Re-reporting, editing and comment by Carolyn Bennett

BREAKDOWN happens when a nation and its people are self-absorbed, oblivious, unmindful, careless of Society and its unwritten contract to which we must adhere as a global and domestic community of equals.

Influence Peddling and those who peddle and play the game must not be cleaned up, reformed, face lifted or refitted with a new suit. Peddling and peddlers must be expelled entirely.

The Center for Public Integrity has released a report it calls "The Murtha Method" targeting the U.S. House of Representatives Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, key funder of the Pentagon (the U.S. war machine); the Subcommittee's chairman, U.S. Representative John Murtha (D-Pa.); the Subcommittee's members; and the chairman and members' relationship with PMA Group, a lobbying firm employing former House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee aides. House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Chairman Murtha and fellow subcommittee members Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.), says the report, "steered a host of earmarks to PMA [closed late last year following an FBI raid] clients."

To earmark means to designate exclusively „Ÿ in this case money, U.S. dollars, funding, Americans' hard- earned income „Ÿ for a particular use, person, place, thing or group. Other sectors need not apply for these funds. Think your state, city, town's roads, bridges, levees, schools, constructive programs, critical services and institutions, innovation, progress, the common defense and general welfare. This is not only discrimination. It is gulfing disparity. Congressional earmarking is a major means of creating impoverishment in a variety of human and societal sectors. Earmarking is cousin to bid rigging.

Referencing Congressional Research Service, the Center reports that the U.S. House of Representatives "cut more than $9 billion from the president's fiscal year 2008 budget request" while adding "billions of dollars in earmarks and other additions „Ÿ resulting in a net decrease of $3.55 billion.

PMA clients and staffers gave campaign contributions to the lawmakers.

Members of Congress caught up in the acquisition of gain in dishonest, illegal or questionable ways (the grafters) include C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.), Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), Norman Dicks (D-Wash.), Dave Hobson (R-Ohio, retired last year), Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), Kay Granger (R-Texas), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss., now in the Senate). These are together with Murtha, Visclosky and Jim Moran.

The Center for Public Integrity's computer analysis reveals that "fully three-quarters of the U.S. House of Representatives Defense Appropriations Subcommittee members have been involved c in circles of relationships fraught with potential conflicts of interest, involving former congressional staffers-turned lobbyists, earmarks, and campaign cash.

"In these circles, former staffers became lobbyists for defense contractors; the contractors received earmarks from the representatives; and the representatives received campaign contributions from the lobbyists or the contractors."

Grafters Roll call (a partial)

John Murtha: Earmarks:
$48.2 million; Contributions: $493,950

C.W. Bill Young:
Earmarks: $21.8 million; Contributions: $145,291

Peter Visclosky:
Earmarks: $14 million; Contributions: $321,450

Jim Moran:
Earmarks: $3.2 million; Contributions: $69,900

Kay Granger:
Earmarks: $3.6 million; Contributions: $23,000

Jack Kingston:
Earmarks: $1.6 million; Contributions: $5,250

Todd Tiahrt:
Earmarks: $2.2 million; Contributions: $28,700

Roger Wicker:
Earmarks: $4.4 million; Contributions: $23,100

Norm Dicks:
Earmarks: $2 million; Contributions: $39,300

Dave Hobson:
Earmarks: $2 million; Contributions: $10,750

Rodney Frelinghuysen:
Earmarks: $1.5 million; Contributions: $21,600

Steve Rothman:
Earmarks: Same; Contributions: $13,000

The Justice Department is looking into "aspects of the relationships" to determine "whether there were explicit quid pro quo exchanges of favors for cash, which would make crimes out of relationships that are otherwise legal." In addition, the House ethics committee is on the case like foxes in the henhouse.

These relationship circles have included not only PMA, the Center reports in its 2008 analysis, "but 10 other lobbying firms" involving "more than 50 earmarks totaling more than $100 million" ; "campaign contributions amounting to more than $1 million."

"No matter how we slice and dice the data related to contributions from embattled lobbying firm PMA Group and its clients," wrote Center for Responsive Politics back in March, "Rep. John Murtha (D-Penn.), chair of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, remains at or near the top of the recipient list, along with Reps. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.) and Jim Moran (D-Va.)."

This is what America gets when it operates under broken (corrupt political, campaign finance and elections) systems; when the people permit and mindlessly applaud oligarchy, concentrated, nepotistic, insulated, incestuous power and power sharing and abuse of power among corporate (sectarian and secular) private/public entities.

John Patrick Murtha, Jr., (b. 1932 in West Virginia) is a militarist, opportunist (six years active military duty, 34 years double-dipping military reserves while a wheeler-dealer holding down a Congressional seat). Elected to Congress in a special election, after the death of another Member of the House (D-Pa.), Murtha is the poster boy of entrenchment, a 35-year lifer, way overdue for democratic recall.

Sources

"'The Murtha Method' „Ÿ Computer Analysis Shows 12 of 16 House Defense Subcommittee Members in Controversial Circles of Lobbyists, Earmarks, and Campaign Cash," The Center for Public Integrity (Data Editor David Donald and staff writers Sarah Laskow, Nick Schwellenbach, Kate Willson, Caitlin Ginley, and Laura Cheek, September 8, 2009, http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/1643

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit, non-partisan and non-advocacy organization that produces original investigative journalism about significant public issues to make institutional power more transparent and accountable., http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/

"PMA Group and Clients Paid Out $40 Million to Current Congress" (published by Lindsay Renick Mayer), March 12, 2009, http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/03/pma-group-and-clients-paid-out.html

MURTHA, John Patrick, Jr., (1932 - ), http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M001120

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Dr. Carolyn LaDelle Bennett -author, independent journalist Blog: Today's Insight News Blog: http://todaysinsightnews.blogspot.com/
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