Murder, extortion? No, Waterfront Commission probing theft of $2 dollar bottle of iced tea, sausage

Your tax dollars at work. By the way before the jokes about New Jersey start this is a bi-state agency so the egg is on New Yorkers' faces as well.

On the mobbed-up docks of Bayonne, the six-month probe was known as Operation Missing Link.

Its target: A suspect who swiped a $2 bottle of iced tea and used it to wash down a stolen 50-cent piece of sausage - the lost link that left a bad taste in everybody's mouth, sources told the Daily News.

An investigation of the penny-ante heist was ordered by the Waterfront Commission, the agency charged with policing the docks for mob corruption, drug smuggling and other major crimes, the sources said.

The investigation included scores of interviews over countless hours dating to last August, sources said - even though the victim was reluctant to press charges.

"It's like Capt. Queeg and the strawberries," said New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a harsh critic of the bistate commission.

"It's a $2.50 ongoing investigation."

One of the sources was more blunt: "The whole investigation is bull----. It's a waste of manpower, money and resources."

Read more: Murder, extortion? No, Waterfront Commission probing theft of $2 dollar bottle of iced tea, sausage

E-mails Suggest Bear Stearns Cheated Clients Out of Billions - The Atlantic

Former Bear Stearns mortgage executives who now run mortgage divisions of Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Ally Financial have been accused of cheating and defrauding investors through the mortgage securities they created and sold while at Bear. According to e-mails and internal audits, JPMorgan had known about this fraud since the spring of 2008, but hid it from the public eye through legal maneuvering. Last week a lawsuit filed in 2008 by mortgage insurer Ambac Assurance Corp against Bear Stearns and JPMorgan was unsealed. The lawsuit's supporting e-mails, going back as far as 2005, highlight Bear traders telling their superiors they were selling investors like Ambac a "sack of shit."

Read more:E-mails Suggest Bear Stearns Cheated Clients Out of Billions - The Atlantic

In a shocking report members of Congress get richer during the worst recession (depression) since the Great Depression

This story might be surprising if Congress was actually subject to insider trading rules, like ordinary Americans, but since they are not subject to these laws, the only thing that surprised me was that they only got a 16% rate of return rather than 25%.

The study I really want to see is the one, which shows all of Representatives and Senators that went to Washington D.C. poor and somehow became millionaires; all while earning $175k and maintaining two households.

Take for example Charlie Rangel, prior to being elected to Congress in 1971, he was a Sgt. in the U.S. Army, a private lawyer and a U.S. Attorney, all commendable professions but certainly not ones where people become millionaires. Yet almost 40 years later he is so well off that he forgets to report $500k in taxable income. Opps.

Charlie isn't the only one gaming the system, he's just the latest to get caught.

Members of US Congress Get Richer Despite Sour Economy

Despite a long and deep recession, the collective personal wealth of congressional members increased by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a study released Wednesday by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The study also indicates that a significant number of members owned shares of major players in the health-care and financial-services sectors, which were the subject of major reform legislation during the period.

The findings—based on federal financial disclosure data released earlier this year—paint a wealthy bunch in Congress, with more than half of all members—261—were millionaires.

About one in five of those had average calculated wealth in 2009 of at least $10 million. Eight of the 261 were in the $100 million-plus range.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) ranked No. 1 in personal wealth—$303.5 million.

In contrast, U.S. median household income dropped 3 percent to $50,221 between 2008 and 2009, the second straight decline, according to the Census Dept. In terms of millionaires, only about 1 percent of the overall population qualifies.

The CRP study comes amid a growing public outcry about the size of government and rising employee salaries when the economy—and most taxpayers—are struggling like never before, with unemployment stuck at 9.5 percent and wages and benefits flat in many sectors.

“Congressional representatives on balance rank among the wealthiest of wealthy Americans and boast financial portfolios that are all but unattainable for most of their constituents," said Sheila Krumholz, the Center's executive director.

The period covered is December 2008 to December 2009.

The median wealth of a representative was $765,010, up from $645,503 in 2008, while that of a senator was almost $2.38 million, versus $2.27 million the previous year.

That is sizable considering that by law members of each chamber receive an annual salary of $175,000. They do, however, qualify for a number of perks, including paid travel expenses.

Politicos' Portfolios

Stock holdings are among the assets covered in the report, and the investing tastes of Congress appear to be somewhat conventional, with large-cap, Dow 30 companies dominating the widely-held list of members.

