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View Full Version : Feinstein’s Cardinal shenanigans



stephanie
05-01-2007, 09:47 PM
I hope she goes to jail...This is BS..

Snip:
full article..http://thehill.com/david-keene/feinsteins-cardinal-shenanigans-2007-04-30.html
By David Keene
April 30, 2007
Anyone who knows much about real power in Congress knows that almost every member of the House and Senate lusts after a seat on the Appropriations Committee and hopes one day to achieve the status of Cardinal. The Cardinals, of course, are the folks who chair the various Appropriations Committee subcommittees and literally control the billions of dollars that pass through their hands.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) chairs the Senate Rules Committee, but she’s also a Cardinal. She is currently chairwoman of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommittee, but until last year was for six years the top Democrat on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (or “Milcon”) sub-committee, where she may have directed more than $1 billion to companies controlled by her husband.

If the inferences finally coming out about what she did while on Milcon prove true, she may be on the way to morphing from a respected senior Democrat into another poster child for congressional corruption.

The problems stem from her subcommittee activities from 2001 to late 2005, when she quit. During that period the public record suggests she knowingly took part in decisions that eventually put millions of dollars into her husband’s pocket — the classic conflict of interest that exploited her position and power to channel money to her husband’s companies.

In other words, it appears Sen. Feinstein was up to her ears in the same sort of shenanigans that landed California Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R) in the slammer. Indeed, it may be that the primary difference between the two is basically that Cunningham was a minor leaguer and a lot dumber than his state’s senior senator.

Melanie Sloan, the executive director of Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington, or CREW, usually focuses on the ethical lapses of Republicans and conservatives, but even she is appalled at the way Sen. Feinstein has abused her position. Sloan told a California reporter earlier this month that while”there are a number of members of Congress with conflicts of interest … because of the amount of money involved, Feinstein’s conflict of interest is an order of magnitude greater than those conflicts.”

Gaffer
05-02-2007, 11:14 AM
But for some reason the media doesn't seem anxious to jump all over this. Wonder why that is?

glockmail
05-02-2007, 11:34 AM
But for some reason the media doesn't seem anxious to jump all over this. Wonder why that is?
Don't hold yer breath waiting.

darin
05-02-2007, 11:48 AM
Should that read Allegedly Abused her Position... ;)

zefrendylia
05-02-2007, 01:03 PM
I agree. If she's found guilty she should serve prison time as a warning to other politicians. But let's not forget that the fundamental problem is systemic and not confined to one party or the other. More Republicans have been pinned simply because they held power for so many years and with a consoldiation of power in 2 branches there was very little oversight of anything. What makes it ironic is that Republicans constantly tout the Party of Morals. There is something about human nature and power: it cultivates greed, arrogance and thrist for more power. That is why we, the people of a democracy must always be vigilant and ready to check our own goverment when it abuses its power.

The fundamental problem is corporate involvement in politics. It is a systemic problem that inherently exists in American politics from the Presidency to town mayor. Why is this bad? Because most businesses care only about the bottom-line, most are also very short-sighted. They ask only what is profitable--not what follows labor or enviromental laws, what saves American jobs, or what benefits society as a whole. This is bad, because government is supposed to protect the people. When government is influenced by corporations who don't necessarily care about the welfare of people, we have a problem.

Is it any wonder more and more donors are shifting over to Democrats? It's not because they believe in their ideology; it's simply because they can sense the winds are changing and are hedging their bets. Here's the scam: donors give generous contributions to fuel a politician's campaign. In return, when they are voted into office, they steer appropriations contracts to the corporate donors. In the most extreme cases, donors will get jobs that aren't even necessary and/or the contractors will pad the bill or cause delays to increase costs. Who pays for this malfeasance? The American people.

So what's the solution? Take the money out of politics. Allow only public funding of campaigns so there are no quid pro quos. Vigorously regulate lobbying so that lobbyists make their case on the merits not on gifts and plane rides. But in the end it's going to take the American people to be vigilant and skeptical and willing to vote out those who don't follow the will of the people.

The same can be said for the media. If the media doesn't report stories of government corruption, if they spin it so that to the layperson it seems like one party is worse than the other--we must hold them accountable as well. Mainstream media is no different than any other corporation. They give massive donations to campaigns. They also have interlocking memberships on the boards of every American industry. See www.theyrule.org.

Until this changes, we will continually see Feinstein and her husband, Cunningham and defense contractors, Cheney and Halliburton, Neil Bush and No Child Left Behind contracts. I have no doubt that if the Democrats retain power for as long as the Republicans we will have the same result :salute:

darin
05-02-2007, 01:25 PM
Good first post, Newbie.

:)

Hagbard Celine
05-02-2007, 01:37 PM
But for some reason the media doesn't seem anxious to jump all over this. Wonder why that is?

You're right! It's the media's fault that Dianne Feinstein may have engaged in corrupt practices!
Damn them for not reporting on these speculative allegations! Damn them!

darin
05-02-2007, 01:44 PM
You're right! It's the media's fault that Dianne Feinstein may have engaged in corrupt practices!
Damn them for not reporting on these speculative allegations! Damn them!

The problem is, the media salivates over ANY - I mean ANY connection with ANY major republican and the appearance of wrong-doing.