Brownsville Tea Party Association

Archive for the ‘Corruption’ Category

Newton Leroy Gingrich wants your vote. Unfortunately for him, he has to lug around baggage he’d really like us to forget.  Well maybe we will, but not just yet.
 
Bag 1
Freddie Mac is one of the wildly corrupt government-subsidized lenders responsible for igniting our current economic woes.  In 2004, President Bush correctly diagnosed its problem as a serious lack of oversight, and tried to pass some reforms.  The Democrats in Congress blocked it (naturally). In 2006, John McCain warned of the impending economic apocalypse, while the Republican Congress was picking up where Bush left off, trying to get FM under control. And what was Newt doing?  Newt was working as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac, to the tune of $300,000.  He also was quoted as saying that FM was a “solid business model.”
 
Bag 2
In the 1990s, Newt led the fight to stop HillaryCare.  But in 2005, he started cozying up to its author, dedicated socialist and national disgrace Hillary Clinton, the most corrupt first lady in our nation’s history. He appeared with her at a press conference that year in support of-are you ready for this-healthcare legislation!
The New York Times later had this to say:
“ . . . Mr. Gingrich has been talking up Mrs. Clinton’s presidential prospects in 2008, to the chagrin of conservative loyalists who once regarded him as a heroic figure (emphasis mine). Last month, he even suggested she might capture the presidency, saying ‘any Republican who thinks she’s going to be easy to beat has a total amnesia about the history of the Clintons.’”  (On occasion, the New York Times accurately reports the news.)
 
“But he’s so smart!” Are you sure? It gets worse.
 
Bag 3
In this link, you can watch the commercial he made with another dedicated socialist, Nancy Pelosi, who actively promotes environmentalism for no reason whatsoever except to spread Marxism. When I saw this on television, my jaw dropped to the floor! Note at the bottom of the ad a line appears that says, “Paid for by the Alliance for Climate Protection.”  “What is the Alliance for Climate Protection?” you ask?  It’s an organization “committed to educating the global community about the urgency of implementing comprehensive solutions to the climate crisis” and it was started by another dedicated Marxist, the climate-fraud-pedaling, mentally unbalanced Al Gore.  The president and CEO for the Alliance for Climate Protection is professional leftist Maggie Fox, who is the past national president of America Votes, another Marxist organization that promotes socialism through election fraud.  Not smart, Newt.
 
Bag 4
Newt suffers from what is sometimes called “wandering eye.”  Others call it, “lusting after women you aren’t married to.”  He currently is on his third marriage.  I suspect the only reason he bothered to marry again was to create a more palatable candidacy, and to shield himself from the questions that would surely come.
 
At age 19, Newt married his first wife Jackie Battley, his high school geometry teacher.  (She was 26.) While married to Jackie, he hooked up with Marrianne Ginther, divorced Jackie & married Marrianne.  While married to Marrianne, he took up with House staffer Calista Bisek, 26 years his junior, and divorced Marianne to marry Calista.  Their affair went on during the Lewinsky scandal, as Newt led the investigation of Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice on account of his philandering. Nice.
 
Newt explains his chronic cheating by saying he worked too hard. Maybe a good night’s sleep would have been better. I guess the reason most of us don’t cheat on our spouses is because we don’t work very hard.  Of his presidential bid, he has said, “. . . the American people will have to decide whether that’s [his moral lapses] their primary concern. If the primary concern of the American people is my past, my candidacy would be irrelevant.”  Given the fact that past actions are good indicators of future actions, I would say “irrelevant” pretty well sums it up.
 
Now that he has converted to Catholicism, he speaks eloquently about God’s forgiveness.  The message being conveyed is that he has repented, and God has forgiven him; And if God has forgiven him, why shouldn’t we?  I can forgive him, though I don’t see any need to.  He didn’t do anything to me.  He hurt his first two wives & his children.  He should seek their forgiveness, not mine. 
 
Has anyone ever noticed that when slick politicians get caught doing the wrong thing, they claim to have received God’s forgiveness in order to mingle two entirely different & separate issues.  Forgiveness is one issue.  Fitness to lead is quite another, and they have nothing to do with each other.  If you feel you should forgive Newt, by all means do it!  But the crucially relevant question is, is he morally competent to lead our great nation?  To answer that, ask yourself this question:  If his wives can’t trust him, how can I?
 
