Thread: 10 members of Congress took trip secretly funded by foreign government

Originally Posted by JANFU

I thought that I might get some blow back on what my perspective is from up here in Canada.
AKA know as the greatest country in the world.
But back on topic.
We have lots of corruption here.
But it appears to be a regular in US news with politicians charged down south.

Pretty much...at this point the line is so blurred that barring "Yes...I will deregulate your industry for 300,000 dollars in cash" on a tap recorder anything goes. Staffers and Congress members leave office but just move to a lobbying firm, congress members family members get cushy lobbying jobs. It's insane

Originally Posted by B'smith

When I read the generalizing & criticism for or against Republicans, Democrats, Liberals & Conservatives here & elsewhere I think that those terms have become meaningless to people who don't feel an affinity to any one of them.

For example, does anyone see the contradiction in supporting the death penalty but being against the right/choice to an abortion?

How can one genuinely be for everyone's right to own the firearm of their choice yet oppose Iran's possession of Nuclear Weapons?

Are you a "Liberal" or a "Conservative" if you support the choice to own a firearm AND the choice to have an abortion.

No one enjoys seeing the necessity for armed self-defense being used or an abortion being someone's choice, but you're either for an individual's right to make such choices or not.

By the way, I don't support either Republicans or Democrats & would love to see all of my Congressional Politicians go (House & Senate) but......

....... I'm afraid that supporters for the "Pissed Off" Party are a bit limited as far as a choice of tasteful logos; seat up or seat down?


Opinions / Thoughts?




Thanks

Some good points. I think we should be freer from the constraints of one or the other, personally, I like the notion of pay go, balanced budgets and expenditures forced to match collections, my palms got sweaty standing in Inhofe's office two years ago watching the ND clock on his wall pick up fifteen million dollars in the few minutes I was in there. I also like the New deal, a fifty percent slash to the Pentagon budget with our military ratcheted back to a truly defensive force. And our infrastructure has been rated "D" for the last several years reports from the American Society of Civil Engineers, so I'd like to see a healthy infrastructure bill. I'd also like to see less porous borders and a tighter run immigration policy. I don't want drilling and fraking or logging in our old growth forests and I'm sick of corruption and abuse in our nations police departments. I think I just piss everybody off, no pigeon hole.

Originally Posted by polgara

Greetings, OrphanSlug.

Thanks for posting the names! When I read that three aides of Obama were to be speakers at the conference, I wondered who else was going - now I know. I guess Canada didn't offer the perks that Azerbaijan did, or we'd have jobs for people here who hoped to work on the pipeline instead of talking with a country halfway around the world about oil! And exactly why was this done in secret, with a Democrat member of the Ethics Committee as one of the participants? Who okayed that?

All valid questions, and I bet we never get clear answers from them.

Anytime I am making any big IT purchases at work, various vendors will try to buy me lunch, take me to games, take me to concerts and so on. I never do it because I don't want the appearance of anything other than business / technology factors to be influencing my decisions. Most people however do take vendors up on such offers all the time. Politicians going on these junkets is just a bigger version of that.

My point is that the problem is not just in politics, what goes on in politics is a reflection of what goes on in much of the business world every day. If you let sales people buy you big dinners and take you go games when they are trying to win your business at work, then its pretty hypocritical to complain about corruption in politics as you are part of the problem.

Originally Posted by SouthernDemocrat

Anytime I am making any big IT purchases at work, various vendors will try to buy me lunch, take me to games, take me to concerts and so on. I never do it because I don't want the appearance of anything other than business / technology factors to be influencing my decisions. Most people however do take vendors up on such offers all the time. Politicians going on these junkets is just a bigger version of that.

My point is that the problem is not just in politics, what goes on in politics is a reflection of what goes on in much of the business world every day. If you let sales people buy you big dinners and take you go games when they are trying to win your business at work, then its pretty hypocritical to complain about corruption in politics as you are part of the problem.

No it is not. What private business engages in to close deals is between those businesses and is entirely up to them assuming no illegal activity. You have every right to decide not to participate in that, it is your choice.

However, the government is not a private business and should be subject to scrutiny on these shady activities as it could influence policy that affects us all. Like energy policy and/or foreign policy.

The two are simply not the same.

Originally Posted by polgara

Greetings, OrphanSlug.

Thanks for posting the names! When I read that three aides of Obama were to be speakers at the conference, I wondered who else was going - now I know. I guess Canada didn't offer the perks that Azerbaijan did, or we'd have jobs for people here who hoped to work on the pipeline instead of talking with a country halfway around the world about oil! And exactly why was this done in secret, with a Democrat member of the Ethics Committee as one of the participants? Who okayed that?

To the bolded Polgara The same thing bothered me when Cheney met secretly with the big oil to hammer out our nations energy policy, wink wink, nod nod.

Originally Posted by polgara

Greetings, Montecresto.

I think if we just explain by saying "well, they're just politicians doing their thing," everybody will know what we mean and nod their head in understanding. : No one in DC seems to want to change the status quo on anything until it's way past time to do so, and until then, they spend our money however they want! They're "special," you know! :

Time for independents to act like it.