There's no bid'ness like GOP biz'ness, it's NO-BID'ness we know
Everything about it is appalling! ...
No where could you have that happy feeling! ... :D
ALLL:
When you are stealing that extra buck!!
There's no people like these low people
They smile when we are pooor! ...."
~ ~sssSccRAaTcCH ~ ~~ ~~~~" Sounds bad, huh.
Well it seems that 'The Producers' in our government, our Senators, have scratched their own record (again) from public scrutiny. Apparently, it's not your biz'ness to know exactly how GOPs conduct their bid'ness to the tune of billion$ for their favorite no-bid contractors! ; /
What's this about?
Senator who put 'secret hold' on bill to open federal records is a secret, too
By REBECCA CARR
Cox News Service
WASHINGTON -- In an ironic twist, legislation that would open up the murky world of government contracting to public scrutiny has been derailed by a secret parliamentary maneuver.
An unidentified senator placed a "secret hold" on legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would create a searchable database of government contracts, grants, insurance, loans and financial assistance, worth $2.5 trillion last year. The database would bring transparency to federal spending and be as simple to use as conducting a Google search. ...~snip~"
... Under Senate rules, unless the senator who placed the hold decides to lift it, the bill will not be brought up for a vote. ...link"
Here's more info on the bill that "passed" last week ::
Coburn-Obama Effort To Curb Wasteful Federal Spending
By Steve M. Lilienthal
Aug 17, 2006
~snip....
The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act was approved recently by a unanimous vote of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. This bill is receiving support from over 100 organizations, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Americans for Democratic Action, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, Project on Government Oversight, National Taxpayers Union and the United States Chamber of Commerce. A similar bill passed the House of Representatives and Coburn is hopeful that his bill will be passed by the Senate this fall and signed by President Bush.
It is rare in Washington to assemble such a diverse coalition but a few examples demonstrate that there is good reason to demand greater transparency and accountability in contracting by the Federal government.
After Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), relying on emergency authority, issued four no-bid contracts related to temporary housing to Shaw Group, Inc., Bechtel Corporation, CH2M Hill Construction Inc. and Fluor Corporation. R. David Paulison, Acting Director of FEMA, was quoted in an October 7, 2005 Cox News Service story by Julia Malone entitled "FEMA To Put No-Bid Contracts Up For Rebidding" as promising the Senate Committee,
"We are going to rebid all the no-bid contracts." ...link
Not! Won't happen. As Congress cashed-in on your Billion$ for our services to their no-bid contractors, the Coburn/Obama Senate Bill, which had already passed by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is now officially, "in political limbo".
Here's the Senators on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee who voted for this measure; ... however, I suspect this mystery Senatory is one of them! :)
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Republican Democrat
Susan M. Collins Chairman (R-ME) Joseph I. Lieberman Ranking Member (D-CT)
Ted Stevens (R-AK) Carl Levin (D-MI)
George V. Voinovich (R-OH) Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
Norm Coleman (R-MN) Thomas R. Carper (D-DE)
Tom Coburn (R-OK) Mark Dayton (D-MN)
Lincoln D. Chafee (R-RI) Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Robert F. Bennett (R-UT) Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Pete V. Domenici (R-NM)
John W. Warner (R-VA)
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It passed! But a mystery Senator has exercised the rare parliamentary measure to secretly block the measure for vote on the Senate floor. ...Surprised? Maybe not.
But Americans should be outraged!!
So who on this committee do you think could be? Which GOP Senator, do you believe, would have both skillfully and unconscionably block government transparency, oversight and accountability from you - an American?
As the ranking (Democratic) member, Senator Lieberman shouldn't be granted the benefit of the doubt; afterall it's his support for the Iraq war that also blew Billion$ to no-bid contractors, like Halliburton/KBR.
Personally, I believe that it's Ted Stevens. He has the biggest angst to grind against the Democrats for defeating his ANWR drilling amendment. Besides, he's iconic for BIG government waste and excessive spending. As the former Chairman for the Senate Appropriation Committee (1997-2004), he dedicated the earmark for thatbridge to nowhere (Salon).
Several other names (GOPs mostly) do pop out, as those clearly alarmed by legislation that allows for oversight and accountability of their actions. But, Teddy somehow just stick out there, since he's already demonstrated for us how to blow off billion$, and who coincidentally has known how to exercise this shameful secretive parliamentary motion.
Ted Stevens (R-AK) <----
* Committee on Appropriations::
* Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science
* Subcommittee on Defense (Chairman)
* Subcommittee on Homeland Security
* Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies
* Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
* Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (ie think Katrina and FEMA trailors in Hope, AR)
* Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Chairman)
* Committee on Rules and Administration (ie he knows how to 'administer' the parliamentary 'rules')
* Joint Committee on the Library of Congress
But that's my guess,... what's yours?
BTW: www.Porkbusters.org has started a sleuthing campaign to help identify who this Senator may be.
BTW again: This blog was adapted from a post at CCN by Julia.