The More Things Change

The more they remain the same

The former secretary of state's agency appointed 194 donors who had given either to her family's foundation, her political campaigns, or both, or were affiliated with groups that had.  Those donors represented nearly 40 percent of the 511 advisory appointments the State Department made during Clinton's tenure.

Washington Examiner

Corruption thy name is Clinton

Corrupt Legislation - E Vedder, Library of Congress

At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press. Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million.

Among those granted time with Clinton included an internationally known economist who asked for her help as the Bangladesh government pressured him to resign from a nonprofit bank he ran; a Wall Street executive who sought Clinton's help with a visa problem; and Estee Lauder executives who were listed as meeting with Clinton while her department worked with the firm's corporate charity to counter gender-based violence in South Africa. MSN

 

Democracy?

House Passes Bill Without the Votes Needed to Pass

And how did they do that you might wonder? They did it under a suspension of the rules, by a voice vote, with very few members present. The bill was gavelled through just as the House came into session Thursday afternoon in a mostly empty chamber.

What they voted on was irrelevant

I've specifically avoided mention of the subject of the bill as what I wanted to address was the tactic, a bipartisan tactic executed by the leadership of both parties in a move that was a surprise to most of the members of the House.

Leadership opted to bring the bill straight to the floor “under suspension of the rules,” meaning it needed a two-thirds vote to pass — a higher threshold than the normal simple majority. But it was not clear that a sufficient number of votes could be found.  Shortly after noon, the bill was passed by voice vote, with the chair — Republican Rep. Steve Womack — deciding that two-thirds of the very few members in the room had said “aye.” Most members were unaware the vote was taking place and missed it, as did quite a few reporters. Daily Caller

John Dingle (D) "I’ve seen a lot of dumb things, but I’ve never seen anything quite as comical as this"

Mick Mulvaney (R) "Bullshit"

Lynn Westmoreland (R) “No one objected. No one was there to object,”

Frank Pallone (D) "This bill is bad for seniors and it's bad for doctors "

Welcome to the Banana Republic of the United States where a handful of people actually get to make the laws through trickery and deceit.

"Congressional Corruption," but I Repeat Myself...

Well, the practitioner of The Religion of Peace who roasted his chestnuts on a Christmas day flight bound for the US was sentenced to life in prison yesterday.

In other news...

Our corrupt congress, having again been caught with it's grimy mitts in the cookie jar, is now taking the brave, heroic step of attempting to pass a sham law to make it appear that elected officials will no longer profit from insider trading...

“The house of representatives…can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as the great mass of society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together. It creates between them that communion of interest, and sympathy of sentiments, of which few governments have furnished examples; but without which every government degenerates into tyranny.”  -- James Madison

Do you feel the bonds that connect you to the imperial DC grandees?  Do you really believe they share with you a "communion of interest, and sympathy of sentiments?"