Duke scandal = piece of a much larger GOP money web

Oh my god, have you guys seen this discussion over at Kos?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/10/114820/90

Thanks so much for posting this link! It's a MUST READ, fellow DUers!

we had moved beyond the era of "access vs agreement" per the role of money in campaigns... to "Pay to Play" as was evident as the intent of the KStreet Group... to "Slush Fund Politics" as the Noe story in Ohio points out - that dude gets a BIG contract, then immediately turns around and gives big sets (bundled, perhaps) of donations to those politically tied to the contract (exec branch or leg branch).

This story - of SHELL companies getting govt contracts - points out that Slush Fund Politics is very active in DC. Have to get that phrase out there... as it demonstrates that the GOP views tax dollars as funds to give donors (in the form of contracts) which inturn funds the GOP. Tax dollars are no longer about funding services to citizens... its all about rewards, slushfunds and kickbacks.

Sorta makes Tammany look like teacakes.

i.e., if you give me large campaign contributions, then I'll give you or your chosen industry even bigger tax cuts.

"The MadCowMorningNews has learned that California Republican Congressman Randy `Duke' Cunningham steered $500 million in defense contracts in less than a decade, according to the company's own website, to a start-up San Diego software firm which--and here's the beauty part--doubled as a lobbying firm.

The lobbying firm then gratefully kicked back--at a bare minimum--hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to a Jack Abramoff-directed Washington D.C. lobbying and consulting firm run by two former senior staffers of Texas Republican Tom DeLay. "

Thank you for posting the link!

Recommended!

How convenient. Republicans get the Pentagon to agree to more privatization, set up dummy defense companies, get Republicans to invent a war, which converts as much taxpayer money as possible into funding for the GOP. And around and around we go!

http://www.whois.sc/akamaiinfotech.com


This came up on a Google search of 13970 Stowe Drive.

just more coal for the fires

http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/

If I'm not mistaken, he broke this story. He has LOTS of info on his blog.

Most of the info in the KOS diary was posted here last week. It's a shame KOS always gets all the credit.

:kick:

While we are at it two things come to mind:

1) Campaign reform across the board i.e. local, state and federal NO CORPORATE DONATIONS WHAT-SO-EVER. This debate needs to hammered on non-stop.

2) Get rid of person-hood for corporations and hold the people in charge of these corporations to jail time. No more of this we will charge the corporation five million dollars for getting caught while they are reaping in fifty million dollars on the deal. I am tried of corporation dictating my personal life.

Spells out who's who and how they're all connected. I thought this was of interest:

"Nelsen said Wilkes identified which politicians should be given donations.

"The lobbying by Audre, as well as that of other software companies, was effective. Congress created an automated document conversion program, which provided $190 million in contracts between 1993 and 2001.

"Audre won more than $12.5 million of those contracts, largely provided through earmarks that let legislators add pet projects to the budget.

"An earmark is usually devoted to a particular company or particular project that is tied to a particular congressman," said Michael Surrusco, director of ethics campaigns at Common Cause, a government watchdog group.

"Earmarks are typically added to budget bills after they have been passed by the Senate and the House and the differing versions are being resolved in a conference committee. Because those meeting occur outside public view, the earmarks can be a way of avoiding scrutiny or accountability.

The earmarks were included in the budget even though the Pentagon never asked for funds for automated document conversion. In 1994, the General Accounting Office, now known as the Government Accountability Office, which monitors federal spending, found that the military did not need automated systems because it already had its own systems to digitize documents.


http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051204/news_1n4adcs.html

until this racket is exposed and the criminals do not have access to our money.

No fucking way.