Murtha Won’t Let Military Directly Lobby for Their Needs
Tags: Democrat Culture of Corruption, Jack Murtha.
Click here to get Caucus of Corruption: The Truth About The New Democratic Majority by Matt Margolis and Mark Noonan.
It has long been known that PA-12 Democrat Congressman Jack Murtha has been living high off the hog with regard to earmarks that have been given to his military contracting buddies. As a matter of fact, he’s making such good money from his beneficiaries that he wants to streamline the earmark process: He plans to bypass advice by members of the military altogether:
The House’s top defense appropriator has pledged to help strengthen the role of the Pentagon’s comptroller in an effort to curb lobbying by the military services for their controversial programs.
Why should he listen to the military, as the military itself doesn’t provide Jack with campaign contributions.
As I’ve stated before, Jack Murtha does nothing without there being something in it for Jack Murtha. To Jack Murtha, the military is merely a tool he uses to keep his fat backside in power, or to advance his political career, a/la his slanderous declaration of guilt toward the Haditha Marines.
I don’t know; perhaps I’m a bit too cynical. I’m absolutely positive that there is no lobbying going on when Concurrent Technologies receives a taxpayer-funded porkbarrel contract to the tune of $200 million dollars… or is there?
Yet, the Murtha situation is very troubling when you look at CTC’s Form 990. With the exception of three individuals listed on the schedule of officers and directors, all have contributed to Murtha’s congressional campaigns since 2002.[SNIP]
The Times also notes that CTC has paid somewhere around $500,000 to a lobbying firm. The lobbying firm’s executives and clients have contributed over $1.2 million to Murtha in campaign contributions (the Times refers to these as donations) since 1999, according to the Times.
So we have a congressman who was a driving force behind the creation of this tax-exempt entity. That same congressman is earmarking significant amounts of money to that organization. Those who are in control of the organization (several of whom receive significant salaries from CTC) contribute large amounts of money to the congressman’s campaign. We can only wonder how the entity distributes the federal grant money within the local community.
I mean, with sweetheart deals like that, why should Murtha even bother to take the time listen to those pesky military folks who actually know what they need?
I mean, there’s gold in them there earmarks, right, Jihad Jack?
(Cross-posted at Murtha Must Go!!)
Thank you for visiting Blogs For Victory. If you enjoy our content, please consider making a donation to help us cover the costs of our servers.Leo Pusateri is an educator and military dad from St. Cloud, Minnesota. Leo also blogs at Psycmeisters' Ice Palace, Murtha Must Go! and True North. Follow Leo on Twitter.
28 Responses to “Murtha Won’t Let Military Directly Lobby for Their Needs”
Caucus of Corruption
From later in the article you quoted:
By the way, the Pentagon and the military have traditionally had close ties.
It’s things like this, more than the war, more even than the economy that caused you to lose the election. People don’t want to be led by scum, and there is no other word to describe people willing to score a few political points by insinuating that their opponent — a veteran who earned two Purple Hearts — is guilty of treason. Such behavior is absolutely appalling, and you should be mortified at having engaged in it.
Sergei… by their fruits shall ye know them.
IMO, Anyone who usurps others’ Constitutional rights is guilty of treason. And that goes double for those who have taken a sworn oath to defend that Constitution.
Benedict Arnold was a soldier, too.
Well, now I see why they call it “pork”.
I don’t think this is about Murtha, though I am in no way defending his ties to CTC. I have a particular disgust for corruption in defense contracting. However, that is really not germane to the issue.
The problem is when the Secretary of Defense and the President submit a budget to Congress. Each of the Service Chiefs think they deserve a bigger peice of the pie, so they directly lobby Congressional members for more funding. If the Army gets more money for one of their programs, one of the other services is going to lose money for one or more of theirs. When they lobby key Congressional members, they argue not only for their program, but what funding their program can bring to that Representative’s district in order to win his support. That screws up the integrated budget that the President submitted and results in a lack of funding for the SecDef’s stated priorities.
Individual Services should be restricted from lobbying Congress. Their role is to lobby their boss, the SecDef. If their arguments win the day, they get funded. If not, it is insubordinate to go behind their boss’ back to get their way.
Why should anyone take you seriously when you post such a disgusting photoshop job like that in your “analysis”?
(and I’m frankly mind-boggled by the leaps of logic you make in attacking Murtha for a procedural reform that appears perfectly sensible)
even the image of impropriety should make and honest person run…twice as fast if he is elected to congress…but murtha?
he runs toward it…the green eyed beast has him by the ballz…
And how did Murtha do that?
Why should anyone take you seriously when you post such a disgusting photoshop job like that in your “analysis”?
Minnowhead, why should anyone take you seriously, period?
As for Serg, he’s a lost cause. He’s a lib, and anything libs in government do or say is alright by him. Heck, he’s probably a Blago supporter…
You’re like a kid on a playground, keefer. You must’ve been the kid who always got picked on, and now satisfies your urges for payback by issuing schoolyard chants on anonymous internet forums. Or were you always to douche?