If Newt gets elected, and gets caught up in his old ways, there will be no press cover ups.  They will go after him on this, and every thing else like starving, rabid dogs.  Does this make anyone nostalgic for the humiliating years of the Clinton presidency?  

Hello?  What about having a first lady who clearly has no more respect for marriage vows than her husband?  Imagine a spectacle like that for a minute or two, and ponder the notion that for all of Newt’s great intellect, maybe he just isn’t presidential material.
 
Jan Shedd
11/8/11

Author Oleg Atbashian presents his book to a libertarian/conservative group Liberty on the Rocks in Colorado Springs, August 23, 2011.

Oleg Atbashian is a writer and graphic artist from the former USSR. Born and raised in Ukraine, he used to be a teacher, a translator, a worker, a freelance journalist, and at one time a propaganda artist, creating visual agitprop for the local Party committee in a Siberian town. In 1994, he emigrated to the USA hoping to live in a country that was ruled by reason and common sense. Ironically, he now lives in New York City. He is the creator ofThePeoplesCube.com, a satirical website where he writes under the name of Red Square.

By Franz Emmanuel Kebreau

I have done extensive research on the subject because at one point, I was a Democrat. A few years ago, I was confronted with a fact that I knew to be false but after an investigation into the point, it turned out to be true. It was that Martin Luther King was a Republican.

This of course forced me to extend my research into other areas. What else could this Political Science Major be unaware of? The Truth became stranger than fiction. The list is quite long so here we go.

President Kennedy had little intention of enacting a Comprehensive Civil Rights Law during his 2 years in office. Tensions in society were running so high due to the riots and such that by the 1963 State of the Union address he had no other choice but to enact some kind of Law. Mind you, for the previous 100 years, it had only been the Republican Party who had supported any Civil Rights Legislations (I was not aware of these facts until I was 35 years old);

13th Amendment: 100% Republican Support Abolished Slavery
23% Democratic Support

14th Amendment 94% Republican Support Slaves to be Citizens
0% Democratic Support

15th Amendment 100% Republican Support Right to Vote for All
0% Democratic Support

CRA 1866 Enacted by the Republican Party Equal Rights

CRA 1871 Enacted by the Republican Party Anti-KKK

CRA 1875 99% Republican Support Anti-Discrimination
0% Democratic Support

———–It took another 82 years until the next Civil Rights Act———
———–The Democratic Party blocked every attempt to equalize citizens of color—–

CRA 1957 Enacted by the Eisenhower (R) Administration
Then Senator Kennedy Voted against this Bill
Filibustered by Democrats

CRA 1960 Enacted by the Eisenhower (R) Administration
The final version was watered down by then Senator LBJ
Filibustered by the Democrats

CRA 1964 82% Republican Support
63% Democratic Support

CRA 1965 87% Republican Support
Voting Rights 75% Democratic Support

I do not want the “government” to treat me any differently than any other citizen. Therefore, I consider equality of opportunity and equal voting rights to be the summation of Civil Rights in America. If anything extra is afforded me or anyone else merely due to the color of their skin, I consider that to be an entitlement and patronizing.

Given my above statement, the Democratic Party, even if you sectionalize them by North and South, has never outvoted the Republican Party in any Civil Rights Law…Ever. The actual numbers play out like this;

Lifetime Republican Party support for Equal Rights for all Citizens: 94%
Lifetime Democratic Party Support for Equal rights for all Citizens: 35%

Now to the point of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This was a proposal that the Republican Party, during the Eisenhower Administration attempted to put forth but alas, their efforts resulted in the first Civil Rights Law in the previous 82 years…The Civil Rights Act of 1957 formed a Commission on Civil Rights. The Plan of the Commission was to eventually enact the very Comprehensive Law of 1964. Remember, this was the Bill that Senator JFK voted against, for political aspirations I’m sure.

JFK had his Justice department write the original Bill in early 1963. The first version passed the House but stalled in the Senate. Everett McKinley Dirksen (R), the minority leader in the Senate took it upon himself to REWRITE the entire Bill. It took him 1 weekend and he had 2 helpers, 1 Democrat and another Republican.

The final version of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was written by a Republican which means that since the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, every Civil Rights Law was written by a Republican with more Republican support than Democratic Party Support.

Due to Dirksen’s tenacity, a cloture vote was successful and the Senate passed the Bill. It then passed the Houses and became Law.

