Whores for whores: NC Politicians can legally be bribed with sexual favors.

No, this is not a joke. Or at least, it’s not funny. You can now “gift” any and every North Carolina official with sexual favors, and it’s legal.

North Carolina’s State Ethics Committee has just opened up a major problem for their state — they just made it legal for lobbying firms to purchase prostitutes to service politicians. The Committee’s determination that sex had no value and that sex between a lobbyist and politician was nothing to report or in any way questionable means that a major loophole has opened up for lobbying firms. Now lobbying firms can hire people with the explicit goal to seduce and fornicate with politicians in order to garner favor.

In other terms, lobbying firms can hire people who can offer sexual services for politicians, and they don’t even need to register.

Whores servicing whores. Both parties being pimped out. With human trafficking, child abuse, slavery and other concerns that go with prostitution finally getting acknowledged in this country, Carolinians are taking a firm stand for abuse. Abuse of women, abuse of children, and abuse of power. All wrapped up in one, well, f***ing law.

Christ on a condom.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Foreigners are buying American elections, thanks to the Supreme Court.

Remember Citizens United? It was a Supreme Court ruling that allowed billionaires and corporations to buy elections. It also created a secret world in which politicos can be bribed with no way for us to bust them for being corrupt.

Oh, and remember how Obama warned that Citizen’s United could open the door to foreign money buying US elections, and the Chief Justice called the Prexy a liar? Well, golly gee whiz, it turns out that President Obama was right. As the linked article says:

In a first of its kind case, federal prosecutors say a Mexican businessman funneled more than $500,000 into U.S. political races through Super PACs and various shell companies. The alleged financial scheme is the first known instance of a foreign national exploiting the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision to influence U.S. elections.

It turns out that although Citizens United did not change the legality of foreign contributions in the U.S., it enabled the type of illegal schemes now being alleged by federal prosecutors.

“Before Citizens United, in order for a foreign national to try and do this, they’d have to set up a pretty complex system of shell corporations,” said Brett Kappel, a campaign finance expert at the law firm Arent Fox. “And even then, there were dollar limits in place. After Citizens United, there are no limits on independent expenditures.”

Got it? Either the Supreme Court intended for this to happen, or they were so shortsighted and pig-ignorant as to ignore the possibility. No matter which, the result is as predicted: foreign nationals are buying American elections and politicians. And this is only one that we caught. Who knows how many other cases there are, buried in the labyrinthian snakepit of American political “financing”?

Thanks to Presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush for stacking the Supreme Court with Raging Righties in Tightie Whities; because of the hyper-partisan Wingnuts on the Court; the integrity and independence of American government has been gravely damaged. Until Citizens United is repealed, none of us can ever know which of our politicians is actually in the service of a foreign national or even an unfriendly government.

Remember this, Gentle Reader: it is because of “Conservative” “Republicans” that our elections are being bought.And they ARE being bought. This could (and likely will) lead to a foreign takeover of our government if we don’t put a stop to it.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Kasich the Krooked

At least one of his Krony’s Kompanies has paid The Kasich hundreds of thousands in return for tax breaks. He denies everything, of course, as he always does. The man is slick, secretive and smart: but still a crook. From the article:

“Subsidiaries of a company that’s helped sustain Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s political career and contribute to his personal bank account have received tax breaks worth more than $619,000 brokered by the new job creation board he appoints.

Longstanding and extensive financial ties between Kasich and Worthington Industries, a Fortune 500 steel processor in central Ohio, are raising new ethics questions in the era of JobsOhio, a semi-private panel of business leaders appointed by the governor and largely shielded from Ohio ethics and public records laws.”

There is a lot more at the above link, and it is suggested you click and read it. In brief: The Kasich set up a secret agency, packed it with his buddies, stole our tax money to fund it, and is pocketing cash from the deals JobsOhio has been quietly cutting. Why does he get away with this crap?

