Rep. Spencer Bachus Faces Insider-Trading Probe

Photo: U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus

Rep. Spencer Bachus Faces Insider-Trading Investigation -- Washington Post

The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee over possible violations of insider-trading laws, according to individuals familiar with the case.

Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), who holds one of the most influential positions in the House, has been a frequent trader on Capitol Hill, buying stock options while overseeing the nation’s banking and financial services industries.

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More News On Allegations Of Insider Trading Against Rep. Spencer Bachus

Report: Rep. Spencer Bachus faces insider trading probe -- L.A. Times
Rep. Bachus faces insider trading probe: report -- Reuters
Report: Bachus targeted in ethics investigation -- Politico
Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus says he welcomes ethics investigation -- al.com
Bachus Predicts ‘Full Exoneration’ in Ethics Investigation -- Bloomberg
If Spencer Bachus Was Insider Trading, He Was Pretty Awful At It -- Business Insider

A Commentary On Policy Corruption

President Barack Obama meets with members of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House, January 29, 2010. The President’s chair is marked with a plaque engraved with the date of his inauguration. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Intellectual And Policy Corruption -- Richard W. Rahn, Washington Times

Team Obama rewards its friends, punishes its foes.

Government corruption can take many forms. Last week, most of those forms could be seen in the actions of the Obama administration - everything from government officials taking simple bribes, to covering up wrongdoing, to using taxpayer money to pay off political supporters, to using government prosecutors to punish enemies, to failing to fulfill its fiduciary duty to citizens by not performing cost-benefit analyses before taking actions. Promulgating policies that knowingly hurt millions of people is far more serious than a government official requesting a cash bribe - as despicable as that may be. Pushing for tax increases without first getting rid of counterproductive or useless programs and cleaning up mismanagement is an example of policy corruption.

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My Comment: A hard hitting commentary .... and unfortunately so true.

How Political Allies Are Making Money On Green Causes

Obama Backers Are Getting Rich On Green Causes -- Don Surber

Over the holidays, the New York Times reported: “Fisker Automotive is recalling all 239 of its 2012 Karma luxury plug-in hybrid cars because of a fire hazard.”

Not mentioned in the report was the fact that the Obama administration had given this tiny car company a Solyndra-sized loan of $529 million. Banks loans the money with the understanding that if the company flops, taxpayers will repay the loan. That Fisker received a loan at all was odd, since Fisker builds its cars in Uusikaupunki, Finland. But the Wall Street Journal reported that Al Gore is a backer of Fisker. That may explain why the Obama administration approved the loan.

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My Comment: Because Green sounds good.... does not necessarily mean that it is good. Unfortunately .... government backed loans to companies that are not structured to pay them back is becoming the legacy of going Green.

A Profile On Andrew Breitbart

Andrew Breitbart, once a liberal Westside child of privilege, says he had a series of epiphanies that turned him into a conservative. (Al Seib, Los Angeles Times / August 5, 2010)

Andrew Breitbart: The Man Behind The Sherrod Affair -- L.A. Times

Andrew Breitbart, whose posting of video clips got a Department of Agriculture official fired, was a liberal Westside child of privilege whose political epiphany transformed him into a conservative.

The command center of Andrew Breitbart's growing media empire is a suite of offices on Sawtelle Boulevard in West Los Angeles with the temporary feel of a campaign office. Only the computers seem firmly anchored.

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About That Vanity Fair Story On Sarah Palin

The Truth About That Dishonest Vanity Fair Palin Story, From One Who Was There -- Big Journalism

Remember Vanity Fair (you know–the stale, old magazine that no one buys unless they are on the cover or they are wishing they were, like Joy Behar)? The recent hit piece on Sarah Palin by Michael Joseph Gross reveals that they must be as desperate as the rest of the MSM for sales/ratings, because they have lost all credibility, if they ever had any.

Reading his tripe was excruciating. Some 90% of the hard accusations are attributed to anonymous “sources.” This is billed as a profile piece, not exactly Watergate. You have to do better than attributing everything to an anonymous “Deep Throat.”

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My Comment: The Vanity Fair article can be read here.

How Rich Are The Richest Lawmakers

Wealthy Lawmakers Increased Their Riches As U.S. Economy Sputtered In '09 -- The Hill

The wealthiest members of Congress grew richer in 2009 even as the economy struggled to recover from a deep recession.

The 50 wealthiest lawmakers were worth almost $1.4 billion in 2009, about $85.1 million more than 12 months earlier, according to The Hill’s annual review of lawmakers’ financial disclosure forms.

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My Comment: The list of the 50 wealthiest law makers is here.

Even The San Francisco Press Are Dumping On Senator Boxer

Barbara Boxer Spins Fictional Tale About Condi Rice -- SF Gate

Sen. Barbara Boxer came to the Chronicle editorial board today, and I asked her about some controversial remarks she made about then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not paying "a personal price" in terms of the war in Iraq.

Here is the quote that put Boxer in so much hot water:

Now, the issue is who pays the price, who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old, and my grandchild is too young. You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, within immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families, and I just want to bring us back to that fact.

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My Comment: When the San Francisco press starts to dump on one of their long time favorite politicians .... you know that there is disarray in the liberal ranks. What is my take, SF Gate is right, and kudos to them for pointing out Sen. Boxer's contradictions.