General Electric, parent company of CNBC, is No. 1, with 82 current members of Congress listing it. Rounding out the top five are: Bank of America (63), Cisco Systems (61), Proctor & Gamble (61) and Microsoft (54).

In another context, however, Beltway watchers might find it unsettling that some of the most widely-held stocks are those of companies at the center of the financial crisis in 2008-2009.

The most popular investment among congressional members reads as a who’s who list of the most powerful corporate political forces in Washington, D.C. -- companies that each spend millions, if not tens of millions of dollars each year lobbying federal officials," states the CRP report.

In addition to Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup were popular holdings. All of them received funding under the TARP. Morgan Stanley, General Motors and AIG are not on the list.

Another big sector is health care-drugs, which, like financial services, was the subject of major reform legislation in 2009.

Drug industry giants like Pfizer, for instance, ranked seventh on the list, with 49 members disclosing ownership. Rivals Johnson & Johnson and Merck also made the list of 50 companies.

The study indicates that party affiliation is not a key factor in the increase of lawmakers’ personal assets. Twelve Democrats and seven Republicans were among the 20 congressmen with the greatest annual increases. That ratio mirrors the overall party breakdown of the current Congress.

The CRP study is by no means precise science. The group notes: "Members of Congress are only required to report their wealth and liabilities in broad ranges. It’s therefore impossible to precisely determine how much value their assets are worth...."

Gov. Corzine's N.J. re-election bid nearly abandoned as White House concerns grew

This is how politics is really run folks. It is no wonder why things are going so badly for this country. Not once in this article does it mention whether Codey or Corzine or the White House were thinking about what would be good for the New Jersey citizens rather only what would be good for their party. Politicians are supposed to be servants of the public but since about the turn of the 20th century (when income tax was instituted) the citizens have been turned into serfs of the state. The 23rd district was not won by Doug Hoffman but conservatives won anyways. We need leaders like Hoffman, simple plain men and women, who don't want to have a career as a politician but rather are willing to serve the people because they feel a sense of obligation and duty. Hopefully the GOP is hearing the people or they are going to be on the losing side of alot of third party races in 2010.


By Josh Margolin/Statehouse Bureau
November 04, 2009, 7:02PM

TRENTON -- It was the great urban legend of the campaign: With the White House worried, a frustrated Gov. Jon Corzine was having second thoughts and came close to aborting his re-election bid.

Now, Senate President Richard Codey says it happened.

In an interview, Codey (D-Essex) detailed a series of summer phone calls, meetings and the results of a confidential poll that nearly threw New Jersey’s governor’s race into the type of turmoil last seen when then-Sen. Robert Torricelli dropped his re-election bid in final weeks of the 2002 campaign.

Codey made his comments hours after Corzine conceded defeat in Tuesday’s election. He previously refused to discuss it, saying he did not want to affect the outcome of the race. His account was confirmed by other key players, including Torricelli, who advised Corzine during the campaign.

Corzine’s camp and the White House declined to comment.

Codey said he got a call from the White House a week after Vice President Joe Biden appeared at Corzine’s poorly attended primary night kickoff rally in West Orange in June. "They wanted to talk about what’s going on with the governor’s race," he said. "They would call me every week, every two weeks."

By July, Codey said there was growing concern from the president’s advisers as Corzine’s polls declined even as he poured money into anti-Christie ads. It grew worse after 44 arrests on July 23 in a corruption and money-laundering case.

Corzine privately mused to the White House he was having second thoughts about continuing his campaign, Codey said.

"He was, mentally, as low as you can get," Codey said of Corzine, even before July 23. "Then this ... hit. It was understandable he was having a moment where he was saying ‘to hell with this.’"

Codey said White House political director Patrick Gaspard called him and expressed "great concern about the governor’s race, (Corzine’s) lack of support amongst Democrats and whether or not he would be able to overcome it. He never criticized Jon personally. But he said he was meeting with Obama and ‘the president wants to know if you might run if, in fact, Mr. Corzine got out.’ Can he tell the president ‘Yes.’"

Codey said Gaspard detailed an internal poll that showed Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Rep. Frank Pallone about the same as Corzine, but Codey leading Christie by double digits.

"I told Gaspard I was going to be seeing Mr. Corzine in Trenton. I told him I felt duty-bound in terms of being a gentleman to tell Corzine. I sat with Corzine. I told him what I knew. I said ‘as a friend, I just wanted you to know.’ I said ‘bottom line is you’re the decision-maker. You want out, just do me a favor let me know as soon as possible. If you’re going to stay in there, I’m with you.’"

"I did not hear back from the White House."

