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The Wall Street Journal reviews:
In the massive 2008 military-spending bill now before Congress — which could go to a House-Senate conference as soon as Thursday — Mr. Murtha has steered more taxpayer funds to his congressional district than any other member. The Democratic lawmaker is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which will oversee more than $459 billion in military spending this year.
Johnstown’s good fortune has come at the expense of taxpayers everywhere else. Defense contractors have found that if they open an office here and hire the right lobbyist, they can get lucrative, no-bid contracts. 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. The National Drug Intelligence Center, with 300 workers, got $509 million, though the White House has tried for years to shut it down as wasteful and unnecessary. Another beneficiary: MTS Technologies, run by a man who got his start some 40 years ago shining shoes at Mr. Murtha’s Johnstown Minute Car Wash.
A review by The Wall Street Journal of dozens of such contracts funded by Mr. Murtha’s committee shows that many weren’t sought by the military or federal agencies they were intended to benefit. Some were inefficient or mismanaged, according to interviews, public records and previously unpublished Pentagon audits. One Murtha-backed firm, ProLogic Inc., is under federal investigation for allegedly diverting public funds to develop commercial software, people close to the case say. The company denies wrongdoing and is in line to get millions of dollars more in the pending defense bill…In addition to using taxpayer money to build a local defense industry, Mr. Murtha has funded by legislative fiat miles of new roads, water projects, medical facilities and federal offices for his district. He even brought a Marine attack-helicopter squadron here; it’s next to the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport. Mr. Murtha has steered at least $600 million in earmarks to his district in the past four years, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan Washington group. The nonprofit group estimates he’s sent $2 billion or more to the district since joining the appropriations committee.
As is his usual stance, Murtha told the WSJ he’s “not going to apologize.” He never does.
The WSJ piece:
Mr. Murtha’s devotion to his district became clear 26 years ago, in an infamous encounter that would foreshadow the young congressman’s long career. He told an FBI agent — posing as a lawyer for a rich Arab sheik — that he was reluctant to take the $50,000 in cash the agent placed on a desk, supposedly in exchange for help getting the sheik a U.S. visa.
…”I expect to be in the f-ing leadership of the House,” he told the agent. “I’m delighted to do business with you. S-, I do business like this all the time to get companies into the area.”
Drained the swamp? It looks like the pig is wallowing in the mud!
October 30, 2007 - 08:03 AM on October 30th, 2007
This should be shoved up the Democrats’ donkey by the GOP. The Democrats screamed loud about no-bid contracts the administration let. Let the GOP start screaming about the Murtha no-bid contracts and quid pro quos.
October 30, 2007 - 10:38 AM on October 30th, 2007
Funny how the same “Conservatives” who only made an occasional whimper about the Republican Congress up until 2006 are now aghast at Democratic politicans engaging in pork barrel politics.
Where were they when REPUBLICAN Ted Stevens of Alaska put in $400 million for bridges to nowhere in Alaska?
Oh yeah! As a Republican, he gets the automatic Conservative FREE PASS, doesn’t he?
October 30, 2007 - 10:58 AM on October 30th, 2007
It led my things that can be cut post right here:
http://rightvoices.com/2005/09/22/here-are-a-few-things-that-can-be-cut/
I called it b.s. then and I call it that today.
October 30, 2007 - 11:52 AM on October 30th, 2007
Philthydelphia Democrat Troll Steve, I guess it is too much to get you to acknowledge how much MORE the current Democrat Congress is trying to tax and spend. Go back to your troll hole.
October 30, 2007 - 12:24 PM on October 30th, 2007
Re: “Philthydelphia Democrat Troll Steve, I guess it is too much to get you to acknowledge how much MORE the current Democrat Congress is trying to tax and spend. Go back to your troll hole.”
Name calling is the hallmark of a sixth-grade schoolyard… and Conservative debates.
However.
Were you happier when Republicans were BORROWING and spending? Are those loans somehow “free”. Or, like that leader of Conservative thought everywhere, do you also firmly believe Dick Cheney’s motto, “Deficits don’t matter”?
October 30, 2007 - 12:28 PM on October 30th, 2007
Aren’t we still borrowing and spending? And as for the “Deficits don’t matter”, do you even understand that statement?
October 30, 2007 - 01:49 PM on October 30th, 2007
a raindrop in the ocean…
compared to the trillion dollar war China is financing. What lazer like focus you have!
October 30, 2007 - 01:54 PM on October 30th, 2007
Where were they when REPUBLICAN Ted Stevens of Alaska put in $400 million for bridges to nowhere in Alaska?
