BALITANG BETERANO
By Col.(Ret.US) Frank B. Quesada
Former Senate Committee Secretary
Veterans and Military Pensions
Associate, PMA ‘44
CLEAN UP THAT GRAFT IN
CONGRESS !
The height of corruption in
Government more particularly in Congress, as well as the Administrative branch – have confronted the citizen taxpayers with much rage, irritation and resentment.
Let the Clean Ones Come Forward
Politicians from Pres. G.W. Bush down through the ranks of Congress, controlled by the Republicans, not to leave out Democrats, that have been openly reported as having also taken largesse from lobbyists.
Thus, ‘wholesale sell out of the citizen’s welfare in exchange for bribes, was part of the prevailing barefaced political turpitude.” Greed has taken over the everyday norm up in the Hill, which the former White House news correspondent, P.J.O’Rourke
Described congress in his best seller as “the parliament of whores.”
Greed and Arrogance
Aside from such billions of “cumshaw” taken by crooked politicians for their own “take,” the Federal government takes away between an fifth and quarter of all our money every year., said P.J.
“And that is eight times compared to the Islamic sakat (the alms-giving required from their believers. Government, gets more than things in a protection racket demand, more even the discarded first wives of famous rich men receive in divorce courts. “added PJ.
National Fraud
The national fraud of hoarding the “blood money” honestly earned by US military retirees and veterans withheld by Congress for their on pork disposal is also a national disgrace, according to the veterans.
To deny the retirees and veterans their own pensions and benefits is no less the same as what was done against Fil-Am WW-II veterans. The filthy trick involved was to retard payment, in order for many of them to die – so there would be less or no more retirees and veterans left to claim for their pensions and benefits..
Guilty As Hell
Legislators ( most of them with an exception of a few) are as guilty as the lobbyists in this “legalized bribery” going on for years with impunity. In order to stay in power, and enjoy the crooked ‘inturpitude,” millions of dollars exchange hands in the evil process. It is . albeit, now worldwide pandemic in nations.
This “pervading graft takes a crooked lobbyist to bribe the solons, and make the solons as their accomplishes in an instrument of betrayal of trust. In a graft case in court, the giver as well as the receiver are both guilty.”
Cupidity and Tolerance
Greed and power have taken hold in the House of “Old Boys Club,” under the nose of the slumbering and irrelevant Speaker and President of both corrupt Houses of ill-repute. The clean ones cry, while the dark souls hide in the dungeon of sin. Swindling the citizens has been a status-symbol of shameless deceit and double-talk of cujlprits..
Aphrodisiac Power
Ann Feathers of the Washington bureau of the Pittsburg Post Gazette and the Toledo Blade said, “No call-girl ring has been busted on Capitol Hill (albeit he aphrodisiac power will be with us until the end of time.) But this latest spade of revealed corruption will do far more harm because it is so entrenched , so sophisticated and so sickening.”
A Soiled Profession
Lobbying for the citizen’s and community welfare has been a noble calling, except when they bribe legislators. What is unfair and illegal is when lobbyists with big bucks secretly buy legislators to secure the votes of hungry crooked lawmakers.
It is all for the love of money which has been the root of all evils.” If we want to know what God thinks of money, just take a look at the legislators He gave it to. Every bloody cent he took also feeds his family and his vices.”
From my Experience
In my past career as a congressional committee secretary, I have seen more than enough of this graft as the rust that have eaten the steel of democracy. This country since then have backslided
down the slope towards the gates of Hades. It is reminiscent of the of the Fall of the Roman Empire.
The Upright Ones
On the other side of the coin, albeit, there are still legislators who refuse to have anything to do with evil lobbyists. Just how many these clean ones are – we do not have the exact number.