Some notes about its passage;

Robert Byrd (D) filibustered the Bill…the longest filibuster in American History
William Fulbright (D) voted against the Bill. He was Bill Clinton’s mentor.
Al Gore Sr. (D) voted against the Bill

Speaking to two Governors on Air Force One, then President LB Johnson was quoted saying, “”I’ll have those n*ggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years.” according Ronald Kessler’s Book in relation to the Law.

So now let’s explore the Dixicrats. This has always been misrepresented. I wrote about it in my book, and I also made a video of it. Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdJsPsU55PM

The big question is, did the South really turn “Red” after the CRA of 1964? Well, I researched that also and found the following conclusions.

Presidential Elections (covering “The Solid South”)
The 11 Former Confederate States

Year Blue States Red States

1964 6 5
1968 6 (Segregationist Wallace took 5) 5
1972 Landslide
1976 Landslide
1980 Landslide
1984 Landslide
1988 Landslide
1992 4 7
1996 4 7
2000 0 11
2004 0 11
2008 3 8

At least in Presidential elections, the Solid South wasn’t so “solid” until at least the year 2000 or 36 years after the CRA of 1964.

Now let’s take a look at the Governorships.

Governorships since 1964
(The 11 former “Confederate States”)

State Blue Red Years until a “Red” Gov. was elected

Georgia 7 2 39 years
Mississippi 8 2 28 years
Alabama 9 3 23 years
Louisiana 6 4 16 years
Texas 5 4 15 years
South Carolina 5 5 11 years
Arkansas 9 3 9 years
North Carolina 7 2 9 years
Tennessee 5 4 7 years
Virginia 7 5 6 years
Florida 7 5 3 years

Total 75 39

That’s almost 2 to 1 Blue over Red. I looked at the facts and not the rhetoric. The facts point to a different conclusion all together. The South did not become “Solid Red” after the CRA of 1964.

After finding out that both Martin Luther King Sr. and Jr. were Republicans, I tend to deal only in facts and not with what I’ve been told.

Last Points

My former party, The Democratic Party says that they are for the “minority”. In this case, I’ll just say “blacks”. I believe in neither black nor minority but I defer to their thinking for this discussion. If that’s the case, then how could the following piece of history have been erased?

Ninety-nine percent of the country does not know the name Hiram Rhodes Revels. Here is his story and why the Democrats are not for “black” people.

At the end of the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, was captured and subsequently imprisoned for 2 years. Prior to this time period, Mr. Davis was a Senator from the State of Mississippi. In 1870, the State of Mississippi filled the vacant post of Mr. Davis with one Hiram Rhodes Revels. The curious fact behind this exchange is that now Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels did not only replace the President of the Confederacy, but he was also the First Black Senator in U.S. History…and virtually nobody knows his name.

One last point to explain this lack of universal knowledge…Jefferson Davis, The President of the Confederacy was a Democrat and his replacement, Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels, was a Republican. Democratic leadership today will never share that history with their constituents of which I once was. That led me to believe that the Democratic Party is more interested in my vote than the Truth.

It gets bit deeper. 13 former slaves became members of Congress between 1870 and 1901. We as a nation killed our own citizens in a Civil War to FREE 4 Million slaves. 13 of those freed slaves became members of the U.S. Congress and the history books are silent to this fact. 640,000 Americans died in that war and the result was transformational yet, this groundbreaking and profound history is never taught in “left” leaning schools because it does not serve their agenda. All 13 of the former slaves were Republicans. I had to sift through the Library of Congress to reveal the following information…here it is for you in a video;

My belief is that the Party’s did not change. The tactics changed. They went from Pro-Slavery to Pro-Segregation to Pro-Entitlement, all of which results in nothing beneficial for the prosperity of an individual and is considered by many of my ilk, “Plantation Politics”.

All I want is the Truth and to be treated as an equal, no more and no less; as an equal. I do not need the Democratic Party telling me that I’m “black” or that I’m a minority who needs their assistance. I am not a color. I am Frantz Kebreau, an American Citizen.

For the Democratic Party, it has always been about “Control” over Freedom. Keeping the Truth from it’s constituents in order to maintain control over them is not what I want from my “Party”

Frantz Kebreau
CEO, Stolen History
Author of Stolen History
www.Frantzkebreau.com
If you would like more information, please take a look at the “Stolen History” Book and Audio versions at the link below.

http://frantzkebreau.mybigcommerce.com/index.php

“The Truth Shall Set You Free!!”

