Thread: Pelosi & a "question of ethics"

Originally Posted by Jolie Rouge

Why is Diane Feinstein is allowed to serve a term in the U.S. Senate instead of a Federal prison.

So how does a woman who has never held a job outside public office scheme her way to a Net Worth of around $100 million?



From 2001 to 2005, Feinstein was a member of the Military Construction Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee (MILCON). During her time with MILCON, Feinstein voted for appropriations worth billions of dollars to two firms; URS Corp. & Perini Corp. In May 2006, Perini held a collection of bundled contracts awarded by the Army Corps of Engineers for work in the Middle East worth $1.73 billion. Perini has also been awarded an open-ended contract by the Air Force for military construction and environment quality control at closed military bases.
...
The majority shareholder in URS Corp and Perini Corp is Richard Blum,..Feinstein's husband.

In 2009, without being a member of the Senate Banking Committee, Feinstein began a series of back-room deals to help the FDIC obtain money to meet the demand for compensation related to home foreclosures ($25 Billion to be exact),..but there was a catch. The FDIC was accepting bids for the contract to sell the forclosed properties it had inherited from a growing list of failed banks,..and Feinstein wanted CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) to win,...and they did.

The Chariman of CBRE, in case you haven't guessed, is Richard Blum,...Feinstein's husband.

The Washington Times reported that only a few days after consummating the contract with the FDIC, “CBRE raised $207 million through a stock offering that sold for $3.77 a share. Mr. Blum’s investment partnerships bought 10.6 million shares at the market price of $3.77. The stock offering was announced a couple of days before the signing of the FDIC contract.”

This is called Insider Trading.

... continued ....

The US Postal Service is selling hundreds of properties in prime locations across the country to help them deal with their financial difficulties. In the past, the USPS has used multiple real estate agents to sell their properties, but in 2011 the USPS signed a contract with CBRE Group to be the sole provider of real estate services, nation-wide, for their sales.

The Chairman of CBRE Group is Richard Blum, the husband of California Senator Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein says she did not influence the USPS either to break with past precedent and use an exclusive broker, nor to have her husband’s firm get that exclusive contract.

Even if there was no direct influence, the fact that Congress oversees the USPS, coupled with the fact that it is common knowledge that Feinstein and Blum are married, means that there must be a conflict of interest here. Regardless of the law, it is unethical for Blum to receive this contract from the USPS, and the deal is especially dubious because it is an unprecedented exclusive contract.

Such a brazen conflict of interest in this sweetheart deal seems almost too far-fetched to believe, but Snopes.com says it is true.

Also found links : http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/20...ane-feinstein/

http://fortlee.patch.com/blog_posts/...isdom-9f5c9450

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...cashes-crisis/

http://www.examiner.com/article/sen-...ping-the-hubby

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...-in-on-crisis/

CA High-Speed Rail Fail: $600 million spent, not a mile of track laid
Posted by: Phineas on November 23, 2013

Because The Future! Or something: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/19/...ant-costs.html

The latest accounting by the California High-Speed Rail Authority to state lawmakers indicates that the agency has spent almost $600 million on engineering and environmental consultants — all without turning a shovelful of dirt on construction.

In the twice-a-year report (PDF http://www.hsr.ca.gov/docs/about/leg...pt_11_2013.pdf ) sent to legislative leaders on Friday, the agency is sticking to its estimated price tag of $68.3 billion to build its San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bullet-train line. The agency earlier this year approved a $987 million contract with a team of contractors to design and build the first 29-mile stretch of the line from Madera through Fresno.

But while contractors Tutor Perini Corp., Zachry Construction and Parsons Corp. have been given a green light for engineering and other pre-construction activities, the authority has offered no estimate of when ground may be broken .

If the name “Tutor-Perini” rings a bell, you’re not just hearing things. Tutor-Perini’s principle owner is Richard Blum. Blum has been mentioned before in this blog, and there have been allegations in the past of cronyism in the winning of government contracts by companies he’s involved with. By sheer coincidence, Blum is also the husband of Senator Diane Feinstein.

Fancy that.

