments in New York, the rule is you don't qualify for rent control unless the apartment is your primary residence. That is why he got in trouble for using one of the apartments as his office.
* In May, the House Ways and Means Chair found himself in a new ethics investigation, this time "pay-for-play". The allegation is that Rangel helped preserve a lucrative tax loophole for an Oil Company, and in turn the Oil Company donated a Million Dollars to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service. Maybe it was for research on how people in Congress find way to service themselves.
* The end of June saw a new scandal as the Ethics Committee launched an investigation of the NY Congressman, this one revolving around a Caribbean boondoggle.
* Then there is the matter of his financial disclosure form. Lets just say it had some mistakes also. Including a house worth One Million dollars that he forgot he owned.
Rangel isn't the only Democrat whose reputation has been tarnished over the past few months, there is Chris Dodd with his funky loans, John Murtha with his earmark scandals, Jefferson with the money in the freezer and others. The question that arises is when (if ever) does this start hurting the Democratic party?
This has to be hammered more and given more exposure. Tie it to the health care debate. “Reduce the debt. Make Dems pay their taxes.”
I don’t see how this is useful since most Democrats cannot be shamed into resigning.
Not as long as Republicans do not demand the IRS go after him, like they would if he were a Republican. He should have been forced to step down. There should be a big noise that he is still in his seat. Pelousy should be hammered on the politics of corrruption daily on this.
I used to live in Louisiana. I noticed a lot of political shenanigans there(like the “Levee Boards” which ostensibly were designed to look aftr the levees but were actually a patronage system using taxpayers dollars. They did a really good job on levees prior to Katrina, didn;’t they?)
One of the reasons that the politicians there are notoriously crooked(but there they call them ‘honest crooks’ like Eddie Edwards, now serving time in federal prison) is that virtually everyone took money from the till. It was widely known.
That way, all are implicated and nobody snitches on anyone as the snitcher is just as guilty as the one getting snitched.
Rangel, Dodd, you name it, are all watching each other’s backs. It’s also the reason they have no problem with a called-out tax cheat like Geithner being now head of the Treasury and why guys like Daschle, also exposed tax cheat, is still working in the administration on the Obamacare.
They cover each other all the way.
By the way, I am not trying to get anyone from LA mad at me. They have lots of good folks there.
No. Individual problems of Repulicans effect the whole party, not so for dems. Not fair, just the way it is.
I have noticed that whatever is being spoken out of Democrat ‘leaders’ is the exact opposite of truth.
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