Self promoters, Scams, Hustlers and opportunist on the right. Contributors beware.

It seems every few days a new conservative/tea party group pops up that I never heard of before and they all want me to send them money to save the republic and reelect a good Republican or elect a conservative challenger to a sitting Republican who is deemed insufficiently conservative.  A few months ago I got a passionate appeal to give to Patriots for Economic Freedom to help reelect Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.  I almost did.  I really like Tim Scott. Just before I hit the "contribute" button however, I thought I would do a little research and I found that Tim Scott has only token opposition in the Republican primary and he will have a very weak challenger in the general election.  Tim Scott does not really need my money. (link)

As of the last report March 31,2014, Patriots for Economic Freedom had raised $224,747 and spent $215,015 this year. $119,501 of what they spend was for "unclassifiable consulting," $18,849 for Accountants, compliance and legal service, and a little over $25,000 on fundraising. Amagi Strategies was paid $109,856.  Only $3,125 was spend for or against candidates.

Last week I reported that Joe Carr who is challenging Lamar Alexander for the Republican Senate nomination had received the endorsement of Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund and how that may or may not result in money flowing into his campaign. Tea Party Patriots is another one of those groups that spend an awful lot of money on over head and salaries for staff and very little on behalf of candidates. (link)

Today I got a solicitation from Conservative America Now asking me to send them a donation to help reelect Senator Mike Lee.  Mike Lee is another Senator who I like and admire and want to see reelected. I will not be sending money to Conservative America Now, however. Conservative America Now as of the last filing period of March 31, 2014 had receipts of only $16,541 and expenditures of $12,140. They have not yet spend anything on or against candidates. Amagi Strategies was paid $7100. 

I don't know if Mike Lee has a serious primary challenger or not, or if he is likely to have a serious Democrat challenger.  If he does, I may send Mike Lee a modest contribution but I will send it directly to his campaign are a trusted PAC and not to Conservative America Now.  

There may be as many hustlers and opportunist on the left as the right, but I don't know the left. It angers me to see passionate political activist give their hard earned money to support the cause when they are being taken advantage of and the money they give goes to support some one's little political empire and maybe none of it goes to support the candidate they think they are supporting. Please find out who you are giving to before you give.  There are a lot of PAC's and organizations that are effective and influential and have integrity and most of what is given actually is spend on behalf of the candidate for which they claim to be raising money. Please do a little research before giving. One good source for finding out how good an organization is, is Open Secrets.

Below is the solicitation I got today urging me to contribute to Conservative America Now to support Mike Lee.  I have disabled the links so no one will accidentally contribute to that organization. 

Mike Lee Has Been A True Conservative Hero In The Senate! His Re-Election Is Vital To The Conservative Movement!

Mike Lee is a true conservative hero. In the Senate, Mike Lee has battled Harry Reid and Barack Obama's liberal agenda every step of the way. Mike Lee is making a big difference in the Senate. He needs your support to keep up the fight! Please contribute $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 or more today for voter outreach and advertising to help re-elect Mike Lee to the U.S. Senate!

In the Senate, Mike Lee has fought to repeal ObamaCare, reject all amnesty efforts, and cut out of control spending. Mike Lee is also working hard to lower taxes, bring back limited government, and protect the Second Amendment. He refuses to allow liberals to destroy the constitution! Please contribute $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 or more for voter outreach and advertising efforts to re-elect Mike Lee.

Liberals know that Mike Lee will fight against radical attempts to pass amnesty, grow the government, and increase debt. The left will stop at nothing to beat and silence Mike Lee.

Liberals are already working hard to discredit Mike Lee and take back his seat. This election will be one of the most important in recent memory and Mike Lee needs your support. Please contribute $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 or more to support Mike Lee with voter outreach and advertising!

