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Congress Catches Mighty Oaks With Net Meant for ACORN
Sep 22nd, 2009 | 15 responses
Talk about the Law of Unintended Consequences:
Last week, the House and Senate voted to prohibit the federal government from awarding contracts and grants to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now(ACORN), a national network of community-based organizations that advocate for low-income families. Congress rushed to cut off all federal funding to ACORN days after several ACORN employees were caught on camera giving advice to a couple posing as a prostitute and a pimp on ways to evade the law.
The House’s bill is called the “Defund ACORN Act”. The bill specifically targets ACORN, but it also applies to “any organization” or its employees who are charged with violating federal or state election, campaign finance or lobbying disclosure laws or filing a fraudulent form with any federal or state regulatory agency.
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) is particularly interested in the fraud provision. Recognizing that there are probably worse offenders than ACORN in this area, Grayson is looking for help in coming up with a list of organizations that have committed fraud against the government or employed someone who did. Rep. Grayson will put his list in the Congressional Record as part of a legislative history that judges and lawyers can use to interpret the law.
POGO’s Federal Contractor Misconduct Database is a great place to start. At last count, it includes 87 instances of government contract fraud – federal and state – involving 43 contractors. You might want to focus on Lockheed Martin, which has 11 government contract fraud instances, or Northrop Grumman with 9 contract fraud instances including this $325 million False Claims Act settlement from earlier this year.
Bear in mind that, since 1994, ACORN has reportedly received a total of $53 million in federal funds, or an average of roughly $3.5 million per year. In contrast, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman respectively received over $35 billion and $18 billion in federal contracts last year. (Their totals since 2000 are $266 billion for Lockheed and $125 billion for Northrop.)
Steve Benen has the next question: “[W]hy [are] ACORN’s problems with voter-registration materials … extremely important, while Lockheed Martin’s and Northrop Gumman’s bad habits are not only considered uninteresting — to conservatives, to lawmakers, to news outlets — but largely verboten as a topic of conversation[?]“
If ever a project cried out for crowdsourcing, this is the project.
15 Responses to “Congress Catches Mighty Oaks With Net Meant for ACORN”
Good article, Kat.
Thanks.
I'm all for getting the ACORN types as well as the Corporate types out of the politics business.
A level playing field would be nice for a change.
Sounds like a great law, let's start enforcing it… It'll be fun to listen to the squealing of Corporate America.
Anyone want to start a pool as to how long it will take this law to be repealed?
I give it 6 weeks…
ROTFLMAO…
List of Companies that could get lose their place at the Federal teat: Help Rep. Grayson Find Fraud : Organizations
I hope Acorn was worth it…
Anyone who violates federal or state election, campaign finance or lobbying disclosure laws or filing a fraudulent form with any federal or state regulatory agency should recieve no federal money. So no more paychecks for Tim Geitner and Charlie Rangel too I suppose?
Defense contractors have been getting bagged for 39 years now, ever since the first $300,000 toilet seat.
Yeah, they'll lose all future contracts, I'm sure.
Speaking of ethics violations, itsn't it about time someone was charged under the Hatch Act for the NEA fiasco?
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pcourrielche/…
Oh yeah, that's exactly the same thing as contractors electrocuting American soldiers.
Google it.
If this law were to destroy the Military-Industrial Complex and a good chunk of Corporate America, I would consider it a bargain,,,
I wonder how many Republicans would also go down with Geitner and Rangel?
oh no doubt some as well as more Democrats. I'd love to see someone actually keep the promise to drain the swamp instead of pump more filth in it, and I don't care if its a Republican or democrat who does it.
Although the tone of the article seems to be “Ha Ha, you took down ACORN but some right-wing icons are going down too”, I am happy that any companies acting fraudulently will be punished. This shouldn't be a left-vs-right issue.
Yeah we wouldn't want poor people to have one hope in hell for representation in Congress or have any viable redress of government. Those with money can just hire new lobbyists. Those without, just….go….fish.
The capitalist American Social Darwinist way: Promote the strong by stepping on the necks of the weak.
Somewhere, Leroy Grumman is spinning in his grave. A once great company picked over by corporate jackals.
“the tone of the article seems to be 'Ha Ha, you took down ACORN but some right-wing icons are going down too',”
Yes, the predictable childish part. No surprise there. At least it exposes more wrongdoing; that's good.
Now I just hope ACORN and the like don't still get involved in lib Dem Census mischief next year.
“Speaking of ethics violations, itsn't it about time someone was charged under the Hatch Act for the NEA fiasco?”
Shhh. Serious, important stories that are politically incorrect must not be reported on this lefty site.
VERBOTEN!
[...] of ACORN if he ever hears of “any credible allegations” against the activist group. Congress Catches Mighty Oaks With Net Meant for ACORN – themoderatevoice.com 09/23/2009 Talk about the Law of Unintended Consequences : Last week, the [...]