Murtha Does to Pentagon What Congress Should Do to Bush: Cuts Funding
Posted in H.L. News, Main Blog (All Posts) on July 27th, 2007 9:08 am by HL
Murtha says Rumsfeld appointees frustrate oversight, cuts Pentagon agency budget
Raw Story
Excerpt:
Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) halved the budget of a Pentagon liaison office to the Congress in retaliation for what he sees as Defense Department foot-dragging on Congressional oversight. The Congressman’s staff suggested leftovers from the tenure of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld were at fault for the lapses in cooperation with Congress.
The Office of Legislative Affairs, which serves as a go-between for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Capitol Hill, is slated to lose $1.9 million.
“Mr. Murtha said that they have failed to answer Congressional questions in a timely matter,” Matthew Mazonkey, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Democrat, said. The congressman chairs the powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
HLs Take
This is the way it should be done. Murtha is pissed off at the Pentagon for dragging it’s feet and not doing what they are supposed to be doing, so he hits them where it hurts, in the wallet.
Now Congress should take a lesson and do the same thing to Bush. Cut Iraq War funding.
July 28th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Hurray for Murtah! I remember another time when the military-congress- industrial complex was going to be cut. In the early nineties congress was going to substanilly cut the military budget because of the fall of the Soviet Union. Then shazam! Suddam invades Kuwait. What perfect timing: the military-congress-industrail complex votes an increase! The rest is history- followed by a totally contrived madeup war by Bush and his cronies who are getting rich at the taxpayers expense: the admiral who retires and is made CEO of a ship building corporation. The general who retires and is put on the board of an arms producer. The congressman’s son that is a lobbyist for a military supplier providing the hundred dollar hammer and the thousand dollar toilet (Not to mention the billion dollar plane). Cut spending not only on a useless contrived war- cut the Department of Defense down to size.
July 29th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
The US needs more Murtha’s that are willing to do their job. It’s quite sickening that the US Congress has become the rubber stamp of the Pentagon and special private interests. 60 Minutes tonight had a good piece about blatant corruption or conflict of interests between the US Congress (with aides) and the pharmaceutical industry. It’s nothing too revealing but it confirms the corruption and duplicity of politicians in DC.
July 30th, 2007 at 6:12 am
Friendly: Great point about the pharmaceuticals. Our government has set up regualting agencies like the FDA, supposedly to help us, when those very agencies set up monopolies to the great detriment of the people. Just look at the riduclous prices we pay for drugs and one begins to see MONOPOLY. The regulators are all controlled by the industries they are suppose to regulate.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:06 am
In the end, I blame Americans because they have not kept a watch on Congress. I don’t know the figures but in most elections, about 15-40% of registered voters show up to vote. What happens to the rest, who knows. Why would you register if you’re not going to vote? Of the registered voters, my guess is that represents less than 25% of the population. Yet, Congress’ actions affect every US citizen and resident.
Either people don’t care, are incompetent, or trust Congress. They in turn hurt the US the most because they don’t get involved, turn a blind eye to the administration of the US and enable the corruption that exists in DC. The politicians know it and act knowing that there’s a slim chance that they’ll get caught.
July 30th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
I think voters have stupidly fallen for the PR spin of all these massive corporations and industries. The corporations and their sickly brilliant lobbyists have managed to convince the masses that what’s bad for them is good and what’s good for them is bad.
July 30th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I would like to see “none of the above” listed as a voting option. It would be interesting to see what percentage none of the above would get. We go vote and hold our noses. Many do not vote because they see no real options.
Having an educated electorate is hard when our news is on a fifth grade level. Public education likewise levels off at fifth grade. I was extremely upset when I got to college and realized the things taught at college were pretty much the same as in grade school.
Corporations (including the media) gain much control through an uninformed electorate.
July 30th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Congress talks about campaign and election reform but always finds a way to avoid it. Until special interests are banned from “donating” money, things won’t change. All campaigns should be publicly funded.
July 31st, 2007 at 6:14 pm
LA: I agree LA, whenever a congressperson talks about “reform, change, or getting things done” it usually means even more power and money for them.
What about the paybacks after the election? There are many ways around “finacing” an election. It would take a police state to stop it. As long as our government takes so much of our money the system will never change. Someone in D.C. and on the corporate level always gets a cut.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:13 pm
HL you want to pump John Murtha (D-PA) up well you might want to think about that again.
The Los Angeles Times revealed on June 14, 2005 that Murtha, as the top Democrat on House Defense Appropriations, has been funneling tens of millions of taxpayer dollars into KSA Consulting, the lobbying company of his brother, Kit Murtha, and KSA clients.
Last year, Murtha strongarmed the Navy into transferring the Hunters Point Shipyard to the city of San Francisco, which had a contract with a company called Lennar, Inc. to “redevelop” the 500-acre site bringing millions in profits to Lennar. The Senior Vice-President of Lennar is Laurence Pelosi, Democrat House Leader Nancy Pelosi’s stepson.
Murtha inserted several “earmarks” (specifically designated appropriations) into various defence bills giving millions of federal research dollars to companies owned by the children of Democrat Congressman Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania’s 11th district adjoining Murtha’s 12th.
That is just like Murtha and Pelosi. didn’t say a thing.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:32 am
Conservative: Follow the (our) money.
August 4th, 2007 at 2:16 am
I’ve got a septic tank available and we could dunk those Democrats and Republicans Mr Left Coast Conservative. Would you be able to handle either political party for the spectacle? I’m not happy with either political party because they both abuse their power. That’s why I believe that we are not enemies, the enemies are in Washington DC.