Nepotism and Power

[flacaltenn]

We've allowed the 2 Brand Name to feather their nest on Capitol hill and foul our government... I cringe every time the issue of "campaign finance reform" comes up because frankly folks -- We don't have a money problem.. We have a problem of too much Congressional power to legally rack in bucks in exchange for favors..

This recent "scandal" about Biden using his office and power to have a prosecutor fired in the Ukraine that was coming too close the nepotic job his son magically acquired, and BRAGGING about it is a good example.. But I'm not here to pick on INDIVIDUAL legislators.. The whole concept of nepotism in the Fed Govt needs review...

And it IS NEPOTISM.. It's just not "illegal".. It's ONLY illegal if you place family members into GOVT positions that you oversee and to some small extent if your family are ALLOWED to lobby Congress..

Using the power of your office to place relatives into cushy CORPORATE jobs (foreign or domestic) certain as HELL should be illegal, but it's not.. And the only references I can find to LIMITING this power these scam artists think we've given them -- is a number of bills to that extent that have been shot down over the years..

There should be Ethics reform in Congress codifying certain practices as illegal...

1) Using the power of your office or quid pro quo to induce corporations (foreign or domestic) or other organizations to hire or otherwise fund a family member.

2) Using the power of your office to pick winners and losers in handouts of tax credits or tax breaks or guaranteed loans for any products of a corporation where that product is ALREADY on the market or demonstrated as ready for market.. If you gotta fund technology or product development -- it has to be uniformly available to all qualified players in the marketplace.

3) Failure to recuse one's self from Committee votes that involve companies or organizations that have family members as employees or executive positions should be similarly illegal..

 

[Damaged Eagle]

There are lots of laws on the books that are simply ignored already when they are... inconvenient. While those who attempt to enforce those laws against those in power tend to have..... accidents. While I agree with you that the corruption and nepotism needs to stop I don't believe that will happen without a high body count.

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
John Dalberg-Anton

*****SMILE*****

 

[K9Buck]

There should be Ethics reform in Congress...

Not a chance in Hell.

 

[K9Buck]

flacaltenn We have the government that we deserve, corruption and all because approximately HALF the country supports it. Lying, stealing, corruption and self-enrichment is NO PROBLEM for half the country as long as there is a "D" by their name. Hillary set up a private server on which to conduct official state business in order to avoid oversight by the people and half the country had NO PROBLEM with it.

I don't know if you believe in Jesus, but he said that this world belongs to Satan. He was right, of course. Don't expect to ever see significant improvement. In fact, you can safely expect that it's going to get worse.

 

[Penelope]

We've allowed the 2 Brand Name to feather their nest on Capitol hill and foul our government... I cringe every time the issue of "campaign finance reform" comes up because frankly folks -- We don't have a money problem.. We have a problem of too much Congressional power to legally rack in bucks in exchange for favors..

This recent "scandal" about Biden using his office and power to have a prosecutor fired in the Ukraine that was coming too close the nepotic job his son magically acquired, and BRAGGING about it is a good example.. But I'm not here to pick on INDIVIDUAL legislators.. The whole concept of nepotism in the Fed Govt needs review...

And it IS NEPOTISM.. It's just not "illegal".. It's ONLY illegal if you place family members into GOVT positions that you oversee and to some small extent if your family are ALLOWED to lobby Congress..

Using the power of your office to place relatives into cushy CORPORATE jobs (foreign or domestic) certain as HELL should be illegal, but it's not.. And the only references I can find to LIMITING this power these scam artists think we've given them -- is a number of bills to that extent that have been shot down over the years..

There should be Ethics reform in Congress codifying certain practices as illegal...

1) Using the power of your office or quid pro quo to induce corporations (foreign or domestic) or other organizations to hire or otherwise fund a family member.

2) Using the power of your office to pick winners and losers in handouts of tax credits or tax breaks or guaranteed loans for any products of a corporation where that product is ALREADY on the market or demonstrated as ready for market.. If you gotta fund technology or product development -- it has to be uniformly available to all qualified players in the marketplace.

