Scores of Recovery Act opponents sought money out of public view

[Sandy Eggo]

Rep. Pete Sessions, the firebrand conservative from Dallas, Texas, has relentlessly assailed the Democratic-passed stimulus law as a wasteful "trillion dollar spending spree" that was "more about stimulating the government and rewarding political allies than growing the economy and creating jobs."

But that didn't stop the Republican lawmaker from reaching his hand out behind the scenes to seek stimulus money for the suburb of Carrollton after the camera lights went dark and the GOP campaign against the 2009 stimulus law quieted down.

Scores of Republicans and conservative Democrats who voted against the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act subsequently wrote letters requesting funds for projects in a massive, behind-the-scenes letter-writing and phone call campaign, documents obtained by the Center show.

Those asking for money include Tea Party favorites like freshman Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., former presidential candidates Ron Paul and John McCain and Republican congressional leaders like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana

Many Democratic leaders who had boasted they prevented lawmakers from inserting special spending requests in the stimulus law when it passed also engaged in the behind-the-scenes letter writing to secure funding afterwards, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Rep. Brad Ellsworth, the Indiana Democrat now running for U.S. Senate, originally voted against the stimulus plan but later came around to cautiously supporting it. He collected $6,500 in donations from Duke Energy's political action committee in the months just before and after he wrote an August 2009 letter supporting the utility giant's ultimately successful request for an Energy Department grant, the Center found. Ellsworth's office declined comment.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2532/

Where does the American people need to turn for integrity?

[Palehorse]

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2532/

Where does the American people need to turn for integrity?

Hell this is the same thing I was talking about earlier this year. There were a lot of those opponents who kicked and screamed against it in congress, rushing up to take credit for what was done with the funding and the photo ops! 

[The Troll]

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2532/

Where does the American people need to turn for integrity?

  So did our man Mitch.  "OUR MAN" was totally against it.  But he took the money.  The same "MAN" who screw up our time system.  The same "MAN" who sold our TOLL ROAD for $75 million for 75 years and all of that money is gone and the foreigners own the money making road.

  And you just watch the Republicans will elect "OUR MAN MITCH" again.  Just like the Republicans will elect Luger, Coats, Burton and Pence.  Your can't fix stupid.

[Lester Sasquatch]

  So did our man Mitch.  "OUR MAN" was totally against it.  But he took the money.  The same "MAN" who screw up our time system.  The same "MAN" who sold our TOLL ROAD for $75 million for 75 years and all of that money is gone and the foreigners own the money making road.

  And you just watch the Republicans will elect "OUR MAN MITCH" again.  Just like the Republicans will elect Luger, Coats, Burton and Pence.  Your can't fix stupid.

I am no Mitch Daniels fan, let that be perfectly clear, but the toll road was leased to a Spanish-Australian group for a one time payment of 3.85 Billion dollars. This deal was made before the recession and is one reason Indiana is in better fiscal shape than our neighbors. It may not have been the wisest idea at the time the papers were signed, but looking back in hindsight now I think he did Indiana a good deed. Time will tell. The time system that Daniels had is hand in sucks big time and I won't forgive him for that mistake. Another thing about Daniels that rubs me the wrong way is how he said just the other day that America needs a VAT system of taxation. Our leaders need to stop spending money rather than try to figure out more ways to tax us.

While on the subject of toll roads, I was stunned when I read how the toll road operators in NJ get so much in pay and perks. Is there no wonder that this country is going broke? Yes, a worker should be compensated for his labor but this is down right ridiculous.

Bonuses can balloon payouts at retirement. For example, a property inspector who retired in 2008 with a base salary of $73,469 walked away with $321,985 extra after payouts for sick leave ($143,806), vacation leave ($87,380), voluntary separation ($53,497), separation bonus ($24,600), unused vacation ($7,559) and longevity ($5,143) were calculated.

The audit shows toll- and taxpayers picked up the tab for such perks as free E-ZPass transponders, scholarships for workers' kids and an employee bowling league. The audit showed some Turnpike Authority employees got overtime plus bonuses for working holidays and their birthdays. Some were paid bonuses on top of overtime for removing snow, a routine job function.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9IV00QG0.htm

[Palehorse]

I am no Mitch Daniels fan, let that be perfectly clear, but the toll road was leased to a Spanish-Australian group for a one time payment of 3.85 Billion dollars. This deal was made before the recession and is one reason Indiana is in better fiscal shape than our neighbors. It may not have been the wisest idea at the time the papers were signed, but looking back in hindsight now I think he did Indiana a good deed. Time will tell. The time system that Daniels had is hand in sucks big time and I won't forgive him for that mistake. Another thing about Daniels that rubs me the wrong way is how he said just the other day that America needs a VAT system of taxation. Our leaders need to stop spending money rather than try to figure out more ways to tax us.