Mike Lee is dedicated to fighting the radical liberal agenda in Washington. He will stop the out of control spending and put an end to the left's trampling of the constitution. He will continue to bring conservative leadership to the Senate and stand up for limited government policies. Mike Lee has proven that he will hold Washington accountable! This race can help end the radical liberal agenda in Washington! Help keep conservative hero Mike Lee in the Senate!

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A $4 million dollar city construction contract that violates Metro procurement policy

WSMV Channel 4 

Thanks to Ken Jakes for uncovering more Metro malfeasance.

For Metro to award a $4 million dollar contract to Bell Construction without a bid  is outrageous. It violates Metro procurement policy. It smells of cronyism and corruption. A $4 million dollar change order? For a completely different building never intended to be part of the new Convention Center? Give me a break!

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Decosta Jenkins, CEO of the corrupt, scandal-ridden NES, is highest paid Metro employee.

Decosta Jenkins once again ranks number one on the list of highest paid Metro employees at $367, 078.40 a year, a $21,881.60 increase from his 2012 income. NES employees are seven of the top ten highest paid Metro employees. NES employee's hold 44 of the top 100 highest paid positions in Nashville. Think of that the next time you pay a high utility bill. The next time you hear of some little old lady on a fixed income who can't pay her electric bill, remember this.

One would think that being some of the highest paid civil servants in Davidson County that upper brace would not be tempted to trade NES services for free golf games, dinner show tickets, dinners and nights of lodging at Gaylord's Opryland hotel. One would think that they would not be tempted to use NES credit cards to purchase items for personal use on Amazon and eBay.

Instead of getting an increase in pay for serving as CEO and President of NES, Decosta Jenkins should be fired and unemployed. For more on the top 100 Metro Salaries, see Nashville Today, April 18, 2013 For more on the mismanagement and corruption at NES see here, here and here.

For more on the top 100 Metro Salaries, see Nashville Today, April 18, 2013

For more on the mismanagement and corruption at NES see here, here and here.

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Graves Rushes to aid of Arriola

The Tennessean blog In Session reports that long-time employee of John Arriola, Sandra Alexander Graves, has asked District 16 Councilwoman Anna Page, a member of the council’s rules committee, to delay action on a memorializing resolution which will be on the council agenda Aug. 2. (link)

The resolution sponsored by Councilman Robert Duvall list the offenses committed by Mr. Arriola which include pocketing the money and failing to report the money he receives for performing weddings and his having his campaign treasurer on the Metro payroll. The resolution ask Mr. Arriola to resign.(read the resolution)

In a Facebook message, Sandra Graves wrote Council Member Anna Page and asked her to consider “giving Mr. Arriola consideration, delaying the process and letting the final investigate (sic) go ahead and run the proper course.”

Sandra Graves is the wife of former council member and current Metro Council candidate Jerry Graves.This is an example of what is wrong with Metro Government.  There are too many people who think of Metro Government as a family business.  There are too many office holders who have their kids or wife or other family member on the payroll. There are too many people not interested in efficiency or offices being managed with integrity because they have an interest in the status quo. There are too many "good 'ole boys" with family and long-time friends working for Metro to bring honest government and professionalism to court house offices. Too many people see public service as an opportunity to reward family and friends.

Too many people in elected office have family members or close friends on the payroll to honestly look at cutting budgets. If a metro department or agency can get by with less, then it may be your friend or wife or relative who loses a job. When you owe someone a favor because they hired or continued to employ your wife or child or close friend it is hard to be objective. 

It is time to end nepotism, machine politics and the good 'ole boy system of government.

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Home tax credit was abused

"Most of the money — about $326 million — went to more than 47,000 taxpayers who didn’t qualify as first-time homebuyers because there was evidence they had already owned homes. "

The money should be recaptured and any borrowers who knowingly committed fraud or any mortgage loan officers who committed fraud on behalf of a borrower should be criminally prosecuted and jailed.