3) Failure to recuse one's self from Committee votes that involve companies or organizations that have family members as employees or executive positions should be similarly illegal..

Oh how precious , you talking about the Bidens when tramp puts his son in law and dtr in the WH without security clearances.

Biden did attorney work and investments for the company. Just because tramps kids suck on their daddy like he sucked on his daddy, Joe Biden is one of the doesn't have money to be sucked upon.

Now since Biden is going to be the new president, why don't he put Hunter and his new wife in the offices of the WH and without security clearances. Or hey Elizabeth Warren is free to do the same.

 

[SweetSue92]

Two words:

Term limits

 

[K9Buck]

Two words:

Term limits

Agreed, but no chance. That's one the founders missed.

 

[sparky]

There should be Ethics reform in Congress codifying certain practices as illegal...

>>>>

~S~

 

[Olde Europe]

We've allowed the 2 Brand Name to feather their nest on Capitol hill and foul our government... I cringe every time the issue of "campaign finance reform" comes up because frankly folks -- We don't have a money problem.. We have a problem of too much Congressional power to legally rack in bucks in exchange for favors..

This recent "scandal" about Biden using his office and power to have a prosecutor fired in the Ukraine that was coming too close the nepotic job his son magically acquired, and BRAGGING about it is a good example.. But I'm not here to pick on INDIVIDUAL legislators.. The whole concept of nepotism in the Fed Govt needs review...

Naw, we don't have a money problem. Just a bunch of plutocrats owning the shop, and doing with it as they please.

And no, Joe did nothing for Hunter to get that job at Burisma, and no, Shokin was not investigating Burisma, and no, the oh-so-very vast, expansive power vested in the Vice-Presidency would not compel anyone outside the U.S. to lift a single finger, and no, Hunter's job was never the target of whatever investigation there was in Ukraine - the corruption investigated (for instance by the Britons and decried by the IMF, the EU, and the U.S.) occurred before Hunter took the job. Slight correction, all of the foregoing did happen, but only in the rightarded blabbosphere resonating with Trump-Giuliani propaganda to distract from the Dear Leader's extortion and abuse of power.

So, your premises are all not of this world, and your conclusions therefore cannot but be lost in the vast underbrush of lies, distortions, willful misrepresentations and malicious propaganda that constitute the alt-right disinformation ecosystem. It's saddening to watch, particularly so as the issue of money in politics certainly needs to be tackled, seriously, based on a solid foundation of facts. "Nepotism" is but one section thereof, and not a particularly important one.

 

[sparky]

That's one the founders missed.

~S~

 

[flacaltenn]

There should be Ethics reform in Congress...

Not a chance in Hell.

It's worse than not having a prayer of ethics REFORM,,, --- what's on the books for "ethics violations" has more holes in it than the moon has craters... And people just shrug their heads and wonder why no one ever gets punished..

I guess that's because before the 100+ year reign of the same parties, it was just clearly WRONG and apparent to the Congress and the voters what was unethical.. But in the past century, the 2 parties have "defined down" what they can get away with..

Just like the discussions on USMB where aggregious violations of ethics can be absolved just by pointing out that "the other party did it first" or "the other party did it worse"..

We're now at the point where BOTH aging, inept and corrrupt parties are SO ethically compromised, that there are NO LIMITS to the scams they can walk on... Unfortunately, we need humble honest public servants to fix this. OR -- eventually, they will assume the power to meddle and exploit every aspect of the power they THINK they have...

 

[flacaltenn]

flacaltenn We have the government that we deserve, corruption and all because approximately HALF the country supports it. Lying, stealing, corruption and self-enrichment is NO PROBLEM for half the country as long as there is a "D" by their name. Hillary set up a private server on which to conduct official state business in order to avoid oversight by the people and half the country had NO PROBLEM with it.

I don't know if you believe in Jesus, but he said that this world belongs to Satan. He was right, of course. Don't expect to ever see significant improvement. In fact, you can safely expect that it's going to get worse.