Good interesting form, my man.
Actually, I’m a radical centrist. I strongly disagree with quite a few actions done, or contemplated, by liberals in the government. For example, I think that the Democrat’s recent softening regarding Burris is shameful, and I think that Obama’s plan to possibly keep a counter-terrorism unit in Iraq to fight al-Qaeda is foolish. NAFTA was a disaster, as were Clinton’s failures in Somalia and Rwanda. I strongly supported Bush on the Dubai Ports deal, and to this day believe he performed admirably on 9/11, once he actually started doing something. I am much more hawkish than most progressives when it comes to Afghanistan and the War on Terror, and I think that the Surge did play a minor role in the stabilization of Iraq (something I have gotten into acrimonious debates about with progressives at my usual haunt).
Were you just born dense, or did you have to work at it?
Murtha stated that the Haditha Marines were guilty of cold blooded murder. This before any investigations, before any written reports, before any briefings were held.
As of now, all but one of the Marines were acquitted. The last remaining Marine was about to be acquitted, but was held up at the last minute in order to save the Jags and Murtha’s face.
As a result, Marines and their families were put through hell as a result of Murtha’s reckless abandon in an effort to gain the Majority Leader’s Seat in the House.
Guilt without the benefit of due process, by an elected official who was sworn to uphold the very Constitution that those soldiers put their lives on the line to protect.
Treason? Hell… In my book that’s exactly what it is.
Leo #11
Which has nothing to do with whether or not the Services should be allowed to directly lobby Congress.
Leo
Treason? Hell… In my book that’s exactly what it is.
Not only that,
murtha admitted FIRSTHAND to a fellow congressman he FAKED the purple hearts, just as his best buddy kerry did.
Both were company commanders, and thus put in the paperwork for themselves.
Believe me this is what got ass h@!es like these two FAKES, fragged back in the day.
as far as segway dropoff goes he is a 22yo student in berkley….
if ya think about it…its got a lot to do with things…when we put someone like murtha in charge of regulating billions of dollars…the ethical composure of his characture should be rock solid…a dignified, honest and upright person…not someone who uses the influence he has garnered through the electorate system to achieve personnal gain…or violate the rights of others like he did those marines…
js02
murtha and sKerry, both used the military, and Falsified metals, with tales of heroism to further their political ambitions.
This is in fact beyond contempt it is indeed treason.
To bad the old oak tree isn’t still utilized for this.
It might make these creation’s think twice before perpetrating this fraud upon the people.
Guilt without the benefit of due process
You realize that was just his opinion and not a binding legal decision, right?
Sorry, didn’t mean to have the facts get in the way of your hategasm.
you do realise that his position has a huge impact on these things….right? sorry, if all that the legal system had was facts….none of those troopers would have seen a courtroom or had to ever go through this whole mess…its beyond contempt…it violated the due process when the idiot swore on his conviction that they were guilty…when he didnt have any clue what the truth was…
in his official capacity as an elected member of congress…he had absolutely no call to do that to members of our armed forces…he violated a sacred trust that our troopers rightfully have in our government officials to protect them and thier interests without waiver….
js:
“even the image of impropriety should make and honest person run”
You have used that logic a couple of times. So why were you not pushing George W Bush out of office? Or Dick Cheney? They both had the “image of impropriety” they both had the “image of guilt”.
What is to stop someone from claiming that someone is corrupt (true or not) for the sole purpose of forcing them to resign?
He went out and stated on national TV that these honorable Marines were guilty of cold blooded murder, which sent all of you lefties into an orgasm because it followed your template that soldiers are nothing but baby killers. Don’t tell me that it didn’t serve to prejudice their case.
And then the families of the Marines had to live with that, as did the Marines, who were incarcerated. This from a person who was elected to serve the people, and to follow and defend the Constitution.
Sorry to have the facts get in the way of your love affair with democrats, no matter what-gasm.
Mark, when I saw the picture above I honestly thought it was Bill Bennett.
vandregraded
Mark, when I saw the picture above I honestly thought it was Bill Bennett.
REALLY ?
I thought it looked more like a SLIMMED down ted kennedydrunk-aka “the swimmer”!
Thanks for admitting in comment #19 that Murtha didn’t commit treason, Leo. Correcting your own lies is an uncommon event for you; I hope you do more of it in the future.
I’ll let you get back to your hate now.
There is a difference between war and murder.
Murtha saw that.
Where’s the off-topic cop when you need him? The topic was Murtha stopping the Services from lobbying Congress. It has nothing to do with Marines, Haditha, or how anyone received their medals. Anyone have an opinion on the actual topic?
No.
That’s some pretty bad photo shop work. But then what do you expect from such a high class operation.
Well done.
cando1
That’s some pretty bad photo shop work. But then what do you expect from such a high class operation.
It does not matter, the point is he is a FAT SLOB, TRAITOR.
I hope his cholesterol is 10,000.
You know, some times I do think he might just explode.