Posted on 10/12/2006 10:58:01 AM PDT by meandog
Gorge-eous George
Sen. Allen's appetite for corporate goodiesis larger than his discretion
ALOT OF PEOPLE like money, but only 100 of them are U.S. senators, who help steer the nation's policies. Self-aggrandizement should not factor into shaping those policies, and perhaps in Virginia Sen. George Allen's case it has not. But the necessity for the word "perhaps" stems from the merry indifference Mr. Allen has shown to juxtaposing private gain and public affairs.
In early 2005, as Mr. Allen prepared to take a seat on the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources, only the goading of press reports persuaded his wife, Susan, to resign as a paid director of energy giant Dominion Power, which often has issues before that panel. A wise senator would not have needed to be goosed by the media to point his spouse toward some other line of work.
This year, Virginians of the right-to-life persuasion dismayingly learned that Mr. Allen, one of their champions, held stock in the drug company that makes Plan B, a "morning after" pill that many pro-life people consider an abortifacient. Mr. Allen retains the stock in Barr Laboratories, for which he also retains affection. As governor, he had enticed Barr to Virginia, where it created hundreds of jobs around Lynchburg.
(Excerpt) Read more at fredericksburg.com ...
"Then, as a senator, Mr. Allen--except for his first year in office--failed to report those holdings, in evident violation of Senate ethics rules. (That some of the stocks were losers, as Mr. Allen argues in defense, is irrelevant.) More troubling, an Allen aide admits that the senator went to bat for one of the companies in business it had with the Army. Why was this manifestly wrong? Because any sunshine the Army splashed on the company might well have boosted the value of the 110,000 of its stock shares Mr. Allen then held."
With the exception of Harriet Miers so???
*yawn*
Meandog, I don't think these folks have the story straight.
First, Allen didn't have shares in the company. He had options to buy them. That's a big difference. (I don't think the number is right either, I think it was 65K, but that's only relevant to how much you can trust these people.)
The important point is that Allen had nothing to gain when he forwarded a letter to the Army on behalf of Xybernaut (which btw is his job, it's called constituent service. As I recall, you get pretty darn mad when he is unresponsive to you.)
As I understand the timing, Allen contacted the Army in December 2001. His stock options had expired months before, at the end of March 2001.
There is no there there, meandog. Just a technicality.
No, but I DO want the best that conservatives can muster...a spotless, water-walker...and someone to look up to rather than someone who dodges ethics complaints as deftly as he dodged armed service when his country needed him. The only things he couldn't manage to dodge was the defensive secondary of second-rate teams that routinely intercepted his wayward passes when he was a U.Va. q.b., or claims that he unresponsive to Va. citizenry.
meandog doesn't care about that.
He's all weepy because Marky Mark Warner isn't going to take him to the prom.
It's nothing of the kind - we who actually live in Fredericksburg call it the Free-SLANT Star. I've even seen that on bumperstickers.
He was better a better governor than the "Gilmore girly-man" you so love (and who nearly bankrupted our Commonwealth!)
New around here? You'll have to search long and hard to find me praising Jim Gilmore.
I'd be willing to bet I was the first Freeper to accurately describe the "No Car Tax" scenario.
Riii-i-i-ight < /sarc > the editorial page editor (Paul Akers) once worked for Phil Kent (formerly of Southeastern Newspapers--Morris Corp.-- which hires NOTHING but conservatives).
Isn't meandog a mccainiac?
He said he was, but I'm beginning to think that was all pretend. He's too good at reading from the RAT playbook.
Allen ran over your dog, didn't he? Your hatred's so vicious that it's GOT to be personal. He's not a sleaze, he's not a racist, and he's not a crook, no matter how much you and the LIBERAL Free-Lance Star, Washington Post, Richmond Times-Disgrace want to portray him that way.
either way i find it amusing a mccainiac talking about a 'real' conservative. Last time i checked, when was the last time conservatives threw around the chickenhawk label?
Former McCainiac, according to his profile.
I can understand having some differences with Allen, but jeez, with so many references to him being a lousy quarterback, I'm wondering if meandog lost a bunch of money betting on UVa games 30+ years ago. Or maybe he's a VT grad, I dunno.
Hey, I think Allen's people mishandled the whole "macaca" thing a bit--they should've apologized less and gone on the offensive harder, but that's just IMO. And I'm not happy with Allen running away from Southern heritage as fast as his cowboy boots'll carry him. I'm no Allen Kool-Aid drinker.
But I'm damn sure not going to risk handing his Senate seat to Born Idiot. At this point I don't give a flying fish about 2008. I care about 7 November and fighting like hell to keep control of Congress. I'll worry about 2008 and the interminable Presidential cluster*bleep* after the mid-terms.
}:-)4
Okay, I stand corrected, must have confused you with another Va. poster...welcome to the bright side. Now open your shades a bit more on Allen and let the full sun come in.
...Nope, just believe that a state which produced Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Wilson, Robt. E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, JEB Stuart, A.P. Hill, Joseph E. Johnson, even George Thomas, Chesty Puller, George Patton, whew! (as well as John Warner, Harry Flood Byrd, Mills Godwin, et al) can do a lot better than a carpetbagger from California with half a brain.
Hey, I went to VT (graduated elsewhere), but I have a bunch of Hokie friends who are ALL George Allen supporters.
meandog will be okay as soon as the nice lady with the pill cart comes by.
Allen
Webb
I'm voting for Allen not because he is perfect but because he is good enough, and because-in case you didn't notice-control of the Senate is up for grabs. Nevertheless, you are free to vote for whoever you like. You can even write in Thomas Jefferson, although he isn't likely to be available to serve if elected.
I don't know. I believe life begins at conception, but don't have a problem with Plan B either. My argument is that until the little egg is implanted, it's not the woman's body's problem. I don't see preventing implantation the same as I see forcibly removing an implanted egg.
But that argument isn't important to the argument over investment. Owning stock in the company in no way is like "voting for anything counter to the belief". Nor is owning the stock the same as supporting every product the company makes, nor does owning the stock enable the company to make the pill. Owning stock in a publicly traded company is not the same for example as providing venture capital.
I pay money to an insurance company that covers abortions. At some level, I'm helping support a company doing abortions, but I want insurance, and my company insurance covers abortions, and all the insurers I have access to include abortions. And even if they didn't in MY plan, they would have other plans which DID.
I don't know of any major insurance company that does NOT have any plans which provide abortions. Also, I go to a hospital where abortions are performed, there are no catholic hospitals nearby.
Again, if you start picking your candidates based on whether they own stock in a company that has some activity you protest, and you apply that same logic to every aspect of the life of your candidate, I don't see how you can vote for anybody.
I can't imagine how any candidate wouldn't have SOME interaction with things I find unsavory, since I can't even avoid it all myself.
You know, I bet the Senate health insurance covers abortions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.