Whence Abramoff?

Opinion Journal ^ | 1/27/2006 | Daniel Henninger

[groanup]

Whence Abramoff?

The Spend and Collect Beltway Party really knows Jack.

BY DANIEL HENNINGER

Friday, January 27, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST

Jack Abramoff. Jack Abramoff. Jack Abramoff. Once the hunt's on, some names sound to the scandal born. Tongsun Park, Charles Keating, Elizabeth Ray, Fannie Fox, Susan McDougal. Now comes Jack, the central figure in what Beltway Democrats are trying to build into a bonfire that will burn down Republican control of Congress. Every time someone tells Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid that he, too, took money from Jack's clients, he starts jumping up and down like Rumpelstiltskin yelling, "This is a Republican scandal!" Harry Reid, Harry Reid. One could get used to that.

Poll after poll says the public thinks both parties are equally corrupt. It depends, of course, on what the meaning of corruption is. If by corrupt you mean lobbyist sleaze, quid pro quo, the pork barrel, earmarks to nowhere and grossing out even the public's generally low expectations, then yes, both parties are equally corrupt.

But it gets worse. Congress legislated the system that now exists. Congress planted the seeds back in the '70s for what is revolting you now with two enactments--the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. Both were marketed as reforms.

The first law turned political Washington into a trillion-dollar industry camouflaged as the federal budget. The second ensured that sitting members of Congress and K Street lobbyists would become the entrenched management of that industry. Compared to this, Enron is a kindergarten game.

[groanup]

ping

Reform NOW!!

[Moderate right-winger]

I really think his sentence was way too lenient(9 1/2) years..in just a decade, he could begin defrauding people again...I think 30 years is reasonable.. And his assets= they should all be expropriated and put to productive use..

[Graymatter]

Ever wonder why they call it 'whence' and not 'wherce?'

[ancient_geezer]

With the largest contigent of Guchi Gulch sitting squarely on the income tax, a good place to start is with a total replacement of the tax system to assure visibility of the shennanigans going on.

A Taxreform bump for you all.

If anyone would like to be added to this ping list let me know.

John Linder in the House(HR25) & Saxby Chambliss Senate(S25) offer a comprehensive bill to kill all income and SS/Medicare payroll taxes outright and replace them with with a national retail sales tax administered by the states.

H.R.25,S.25
A bill to promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national retail sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.

Refer for additional information:

• search: "national sales tax" OR "national retail sales tax" OR "fairtax"

[Liz]

Every time someone tells Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid that he, too, took money from Jack Abramoff's clients, he starts jumping up and down like Rumpelstiltskin yelling, "This is a Republican scandal!"

ping

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Ever wonder why they call it 'whence' and not 'wherce?'

I am glad you mentioned that. I had begun to worry about myself because I think about that all the time. :-)

[cgbg]

This is an excellent commentary that explains why the Justice Department needs to use the Abramoff emails and testimony to prosecute and throw both Republican and Democratic leaders in jail to "set an example".

Fear of prosecution is the quickest way to motivate the unindicted Congress-critters of both parties to eliminate earmarks and restore the line-item veto.

[Man50D]

With the largest contigent of Guchi Gulch sitting squarely on the income tax, a good place to start is with a total replacement of the tax system to assure visibility of the shennanigans going on.

Exactly. Replacing the current tax code with the Fair Tax eliminates all the loopholes and provisions created to appease the lobbyists and their clients.

[pigdog]

Oh so correctamundo my friend!!

[tfecw]

Very interesting article!

[groanup]

bump

[flattorney]

I really think his sentence was way too lenient(9 1/2) years..in just a decade, he could begin defrauding people again...I think 30 years is reasonable..

>>>I think 30 years is reasonable

Yes, 30 years is a good number. Then a 1 year deduction off his sentence for every Congress member and corrupted Indian member Jack can drag down. Jack would end up with zero prison time, and be doing this Country a great favor.

>>>he could begin defrauding people again

What are you talking about? It was Abramoff GROUP and over HALF of Congress. Jack had a total of 54 lawyer/lobbyists working for him, over the years, many now under DOJ criminal investigation, including solid Democrats. The Federal lobbyist system and Congress is corrupt and that is what allowed Abramoff and his Group to get greedy and commit criminal fraud, with a LOT of help from Congress and his clients.

Does anyone think that with Abramoff and some of his buddies out of the way, that anything has changed on lobbyist and Congress corruption. The answer is NO. The top corrupt Indian tribes, that Abramoff Group represented, found other lobbyists, or are still using ex-Abramoff Group lobbyists that now work for other law firms and groups, to continue their Congressional kickback schemes to dominate the Indian casino gambling business, and financially damage other tribes.

Posted by TAB

[groanup]

bump

[groanup]

The Federal lobbyist system and Congress is corrupt and that is what allowed Abramoff and his Group to get greedy and commit criminal fraud, with a LOT of help from Congress and his clients.

You are absolutely correct. What I want to know is, could any of this be viable without our income tax code?

[okie01]

What I want to know is, could any of this be viable without our income tax code?

Of course.

There are three avenues for corruption:

1. Election funding

2. Tax & Regulatory Policy

3. Spending policy

Substitute the fair tax or the flat tax for our current tax system and you still have ample opportunity for corruption.

[pigdog]

But the number 2 (tax & regulatory) will be lessened considerably ... and that would be a great improvement.

[okie01]

But the number 2 (tax & regulatory) will be lessened considerably ... and that would be a great improvement.

Lessened "somewhat" might be more accurate.

Wherever there are trillions of dollars being collected, by whatever device, there is bound to be corruption.

The only way to significantly reduce corruption in the federal government is to make it significantly smaller.

[pigdog]

I believe the FairATax will lessen the tax/regulatory corruption considerably, not "somewhat". Presently there is an extreme amount of corrup[tion in that millions of people evade paying tax that will be "contributing" tax revenue under the FairTax.

[okie01]

Presently there is an extreme amount of corrup[tion in that millions of people evade paying tax that will be "contributing" tax revenue under the FairTax.

You are correct, in that the Fair Tax would eliminate a lot of tax cheating. But I am referring to the corruption within the Beltway.