But, back to the more than half-a-billion, this is money that has been spent before construction has even begun on the initial Fresno to Madera segment. The Fresno Bee article describes what we’ve gotten for our money, so far:

“The authority has made significant progress in its mission to plan, design, build and operate the nation’s first high-speed rail system as part of the statewide rail modernization program,” agency CEO Jeff Morales wrote in the report.

The report details a raft of administrative advances, including filling all of its executive management positions, developing a risk-management plan, issuing a report on greenhouse-gas emissions, and awarding the construction contracts for the Madera-Fresno stretch.

(I hope those executives got some nice chairs for that $600 million.)

There is still an environmental report –Yay! More consulting fees!– for the area around Chowchilla to be done, which is why this state version of a shovel-ready project hasn’t started. Already they’re two years behind schedule.

And the whole ball of wax (with attendant fees) has to be done for at least six other segments from San Francisco to Anaheim.

Luckily, the High-Speed Rail Authority is allowed to spend up to $980 million on pre-construction “consulting contracts” through 2018. No way they’ll come asking for more public money (1). Nope. Nuh-uh.

I can’t wait to see what the costs come to once they actually start building this boondoggle.

Nice legacy ya got there, Governor.

Footnote:
(1) Funded by either public borrowing or higher taxes, of course.

http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/20...le-track-laid/

comments

Okay, so, they spend all this money on consultants and investigations and all that stuff…and just watch, somebody’s going to come along and say, “Hey, if you build this, it’ll kill off the endangered Whatchahoozis beetle!” And that’ll be the end of that. Without ever moving the first shovel of dirt....

...

Another example of why government projects never work properly. Those drawing paychecks from taxpayers have no real sweat equity or risk in the game. Function or fail, they still receive a paycheck and none of the blame.

Imagine trying to construct a transcontinental railroad in this day and age with the current mob if self acclaimed brainiacs in government. It would make the antics of the Three Stooges seem like a gathering of world class physicists compared to their fiasco.

..

You are wrong. This is a great success. Did you think building the train was the goal? No! Robbing the government coffers was the goal. So far it has been a complete success. Give them time and it will be a stunning success. In the mean time I’m sorry to tell you but we need to raise the taxes and also just like last election your vote isn’t worth crap because the politicians have bought all the votes they need with your money.

..

Upon reading the opening statement about spending $600 million without so much as dirtying a spade, my first question was, “Who’s the crony here?”. But my overriding question is why are we entertaining thoughts of spending this sort of money on 19th Century technology? Both were answered by naming Feinstein’s hubby.

PELOSI : "We have to pass this bill so we can find out what's in it."

...

PELOSI : "It is ... a false argument to say we have a spending problem"

..

PELOSI : "Unemployment benefits are creating jobs faster then any other program"

....

OBAMA : " I could not be prouder of her ...
She is thoughtful ... a visionary
Never lets ideology cloud her judgment.

FBI Investigates Democrat Wendy Davis
April 21, 2014 By Jennifer Burke

More controversy is swirling around Democrat Wendy Davis’s campaign to turn Texas blue by becoming the first Democrat governor of the Lone Star State in nearly 20 years. On Friday, The Daily Caller reported that Davis, who became a national media sensation by filibustering a bill that would have eliminated late term abortions in Texas, a stance which earned her the moniker ‘Abortion Barbie,’ is having her past legal work investigated by the FBI.

At the center of the investigation is work done by Wendy Davis’ as an attorney for the North Texas Tollway Authority. While it is not fully known just how much the investigation centers around Davis, the Dallas Morning News reports that the FBI is indeed conducting an investigation and work done by Davis is part of it. Still, her campaign insists they know nothing about such an investigation stating, “We are not aware that Wendy Davis is this subject or target of any investigation.”

The Washington Examiner reports on the conflict of interest in votes taken by Davis as a state senator, votes that helped out her clients and her firm.

Davis came under fire last week when it was revealed by the daily that, as state senator, Davis voted on bills that benefited her clients, despite promising she wouldn’t. http://www.dallasnews.com/news/polit...ed-clients.ece

“Records show Davis supported legislation governing a toll-road project for which the North Texas Tollway Authority hired her firm,” the Morning News said. “She backed changes governing the collection of unpaid tolls that preceded an NTTA program in which law firms — including Davis’ — were chosen to carry out the collections. And as a state senator, she sought federal money for a transportation project being handled by her law firm.”

