This scandal is getting scant attention by the mainstream media but it appears that Chairman of the US Senate Budget Committee U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) got a sweetheart deal from the mortgage firm Countrywide. This scandal comes as a blow to Conrad who has always campaigned on his ethics and honesty. I guess Kent Conrad is just like every other Washington politician!
According to news reports Conrad, appears to have changed his story numerous times about his ties to the CEO of Countrywide and the kickbacks he received on his mortgage.
Fellow Democrats Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) are caught up in the same scandal.
North Dakota’s finest political blog, sayanythingblog, has been on top of this scandal since it broke. I encourage you to read each of these posts and become informed.
The Case for Kent Conrad’s Resignation
Conrad Doesn’t Even Beleive His Own Story About How He Got His Mortgage
Kent Conrad Friend of Angelo
Kent Conrad Changes His Story on the Mortgage Scandal AGAIN
Did Kent Conrad’s VIP Loan Violate Senate Ethics Rules?
Senators as Confused, Victimized Borrowers?
Kent Conrad’s Countrywide Mortgage Deceptions Making National News
More on Kent Conrad’s VIP Loan from Countrywide Mortgage CEO Angelo Mozilo
Kent Conrad Lies About Never having Met Angelo Mozilo
Kent Conrad Benefits from Unethical “Sweatheart” Loan Deal From Subprime Lender
The story has gotten some attention on Fox News. This clip is courtesy of sevenload.com
Link: sevenload.com
This just proves that you do not need to be from a big state to have politicians with ethical lapses in judgment.
I See Dead People …. In the Voting Booth
10 June, 2008
This is amazing. 
I ran across this editorial from The Florida Times-Union while surfing the net today. Thank goodness there is at least one old media outlet crying out for election integrity and urging elected officials to ensure free and fair elections … or at least not allowing corpses to vote.
Here is the editorial from their website.
The Florida Times-Union
June 10, 2008
Elections: Keep them honest
By
The Times-Union
Voter fraud, like the Energizer bunny, just keeps going and going and going and …
A recent study found 9,000 dead people were registered to vote in Connecticut, Fox News reports.
Ok. I know government is inefficient but lets get them to hire the credit card companies that call me when I miss a payment. At least they know where I am and if I am alive!
Innocent mistakes?
In some cases, but not in all. One person had voted 17 times since his death.
17 times!!!! This is either election fraud or very stupid election judges at the polling
location.
There is pretty strong evidence that voter fraud has altered the course of history.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley may have stolen the 1960 presidential election by arranging for votes in the names of dead people.
Something definitely was up in Texas. The Washington Post recalls:
“In Fannin County, which had 4,895 registered voters, 6,138 votes were cast, three-quarters of them for [John] Kennedy.
“In one precinct of Angelina County, 86 people voted and the final tally was 147 for Kennedy, 24 for [Richard] Nixon.”
At the time, a reporter investigated voter fraud in Chicago. The Post quotes him as having said:
“I remember a house. It was completely gutted. There was nobody there. But there were 56 votes for Kennedy in that house.”
This is not like voting for the All Star Team in Major League Baseball. It is one man .. one vote not one man… twenty votes!
Who knows what would have happened if Nixon had been elected president in 1960 instead of 1968?
Also, Lyndon Johnson was nominated to the U.S. Senate in 1948 by an 87-vote margin.
That earned him the nickname, “Landslide Lyndon.”
The election, in which some late votes were “found,” may also have been fraudulent, according to The New York Times.
Click Here to read the full story on the website.
Thousands of brave men and women gave their lives to ensure America has free elections. Let’s hope our election officials live up to their sacrifice. Sadly, some have not.
Sunshine Troublemaker of the Week #25
29 May, 2008
Open Records brings us another edition of the Sunshine Troublemaker of the Week.
Augusta, Georgia’s purchasing department needs a little sunshine, and Robert Mullins wants to be the guy to open the blinds. The problem? He’s not receiving his FOIA’ed information as soon as required by law. In fact, Mullins had to sue the city and Geri Sams, the Augusta Procurement Officer, in order to have a chance at ever seeing the information he requested.
Apparently, he’s not the only one with difficulty getting access to public records- the Augusta Chronical joined the lawsuit. The Chronical had this to say.
Congratulations, Robert Mullins, on your award. When you finally receive that information you requested, please, let us know if you discover the reason Ms. Sams refused to just follow the law.
