Jun 22 2006
Is Hastert An Embezzling Fraud?
I don’t have time to do the story justice right now, but it seems Captain Ed and others have found Speaker Hastert reaping multi-million dollar profits from land speculations that end up becoming incredibly lucrative due to legislation they helped pass:
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) made a $2 million profit last year on the sale of land 5 1/2 miles from a highway project that he helped to finance with targeted federal funds.
A Republican House member from California, meanwhile, received nearly double what he paid for a four-acre parcel near an Air Force base after securing $8 million for a planned freeway interchange 16 miles away. And another California GOP congressman obtained funding in last year’s highway bill for street improvements near a planned residential and commercial development that he co-owns
Using my hard earned money and taking it away from my family so they run a get-rich-quick scheme? You know when I may see a $2 Million windfall? Never. And these are the people who left America’s borders exposed to terrorist. I am rapidly coming to the belief there is nothing of any moral value existing in the GOP right now. If this is true frog march all three out of office. No wonder Hastert was defending William Jefferson from FBI search warrants!
Sadly, AJ, for me, it simply comes down to the war. The Democrats as a party, are awful on it. Those Democrat officials who are strong on the war (Maria Cantwell, Joe Lieberman) are attacked just as viciously as Republicans who wish to find a common-sense solutions vis-a-vis immigration (George W. Bush and Chris Cannon).
I wouldn’t go so far as to condemn the entire GOP. I agree that if these charges prove true, then get rid of ’em! I don’t care what party they belong to; get rid of all the lying, cheating SOBs.
Sadly it may be time for a third Party. Both the Conservative Republicans and Liberal Democrats have become embroiled in scandalous practices. I am forced to vote Republican unless there is a viable Conservative alternative. I cannot bring myself to vote for liberals and cannot sit idly doing nothing (pertaining to voting).
There are viable options now, such as the Constitution Party; however that Party has not caught the imagination of honest Conservatives. Thus that kind of third Party vote is wasted. We need another Lincoln to come along to establish legitimacy in Conservative politics.
As I wrote, wondering a few days ago, are all politicians crooks? Are all their relatives crooks? We elect people in good faith to go to Washington and state capitols to represent our best interests. It sure doesn’t seem like that’s what they have in mind.
I don’t think Hastert is an “embezzling fraud,” although I’m not one bit impressed with his House leadership skills.
The Hastert land deal, as I understand it, is a relatively innocent (although clearly profitable) transaction. Unless I’m badly misinformed, (1) he owned the property for several years and, (2) the property is several miles away from the project involved in the legislation.
Although I’m not, and was not, in Hastert’s Congressional District, I recently sold property in Illinois (Berwyn, 6th Cong. Dist.) which had appreciated in value roughly comparable to the Hastert property appreciation, over a roughly similar time period. That, in fact, is true of property value appreciation throughout much of the country, with the pundits rather uniformly advising the ‘bubble would burst soon’ last winter.
The amounts involved are considerably different — mine was a single family residence, where his was acreage and therefore no doubt a tempting site for land development. But 5-1/2 miles from a planned highway is not the same as a “perfect strip-mall corner” near a highway exit-ramp or some such.
Had Hastert stalled the legislation in favor of highway construction near a border of his land, I’d call that a “gotcha.” Given these circumstances, absent some concrete evidence of culpability, I’d say this one looks clean.
I agree with Merry on is leadership skills. Hastert is something of a boob. His getting on the wrong side of the Bill Jefferson issue and standing next to Pelosi while delivering his blather was enough to make my eyes glaze over as to anything he might say or do from that point forward.
AJ
I know this off topic to this thread, but I just have to get this one out, and you haven’t posted anything related it to it.
It pertains to a rebutal of the “one percent solution” full court press.
This link is a must read
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006/06/initial_comments_about_terrori.php
I will buy that author of this his adult beverage of choice, heck I’ll pick up his whole bar tab!
Now if only the NYT could get it!
Sheesh, I need to get a life , I have been up all night and it’s 5 am. But then I have never been one to keep a “normal” schedule.
Another intel related blog has some timely and important information related the the recent revelation of the chemical weapons found in Iraq.
http://formerspook.blogspot.com/2006/06/back-story.html
Excellent commentary here.
Sort of makes the cut an run folks have a bit of egg on thier faces, but is that a suprise?