Tuesday, February 11, 2014

February, 2014 Political Class Insanity, Part 5: Giving Away Taxpayer Wealth To Everyone Except Taxpayers

This will be the fifth and last post in this month’s series on American political class insanity. It is a shame that every month we have to take so many days just to identify and discuss the idiocy, wasteful spending, ineffective government programs, and other embarrassments from our current set of politicians, certainly the worst set that this country has ever had to tolerate.

1) The leader of a Florida drug ring, Pablo Borgen, was recently arrested by sheriffs deputies for operating a substantial heroin ring. It turns out that Borgen is a Dominican Republic citizen who is in this country illegally.

Great, two major violations of our laws, illegal immigration and illegal drug running. But to add insult to injury, the sheriff’s arrest report and news release also revealed that Borgen was illegally collecting Federal food stamp assistance to the tune of $900 every month. Thus, the American taxpayer was feeding this person who was here illegally and pushing heroin on the streets of this country. Adding more insult to injury, news reports indicated that other employees in Borgen’s drug ring were also on food stamps and three of the women involved were receiving WIC benefits for their kids.

So much for the claims by politicians like Senator Dick Durbin who for months, if not years, have been claiming that “undocumented immigrants can’t collect welfare.” They can, they do, and often as we see in Mr. Borgen’s case, they are criminals to boot. Pathetic government processes and waste.

2) But defrauding the American taxpayer is not restricted to illegal immigrants from poor countries. According to an Associated Press report from early December, 2013, 49 Russian diplomats and their wives scammed about $1.5 million out of Medicaid over the past several years, according to charges made public by U.S. government officials.

The Russian diplomats, both current and former diplomats and their spouses, were stationed at the Russian Mission to the United Nations, the Russian consulate and Russian trade offices. They submitted fraudulent applications for medical benefits for pregnancies, births, and care for young children.

Details uncovered during the 18 month investigation by the FBI include the following insults to the American taxpayer:
  • A whopping 58 of the 63 (92%) births attributed to Russian diplomats and their spouses in New York City between 2004 and 2013 were funded through Medicaid.
  • Despite using American taxpayer money to deliver their kids and cover the related medical costs, according to the court papers filed for these crimes, the diplomats and their spouses spent tens of thousands of dollars on vacations, fancy watches, expensive jewelry and designer clothing at luxury retail stores including Bloomingdale’s, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, Swarovski and others, indicating they had more than enough personal wealth to handle the hospital costs themselves.
  • The court papers also indicate the diplomats also spent tens of thousands of dollars on electronic merchandise at Apple stores and elsewhere and they also bought concert tickets, robotic cleaning devices, and chartered helicopters.
  • The added insult is that after ripping off the American taxpayer for $1.5 million, none of these people are ever likely to be prosecuted since they all probably have diplomatic immunity. And really, it is not their fault, it is the fault of our political class and the inefficient and busted programs they run that allow illegal immigrants and foreign diplomats to easily get access to American taxpayer funds and support, from food assistance to pregnancy coverage. Insane. 

3) Sometimes foreigners do not scam the American taxpayer out of their wealth via Federal government incompetence, the American political class gives the wealth away themselves. 

In late 2013 the Federal government issued a report to the United Nations which documented how the U.S. had given out $7.45 billion to 120 countries around the world over a three year period to help them combat the issues raised by global warming. A number of issues are raised by this giveaway:
  • If you are like me and have serious doubts that global warming, or its rebranded marketing name “climate change,” is a serious man made crisis, then giving away over $7 billion for a non-existent problem is certainly a waste of money.
  • If mankind is causing negative climate changes, wouldn’t the $7.45 billion been better spent domestically cleaning up our emissions output since we are one of the biggest emitters of global warming gases in the world? 
  • The Federal government cannot even keep track of money it gives away domestically, e.g. illegal drug dealers living off of food stamps, so what makes anyone think that giving American taxpayer money to countries around the world will actually be used for its intended purpose? 
  • On a per year and per country basis, the average share comes out to about $21 million a year per country, a relatively insignificant amount of money to turn the tide on global warming even if the majority of the money is actually sued for that purpose.
Another giveaway with no audits in place for a dubious purpose with little chance of being successful. A typical Washington operation. For a previovus review of why global warming and climate change are doubtful froma scientific perspective, please visit the following post:


4) The Salt Lake Tribune reported on January 31, 2014 that the Utah law enforcement organization had received a mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) from the Federal government under the so-called 1033 Program being run out of the Department of Defense. Other Utah law enforcement organizations have received thousands of military grade weapons from the program.

