Continuing the GOP’s attack on the poor people’s organizing group ACORN, the House and Senate — by wide margins — have voted to bar ACORN from receiving federal funding on account of fraudulent activity.
Let’s hope the legislators enjoy their gloat and then get right back to business. Passed in a flurry of bloviating bluster, The Defund ACORN law is written so broadly that it just could come in very handy.
Rep. Alan Grayson (D of Florida) has already asked the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) to find out which other contractors might be caught in the ACORN ban-net.
When it comes to fraud felons receiving federal funds — Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman top the list, with 20 fraud cases between them. Where military contractors go, the cash-for-killers at Blackwater (now XE) are rarely far behind. (Indeed, see Jeremy Scahill’s story.) And then there’s Halliburton and the magically disappeared federal cash for troop services and Iraq reconstruction. (Has anyone seen that $9 billion? )
Fraud by recipients of the $750 billion financial bailout program is bound to show up soon. Earlier this year, federal investigators said they had opened 20 criminal probes into possible securities fraud, tax violations, insider trading and other crimes by TARP recipients.
If Congress – including scores of Democrats — can get this hot and bothered over the $50 million ACORN’s supposed to have received over the past 15 years they’re going to become hysterical about the BILLIONS received by banks in the blink of a brokers’ eyelid.
Not to be left out, several supposedly faith-based groups, recipients of federal grants, currently stand accused of misspending taxpayer cash to cover for child-molesting clergy.
To name just one, in at least two cities Catholic Charities stands accused of using federal funds to settle or cover up sex abuse charges, but that didn’t stop Catholic Charities from receiving a federal government contract this August for $100 million to work with victims of natural disasters.
Bankers, brokers, bomb-makers, and let us not forget the child molesters… This could all get very interesting very fast. I can hardly wait to turn on the television. Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck. Who’s going to be first with the outrage?
The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Follow GRITtv or GritLaura on Twitter.com.