While on the subject of toll roads, I was stunned when I read how the toll road operators in NJ get so much in pay and perks. Is there no wonder that this country is going broke? Yes, a worker should be compensated for his labor but this is down right ridiculous.

Bonuses can balloon payouts at retirement. For example, a property inspector who retired in 2008 with a base salary of $73,469 walked away with $321,985 extra after payouts for sick leave ($143,806), vacation leave ($87,380), voluntary separation ($53,497), separation bonus ($24,600), unused vacation ($7,559) and longevity ($5,143) were calculated.

The audit shows toll- and taxpayers picked up the tab for such perks as free E-ZPass transponders, scholarships for workers' kids and an employee bowling league. The audit showed some Turnpike Authority employees got overtime plus bonuses for working holidays and their birthdays. Some were paid bonuses on top of overtime for removing snow, a routine job function.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9IV00QG0.htm

And lets not forget the Bitch Mitch's role in scamming the citizens of Marion county and the collar counties with a "sunset tax" to build the Luke for the Irsay family! In conjunction with one of the bigger bandits in the nation, (The NFL), Irsay and company is sucking up citizen dollars to support his hobby, and Mitch helped him get it done. And that tax will never see a sunset. . . It will still be in place, (just like the one to build the hoosier dome is), long after everyone reading this is fertilizer.

I still do not like the toll road scam either. He traded 75 years of revenue for a one time payment and short term gain. The same methodology that got the big 3 automakers into bankruptcy; failing to give proper weight to long term planning for immediate gains today. Yeah, it "looks" good on the current balance sheet, but how about revenue generation over the next 72 years?

When they capped property taxation they took away the state, township, county, city, slush fund revenue. (I agree with the tax cap). Now they have to create new "fees" and taxes to pay for what they have spent or want to spend, and in my opinion these fees are nothing more than double taxation! You are right, cost cutting measures need to be implemented and the state and local public services and administration need to stop the overspending and live within their means.

With a fairly steady number of people joining the unemployed and foreclosure club, their property tax golden goose is dwindling every day, and it is magnifying the impact of the property tax cap legislation proportionately. (Yet another aspect they forgot to take into account).

What are they going to do when 10-20% of their former revenue generating properties lapse into non-productive status? 

And don't even get me started on the "clock games" ploy Mitch forced upon the state of Indiana. 

[The Troll]

  Yes, OUR MAN MITCH, THE BITCH, has killed the gold goose, the Indiana Toll Road so it would make him look good for one year.

  For the life of me, I couldn't see selling it.  What we needed to get was a group of management people like the Colt's have.  They could have milked millions and millions and millions of dollars out of  out of state cars and truckers.  Just like the Colt's have sucked money out of the taxpayers of Marion county and the counties around it.  So the people of Indiana can watch the multimillionaires play their millionaire football players.

[Lester Sasquatch]

  Yes, OUR MAN MITCH, THE BITCH, has killed the gold goose, the Indiana Toll Road so it would make him look good for one year.

  For the life of me, I couldn't see selling it.  What we needed to get was a group of management people like the Colt's have.  They could have milked millions and millions and millions of dollars out of  out of state cars and truckers.  Just like the Colt's have sucked money out of the taxpayers of Marion county and the counties around it.  So the people of Indiana can watch the multimillionaires play their millionaire football players.

The thing about the stadium is that, after martial law is declared, it makes a good centrally located containment center for Americans that refuse to give up their guns. Evansville is also building an arena for this purpose.

[Palehorse]

The thing about the stadium is that, after martial law is declared, it makes a good centrally located containment center for Americans that refuse to give up their guns. Evansville is also building an arena for this purpose.

It also makes for a nice place to gather the huddled masses for a "shower"!

[me]

Uh, Mitch had nothing to do with the Colts stadium that was the former and acting governor that did that Mitch just had the nasty job of figuring out how to pay for it.