Public employees are indispensable. No city or town can do without its firefighters, police, paramedics, sanitation workers, and so on. Even the tiniest of municipalities need people to sweep the floors of City Hall, stuff sheets of paper into manilla folders, round up stray dogs and cats, and so on. I have no idea how many city, county, state, and federal employees there are in Brownsville, but there must be quite a few.

Public employees are indispensable, but it really irks me when I read about public employees threatening to strike over benefits, pay, or whatever. At some point, collective bargaining becomes a euphemism for a shakedown, for extortion. You don’t want to cross firefighters or the police because . . . Why, exactly? If the city doesn’t give in to the demands of, say, the firefighters union, will they decide to no longer put out fires? Or will they continue in their capacity as firefighters, only in a somewhat more diminished capacity, meaning they’ll take their time getting to the blaze?

So we’ve gotten to the point where over the years public employees have demanded and been given class “A” benefit packages and retirement benefits that were unsustainable and unrealistic back when they were instituted, but were instituted anyway. And we’re broke.

Scary stuff.

By Chris Rowan

The fight is far from over in Wisconsin. Governor Walker and the Republicans in the Wisconsin state House may have won a crucial battle, but the war goes on. The unionistas are now planning on getting a LibProg elected to the state Supreme Court, which would tip the balance of power in favor of the unionistas.

According to the Texas Political Insider,

A memo written by liberal groups explains that the left’s strategy is to win this race and then “challenge in the courts,” nearly every budget reform that Mr. Walker and the Republican majority in the legislature tries to enact. It also appears that if the court challenge to the collective bargaining bill goes all the way to the Supreme Court, this would happen after the April 5th election.

This should come as no surprise to anyone affiliated with the tactics of the political left. Frustrated at the ballot box and the arena of public opinion, they simply shift focus to manipulation of the courts and the legal system. This is the branch of government in which the political left is the most comfortable because they can rule by decree and avoid pesky, annoying and time- consuming processes like open debate and elections.

There are many roads to socialism, communism, totalitarianism, and ruin. And the unionistas know them all very well.

1. Call Roger Ortiz’s office and complain (544-0809)
2. Contact Boyd Ritchie and urge him, demand from him, that Gilbert Hinojosa be removed as Chairman of the Brownsville Democratic Party (512-478-9800)

Today we are calling on all good Democrats to repudiate and reject the
leadership of Gilbert Hinojosa. We Democrats want to win elections fair and square, like the candidates who worked hard and got elected to the BISD School Board. We do not wish to be called thieves in the still of night.

Contact Boyd Ritchie, Chair of the Democratic Party, to repudiate the actions of Gilbert Hinojosa, Brownsville’s number one disgraceful Democrat .

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

By Priscilla Rodriguez

I can’t sleep.

I was a recount poll watcher for Cameron County Judge Race, as were some of my friends. Early tonight, it was announced that Judge Cascos won by 50 votes. I had been surprised that John Wood picked up 27 votes since normal recounts only turn up 3-5. As of yesterday, John Wood had only picked up about 4-6 additional votes from Election Day. Early voting results had already been through a review board. Our job today was to recount, as per instructions of elections administrator and not “interpret” or dispute votes since all votes had already been through a ballot review board. So I thought the 27 vote pick up was already strange. Add to that the fact that BISD ballot boxes were brought in and we were told to look for General Election ballots there. Weird that these weren’t noticed before. Where did these ballots come from? Why weren’t they noticed when BISD votes were canvassed? And were these ballots included in the original count or canvassing?

Then around midnight, an election worker “found” a tally or votes that had not been “counted.”. Conveniently, 55 votes mysteriously turned up to put John Wood up by 5. The weird part is that all the Democrats knew & were celebrating outside. Roger Ortiz, the elections admin swears he only called Judge Cascos. Uh huh.  Right. I was one of 3 Republicans told at 3 am. Hours after the Democrats had been celebrating, even though election office workers swear they didn’t tell anyone. Really? Am I in Florida? No wait, this is South Texas & there is a reason why I left the Democrat Party. Stuff like this is why. The party will continue to lose young people like me until stuff like this stops and even true Democrat victories will always  be tainted because of the reputation of South Texas corruption.