Veteran’s Experiences
The Fil-Am war veterans,, albeit has their own cross to bear with the presence of alleged corrupt advocates posing as lobbyists. One of them, slick operator, have just been banned by the RP Department of Justice from any function of the official veterans lobby for full equity settlement of unpaid compensation and benefits of veterans for the last 60 years of government repression. (SEE: Dept. of Justice’s Ban.)
Studied Reforms
Prof. Jonathan Turley of pubic interest law of George Washington University – said, “There are just eight simple reforms to end such bribery and influence peddling.”
Turley wrote: “Although there were calls for reform , the smart money in Washington D.C. has to be on the long arm lobbyists. He enumerated the following:
“(1) Close the Outside Income loophole. Members of Congress routinely legislate in areas they have direct and sizable financial interests. That is because the ethics code prohibition on outside income doesn’t include money earned from investments, such as stocks.
“ Seventy-five percent of randomly selected solons has stock transactions that directly coincide with their legislative activity.
“And the way to deal with this problem is to require solons to put their investments into a blind investment portfolio or trust.
“(2) Bar quid pro quo arrangements. Members accept sweetheart financial deals from individuals who get generous government contracts and legislative perks . Some members have gotten no-interest loans. Others have made 500 percent profits on deals in just as few years.
“The simple solution is to force solons to recuse themselves from any legislation or official action that benefits their business associates or immediate family members.
“(3) Deter Nepotism. Family members of solons have been increasingly bold in seeking office and appointments in their father’s offices. Again, in this csse the solution is simply recusal.The rule is that no member of congress or his or her staff should be allowed to participate in any appointment or hiring of a family member.
“(4) End Family Lobbying.
Lobbying are not allowed to give money directly to members, so they routinely give it to solon’s spouses or children. How? They hire them. Members of the families of solons work in Washington’s lobby firms .regardless of qualifications or experiences. Members should be bared from any involvement with legislation or from committee assignment s that bear on issues a f ily member represents.
“(5) End so-called Educational Trips. A rule bars solons and congressional junkets paid for by lobbyists. However, as long as the lobbyists use a “shell research group and calls the trip (actually a vacation) educational, members can go and take their families. All trips paid for by an outside group should be banned.
“(6) Bar Private Jet Travel. Congress allows members to accept flights on private or corporate jets, often with lobbyists tagging along., if members reim- burse those companies in the equivalent of the first class ticket. The problem is that the value of such travel is far greater than the first class ticket, Members should reimburse the total cost of the jet charter.
“(7) Change the valuation of no gifts. Members are supposed not to accept gifts worth more than $50. But I violations happen all the time. Valuation of gifts should be independently valuated.
“(8) Create a truly independent ethics office form both houses. As of now, each House controls it own ethics rules, and as it is – ethical behavior is just one more commodity traded in the political market.”
Who Polices Whom?
Above loopholes are maintained by both Houses for their own convenience and abuse. “Who really polices whom? This is a clear case of the lawmaker as the number one law breaker.”
In the case of the with-held pensions and benefits of US military retirees and veterans, “Who polices and watch the abuse of authority and government lawlessness?” Just themselves.
It is now the reason why there are movements of war veterans like the, “1 Million ‘angry’ Veterans March,” conducted in Washington DC to tell the American public that enough is enough of fraudulent misconducts.
Veterans see that the two party system has long been dead. And that both parties just take turns abusing the citizen taxpayers by cheating the veterans and retirees. It has been a neat racket by members who are supposed to protect the constituents, but in reality they mistreat, curse and insult the taxpayer that voted them to serve as public servants, but not to be the greedy masters.
Both parties are fast losing veterans support of the scoundrels up in the Hill. No sooner, The good ones, albeit, are safe from the public’s apathy. But how few are they? # #
Note: This columnist is an accomplished student of a grant by the U.N. in an advanced study of “Structures of Governments and Comparative Politico-Socio-Economic Managements.”
He served as a senior Senate Committee Secretary, after retiring from the US Armed Forces as a Colonel. And retired from US Federal Circuit Court (9th Cir.). ##