Congress has lost its mind...

[Clodfobble]

I thought rich people earned every cent of it and should never be ashamed of their wealth in any way, Merc? Doesn't that apply to Congressmen too?

[TheMercenary]

I knew most of them were rich, just not that rich. Funny how many laws they make don't effect them.

[Clodfobble]

I thought you were pissed that they kept making laws that only affected the richest people's income?

[classicman]

But Clod its been clearly demonstrated that congresspeople don't pay taxes anyway.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

I thought you were pissed that they kept making laws that only affected the richest people's income?

No, not at all. I am against progressive taxation of any kind but that is all we have at the moment for the federal government.

[TheMercenary]

Ex-Louisiana Democratic Congressman Sentenced to 13 Years

WASHINGTON — Former Representative William J. Jefferson, a New Orleans Democrat whose political career once seemed to hold high promise, was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for using his office to try to enrich himself and his relatives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/us...fferson&st=cse

[TheMercenary]

Damm. Look at all those jobs created!

http://www.stimuluswatch.org/2.0/

[classicman]

I just picked a couple to laugh at
Rational design of innovative catalytic technologies for biomass derivative utilization
Cost $17,500,000 Location Newark DE Jobs created 4

Cops Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP)
Cost $3,543,888 Location Wilmington DE Jobs created 0

At least Biden got some money into his home state

[classicman]

I also find it rather interesting that if you search by "Most expensive", of those costing over a BILLION not one has a positive rating. ?????

[TheMercenary]

Click on the details and see how many have not been started. It really is pretty remarkable that the government can't or will not move the money any faster. In fact it is fast becoming a joke.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

I think they are being cagey with the money to avoid an inflationary effect. Might be the smartest thing they do, given the ease with which fiat-money can inflate.

Even hard specie can inflate like a sonuvagun; look at sixteenth-century Spain and the flood of Americas gold that poured into it. Prices got bid up so high that it became more economical to do anything at all anywhere else but Spain. Gold flowed into Spain and then flowed right back out as the rest of Europe found profit in servicing Spain. Lacking internal investment or development, when the bubble collapsed, Spain devolved into a backwater.

[TheMercenary]

And no one seems to think this is out of line?

Baucus Nominated Girlfriend for U.S. Attorney
WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus defended recommending his girlfriend for appointment as Montana's U.S. attorney, saying Saturday that his one-time staff member and the former state prosecutor is "highly qualified" but eventually withdrew her nomination.

Baucus said that he began dating former state office director Melodee Hanes after they were both separated from their spouses. The Montana Democrat said they did not have an affair, but began dating while she worked for him.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called Saturday for a Senate Ethics Committee investigation of Baucus' actions. Steele said the panel should determine "why Senator Baucus put his personal needs above those of the people of Montana."

http://www.billingsgazette.com/news/...cc4c002e0.html

[TheMercenary]

And the beat goes on...

Rules for Congress Curb but Don’t End Junkets

WASHINGTON — Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., a Wisconsin Republican, toured a prince’s vineyard and castle in Liechtenstein and spent an afternoon at a ski resort in the Alps — all at the expense of a group of European companies.

Representative Danny K. Davis, an Illinois Democrat, got the dignitary treatment when a big donor flew him to Inner Mongolia to lobby for a new medical supplies factory in rural China.

And Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, on another privately sponsored trip, stayed at the historic King David Hotel in Jerusalem and attended a gala party near the Western Wall as part of a weeklong conference that lobbyists and executives paid as much as $18,500 to attend.

Despite changes intended to curb Congressional junkets, some lawmakers and even their families continue to take trips hosted by private groups and companies that revel in their access to Washington power brokers.

An examination by The New York Times of 1,150 trips shows that some of them bent or broke rules adopted in 2007 to limit corporate influence in Washington. Others exploited glaring loopholes in the guidelines, enacted with much fanfare after scandals involving the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/us...s/07trips.html


CHECK out this Graphic!

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2.../us/TRIPS.html

[glatt]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

And no one seems to think this is out of line?

Sure it's out of line, but it's what I would expect from a pig like Steele. He's just throwing mud and hoping it will stick.

Nothing wrong with recommending a friend or even a lover for a job they are qualified for. The ultimate decision to hire wouldn't have been his, and he wouldn't have been supervising her. I've recommended friends for jobs. Wouldn't you?

[lookout123]

So long he wasn't the "decider" then I see no problem in recommending qualified people for a job. Most high level jobs are filled through personal aquaintances and their networks IMO.