The Daily Caller reports that Greg Abbott, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, states that this new revelation is but the latest in a long list of controversies and lies from the Davis campaign. http://dailycaller.com/2014/04/18/re...investigation/

But the campaign for her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, is raising questions in the wake of the revelation.

“This revelation — the latest in a series of bombshells regarding Sen. Davis’ ethical conduct — is both shocking and unsurprising at the same time,” Abbott communications director Matt Hirsch said.

“Sen. Davis must fully disclose the facts about any wrongdoing and the extent of her involvement in that wrongdoing,” Hirsch said. “Texans deserve to know the truth about Sen. Davis’ involvement in a matter the FBI is investigating. This is a serious ethics issue that may violate federal law and cannot be swept under the rug, as Sen. Davis has tried to do when confronted with questions about her ethics thus far.”

Davis has previously come under heavy criticism for lies told about her past, for attempting to claim that she is pro-gun rights despite an F rating by the NRA, instances of deception, and for trying to change the meaning of the words pro-life by claiming she is pro-life after her infamous filibuster in which she strongly supported late-term abortions. The latest poll by left-leaning Public Policy Polling show that women in Texas do not view Davis favorably.

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/04/21/fbi-i...t-wendy-davis/

Davis has previously come under heavy criticism for lies told about her past...

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/01/20/democ...in-major-lies/

... instances of deception...

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/03/19/democ...more-deception

... and for trying to change the meaning of the words pro-life by claiming she is pro-life after her infamous filibuster in which she strongly supported late-term abortions.

http://www.tpnn.com/2013/11/06/abort...s-im-pro-life/

The latest poll by left-leaning Public Policy Polling show that women in Texas do not view Davis favorably.

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/04/15/liber...-barbie-davis/

Activist judge puts disqualified Rep. John Conyers on primary ballot
Posted at 5:00 pm on May 23, 2014

Damn it feels good to be a Democrat.

Michigan Rep. John Conyers failed to collect enough signatures to get a spot on the primary ballot, why should that stand in his way? After Conyers appealed to secretary of state and lost, a judge brazenly overruled the secretary’s decision: http://twitchy.com/2014/05/09/rep-jo...rimary-ballot/

The Associated Press ✔ @AP

BREAKING: Judge puts US Rep. John Conyers on primary ballot.

3:29 PM - 23 May 2014

Detroit Rep Conyers back on ballot in August primary. He lost an appeal early in day w/ MI Sec of State. Wins in federal court hours later.


The Judge ruled that requiring that the signatories be registered voters violated their "rights" :
http://www.scribd.com/doc/225844644/...r-Granting-Tro

????

Nancy Pelosi: Illegal Aliens are ‘Americans’
June 30, 2014 By Matthew Burke

Democrat House Minority Leader and former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, visited the Texas border on Saturday to see first hand the invasion of thousands of foreigners who have illegally entered the U.S. through Mexico.

“We are all Americans,” Pelosi contended at a press conference from the Rio Grande Valley, Breitbart reports, while channeling Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s infamous statement about never letting a crisis go to waste as an opportunity to grow government.

“This crisis that some call a crisis, we have to view as an opportunity,” Pelosi said. “If you believe as we do that every child, every person has a spark of divinity in them, and is therefore worthy of respect — what we saw in those rooms was [a] dazzling, sparkling, array of God’s children, worthy of respect.”

Pelosi admitted that the foreign invasion “does have crisis qualities,” but said it should be used as “an opportunity to show who we are as Americans, that we do respect people for their dignity and worth.”

Pelosi didn’t say anything about the invaders respecting the United State’s immigration laws, but did say that she wished she could “take home with me” the thousands of youth entering the U.S. illegally. However, the multimillionaire left with none.

While leaders in both political parties are pushing amnesty for illegal aliens, a new poll last week from Gallup indicates that Americans, regardless of political affiliation, do not want to increase immigration from current levels.

