Your Federal tax dollars at work

[..]

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/02/former-house-speaker-hasterts-perk-costs-taxpayers-1m.html

http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/thread.cfm?catid=1&subcatid=1&threadid=3456342

[alph]

I can’t think of a single person that doesn’t think that politicians are crooks.  There has to be SOME honest politicians, if not, stories like these would have gone untold.  You have to ask yourself, did the person that exposed this story do it because they wanted to make right an injustice, or was he jealous because they weren’t in on the scam!!

I wonder how many billions have been stolen from the American trust?

[JimL]

Thanks Britman for helping me get to an unusually cranky and "pissed off" state of mind before my first meeting this morning!!  

[Robert]

If you really want to get off to a bad start think about this one word PELOSI   

[solo1]

As a former city councilman I believe that there are citizens out there who run for office that really want to represent. A salary of $5,000/year with no perks, was more than enough for me.

Unfortunately, the higher the office, the more the 'perks'   Doing the right thing goes out the window.

[alph]

As a former city councilman I believe that there are citizens out there who run for office that really want to represent. A salary of $5,000/year with no perks, was more than enough for me.

Unfortunately, the higher the office, the more the 'perks'   Doing the right thing goes out the window.

That’s really sad.  I once thought that there should be a "reflective pay scale" for politicians.  Meaning, their pay should reflect the "average" income of the people they represent.  But I then realized that if you did that, they would only become more easily corruptible.  It’s ALL about the money for some of them.

(As you all can tell, I don’t have a lot of faith in our elected officials.  Guess I’ve seen a few to many liars in my life.)

[valkmc]

What is really absurd about this to me is.....Newly elcted officials are looking at cutting government spending as they should. It is way out of control, but before eliminating stuff like this they will cut education, prisons, law enforcement etc. Meanwhile you can find lots of stuff like this going on..somehow it just does not seem right.

[G-Man]

What gets me,....what I am unable to wrap my head around.....is that there are still people out there that want to give this government MORE money of mine to throw away.

Hey Bill Maher and Michael Moore.....you can give more.  Nobody says you have to pay just what you owe.  You can send more of YOUR millions.  Leave me out of it.

[..]

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/214978/158/WUSA9-Investigation-Finds-30M-GSA-Bonuses-Not-Reported

[PAVALKER]

As a former city councilman I believe that there are citizens out there who run for office that really want to represent. A salary of $5,000/year with no perks, was more than enough for me.

Unfortunately, the higher the office, the more the 'perks'   Doing the right thing goes out the window.

Even those with the most honorable and sincere intentions are either ultimately corrupted by the system itself or weeded out by those in the corrupt system.   Criminals don't want honest folks in their group, so they either convert em, or push them out.   It's a shame...

[..]

NOT MY WORDS

General Motors really is giving $600 million to an English soccer club. Actually, as the team involved, Manchester United, is the most valuable team in sports, an investment in the club wouldn’t be a bad idea, considering how everything else is going at General Motors. No, the $600 million GM is giving to Man United over the next 7 years is a sponsorship deal. In return, Man United will wear “Chevrolet” on their jerseys and GM will be able to call itself Man United’s “global automobile partner.” It will immediately have the edge with all those consumers who look to their favorite soccer club for car buying advice.

Manchester United Owner – Malcolm Glazer – is a large Barak Obama contributor. Strange how Obama’s money people get rewarded.

[valkmc]

I can’t think of a single person that doesn’t think that politicians are crooks.  There has to be SOME honest politicians, if not, stories like these would have gone untold.  You have to ask yourself, did the person that exposed this story do it because they wanted to make right an injustice, or was he jealous because they weren’t in on the scam!!

I wonder how many billions have been stolen from the American trust?

When things like this actually get exposed it is by the other side....who wants to be elected.

[JimmyG]

Soon to have twelve years as county commissioner, also had 4 years as city councilman. I dropped the city councilman office because I felt it was a joke, and corrupted beyond my means to help stop. As a county commissioner, I have seen the corruption, both subtle, and obvious. I have never voted other than what I believe my constituents want me to vote, ( although, I do think I have made a couple mistakes voting for something I did not have enough info on).  I have taken some heat, but I am happy to report that I have outlived most of the old croney's that were in office and held the county at bay. Now a younger group,(7 out of 14), were elected last term and it has really started turning around. Needless to say, the old guard that is left can't get anything through the system like they used to. Funny thing, they are not running again this next term.
 Sooooo, I do believe there may be some honest ones out there, but like already mentioned, it gets more lucrative as you go up the ladder, and I am afraid to many people worship the dollar rather than God.  It ain't always easy doing the right thing, even at best, effort, the good old boy club can beat you down.  Personally, I hope there is a special place for all the crooked politicians that have taken the public trust and said,"screw you, I'm in the money and power game now".

OK, I'm done ranting....

[musclehead]

Soon to have twelve years as county commissioner, also had 4 years as city councilman. I dropped the city councilman office because I felt it was a joke, and corrupted beyond my means to help stop. As a county commissioner, I have seen the corruption, both subtle, and obvious. I have never voted other than what I believe my constituents want me to vote, ( although, I do think I have made a couple mistakes voting for something I did not have enough info on).  I have taken some heat, but I am happy to report that I have outlived most of the old croney's that were in office and held the county at bay. Now a younger group,(7 out of 14), were elected last term and it has really started turning around. Needless to say, the old guard that is left can't get anything through the system like they used to. Funny thing, they are not running again this next term.
 Sooooo, I do believe there may be some honest ones out there, but like already mentioned, it gets more lucrative as you go up the ladder, and I am afraid to many people worship the dollar rather than God.  It ain't always easy doing the right thing, even at best, effort, the good old boy club can beat you down.  Personally, I hope there is a special place for all the crooked politicians that have taken the public trust and said,"screw you, I'm in the money and power game now".

OK, I'm done ranting....

that's what I wonder how many get in think their making a difference and end up being a souless Borg?

[Stanley Steamer]

This movie has a more than fair depiction of how the System can grind a man down......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Smith_Goes_to_Washington