As someone who was there and who had a significant other that was there…Not enough Cascos votes were overturned nor were there enough Wood votes being gained at the tables to have results like this. The fact that Roger Ortiz’ election worker couldn’t look anyone in the eye doesn’t bode well either. Add to that the fact the Gilbert Hinojosa was made a Cascos election worker cry and was there to intimidate people doesn’t make matters better. Add to that other irregularities, and well….

Whether you supported Judge Cascos or not, I seriously doubt people should be celebrating when the integrity of the entire process is put into question.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

By Chris Rowan
Originally puslished at NewsRealBlog.com

Barack Obama is the nation’s first-ever Affirmative Action President. It should come as no surprise that President Obama’s pick for Attorney General, Eric Holder, would dispense Affirmative Justice.

Affirmative Action, simply put, seeks to correct past negative discrimination with positive discrimination. Call it “racial preference,” “employment equity,” “smiley-face discrimination,” or whatever, but Affirmative Action is basically a form of government-sanctioned discrimination that favors a particular group of people on the basis of some quality other than merit. This is not necessarily bad. Private employers do it all the time. My own father hired me on the basis of some quality other than merit – namely, the fact that I was his son. But he was not forced to hire me on the basis of some arbitrary federal quota, goal, or “guideline.” Such coercive measures are inevitably harmful both to people and institutions. The rule of unintended consequences applies.

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Obama bails out a failed auto manufacturer with BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars that we don’t have, saddling our children and their children with massive debt, and for WHAT?  So union workers can get hammered before lunch?

This is what happens when ideology trumps common sense.  There is no such thing as a business that is “too big to fail.”  That is just nonsense.  Chrysler and GM should have gone into bankruptcy so they could reorganize and renegotiate their labor contracts, re-emerging leaner and more competitive in the global marketplace.

But that’s not the way Chairman Obama rolls.  He couldn’t allow a favored constituency like the UAW to lose their cushy jobs!  So, by bailing them out, Obama rewards failure.  Expect to see more and more of this in the near future.  If a union worker knows that he won’t be fired, no matter what he does or doesn’t do, then why the hell NOT get stoned before lunch?

(Source: Brownsville Herald)

Reports concerning official foreign travel by U.S. Rep. Salomon P. Ortiz as authorized by the Speaker of the House from 1993 through 2009. The reports also contain the per diem funds utilized for meals and lodging.

Note: Transportation costs not included

2009

1/29 to 1/30 – Brazil $438
1/30 to 2/1 – Argentina $698
2/1 to 2/3 – Panama $592
6/27 to 6/30 – Jordan $502
6/30 to 7/1 – Algeria $98
7/1 to 7/3 – Tunisia $288
11/23 to 11/25 – Romania $611.89
11/25 to 11/26 – Italy $250
11/26 to 11/27 – Germany $128
11/27 to 11/27 – Luxenbourg $0
11/27 to 11/29 – UK $306

2008

2/8 to 2/10 – Colombia $178
8/2 to 8/3 – Greece $375
8/4 to 8/7 – Singapore $1,640
8/7 to 8/9 – Vietnam $712
8/9 to 8/11 – Taiwan $718
11/23 to 11/25 – France $1,103.38
11/25 to 11/26 – United Arab Emirates $863.97
11/26 to 11/27 – Afghanistan $25
11/27 to 11/28 – Germany $271.18

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(From the Brownsville Herald)

Privately-Sponsored trips for U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz from 2000 to present.

Travel Dates  - Sponsor – Destination – Cost

1/2-1/10/2010 – Robstown Improvement Development Corp. – Beijing, China/Shanghai, China – $10,004.10

4/5-4/13/2009 – Robstown Improvement Development Corp. – Beijing, China/Guangzhou, China – $19,539.67

6/8-6/14/2008 – Robstown Improvement Development Corp. – Shanghai China/Ningbo, China – $6,532.10

3/16-3/25/2008 – Robstown Improvement Development Corp. – Hong Kong, China/Fujian, China – $6,925.85

8/1-8/14/2005 – Law Offices of Filemon Vela – Singapore/Beijing, China – $11,100

3/21-4/1/2005 – Asia Access Corp. – Beijing, China/Guanghou, China – $4,745

11/4-11/11/2004 – Chinese International Economic Cooperative Association – Taipei, Taiwan/Koahsiung, Taiwan – $7,250