U.S. troop funds diverted to pet projects

Every morning I wake up and I hope that I can read something uplifting. Instead I am greeted with more greed by our politicans.

U.S. troop funds diverted to pet projects

House ethics panel to expand Rangel probe

When this investigation is concluded which won't be until after the 2010 mid-term elections(because why would the Dems embarrass their party before a crucial election). I predict Rangel will step down and be celebrated as a hero of the Democratic party. He will not go to jail but rather will only pay a small fine. Its great to be rich and powerful while the rest of us have to play by the rules or else face a lost of a job or our freedom.

House ethics panel to expand Rangel probe

Dems slow to pay Obama's political tab

Why am I not surprised!

Dems slow to pay Obama's political tab

Opps- Obama Caught Handing Out Lab Coats to Dr.s in Photo Op

From the NY Post- Obama had a photo op yesterday with Doctors that support healthcare reform but just to make sure that we, the stupid masses, knew they were doctors he gave them a free lab coat. I wondered if they were embroidered with the Presidential Seal. Quite a nice gift don't you think.




White House's botched 'op'
By CHARLES HURT, Post Correspondent

Last Updated: 10:59 AM, October 6, 2009

Posted: 3:05 AM, October 6, 2009

WASHINGTON -- President Obama yesterday rolled out the red carpet -- and handed out doctors' white coats as well, just so nobody missed his hard-sell health-care message.

In a heavy-handed attempt at reviving support for health-care reform, the White House orchestrated a massive photo op to buttress its claim that front-line physicians support Obama.

PHOTOS: OBAMA'S BOTCHED PHOTO OP

OBAMA LIFTS HEALTH CARE ADDRESS -- FROM HIMSELF

A sea of 150 white-coated doctors, all enthusiastically supportive of the president and representing all 50 states, looked as if they were at a costume party as they posed in the Rose Garden before hearing Obama's pitch for the Democratic overhaul bills moving through Congress.

The physicians, all invited guests, were told to bring their white lab coats to make sure that TV cameras captured the image.

But some docs apparently forgot, failing to meet the White House dress code by showing up in business suits or dresses.

So the White House rustled up white coats for them and handed them to the suited physicians who had taken seats in the sun-splashed lawn area.

All this to provide a visual counter to complaints from other doctors that pending legislation is bad news for the medical profession.

"Nobody has more credibility with the American people on this issue than you do," Obama told his guests.

The president was flanked by four white-coated doctors at a podium as he delivered his pep talk.

"When you cut through all the noise and all the distractions that are out there, I think what's most telling is that some of the people who are most supportive of reform are the very medical professionals who know the health-care system best," the president said.

"I want to thank every single doctor who is here," Obama said. "And I especially want to thank you for agreeing to fan out across the country and make the case about why this reform effort is so desperately needed."

Underlying the strictly photo-op nature of the event, The Associated Press noted that Obama broke no new ground in his remarks.

The president told the doctors that if they back him, "I'm confident we are going to get health reform passed this year."

The Republican National Committee shot back with a response from Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), who was an orthopedic surgeon before being elected to Congress.

"Today, the president wants you to believe that the medical community supports his government takeover of health care. Don't be fooled," Price said.

He said he had spoken to "thousands of my colleagues" who oppose the Democrats' legislation.

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) said large numbers of doctors fear it would cripple their ability to care for patients.

"Members of the medical community -- who deal with red tape day in and day out -- rightly recognize that the Democrats' government takeover would weaken the doctor-patient relationship that is so critical to making the right health-care decisions," he said.

Obama made no mention of the "public option" -- a controversial government-run insurance plan favored by liberal Democrats -- in his Rose Garden spiel.

A key version of the legislation, which doesn't include the public option, is expected to reach the Senate floor for debate later this month.

churt@nypost.com

Democratic Philosophy Against Transparency

Article by Warner Todd Huston on Stop The ACLU Blog

http://www.stoptheaclu.com/2009/10/01/a-democratic-philosophy-against-transparency/

-By Warner Todd Huston

We can look at four of the amendments offered as additions to the healthcare bill that Democrats defeated and what we see gives us a glimpse into the Democratic Party’s true soul. And it is a dark look, indeed. At least it’s dark if you are one of those lowly citizens that thinks government transparency and accountability is a good idea.