He gets away with it because Ohio isn’t just controlled by “Republicans”; it is controlled by Kasich “Republicans”. So the only people in a position to challenge his unethical and illegal activities are people loyal to him, which means, yup, no one in Ohio government will call him to account.

One-party rule ALWAYS leads to corruption and the ripping-off of the citizenry. Ohio is such a stupid state, it has handed over its collective wallets to a load of thieves. And Kasich The Krooked is gleefully extracting cash from our billfolds and stuffing it into his own, just like he did on Wall Street.

Eh, oh, way to go, Ohio.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Do They Care? No, They Don’t. Here’s Why.

We should be used to this by now: a new record low approval rating for Congress. Only a tenth of us think they don’t suck. But do they care? No, they don’t.

Hell, some of them even think they suck:

“Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) told Bloomberg News that the latest poll results are what Congress deserves, and that he won’t be seeking another term in 2016.

“Why should it be that high?” he said of the Gallup ranking. “Look, we’re incompetent. I think it’s full appropriate.”

It’s so bad, even the party the controls Congress thinks they are über-suckiferous: most “Republicans” think their party’s “representatives” suck. But do they care? No, they don’t.

And here is why: two reasons:
Number A; most incumbents get re-elected, no matter how worthless they may be or what the poll numbers may say.
Letter 2: they pretty much do what those who bribe them tell them to do. (How else did do many of them become millionaires?)

The only “poll” Congress will listen to is the one that takes place on Election Day. And until we vote the bums out, they won’t care. No, they won’t care.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Of “Profitutes” and “Profitution”

Mr. Blunt and Cranky thinks it is time for some new words to describe our new breed of politicians: those who not only cheerfully sell themselves to the highest bidder, but fully admit to so doing. These blatantly corrupt swine are all about personal gain and clearly care nothing for the voters who elected them.

So if all these politicos care about is personal profit, let us then dub them “profitutes” and their profession as “profitution”.

Insulting, you say? How dare we compare the likes of John Boehner to common whores? Well , perhaps: but to this writer, it is the hookers who should be insulted. After all, those who sell sex for money are not violating a sworn oath to the constitution. And the Profitutes most certainly are: they take our tax dollars and give us nothing in return. At least a call girl provides the services she contracted for.

(Full disclosure: your humble correspondent has never had sex with a prostitute. He HAS, however, been screwed many times by profitutes.)

Mr. B & C

Most of Romney’s Campaign Money is Secret. Surprised?

Mr. Blunt and Cranky is not. From the start, Romney’s campaign (indeed, his very life) has been shrouded in secrecy, and when a bit is revealed, that bit is obfuscated or contradicted. So it makes sense that the money being used to buy his attempt at the Presidency would follow form.

A survey done by three organizations has provided, among other very revealing information about both parties, this handy little chart (more at the link below, which this writer hopes you will click):

Ad Spending By Outside Groups, April 10-Oct. 10

Party Affiliation	Amount Spent	Donor Status	Percent
Democratic	$20,032,460	Disclosed	86.6%
Democratic	$3,101,280	Undisclosed	13.4%
Total Democratic	$23,133,740
Republican	$69,112,620	Disclosed	44.4%
Republican	$86,600,860	Undisclosed	55.6%
Total Republican	$155,713,480

Source: Kantar Media CMAG

Notice the huge difference in amounts, but even more so the difference in secrecy. Most “Republican” money is hidden in the shadows, like cockroaches and other similar vermin. While the Dems do have their secret-keepers, they are by far the minority.

To sum up: you can choose to trust people who do not trust you, and receive the usual rewards of such foolish behavior. Or you can show them how you feel by not voting for them. At the end of the day, people who keep secrets are usually hiding something revolting, shameful, illegal, immoral, or suchlike.

In this case, they are keeping secrets from you because they are afraid you won’t vote for them if you find out their secrets. And that is reason enough to vote against Romney, Ryan, and anyone else whose elections are being bought by slimy, shadowy crooks like Rove and his ilk.

