FReep mail me if you want on/off the list.
Posted on 10/09/2009 3:22:35 PM PDT by RBW in PA
Dear Mr. XXX:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). I appreciate hearing from all Pennsylvanians about the issues that matter most to them.
ACORN is a network of community organizations dedicated to reducing poverty and empowering low-income people through direct action, negotiation and voter participation. In September 2009, a pair of amateur filmmakers released startling videos in which ACORN employees, unaware that they were being taped, appeared to encourage tax evasion and other illegal activities. The conduct in these videos is disturbing, and I believe the alleged actions of ACORN employees are inexcusable and should be investigated thoroughly by the proper authorities.
On September 23, 2009, I wrote to the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and requested that he conduct a comprehensive review of the reported allegations. I also asked that the HUD Inspector General investigate whether any taxpayer dollars were either directly or indirectly used to carry out illegal activities. Transparency demands that any potential abuse of federal funding should be thoroughly reviewed and, if warranted, reported to the public.
Before any charges were filed or an investigation into ACORN could be completed, an amendment was introduced to the Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act that would bar ACORN from receiving any funds under the Act. As I reviewed the amendment, I considered the potential implications of Congress singling out a large organization for the misdeeds of a few of its employees. On September 14, 2009, I voted against this amendment, on the grounds that premature and unilateral targeting by Congress of an entire organization for the disturbing actions of a few employees is unreasonable and could set a dangerous precedent. However, the amendment was agreed to in the Senate. A similar amendment barring funding for ACORN was also introduced in regards to the Fiscal Year 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations Act. While I voted against this amendment, it passed the Senate, despite a lack of evidence that ACORN was eligible for any funds made available in the spending bill.
I believe the best way to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and in accordance with the law is to first get the facts straight, by allowing all investigations into the conduct and funding of ACORN to be completed. Given the seriousness of the allegations against ACORN, I have asked Secretary Donovan to undertake his review of ACORN expeditiously.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you.
If you have access to the Internet, I encourage you to visit my web site, http://casey.senate.gov. I invite you to use this online office as a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.
Sincerely, Bob Casey United States Senator
Received the same reply today.
Allow me to translate: Screw you and the horse you rode in on. I am going to vote the way my Democratic Overlords tell me to vote, no matter what you peon voters think. Also, I can see where, down the road, ACORN might come in handy for me if I am in a tight race and need some extra votes. So I don’t want to do anything to alienate ACORN. Their opinion matters to me more than yours does. Thank you for your support.
I guessing the Senator is from PA and what party is he with?
Great translation: you have diligently studied politically correct idiots in Washington....thank you for your fine work....:O) hats off to you......
I will give Senator Casey the facts. ACORN is a racist organisation organised to promote entitlements.
If a white ACORN were formed Senator Casey would be one of the first to condemn it.
I wonder if Senator Casey would feel the same if he were a mortgage lender who had Acorn thugs camping in his front yard? That's the kind of "direct action" that Acorn is in favor of -- Physical & mental intimidation. But then Little Casey isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and neither was his late father -- though he was a decent fellow.
“”ACORN is a network of community organizations dedicated to reducing poverty””
And we can look at any democrat controlled city and see the great results!
I’m not sure if Casey knows what party he belongs to. This guy makes Kerry looks like Ted Nugent as far as personality goes. I’m ashamed to be from PA with such a dim bulb repping us.
FReep mail me if you want on/off the list.
Good translation ;-)
I phoned his office when it happened, and the person answering argued with me, basically telling me that ACORN does a lot of good work for those less fortunate, and that the actions of a few shouldn’t shade my opinion.
Bobby Casey is so far up B. Hussein’s rectum that whatever judgement he may have had before becoming Senator is long gone. I’m sure his father is looking down on him and is not pleased...
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