Hullabaloo
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Shakedown
by digby
It doesn't get any better than this:
Daily Kos reports:According to Barton, asking BP to set up an escrow account to compensate victims of BP's disaster was a criminal action -- a "shakedown" as he put it. Barton's not alone: his comments echo those made by other Republicans in recent days, including Michele Bachmann, Haley Barbour, and Tom Price.
Update 1 -- GOP Rep. Marcia Blackburn continues the "give BP a break" theme from the Republican Party, saying "the current administration deserves a significant portion of the blame for the oil spill." I guess BP would have loved an apology from her, but at least she told them that it really wasn't all their fault.Update 2 -- GOP Rep. Phil Gingrey continues the "attack Obama, not BP" message from Republicans, saying he's looking forward to testimony from the administration. You could feel the GOP love from Hayward, pleased that yet another Republican was taking heat off his company.
Joe Barton knows a little bit about shakedowns. After all he's taken many millions in campaign cash from the oil industry. But he doesn't stop at just campaign money:Wednesday, February 3, 2010WASHINGTON – Rep. Joe Barton has earned nearly $100,000 from an interest in natural gas wells that he purchased from a longtime campaign donor who also advised the congressman on energy policy, according to interviews and records.
At a hearing last month of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Barton said he was "a small, small partner in a natural gas well in Johnson County in the Barnett Shale that is probably my 4-year-old son's college education." He later told a reporter that he couldn't remember precisely how he obtained the interest.
Land records show that Barton, R-Arlington, purchased his interest from Walter G. Mize, a Cleburne businessman who donated more than $30,000 to Barton's campaigns.
Mize urged Barton to create a federal oil and gas research program that was included in a 2005 energy law. Barton's ties to Mize, who died in 2008, go back 20 years, according to friends of both men.
Barton's interest could become controversial at a time when Congress is considering sweeping energy legislation that would boost demand for natural gas. Congressional experts say such deals raise ethical questions for lawmakers, who are expected by the public to maintain a firewall between their personal finances and official duties.
"If you are elected as a public servant to try to do what is right for the public generally and then you use that position to help bring in material wealth, I think it's unethical," said James Thurber, a distinguished professor of government at American University.
Yeah, I would guess most people agree with that.
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digby 6/17/2010 08:30:00 AM
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(CNN) - New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo formally announced Saturday that he's running for governor.
"My campaign is this simple: I represent the people of the great state of New York and we want our government back," says Cuomo, in a video released by his campaign. Cuomo was scheduled to hold a formal campaign kick off event Saturday afternoon in New York City.
New York's current governor, fellow Democrat David Paterson, announced in March that he would not run this year for a full term in office. Paterson became governor in 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace following a sex scandal.
Cuomo, the son of former three-term New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, has been widely expected for many months to make a bid for Paterson's job.
"Our state government in Albany is disreputable and discredited. New York State is upside down and backwards. High taxes and low performance. The New York State government was at one time a national model. Now unfortunately it's a national disgrace," adds Cuomo. "We must use this moment to reorganize the government, reform its ethics, and restructure its finances to solve the problems we have ignored for too long."
Polls in the Empire State indicate that New York State voters overwhelming support Cuomo for his work as the state's top law enforcement official. Surveys also suggest that Cuomo holds very large leads over possible Republican contenders in hypothetical general election matchups. Former Rep. Rick Lazio, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy - a Democrat turned Republican - and Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, are among the leading contenders for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. Cuomo also holds a large fundraising lead over his opponents.
Cuomo's announcement comes three days before New York State Democrats hold their nominating convention.
The 52-year-old Cuomo was secretary of Housing and Urban Development in President Bill Clinton's second term. He unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in New York in 2002, which was followed by a messy public divorce from his wife, Kerry Kennedy. Cuomo bounced back in 2006 to win the state's attorney general seat.
In his video, Cuomo spoke openly about his difficult times earlier this decade: "A few years ago I ran for governor and I lost and I then went through a very difficult time in my personal life. It was a public humiliation. People said it was over for me. They said my public service career was finished. There
was no way that I could come back. Some days even I thought they were right. Well it wasn't easy, but I worked hard, and with the help of true friends and family I built back. And with the compassion and empathy of New Yorkers you gave me a second chance."
In the past two years Cuomo has been back in the national spotlight, as his office has investigated corruption on Wall Street.
Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn
penis enlargement
Intuit's Quicken was one of the software programs that was bundled with the first computer I owned and I have been using it ever since. What I love about Quicken is that it uses a familiar and user friendly interface that makes sense to the average user. Working in Quicken is just like balancing your checkbook.
Quicken's most powerful features are released by linking your accounts to the program. This can be accomplished in one morning of work if you are organized. I have all my checking accounts, savings accounts, mutual funds, mortgages, and auto loans linked to Quicken. When the program is opened the latest financial transactions are downloaded from your various accounts and you have an instant snap shop of your financial picture.
Twice a month I spend a couple of hours in Quicken planning my cash flow. At the start of the month I estimate all of my income, I input my fixed expenses and estimate my other expenses. (These tasks can all be automated if you prefer). In the middle of month, I do an update to see where I am. My bank account downloads all of my transactions and I compare them to my beginning of the month plan. It has been a great way to get control of my finances.
Quicken has many features beyond basic cash flow planning. It has excellent charts that allow you to see how your money has been spent, what your income and expense trends have been and are projected to be and that gives you a snapshot of your net worth. You can print out very detailed reports with the program, print your checks and sign up for Quicken's bill paying service.
A feature that users in today's financial climate will find especially useful is the programs debt elimination wizard. This wizard collects all of your financial data and helps you create a strategy for getting rid of debt as quickly possible. The wizard also tracks how you are doing on your plan and offers suggestions for getting you back on track.
Quicken's retirement and investment planning features and wizards are very helpful and easy to use. These give you a realistic picture of what you need to do in order to reach your investment goals and tracks how you are doing.
Quicken is an old standby in the financial software market that still does the trick.
Crude Oil Up On Chinese Yuan <b>News</b>, Gold Holding Up As $1250 <b>...</b>
The bias remains up in crude oil and news out of China that the country plans to allow more flexibility in its exchange rate is just more fuel for an already.
Stock Market <b>News</b> For 21 June: BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Citigroup <b>...</b>
UK UK Banks - George Osborne will on Tuesday announce a GBP 3bln tax on banks while promising lower taxes for other businesses. In his first budget, the.
Breaking <b>News</b>: Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel Quitting White House <b>...</b>
Rahm Emanuel is rumored to be quitting the White house before the year is out.