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/06/30/nancy...are-americans/

Pelosi’s Awkward, Painful Response to High School Student Asking About the NSA
June 3, 2014 By Greg Campbell

In a recent meeting with high school students, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was stumped by a routine question from a visiting student, prompting the tenured Democrat to offer a stuttering, barely-coherent response regarding NSA violations of our Fourth Amendment rights.

For years, the NSA has been monitoring the phone usage of hundreds of millions of Americans, collecting information about the phone calls called metadata. This data, the Obama Administration claims, is useful for tracking terrorists but critics have claimed that the Obama Administration’s approach- targeting hundreds of millions of Americans who are, presumably, innocent and not suspected of a crime- is too broad and unconstitutional.

Andrew Demeter, a self-described investigative journalist, asked Rep. Pelosi, “Why do you support the NSA’s illegal and ubiquitous data collection?”

Pelosi began stammering and slowly offered, ““Well I, I do not, I have questions about the metadata collection that they were, uh, collecting.”

Pelosi noted that she “didn’t support Amash,” a reference to the failed amendment offered by Republican Rep. Justin Amash and backed by many Democrats. The amendment would have mandated that the NSA could only monitor the electronic communications of those actually suspected of a crime, not broadly target hundreds of millions of Americans in the hopes of rooting out illegal behavior.

Pelosi claimed she has fought the NSA, but Demeter pointed out, “You did vote for a bill to continue funding for the NSA, though.” Pelosi answered, “Yeah, of course.”

The top Democrat in the House appeared easily stumped by a routine question from a high school student who simply wanted to know why she had supported such rampant violations of our constitutional protections.



http://www.tpnn.com/2014/06/03/hilar...about-the-nsa/

Mr. Nancy Pelosi Screws Over NFL Greats
Nancy Pelosi's husband shows that his word is worth as little as hers. She who rants in the name of equal pay and claims to side with 'the every day folks' remains curiously silent when it comes to her husband's dirty dealings
August 12, 2014 By Jennifer Burke

Democrat Nancy Pelosi once said that a cut in pay for those in Congress would undermine the dignity of the job. She has benefited financially from insider trader information learned in Congressional committees, the use of such information that would send ordinary Americans to prison. During the severe economic downturn, as Americans were losing their homes, their jobs, and their financial security, Pelosi’s net worth skyrocketed to a 62% increase.

The former Speaker and current House Minority Leader can often be found at a microphone calling for ‘equal pay’. But, she has thus far remained silent at her husband’s refusal to honor the salary commitment of those who worked for him in the now defunct United Football League (UFL).

Mr. Nancy Pelosi, otherwise known as Paul, was ordered by an arbitrator to pay former NFL coach Dennis Green, who coached Pelosi’s Sacramento Mountain Lions, $900,000 in February 2014. Pelosi had reneged on his contract with Green, consistently missing the $62,500 bi-weekly payments owed to him as part of the $1.5 million contractual agreement. The mutli-millionaire Pelosi, along with his business partner William Hambrecht, has instead chosen to ignore the arbitrator’s decision and has yet pay Green one dime.

Nancy Pelosi is recognized as the fifteenth richest members of Congress. She and her husband have a net worth of more than $25 million. Yet, Mr. Nancy Pelosi still refuses to honor the salary agreement with players and coaches from the UFL. Former San Francisco head coach Marty Schottenheimer sued Pelosi and Hambrecht in 2012 over their failure to pay him according to their agreed upon contract. There is also a 2013 lawsuit from almost 80 players, who were slated to earn a mere $25,000 a year for playing in the league. Pelosi and Humbrecht have also failed to pay them.

Demonstrating that his word is worth as little as that of his wife, CBS Sports reported that Paul Pelosi made a personal guarantee in October 2012 that he and his business partners would make good on all contracts. The Free Beacon reports that Pelosi said, “Players have not been paid yet, but the reality is that they will be paid; we guarantee they will be paid in full and the coaches will be paid in full and we’re going to do that very soon. We’re very sympathetic and understanding of their plight.”

To date, and again despite the arbitrator’s ruling in the Green case, Mr. Nancy Pelosi has failed to make his required payment to fulfill his contractual agreements and promises.

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/08/12/mr-na...er-nfl-greats/