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Climategate: The video and some thoughts

With the revelations of massive scientific fraud within the global warming community, dubbed "climategate," I have moved from the column of "Global warming believer" to "undecided." I do not make this move lightly. I am not uninformed. I have read extensively on the topic. I was not always a believer; I was once a sceptic. I did not let my political views guide my decision on whether or not to believe the theory of Global Warming. I tried to honestly evaluate the available information and be guided by the facts. Over a period of time, I gradually moved from sceptic to believer and I have been in the "believer" column for at least the last five or six years. I have been convinced that the preponderance of the evidence indicates that global warming is a fact. (See, My Conversion on Global Warming.) Now, I am not so sure.

I am not in the "sceptic" column, yet. There is still a massive body of scholarship that supports the theory. However, this revelation of widespread scientific fraud makes me call into question the whole body of science on this subject. The revelations in the released data puts the burden of proof on those who advocate the theory. The whole topic is again an open question as far as I am concerned.

The main stream media has failed to cover this story and has downplayed it when they have reported it. This can not be allowed to be swept under the rug. This is a smoking gun. Those who believe global warming is a reality need to address this scandal and remake their case for the science supporting the theory.

Below is some of what is revealed from the hacked documents from Britain’s Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia:

The participants in the climategate scandal were a who’s who of climate scientist.

They reveal the destroying of evidence of fraud.

They show the using of “tricks” to modify data that shows the earth is cooling.

They reveal the corrupting of the peer review process.

They reveal the withholding of data.

They reveal the conspiring to pressure and punish skeptical scientist.

They acknowledge the urban effect.

This is serious stuff.

I was with some relatives over the holidays who are true believers who have never doubted global warming. They had not heard of the climategate scandal and were not interested in leaning anything about it. Just as the scientist involved in this scandal had a conclusion and then developed their data to support their conclusion, many people, both sceptics and believers, are locked into a position and don't want any new facts that may make them question their assumptions. To get to the the truth, one needs to be open to considering new data.

I am not asking anyone to accept my opinion of the importance of the climategate scandal, but please be open to evaluating this new revelation and learning more about it and demand answers.

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The $100 Million Health Care Vote?

ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports, November 19, 2009 3:03 PM

What does it take to get a wavering senator to vote for health care reform?

Here’s a case study.

On page 432 of the Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster.”

The section spends two pages defining which “states” would qualify, saying, among other things, that it would be states that “during the preceding 7 fiscal years” have been declared a “major disaster area.”

I am told the section applies to exactly one state: Louisiana,...(link)

Comment: Disgusting! Not a lot more needs to be said.

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Pentagon Paid $999,798 to Ship Two 19-Cent Washers to Texas

Tony Capaccio
Thu Aug 16, 11:59 AM ET
Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to a Texas base, U.S. officials said.
The company also billed and was paid $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Habbaniyah, Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Pentagon records show.
To continue: $999,798 to Ship Two..

It is an absolute outrage that things like this can occur. Where is the over site? Is no one in charge? These people got caught, but is this just the tip of the iceberg of corruption? Regardless of how one may feel about the war in Iraq, or the policies that let to the war, there needs to be an investigation of the fraud, corruption, and inefficiency associated with the expenditure of funds for the military. Of the $452 Billion the Iraq war has cost, so far, how much of that was stolen and mismanaged?

Inefficiency in government is nothing new. Reagan appointed a special commission to look at government waste, waste was exposed but not much changed. Al Gore, in the first Clinton term, headed a commission on government waste, waste was exposed but not much changed. Remember the $600 toilet seat, the $400 ashtray and the $6500 hammer? Those pale in comparison to this example of waste. Congress should put differences about the war aside, and investigate military procurement, fraud, and waste. Heads should roll. Careers should be ruined. And, those committing fraud should go to jail. Congress should be screaming for change. Democrat or Republican however, it seems that politicians just accept massive government waste and corruption.

Nancy: Call for Congressional hearings! Vigorously investigate! Don't stop until real change occurs so that things like this do not continue to happen. Watching the purse strings in Congress's primary responsibility and they are doing a lousy job.

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