Here are the amendments that the Democrats defeated:

• Bunning Open Records Amendment: would have required the full language and full price tag to be available on the Internet for three days before Congress votes. (Offered by Jim Bunning- R, KY)
• Hatch Medicare Advantage (MA) Amendment: would have suspended MA provisions if the CBO finds that (contrary to the President’s promise) seniors are going to lose coverage or benefits. (Offered by Orrin Hatch- R, Utah)
  
• Kyl Anti-Gag Order Amendment: would have allowed MA insurers to inform seniors of their likely loss of benefits. (Offered by John Kyl- R, AZ)
  
• Ensign/Cornyn/Kyl Malpractice Lawsuit Amendments: would have provided relief from lawsuits. (Offered by John Ensign- R, Nevada/John Cornyn- R, Texas/John Kyl- R, AZ)

So the Democrats don’t want you to know how much this boondoggle will cost, the Democrats don’t want you to be able to read the bill before they pass it (likely in the dead of night as per usual), the Democrats don’t want you to be alerted if you are losing benefits, and the Democrats don’t want all of us to have relief from the sort of lawsuit abuse their favorite campaign donors in the realm of tort law are so prone to perpetrate.

This is an agenda that argues against the good of the public, or the “public weal” as the Founders used to say. This is a dark attitude, one that intends to hide what public officials are doing from the voters. Democrats just don’t want you to know what they are doing. It’s really just that simple.

So are you voting for members of a party that wants to hide what it does from you?

Lawmakers Jack Up Spending For Themselves- I Say We Throw Them All Out

Any Senator or Representative that votes in favor of this bump should be sent packing. Its disgraceful that Americans are tighting their own budgets yet our elected officials feel they are entitled to even more of our money. Vote the bums out!!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090930/pl_politico/27732

Congress is on the verge of giving itself a bump in its annual budget — even as local governments, families and businesses across the country are tightening their belts in the worst recession in decades.

Under a House-Senate conference measure, approved by the House last week and poised for passage in the Senate on Wednesday, spending for the legislative branch will increase 5.8 percent this year, boosting Capitol Hill’s annual budget to $4.7 billion.

The measure includes a hodgepodge of new funding for lawmakers: a $500,000 pilot program for senators to send out postcards about their town hall meetings, $30,000 for receptions for foreign dignitaries and $4 million for consultants — with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) getting up to nine each and Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) getting up to three more.

There’s $15.8 million for salaries for the Senate Appropriations Committee — plus an extra $950,000 for the committee’s administrative expenses.

Funding for House office buildings will jump a staggering 128 percent, to $84 million. Some of that money will go to replace a roof at the Rayburn House Office Building, and an additional $50 million is being allocated to renovate the Cannon House Office Building.

The Architect of the Capitol will see a 17.8 percent hike to deal with infrastructure repairs, and the Government Printing Office’s revolving fund will increase a whopping 155 percent, to $12.7 million, to deal with technology upgrades and repairs, according to the conference report.

The bill — which President Barack Obama could sign as soon as Wednesday — funds operations and staff salaries in the personal offices of the 535 members of Congress, dozens of legislative committees in the House and Senate, the GPO, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Government Accountability Office and the Capitol Police.

Supporters of the bill argue that they were relatively frugal this year. Last year, Congress increased its funding 10.9 percent over the fiscal 2008 level — and the $4.7 it’s appropriating to itself this year is less than the $5 billion Obama set forth in his budget earlier this year.

“This is a fiscally responsible bill,” said Jake Thompson, spokesman for Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), chairman of the Senate’s legislative branch appropriations subcommittee.

But not everyone agrees.

“With an enormous deficit and rest of the country tightening their belts, Congress should be looking at doing the same,” said Steve Ellis, vice president of the Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Added Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.): “The growth of expenditures particularly in these times is terrible.”

The Appropriations Committee disputes that funding increased by 5.8 percent, arguing that the real number is 3.5 percent — or $157 million — because of emergency spending and the $787 billion economic stimulus that added to Congress’s budget. But critics call the move a budget gimmick that does not represent a true apples-to-apples comparison of the amount of money Congress approved in last year’s spending bills versus the fiscal 2010 bills.

The bill contains just one earmark — a $200,000 Nelson project for a museum in Omaha, Neb. — and it includes language added by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to force the Senate for the first time to put its expenses online.

“We have not seen a significant increase in overall legislative branch expenditures since nearly 2001,” said Jonathan Beeton, a spokesman for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Nelson’s counterpart in the House. “During this time, significant cost increases have occurred, and the Capitol complex has also seen significant deferred maintenance. Many of these maintenance expenses become much more expensive if they continue to be deferred.”