But most insanely, according to the article, Utah law enforcement authorities have also received four grenade launchers. All of which raises some serious issues:
  1. For what possible reason does domestic/local law enforcement need grenade launchers for unless to attack a citizen’s home? I cannot recall any time in my life where there was a criminal incident where law enforcement said: “If only we had a grenade launcher handy to handle the situation.”
  2. If the Department of Defense has so much left over war materials shouldn’t someone be fired at the Pentagon for not managing the inventory needs of the military to the highest standards, wasting taxpayer wealth in the process of producing way too much military gear?
  3. And most ominously, is this “militarization” of local police forces around the country a precursor to a much bigger national crisis for freedom, the creation of a national police force, an action that is against current Federal law and shades of the Nazi SS forces in Hitler’s Germany?
  4. The American Civil Liveries Union has a massive investigation underway to examine the actual and potential infringements on Americans’ lives and liberties as a result of this heavy arming of local police forces around the country.
Incompetence or just another step towards national martial law and the end of our democracy? You decide while I try to figure out why a local police force needs grenade launchers.

5) We have often reviewed and discussed the fact that the annual massive Federal government farm bill often has nothing to do with helping American farmers. Its intent has been perverted so much over the years by Washington politicians that it is now a corrupt, crony infected program that has given billions of dollars over the years to large agricultural corporations and to well positioned and wealthy insiders who know how to look like a farmer without ever picking up a hoe. 

Consider the findings of a watch dog organization, Open the Books,  their recent analysis and findings of Federal farm subsidies:
  • Within the city borders of the City of Chicago, 930 different entities received an aggregated total of $6.129 million in federal government farm subsidy payments over the years.
  • Chicago recipients of Federal farm aid include grain traders and members of the Chicago Board of Trade, wealthy second generation inheritors, and non-profit organizations such as the Mallard Habitat Foundation and a charity of The Nation of Islam. 
  • Many Chicago entities receive the Federal subsidies checks at their downtown Chicago office buildings or residences.
  • Nearly every Chicago neighborhood in the city has someone living in that neighborhood that receives Federal farm subsidy payments
  • The 12th highest farm subsidy recipient is Three Years Economic Savings, Inc., a charity addressed at the home of Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of The Nation of Islam. The entity also received a “commodity loan” for an additional $26,357 under the George W. Bush administration
Let’s be honest, paying people in downtown Chicago Federal farm subsidies is doing nothing to save the nation’s family farms, it is a pure, unadulterated taxpayer ripoff, abetted by the Washington political class. Their payoff: likely campaign contributions to their perpetual reelection campaigns and some cases, direct payments to themselves as they stick their nose into the farm subsidy trough of excess. 

Louis Farrakhan does not need to receive a farm subsidy. Grain traders do not need to receive a farm subsidy. Board of Trade members do not need to receive a farm subsidy.

Let’s close this month’s political class insanity with on contrasting thought. The Federal government over the past few years has allowed illegal drug running immigrants, Russian diplomats, foreign governments, and rich residents of Chicago to rip off the American taxpayer of tens of billions of dollars. 

In the meantime, Congress and this President have just agreed to cut the retirement benefits of our veterans, those brave Americans who hoped defend this country and its freedoms over the years. Wasting the money is bad enough, insulting and causing potential financial hardships of our veterans is the most insane and pathetic thing any politician can do.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

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Please visit the following sites for freedom:

Term Limits Now: http://www.howmuchworsecoulditget.com
http://www.reason.com
http://www.cato.org
http://www.robertringer.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w




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