Joan Ganz Cooney | 06/08/2009 11:00 pm

Joan Ganz Cooney: Not Since Spiro Agnew

In response to: Expense abuses have run amok in British Parliament. Is the corruption of power inevitably a human condition?

We haven’t had the kind of scandal that Britain is having in the modern era and I’m not sure we have ever had one that is so widespread as the one in England. Therefore, I can’t conclude that corruption among politicians is somehow inevitable. I think probably the abuse of power is very widespread among politicians and maybe among most who acquire a lot of power. However, the kind of corruption to do with money that we see in other countries is not as usual here. I don’t recall a really bad money scandal at the federal level since Spiro Agnew got caught taking bribes.

Read more about: Politics, Scandal, Spiro Agnew

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Just wait, Joan…President Obama has said, "at least there hasn’t been any scandels over the spending…yet. Knock on wood."

By laureen f on 06/09/2009 6:42 am

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This administration declares "transparency." However, politicians are politicians which was clearly demonstrated with the leaked memos on enhanced interrogation methods. It backfired and will now be gently swept under the nearest oriental carpet as full disclosure will, no doubt, cast an unfavorable light on some of the democrats in the White House. So, to me, I prefer to call it "Selective Transparency."

Our new administration is sure to reveal a scandal or two before 2012…as is always the case in big government.

By deber B on 06/09/2009 7:50 am

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Bush admin. no bid contracts, especially KBR, report will be out tomorrow

By Dee Toma on 06/09/2009 10:57 am

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Think Clinton administration….1998 to 2000.

By deber B on 06/09/2009 12:58 pm

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How about THIS little ditty re: lack of ethics, corruptive-motivated spending of our tax dollars, and grandstanding by the perps so as to ’cover up’ their very own involvement in excessive spending that put us in the position we are in today? READ on…..

How have foreign companies decimated our auto industry? By producing a better product at an affordable price that folks actually want to buy. I agree, it also helps to be the beneficiary of corporate welfare. When will the media expose Richard Shelby’s ties to foreign car manufacturers in Alabama?

By John Amato Friday Dec 05, 2008 11:00am

The Republican Senator from Alabama has been getting a lot of airtime lately because of the problems in the auto world, but here’s a letter from Peter Karmanos, Jr., chairman and CEO of Compuware Corporation, to U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., a critic of bridge loans for American automakers, that gives us a little history on his political motives for why he’d like to see them all go under.

I trust it is safe to say that when you refer to "government subsidies," you are referring to subsidies provided by both federal and state governments. And if this is in fact true, then I am sure you were adamantly against the State of Alabama offering lucrative incentives (in essence, subsidies) to Mercedes Benz in the early 1990s to lure the German automobile manufacturer to the State. As it turned out, Alabama offered a stunning $253 million incentive package to Mercedes. Additionally, the state also offered to train the workers, clear and improve the site, upgrade utilities, and buy 2,500 Mercedes Benz vehicles.

Karmanos points out the following hypocrisy of Shelby’s grandstanding;

Alabama offered $253 million incentive package to Mercedes Benz

Alabama offered to train the workers, clear and improve the site and upgrade utilities

Alabama agreed to purchase 2,500 Mercedes Benz vehicles

Alabama gave Mercedes Benz a piece of land worth between $250-300 million.

This was all done in the early 1990’s while Shelby was a US Senator from Alabama (since 1987).

All told, it is estimated that the incentive package totaled anywhere from $153,000 to $220,000 per created job. On top of all this, the state gave the foreign automaker a large parcel of land worth between $250 and $300 million, which was coincidentally how much the company expected to invest in building the plant...read on

The loudest voices against the auto loan: Senator Toyota (a/k/a Dick Shelby), and Senator Nissan (a/k/a Bob Corker) represent the some of the biggest recipients of Federal Pork Barrel spending in the United States. Since 1981 Michigan has sent nearly $200 Billion more in Federal Taxes to Washington D.C. than it gets back; during that time Alabama and Tennessee have won the federal tax lottery to the tune of $166 Billion and $96 Billion respectively. That’s money is Federal welfare for their states, and Michigan has been a big contributor to that payout. What have Alabama and Tennessee done with Michigan’s tax contributions? They have subsidized the operations of foreign automakers (through tax incentives) giving them a competitive advantage over our home grown enterprises. These two Senators should be hiding in the corner worried that someone is going to pull the covers off of their duplicitous and hypocritical behavior.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8678346/Senator-Toyota-and-Senator-Nissan

By Patty E on 06/11/2009 4:48 pm