Nelson’s office said the $500,000 “pilot program” for office mailings was included at the request of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and has been in place since 2004. It said the additional $950,000 for the Appropriations Committee accounts for telecommunications, hearing transcripts, and travel and office supplies and that the total for the GPO is far less than the $32.1 million the agency wanted.

It also said that the 5.5 percent increase that will go in part to increasing aides’ salaries was derived from cost-of-living-adjustment projections.

“While the crisis is easing, we are still a nation in financial peril, and we believe it is necessary for the legislative branch to lead by example,” Nelson said last week. He said that, “with one notable but important exception” — a reference to the renovation of the Cannon building — “I think we have been successful.”

Still, at a time when inflation remains low and the national debt is rising fast, leadership offices across the Capitol are expecting a bump in funding. Vice President Joe Biden, who also serves as president of the Senate, will see his budget increase 4.3 percent, to $2.5 million, under the measure. The offices of Reid and McConnell will each get a 4.3 percent increase from last year and will now each have $5.2 million; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is seeing her budget jump 4.1 percent, to $5.1 million; the budget of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will rise 3.9 percent, to $2.5 million; the budget of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will increase 4 percent, to $4.5 million; and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) each get a 3.7 percent increase, to $1.7 million and $2.2 million, respectively.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid, said the 4.3 percent increase for Reid and McConnell is calculated by the Senate financial office to maintain current staffing levels.

“It is a cap, which neither office will necessarily meet but cannot exceed,” Manley said. He added that the authorization of up to nine consultants “is a long-standing authority to ensure the leaders’ offices can fulfill their duties to the Senate and to their respective caucuses.” Aides stressed that the money will not go to political consultants but to staffers who work on a contractual basis rather than as Senate employees.

The biggest hikes for the leadership offices went to the Senate whips — with Arizona Republican Jon Kyl and Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin each getting a 6.2 percent hike and each getting a new budget of $3.3 million. A spokesman for Durbin said that the hike accounts for annual cost-of-living increases, as well as the addition of new staff to oversee a more expanded Senate Democratic majority of 60 members. Even though Republicans have just 40 members, Kyl’s budget is the same as Durbin’s, but a Kyl spokesman said his office “always returns a large amount of funding” at the end of the fiscal year.

The bill is now headed to the Senate floor — and senators will be hard-pressed to block it. With the fiscal year ending Wednesday, Congress needs to pass a short-term, stopgap resolution to keep the government funded through October — and that resolution is included in the legislative appropriations bill, meaning a defeat for the bill could shut the government down.

House Republicans protested the move, with 162 Republicans — including the subcommittee’s ranking member, Alabama Rep. Robert Aderholt — last week voting against the bill last week, which was sent to the Senate on a 217-190 vote.

But the increase in funding has otherwise largely been a bipartisan affair. The Senate Appropriations Committee — where McConnell and 29 other appropriators sit — voted 30-0 in June to send the bill to the full Senate, which approved the bill in July by a 67-25 vote.

GOP seeks 72-hour window to read bills

While the GOP is obviously grandstanding this type of legislation is needed immediately. I though that when Obama was running for office we promised this but it seems like most promises politicians make this one was just a lie. Yes, I said it the President of the United States lied. Any member of Congress that refuses to vote for this piece of legislation should never serve in Congress again. Contact your Congressmen and Senators and tell them that you demand they vote for this bill.

GOP seeks 72-hour window to read bills

Vote For Chris Christie In November New Jersey

"The scope of corruption is beyond anything," Corzine said. "It was outrageous. I will not tolerate this." http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/dca_commisioner_joe_doria_resi.html

Corzine seems surprised that his Commissioner is under investigation by the FBI and US Attorney Generals office for corruption. The only thing that is truly surprising is that the NJ State Attorney General, whom Corzine appoints, never seems to catch these guys. I guess its hard to investigate corruption if you know the people it will net are those that you rely on for your political power. Right Corzine?!

Its time for change in New Jersey and that change is Chris Christie. While this latest roundup of New Jersey politicians occurred after Christie's resignation as N.J. U.S. Attorney General the investigation began back when he was still in charge.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/new_jersey_corruption_sweep_re.html

His record in New Jersey regarding corruption is impeccable. He had 130 convictions and 0 acquittals during his tenure in New Jersey. Corzine is either corrupt or inept either way we no longer can afford him in New Jersey.

Recently Corzine has attempted to smear Christie but the truth is that Chris by all accounts is an honorable man. Trenton is full of crooks and it is time to vote them all out. Vote for Christie!!!!!!!! Hey even Corzine thinks he's great, except when he is behind in the polls.