www.ApatheticVoter.com Monthly Newsletter - March 2005 - Issue 2
“ApatheticVoter.com desires that the control of government be returned to the people, and not left in the hands of power hungry, incompetent and corrupt politicians. The major purpose of this web site is to get you really mad about excessive taxation and government waste and corruption so you'll actively participate and choose alternatives to throw the representatives who rarely represent the people out of office. The next step is we can collectively change the corrupt and immoral direction of the country by bypassing the politicians to directly vote on all issues.”
Each month, we highlight news from the previous month that is of interest to anyone who wants to be kept informed about the latest government waste and corruption and violations of our civil liberties.
GOVERNMENT SCANDALS, INDICTMENTS & CORRUPTION
“Mother” of New Jersey Corruption Scandals – FBI agents arrested 11 Monmouth County current and former public officials on extortion and other charges. The arrests included three in-office mayors, four current councilmen, and a police commissioner. The complaints said a contractor secretly working for the FBI had bestowed tens of thousands of dollars on the officials in return for winning government contracts. The payoffs ranged from Keyport Mayor John J. Merla who took $12,000 in a six-month span to West Long Branch Mayor Paul Zambrano who extorted $9,000 to Hazlet Mayor Paul Coughlin receiving $3,000.
San Diego Defense Contractor Pleaded Guilty to $28.5 Million African Bribery – Titan Corp., a San Diego defense contractor, pleaded guilty yesterday to three felony charges related to foreign bribery and agreed to pay $28.5 million to end investigations that spanned the globe and included allegations that the company funneled money to the president of the West African country of Benin. The company said it told its largest customer, the U.S. Navy, about the plea agreement and has been negotiating a separate administrative agreement that will allow it to continue to receive contracts. Now you don’t honestly believe a little corruption will hinder the U. S. Navy from a “Business as usual” policy with the contractor, do you?
Scandalized Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Ordered Off Bench – The Commission on Judicial Conduct ordered Brooklyn Surrogate Judge Michael Feinberg off the bench pending disposition of his request for review. Michael Feinberg “irredeemably damaged public confidence in the integrity of his court” according to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and recommended his removal from the bench. The commission stated that Feinberg rewarded political pals with lucrative court appointments.
Corruption Flourished at Los Angeles Mayor’s Office – County prosecutors are investigating allegations that supporters of Mayor James Hahn extorted money from contractors who wanted to do business with the city. The investigation was precipitated by an audit by the City Controller who accused the Mayor’s office of shoddy records and meddling by political appointees giving the appearance of conflicts of interest and abuse. The audit criticized the questionable manner in which the harbor department awarded leases and other inconsistencies.
Read more at: http://www.apatheticvoter.com/FederalStateCorruption.htm
GOVERNMENT WASTE
Spending We Don't Need - According to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, in which they compared similar data on all 50 states, the bank found that although New York and New Jersey tax their citizens well above the average, they have only average public-spending when weighed against the other states.
Read more at: http://www.apatheticvoter.com/FederalStateWaste.htm
VIOLATIONS OF CIVIL LIBERTIES
Supreme Court to Hear New London, CT Eminent Domain Case - The U. S. Supreme Court has a case on it’s docket filed by a number of citizens of New London, Connecticut, in which the city announced plans to raze their homes to build a riverfront hotel, a health club and offices. City officials contend that the development plans serve a public purpose, i.e., boosting economic growth. The Connecticut Supreme Court upheld the city’s position ruling that the additional tax revenue justified the condemnation. The complainants argued that taking the property was only justified if it could be proven that it served to revitalize slums or blighted areas dangerous to the public. The case is Kelo v. City of New London (04-0108) and will be reviewed in early March.
Read more at: http://www.apatheticvoter.com/CivilLiberties.htm
CURRENT ISSUES
Former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill Suggests Alternative Social Security Plan - Former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill has suggested an entirely different concept for social security for American citizens. He proposes that as soon as every child is born, the government invest $2,000 per year until the child is 18. At that point, the child will have about $65,000 in his or her account. The cost to the government for the 4 million children born each year will be $8 billion the first year, $16 billion the second year, on up to $144 billion a year after 18 years. Without further contributions, assuming a 6% return on the money, when that individual retires at age 65, the nest egg will have grown to about $1,000,000. There is merit in the approach considering that the cost of Social Security and Medicare in 2005 has already passed $750 billion.
Death Penalty – Supreme Court Abolishes Juvenile Executions - The Supreme Court abolished capital punishment for juvenile offenders yesterday, ruling 5 to 4 that it is unconstitutional to sentence anyone to death for a crime he or she committed while younger than 18. In concluding that the death penalty for minors is cruel and unusual punishment, the court cited a "national consensus" against the practice, along with medical and social-science evidence that teenagers are too immature to be held accountable for their crimes to the same extent as adults. Many people have expressed the opinion that the Supreme Court ruling was predicated on European elite opinion rather than the language in the US Constitution. Therefore, the decision smacks of “the means justifies the ends” and undermines the rule-of-law.
PENSION RIP-OFFS BY STATE
In addition to the outright corruption and waste demonstrated by our representatives, there are more subtle ways in which we taxpayers get ripped off without glaring newspaper headlines. One such instance is how our elected officials collect pensions from multiple jobs they held while bilking taxpayers.
Acting Governor’s Brother Benefits From Shady Deal - Acting Governor Dick Codey’s brother, Robert Codey, a state prosecutor since 1988, has been hired in a “special deal” to help the county prosecutor with organized crime. He is earning $48,866 more is his new assignment and will be eligible for a pension that’s about $36,000 higher than if he had retired just one year ago. The county agreed to reimburse the state for the additional wages but according to Division of Criminal Justice spokesman John Hagerty, they could have gotten him for free. Of interest, his salary is $20,000 higher than his DIRECT supervisor and 136 deputies who rank above him. Something is rotten in Denmark with this deal.
Read more at: http://www.apatheticvoter.com/PensionRip-Offs.htm