Absolutely.. The forensics of crime here is simple as you just laid out.. I'll just say that it takes TWO parties to compromise each other so badly that they BOTH get away with gross abuse of their office and power.. If you can show that "the other" did it -- you're off scot free.. We all know where that leads without RESTRAINING their power to give favors, and punishment...

 

[flacaltenn]

That's one the founders missed.

~S~

Jefferson just couldn't imagine the SAME two monopolizing political parties opposing each other so long, that NEITHER SIDE could commit crimes that hadn't been already done by the other...

BUT -- the Founders DID WARN US about "two parties in opposition"... And there are a lot of "time capsule" warnings to that effect... I've posted these several times.. I'm on a mission to promote Indepedents to declare and run.. Independents with more than adequate name recognition.. In fact, not MANY Dem/Rep Congress critters are happy being muzzled and chained by the party leadership...

There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.
JOHN ADAMS, letter to Jonathan Jackson, October 2, 1789

However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

Party leads to vicious, corrupt and unprofitable legislation, for the sole purpose of defeating party.
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER, The American Democrat

The bosses of the Democratic party and the bosses of the Republican party alike have a closer grip than ever before on the party machines in the States and in the Nation. This crooked control of both the old parties by the beneficiaries of political and business privilege renders it hopeless to expect any far-reaching and fundamental service from either.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, The Outlook, July 27, 1912






To paraphrase James the lizard Carville --- "It's the PARTIES stupid"....

 

[flacaltenn]

We've allowed the 2 Brand Name to feather their nest on Capitol hill and foul our government... I cringe every time the issue of "campaign finance reform" comes up because frankly folks -- We don't have a money problem.. We have a problem of too much Congressional power to legally rack in bucks in exchange for favors..

This recent "scandal" about Biden using his office and power to have a prosecutor fired in the Ukraine that was coming too close the nepotic job his son magically acquired, and BRAGGING about it is a good example.. But I'm not here to pick on INDIVIDUAL legislators.. The whole concept of nepotism in the Fed Govt needs review...

Naw, we don't have a money problem. Just a bunch of plutocrats owning the shop, and doing with it as they please.

And no, Joe did nothing for Hunter to get that job at Burisma, and no, Shokin was not investigating Burisma, and no, the oh-so-very vast, expansive power vested in the Vice-Presidency would not compel anyone outside the U.S. to lift a single finger, and no, Hunter's job was never the target of whatever investigation there was in Ukraine - the corruption investigated (for instance by the Britons and decried by the IMF, the EU, and the U.S.) occurred before Hunter took the job. Slight correction, all of the foregoing did happen, but only in the rightarded blabbosphere resonating with Trump-Giuliani propaganda to distract from the Dear Leader's extortion and abuse of power.

So, your premises are all not of this world, and your conclusions therefore cannot but be lost in the vast underbrush of lies, distortions, willful misrepresentations and malicious propaganda that constitute the alt-right disinformation ecosystem. It's saddening to watch, particularly so as the issue of money in politics certainly needs to be tackled, seriously, based on a solid foundation of facts. "Nepotism" is but one section thereof, and not a particularly important one.

And there it is.. If it Trump and one of his sons -- you'd be doing a whole Broadway drama on it.. IT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO... Because you have Daffy Joe BRAGGING at a CFR meeting on video about giving the Ukraine "six hours to fire the prosecutor looking into Burisma" while his son was sitting on the board.. American people WANT that kind of transparency.. And I can't imagine why Biden would be threatening them on a six hour deadline with withholding aid.. And then having the CFR chuckle about him getting it done..

You also have 3 Senators writing a similar blackmail letter about aid to Ukraine if they did NOT CONTINUE to cooperate with the Mueller investigation..

This is power individual Congress critter ought not HAVE !!! Wouldn't you agree?

 

[K9Buck]

IF someone dropped a 1 megaton nuke on D.C., they'd be doing us a favor as long as they stopped after that.

 

[flacaltenn]

IF someone dropped a 1 megaton nuke on D.C., they'd be doing us a favor as long as they stopped after that.

I think doing a couple aerial drops of that Israeli riot control "skunk juice" might move some of the critters out of their nest...