Oh yeah! As a Republican, he gets the automatic Conservative FREE PASS, doesn’t he?
And that has been the hallmark of the last 6+ years: IOKIFYAR. Its ok if you are a republican. The right sides typical distraction techniques at work again. Complaining about Murtha, when your idiot king has blown up our national debt to astronomic levels is the height of nonsense. But very typical for you losers. hang onto your king - I’m sure he appreciates you allowing him to destroy our country. When he is gone to Paraguay, who are you gonna worship?
October 30, 2007 - 01:58 PM on October 30th, 2007
Philthydelphia Democrat, while I complained about the spending, it is nothing to the degree the Democrats wish to tax and spend.
Rangel actually wants to destroy the Middle class with his tax bill. He wants a ruling class of Democrat elites who shelter their finances off shore, like the Kennedys, Soros, and Kerry do, and the rest of us peons dependent to the government for our daily bread.
October 30, 2007 - 02:43 PM on October 30th, 2007
Re: “Rangel actually wants to destroy the Middle class with his tax bill. He wants a ruling class of Democrat elites who shelter their finances off shore, like the Kennedys, Soros, and Kerry do, and the rest of us peons dependent to the government for our daily bread.”
The size of the middle class has been shrinking under Conservatives since George W. Bush took office.
http://www.factcheck.org/article249.html
But, of course, it is always DIFFERENT, when Republicans are in charge, the Conservative FREE PASS is in effect.
As to knowing what “Deficits don’t matter” means, of course I know what it means. It means that VP Dick Cheney knew that Republicans could run all the deficit spending they wanted, buying votes with ethanol subsidies, prescription drug entitlements and bridges to nowhere, passing the bills on to future generations. All to get re-elected in 2004.
This mantra that Conservatives re required to repeat, that Democrats spend more is a lie meant to keep the Republicans in power, and funnel more borrowed federal tax money to their cronies.
However I understand that, as a Conservative, you are never permitted to even hint that Republicans are anything other than the model of fiscal responsibility. The Party would be very displeased with you were you to admit any hint that Republicans try to buy votes as shamelessly as Democrats.
October 30, 2007 - 08:19 PM on October 30th, 2007
Yes, the middle class has been shrinking under Republicans, but not because they are getting poorer. It’s because the average household income has grown to the point that they are no longer considered middle class. Why do you think the income gap has been increasing while unemployment has been falling? Why do you think the housing market had been grwoing like gang busters the last few years? Poor broke people do not buy $250,000 + homes. That takes people who have worked their way past the “Middle Class” Moniker. To qualify for a $300,000 mortgage, your annual household income has to exceed $150,000. The AVERAGE home price in the Phoenix market is OVER $200,000. Nationally The average is over $150,000. The AVERAGE annual household income is over $42,000. That’s AVERAGE. Yes, the middle class has gotten smaller, too bad the liberals fail to realize that the reason why it’s gotten smaller is because like George and Louise Jefferson, they’re “Movin on up!”
October 30, 2007 - 09:55 PM on October 30th, 2007
10-Philadelphia Steve, just so you know, it is just about 2008. Would you like me to trot out figures from 1967? I’m sure no one will notice.
October 30, 2007 - 10:04 PM on October 30th, 2007
Dear Tom,
If it is not acceptable that Bush do it, why do you find it acceptable that Murtha do it?
BTW, does George write those checks or does Congress allow him to spend the money?
October 31, 2007 - 08:49 AM on October 31st, 2007
Re: “BTW, does George write those checks or does Congress allow him to spend the money?”
Technically, “Yes” and “Yes”.
October 31, 2007 - 08:53 AM on October 31st, 2007
10, thank you for admitting Democrat vote fraud.
November 2, 2007 - 09:27 AM on November 2nd, 2007
Gosh more pork from the liberal demacrats they are always tacking their pork projects onto important bill going up all the time the demacratic donkey dont bray like normal donkeys do they go OINK OINK
November 2, 2007 - 02:42 PM on November 2nd, 2007
The problem is that it’s not equal opportunity. Where is the WSJ’s paragraph saying “And it isn’t just limited to Democrats?” I think Coburn could name some Rs (ASIDE from Stevens) that are earmarking all the way to the bank. The fact that the WSJ publishes this piece about someone who is their ideological opponent is what makes it suspicious. Is it good that it’s all coming to light? Yes. Will they do it to more and more members of Congress? Somehow I doubt it.