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MURTHA INC. (How Lawmaker Rebuilt Hometown on Earmarks)
Wall Street Journal ^ | 30 October 2007 | JOHN R. WILKE

Posted on 10/30/2007 8:27:35 AM PDT by shrinkermd

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1 posted on 10/30/2007 8:27:36 AM PDT by shrinkermd
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To: shrinkermd
Now I understand why Murtha won reelection despite the damning evidence of bribery that he committed. He is bribing the citizens in a direct vote buying scheme. The rat voters are happy that he was recorded in a bribing scheme. They are proud that he did not get caught.
2 posted on 10/30/2007 8:32:23 AM PDT by businessprofessor
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To: shrinkermd

3 posted on 10/30/2007 8:33:12 AM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: businessprofessor

Murtha is bulletproof in his district unless he gets caught AND prosecuted. In the Congress he ran for House Majority Leader with Pelosi’s support. He was stomped 149-86 in the caucus.


4 posted on 10/30/2007 8:46:53 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: shrinkermd

I tried to post this, but there was a glicth with servers.

Career Army man to challenge Murtha

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_301003334.html

BY MIKE FAHER
The Tribune-Democrat

After nearly three decades in the military, William T. Russell’s latest mission has brought him to Johnstown.

The career Army man, just two years short of retirement, has left the service and moved to the Flood City in order to mount a political campaign against veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha.

As a Republican and first-time candidate facing a powerful congressman in the sprawling, Democrat-dominated 12th Congressional District, Russell faces a tough challenge.

But he is determined to press ahead and will formally announce his candidacy within weeks.

“I recognize this is an uphill battle,” Russell said in an interview last week at The Tribune-Democrat.

“But it’s one that must be fought.”

Murtha, who declined any comment on Russell’s candidacy when contacted through a spokesman last week, has served in the House since 1974.

The 75-year-old is known for bringing money and jobs – especially in the defense sector – to his district, and last year he became chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.


5 posted on 10/30/2007 8:48:09 AM PDT by Islander7 ("Show me an honest politician and I will show you a case of mistaken identity.")
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To: shrinkermd
This explains why Diana Irey lost so badly.

It also leaves questions for Irey: she was county commissioner in Washington County - she must have known how unlikely it was to unseat the walking fountain of pork known as Jack Murtha.

Who advised her on strategy?

6 posted on 10/30/2007 8:52:54 AM PDT by wideawake (Why is it that so many self-proclaimed "Constitutionalists" know so little about the Constitution?)
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To: shrinkermd
What I don't understand is, when the GOP controlled Congress, they continued to let Murtha have so much ability to get earmarks, and continute to be considered powerful. An intelligent strategy would be to reward Rats that go along, and to punish those that don't. Murtha should have been shut down completely for earmarks around 2004, and he should have been severely reduced even before then.

You know the dems play that way.

7 posted on 10/30/2007 9:00:06 AM PDT by Defiant ("Expectorate" has Specter in it.)
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To: businessprofessor

This works on both side of the isle and is a good reason for term limits. Power = corruption and corruption is due to the seniority system in Congress. Congress is corrupt and out of control and only term limits and laws forbidding Congress and their family members from becoming one or the only way to stop it. Congress is one big corrupt Country Club Atmosphere run Mafia style.


8 posted on 10/30/2007 9:07:36 AM PDT by gunnedah
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To: businessprofessor

...methinks our fellow Americans in a certain congressional district have some ‘splainin to do to the rest of us....


9 posted on 10/30/2007 9:09:31 AM PDT by mo
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To: Anti-Bubba182
Murtha is bulletproof in his district unless he gets caught AND prosecuted.

He would get re-elected from jail, IMHO. Easily the most corrupt politician in office. The only reason Murtha did not get busted in Abscam was that Murtha was so experienced at taking bribes and kickbacks that he could feel he was beingset up.

10 posted on 10/30/2007 9:10:37 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: Defiant
What I don't understand is, when the GOP controlled Congress, they continued to let Murtha have so much ability to get earmarks, and continute to be considered powerful.

Because they do it to, but to a lesser degree and not with the all out corruption Murtha employs.

11 posted on 10/30/2007 9:11:58 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: Always Right

When it comes to congress the “Everybody does it” is correct. No, I am not talking about their sex life here.


12 posted on 10/30/2007 9:38:32 AM PDT by BARLF (Who is Huma?)
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To: gunnedah
The trouble with term limits is that conservatives have unilaterally disarmed. Our members retire, but the rats never retire. Rats gain positions that provide large amounts of pork. Pork creates jobs and buys votes. We need to hammer the rats on pork especially the pigs gorging on pork.
13 posted on 10/30/2007 9:44:16 AM PDT by businessprofessor
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To: shrinkermd
Rebuild from floods???? The last major flood in J-town that I can google up was in 1936. For which we Pennslytuckians are still paying an 18%emergency tax on our liquer. Which they then have the iron balls to charge sales tax on the tax.

Grrrrrr-grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!
14 posted on 10/30/2007 9:51:05 AM PDT by GeneralisimoFranciscoFranco (I love liberals. They taste like chicken.)
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To: GeneralisimoFranciscoFranco
Rebuild from floods???? The last major flood in J-town that I can google up was in 1936.

Flood is an understatement. It was more like a tsunami the way that water rushed through the valley. But yes, it is time to get over it. Most towns have very few buildings and homes that date that far back.

15 posted on 10/30/2007 10:04:13 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: Always Right

He was slick in Abscam.


16 posted on 10/30/2007 10:31:43 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: businessprofessor

When you do that they will just show the Pork the Republicans spend and waste.Both party’s are guilty as such it is just the ones in control get more and also get more from lobbyist.


17 posted on 10/30/2007 11:17:42 AM PDT by gunnedah
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To: gunnedah

The rats and rinos are kings of pork. Conservatives in Congress have made sensible proposals to control pork. The rats and rinos do not want to pass and implement these proposals.


18 posted on 10/30/2007 11:33:50 AM PDT by businessprofessor
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To: shrinkermd

In Ayn Rand’s world, Murtha would be correctly characterized as a Looter. Unfortunately that is true of most of his colleagues, and one of the main reasons that GOP lost Congress (failed to distinguish themselves). Don Young is a prime example.

Until GOP gets back to its conservative fiscal roots, there and disavows all earmarks, there is little reason to support them. Under the Constitution, spending must originate in the lower house, so the House could easily delete these projects from its budget - if it only had the willpower.


19 posted on 10/30/2007 3:30:49 PM PDT by KingofZion
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To: shrinkermd; SandRat; HiJinx
Over the past decade, Concurrent Technologies Corp., a defense-research firm that employs 800 here, got hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to Rep. Murtha despite poor reviews by Pentagon auditors.

One more way Murtha is working to ensure defeat and loss of morale for our brave ones.

20 posted on 10/30/2007 3:41:40 PM PDT by StarCMC (http://cannoneerno4.wordpress.com/2007/08/11/school-of-the-counterpropagandist/)
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