Congress, How It Works
The Discovery channel started a new show aimed at teaching how it is that things like hockey sticks, get made. In the wee hours of the morning, shows like this play in between the infomercials that try and sell you weight loss pills and how to get rich selling real estate with no money down. Congress, in many ways, resembles this mix of hucksterism and process, with the occasional tabloid drama thrown in.
This week in particular we have the tale of two congresscritters to think about. One congresscritter, now known for stashing $90,000 in his freezer, carefully wrapped in aluminium foil, is facing a 16 count indictment. U.S. Rep. William Jefferson-LA is pleading not guilty, but the FBI has charged him with taking bribes totaling more than $500,000.
The other congresscritter is now known for funding a bridge in Alaska at the cost of $200 million that would serve only 80 residents of a small island. But that reputation will soon be displaced, or perhaps more aptly amplified by his latest transgression. U.S. Rep.Don Young-AK has tacked on to a wholly unrelated bill, a $10 million earmark to build a road in Florida.
The residents and and fellow Republican congressmen didn’t request the money for the road. In fact, according to the NYT, the county voted to twice reject the the money for the road. Which apparently prompted the requester to make a big deal about it, which in turn led to the dots being connected back to a $40,000 campaign contributor. From the NYT:
The Coconut Road money is a boon, however, to Daniel J. Aronoff, a real estate developer who helped raise $40,000 for Mr. Young at the nearby Hyatt Coconut Point hotel days before he introduced the measure.
Mr. Aronoff owns as much as 4,000 acres along Coconut Road. The $10 million in federal money would pay for the first steps to connect the road to Interstate 75, multiplying the value of Mr. Aronoff’s land.
A former aide to Rep. Young, Mark Zachares, has already pleaded guilty to bribery charges involving the lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
This is why bills that congress passes are pages upon pages of unrelated items, often earmarks that are in reality “favors” to the few who pay to play. This practice has got to stop.
source: New York Times: Campaign Funds for Alaskan; Road Aid to Florida, By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, June 7, 2007
