The Culture of Corruption Continues
Democrats spent a lot of time complaining about the “Culture of Corruption” during the 2006 election and made plenty of promises to clean up Congress if they won. So I am sure that we won’t have to wait long for them to do something about this:
SEN. Dianne Feinstein has resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee. As previously and extensively reviewed in these pages, Feinstein was chairperson and ranking member of MILCON for six years, during which time she had a conflict of interest due to her husband Richard C. Blum’s ownership of two major defense contractors, who were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein.As MILCON leader, Feinstein relished the details of military construction, even micromanaging one project at the level of its sewer design. She regularly took junkets to military bases around the world to inspect construction projects, some of which were contracted to her husband’s companies, Perini Corp. and URS Corp. …
As of December 2006, according to SEC filings and www.fedspending.org, three corporations in which Blum’s financial entities own a total of $1 billion in stock won considerable favor from the budgets of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs:
* Boston Scientific Corporation: $17.8 million for medical equipment and supplies; 85 percent of contracts awarded without benefit of competition.
* Kinetic Concepts Inc.: $12 million, medical equipment and supplies; 28 percent non-competitively awarded.
* CB Richard Ellis: The Blum-controlled international real estate firm holds congressionally funded contracts to lease office space to the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also is involved in redeveloping military bases turned over to the private sector.
Of course, they won’t do anything about this because the mainstream media won’t hold their feet to the fire like they would if Feinstein were a Republican. For an example of this hypocrisy, just look at how the media breathlessly covers the Bush Administration’s legal firing of a few prosecutors and compare that coverage to the Feinstein story.
Archived in: 2006 Election, Congress, Democrats, MilitaryMarch 29, 2007 at 12:46 pm | Trackback
7 comments
The financial gain is bad enough, but the revelations by Salon about the deficient med care for vets is much worse. MILCON should have known about it. Feinstein’s interests should be investigated, but the corruption and rot goes so deep I don’t expect to see it.
We can grow really weary, and even fatalistic, about the disgraceful attitudes of the Democrat Party Press in their defense by omission of Dem wrongdoing, but this situation should lower Congress’ approval ratings from the current 28% to about zero.
Even Clinton factotum, Chris Matthews, might take a break from his hysterics about the firings to take notice. But I doubt it.
Yes, Ma’am, thank you, Ma’am.
I am outraged at this as a military parent. The sons and daughters who left our own New England as elsewhere arrived in that desert with honor these “ethics” committees can’t touch. When we couldn’t sleep at night as parents at least other parents who understood were near, at their keyboards too, but nothing mattered cause ‘the kids’ were doing the right, the honorable thing. My son is home now, but we wait for all of them still, with that forever chest-deep pride, knowing they’ll be home when the job is done. Feinstein and all the rest of them stand before us parents, and we know patriotism when we see it. I just never want to be expected to accept their “patriotism” ever again.
Yes, Ma’am. Thank you, Ma’am.
Helen:
I resolved forty years ago, as Woodie (a true hero) might have done, that I was on my own after I returned. The VA was useless, the DoD was indifferent, the culture was racing away from and ignoring the war in ways that mattered, and dwelling upon it in ways that didn’t.
The range of possible roles to play were all unappealing, because peacetime has only ritualistic purposes for veterans, and only a few want to define themselves in some lurid way in order to be understood. Kerry capitalized on this conundrum, and so have lots of boasters on our side. Veterans are used to just walking away.
Still, Korean vets had it worse, and the carnage commencing in August, 1914 was unimaginable. We have only the poetry from the trenches and the prose of the Lost Generation to remind us, and who reads it anymore? No one knows how complicated it can be.
With what you know, you can understand the difference between what you feel for your son (and all the other sons), and that other kind of “support”, which is just a variety of pity.
Pity is a meringue, it’s quickly exhausted and shallowed by daily life and politics; it’s what Feinstein, and people like Murtha mistake in themselves for adult, serious, hard, and mature understanding of the entire drama of sacrifice and devotion that characterizes the man and woman at war….no matter what we think of the war. They just want the discomfort to stop.
I’m not surprised Feinstein failed to engage on the Salon article, two years before the story broke, or that she and her husband appears to have benefited from her postion. But she isn’t the one we can reference for your sons and mine, and all the others, for the understanding we have of what they do and who they are. That comes from us. Thank you and Semper Fi.
Rhod & Helen, When I went to the VA in 1969, I was a wreck. I fought with everybody, and should have bought stock in a booze company. The VA said they couldn’t/wouldn’t do anything for me. PTSD wasn’t recognized as any problem; the other stuff they said the Army put on enough bandaids, so goodbye.
Enough, I’m no hero, more the opposite. I did what I did and I don’t know how. Truthfully, I have to resist the temptation to go for a walk in the woods and take a dirt nap. The shrink at the VA now keeps me from doing that, she can sense from a phone call what is happening.
Both of you, I’m proud of your kids’ service in these trying times. Tell them for me.
PS. Today they are on PTSD fast and the Army/Marines recognize it for what it is.
They used to tell you to ruck up and suck it up.
If PTSD is left alone to work on someone it will eat you up. One blames oneself for the weakness perceived and anesthesia from the bottle is the medication of choice.
Green star cluster, VW. Unopposed and home for the night.
VW and Rhod, “Thank You”….and I know all the Mums in my group feel the same way I do.