 

[Damaged Eagle]

IF someone dropped a 1 megaton nuke on D.C., they'd be doing us a favor as long as they stopped after that.

I think doing a couple aerial drops of that Israeli riot control "skunk juice" might move some of the critters out of their nest...

But the nest already smells like a...

*****CHUCKLE*****





Unfortunately I don't see Washington DC changing it's ways anytime soon.

 

[flacaltenn]

IF someone dropped a 1 megaton nuke on D.C., they'd be doing us a favor as long as they stopped after that.

I think doing a couple aerial drops of that Israeli riot control "skunk juice" might move some of the critters out of their nest...

But the nest already smells like a...

*****CHUCKLE*****





Unfortunately I don't see Washington DC changing it's ways anytime soon.

That's totally up to America's voters. Eventually the fact that most of Congress is compromised by scandalous practices that are NOT NOW illegal --- will be apparent to even the 2 digit IQ demographic...

THEY have to break the destructive habit of REWARDING these aging, corrupt parties for doing virtually NOTHING that they are supposed to be doing ---. And spending almost their entire terms shuffling and scheming to retain their power....

 

[Coyote]

flacaltenn We have the government that we deserve, corruption and all because approximately HALF the country supports it. Lying, stealing, corruption and self-enrichment is NO PROBLEM for half the country as long as there is a "D" by their name. Hillary set up a private server on which to conduct official state business in order to avoid oversight by the people and half the country had NO PROBLEM with it.

I don't know if you believe in Jesus, but he said that this world belongs to Satan. He was right, of course. Don't expect to ever see significant improvement. In fact, you can safely expect that it's going to get worse.

Oh right ... just the D’s huh?

 

[Dogmaphobe]

We've allowed the 2 Brand Name to feather their nest on Capitol hill and foul our government... I cringe every time the issue of "campaign finance reform" comes up because frankly folks -- We don't have a money problem.. We have a problem of too much Congressional power to legally rack in bucks in exchange for favors..

This recent "scandal" about Biden using his office and power to have a prosecutor fired in the Ukraine that was coming too close the nepotic job his son magically acquired, and BRAGGING about it is a good example.. But I'm not here to pick on INDIVIDUAL legislators.. The whole concept of nepotism in the Fed Govt needs review...

Naw, we don't have a money problem. Just a bunch of plutocrats owning the shop, and doing with it as they please.

And no, Joe did nothing for Hunter to get that job at Burisma, and no, Shokin was not investigating Burisma, and no, the oh-so-very vast, expansive power vested in the Vice-Presidency would not compel anyone outside the U.S. to lift a single finger, and no, Hunter's job was never the target of whatever investigation there was in Ukraine - the corruption investigated (for instance by the Britons and decried by the IMF, the EU, and the U.S.) occurred before Hunter took the job. Slight correction, all of the foregoing did happen, but only in the rightarded blabbosphere resonating with Trump-Giuliani propaganda to distract from the Dear Leader's extortion and abuse of power.

So, your premises are all not of this world, and your conclusions therefore cannot but be lost in the vast underbrush of lies, distortions, willful misrepresentations and malicious propaganda that constitute the alt-right disinformation ecosystem. It's saddening to watch, particularly so as the issue of money in politics certainly needs to be tackled, seriously, based on a solid foundation of facts. "Nepotism" is but one section thereof, and not a particularly important one.

So, a fellow with absolutely no relevant skill and absolutely no applicable talent gets a kushy, extraordinarily high paying job for a company in the Ukraine while his daddy is heavily involved in the affairs of that country, and you think it was just a coincidence or something?

For the life of me, I cannot imagine having a mind so insufferably dull and lacking even a scant trace of inquisitiveness to the point I would arrive at the same glib conclusion as you. It's not that you are simply denying that where there is smoke, there could be any fire, but denying there could be any fire when you are choking on the smoke, you can see a bright orange glow through the stuff and you can feel the heat as you get closer to the glow.

Good grief, son, do you think large companies hand out these lucrative contracts to complete nothings for no reason? He could not possibly help them run their business because he was no more qualified than you are. The ONLY possible reason is one of influence.