7/29-8/9/2004 – Integrity Communications – Hong China, China/Beijing, China – $4,300

4/23-4/26/2004 – Asociacion Dominicana de Zonas Francas – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – $2,260

4/7-4/17/2004 – Asia Access Corp. – Taipei, Taiwan/Hong Kong, China – $4,700

2/13-2/23/2004 – Integrity Communications – Beijing, China/Hong Kong, China – $5,300

10/23-10/26/2003 – Coca-Cola Co., Altria Group Inc. – San Juan, Puerto Rico – $5,736.66

8/2-8/19/2003 – Asia Access Corp. – Hong Kong, China/Dongguan, China – $9,075

7/26-7/28/2003 – Marathon Oil Corp. – Mexico City, Mexico – $2,926

1/23-1/26/2003 – Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute-Eaves Law Firm – San Juan, Puerto Rico – $2,557

1/10-1/18/2003 – Chinese International Economic Cooperative Association – Taipei, Taiwan – $11,346

3/26-4/5/2002 – International Management and Development Institute – Hong Kong, China/Singapore – $7,897

1/15-1/20/2002 – Singapore Technologies Engineering-Dai Nisshin Corp. – Singapore/Hong Kong, China – $7,465.70

5/26-6/2/2001 – Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce – Taiwan – $5,050

1/28-2/4/2001 – Singapore Technologies Engineering-Dai Nisshin Corp. – Japan/Singapore – $7,432

5/29-6/2/2000 – Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce – Taipei, Taiwan – $4,950

4/15-4/28/2000 – Asia Access Corp. – China – $5,068

1/19-1/23/2000 – Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute – San Juan, Puerto Rico – $1,629.09

(Source: Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives; LegiStorm)

I’m shocked.  SHOCKED, I tell you.

How could the government censors at the Brownsville Herald let this tawdry bit of salacious gossip make it to the printers?  Someone is going to get sacked, that’s for sure.

Some excerpts:

U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz of South Texas is one of six congressmen who are subjects of a federal investigation into use of travel money.

U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Texas, on Friday remained silent regarding at least 62 trips, both official and special-interest, to 71 countries, even as he finds himself the target of a federal probe into the possible misuse of travel funds.

Last year his official trips included travel to Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, Romania, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom.

 Oh, puh-LEEZE.  It’s not as though no one at the Herald didn’t already know about all this stuff.  Ortiz has been at it for nearly 30 years.  What is their angle?  What is the purpose of this “revelation” to the public?

Well, the election is about 50 days away.  In the political world, fifty days is an eternity.  Entire wars have been waged and won in less time.   Maybe the hope is that by bringing it up now, the public will have forgotten about it come election time and The “Ortiz Travel Scandal” will have blown itself out like one of our regularly scheduled and predictably overhyped tropical storms.

Come on, Brownsville.  Anyone But Ortiz, ok?  PLEASE?  Would you for once PLEASE elect someone with a modicum of integrity?

-Chris

Congressman Questioned Over Misuse Of Taxpayer Money on Trips Abroad; Farenthold Calls On Ortiz To Release Amounts He Pocketed From Government Funds

U.S Congressman Solomon Ortiz is being investigated in a far-reaching ethics probe involving the misuse of taxpayer money for trips around the world.  The investigation revealed Monday by the Wall Street Journal implicates Ortiz and five other members of Congress.

An independent ethics board referred the charges to the House Ethics Committee after the Journal previously reported that some lawmakers regularly spend government travel funds on gifts, drinks and other personal expenses.  Some Congressman said they kept excess funds, which the Journal noted could add up to more than $1,000 per trip.  Others spent more than $15,000 on business class tickets to Europe.

Ortiz, who has taken numerous taxpayer funded trips to Europe, Libya and China, told the Journal it was a longstanding custom for lawmakers to keep extra money from the trips paid for by taxpayers. “You could never get many members traveling”  if lawmakers weren’t allowed to keep leftover travel funds, Ortiz said.

Republican Congressional Candidate Blake Farenthold, who is challenging Ortiz for the District 27 seat, said in a press conference today that Ortiz’s arrogance is an example of why so many Americans are disillusioned with government.  Farenthold said:

If Mr. Ortiz thinks members of Congress won’t travel abroad if they can’t keep their excess travel funds, then I think all incumbents should do Americans a favor and just stay at home.

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The Sentinel 12