  Yes, OUR MAN MITCH, THE BITCH, has killed the gold goose, the Indiana Toll Road so it would make him look good for one year.

  For the life of me, I couldn't see selling it.  What we needed to get was a group of management people like the Colt's have.  They could have milked millions and millions and millions of dollars out of  out of state cars and truckers.  Just like the Colt's have sucked money out of the taxpayers of Marion county and the counties around it.  So the people of Indiana can watch the multimillionaires play their millionaire football players.

[The Troll]

Uh, Mitch had nothing to do with the Colts stadium that was the former and acting governor that did that Mitch just had the nasty job of figuring out how to pay for it.

  Yeah Jelly Bean, like I believe all of that stuff.  Mitch the Bitch couldn't do nothing.   

[Palehorse]

Uh, Mitch had nothing to do with the Colts stadium that was the former and acting governor that did that Mitch just had the nasty job of figuring out how to pay for it.

It is financed with funds raised jointly by the State of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis, with the Indianapolis Colts providing $100million. Marion County has raised taxes for food and beverage sales, auto rental taxes, innkeeper's taxes and admission taxes for its share of the costs. Meanwhile, a small increase in food and beverage taxes in six surrounding counties and the sale of Colts license plates completes the total.

In October 2005, the IFA issued $400 million in bonds to pay for the initial phase of the Stadium construction. An additional $211 million and $55 million in bonds were issued in March 2007 and July 2008, respectively, to finish Stadium construction.
In December 2005, the Authority issued a $40 million bond anticipation note to fund the design phase of the Convention Center expansion, followed by a $120 million bond issuance in August 2008 to refund the note and fund the next phases of construction.

http://www.in.gov/ifa/2329.htm

Two of Daniels' tax proposals were approved: a tax on liquor and beverages to fund the construction of the Lucas Oil Stadium, and a tax on rental cars to expand the Indiana Convention Center. The new source of funding resulted in a state takeover of a project initially started by the city of Indianapolis and led to a bitter feud between the Democratic Mayor and the Governor. The state ultimately won and kept ownership of the facilities.

So yeah, the Bitch Mitch DID take over the project! He snatched it away from Indy and funded it. . . It is his baby and his scam! And the CIB is in over its head as usual!

[The Troll]

  You sure know how to tell them.  With a lobotomy   Good job. 

[me]

The governor before him and the one who finished out his term contracted for it and it was already in the works except for how to pay for it.

It is financed with funds raised jointly by the State of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis, with the Indianapolis Colts providing $100million. Marion County has raised taxes for food and beverage sales, auto rental taxes, innkeeper's taxes and admission taxes for its share of the costs. Meanwhile, a small increase in food and beverage taxes in six surrounding counties and the sale of Colts license plates completes the total.

In October 2005, the IFA issued $400 million in bonds to pay for the initial phase of the Stadium construction. An additional $211 million and $55 million in bonds were issued in March 2007 and July 2008, respectively, to finish Stadium construction.
In December 2005, the Authority issued a $40 million bond anticipation note to fund the design phase of the Convention Center expansion, followed by a $120 million bond issuance in August 2008 to refund the note and fund the next phases of construction.

http://www.in.gov/ifa/2329.htm

Two of Daniels' tax proposals were approved: a tax on liquor and beverages to fund the construction of the Lucas Oil Stadium, and a tax on rental cars to expand the Indiana Convention Center. The new source of funding resulted in a state takeover of a project initially started by the city of Indianapolis and led to a bitter feud between the Democratic Mayor and the Governor. The state ultimately won and kept ownership of the facilities.

So yeah, the Bitch Mitch DID take over the project! He snatched it away from Indy and funded it. . . It is his baby and his scam! And the CIB is in over its head as usual!

[Palehorse]

The governor before him and the one who finished out his term contracted for it and it was already in the works except for how to pay for it.

Don't fool yourself. Daniels was in office in 2005.  .  . He was involved in it before that too! He paid the price and took it from the city of Indy. He owns it lock stock and barrel!

[The Troll]

  In talking about Republicans politicians.  How and why did Dan Coats who has lived in Washington for years would come back to Indiana, buy a home, take a huge pay cut.  He was making over $950,000 lobbying, to run for a job paying $175,000 a year.  What I would like to know how is he going to get that pay cut back.  You don't think he would cut some deals in Washington, would you.