Mr. B & C

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/10/15/162955073/study-secret-donors-significantly-fueling-pro-romney-tv-ads

Schrödinger’s Cash (The Supreme Court Has Created a Secret Parallel Universe)

As stated in a previous Schrödinger’s Court post, we cannot really know what is happening inside the Supreme Court, because their deliberations are (mostly) private.  From the way the “box” has been shaking and rattling of late, we know something is going on inside. It seems to be at worst (in the words of Miracle Max) “mostly dead”, and perhaps at best somewhat alive. Time will tell.

Having said that, Mr. Blunt and Cranky has noticed that there is a new box in town, created by this Court: let us call it “Schrödinger’s Cash”. Like the Court, we cannot see what goes on inside the box, but can see what happens outside of it as result of what is happening inside (yes, he knows that the physics analogy is breaking down here). The Court did not say that it was building a secretive new world of quasi-legalized Congressional and Presidential bribery, and indeed may not have intended to do so, judging on its writings. But that is what has been created by their Citizens United ruling.

In a virtual box made out of loopholes, hundreds of millions of dollars flow in and out; from and to hidden people in hidden places, beholden to hidden organizations with hidden agendas.  A few people are trying to open this box, and so far getting nowhere. Because, really,  the questions of what the box is, how big it is, where it is, how much is in it, and what is happening  in there are as opaque to us as are the most quantum of mechanics.

Secrets beget secrets: that is not a new observation, of course. And now we see the get of a secretive Court, and the part of the resulting spawn that hasn’t slithered its way inside the box is observably vile and corrupt. Leaving us to wonder, just how much more revolting is the part that is hidden? Pretty darned, one would expect.

This writer would like to end the Schrödinger-esque experiment by opening the box. He figures that would kill off whatever slimy critter lives therein.  After which he’d borrow a VW Quantum from a mechanic, and crankily run the box over, smashing it to bits so that it could never again be closed.

Mr. B & C

Foreign Money Is Buying U.S. Politicians. Happy 4th.

Tomorrow is July the 4^th – the day on which America declared its independence from England. A little tiff back in the 1700’s, perhaps you may have heard about it. A lot of blood was shed to become a sovereign nation, and lot of money got lost because patriotic motives prevented the Brits from buying their way past our guns.

Whilst following the news sites today, Mr. B & C  encountered this little item: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/10bcca1e-c48e-11e1-a98c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1zaMoo1Hz  (yes, he reads the FT, and the WSJ. A man’s gotta make a living): the gist is that a British sleazeball got caught sleazing and will not appear at a sleazy Limey public event, so as to avoid emphasizing his chosen candidate’s own sleazitude. But that is no huge deal, and is actually pretty common these days. Nearly yawn-worthy, in fact.

Except, the real shocker is that Mitt Romney is raising money from these foreign nationals and foreign companies for his American election campaign fund. Even more shocking: it ain’t the first time. Even more shockinger: he ain’t the only one to do so.

At what point did it become legal to have American politicos being bought off by the Brits? Bad enough that they get “legal bribes” from our own countrymen.

Especially on the day before our Independence Day, it really rankles to have Brits buying American. Or at least, buying these particular Americans.

Mr. Blunt, Shocked, Ticked-Off and Even Crankier

The Rise of the Green and Folding Party

Last night, the attempt to recall Wisconsin’s governor failed. Over the winter and spring, one Repub wound up winning enough primaries to gain his party’s Prexy nod. These two cases might seem unrelated, but each of them reflects the way our nation now operates in this brave new world of the  monetized electoral process.

Yes, there were other forces at work in each case: the typical Dem ineptitude and lack of unity was on full display in Cheeseland; and Romney’s win was at least partly due to the fact that the other candidates sucked even more than he did. So money was not the only factor in play. But in both cases, the person with the most money won.

We see this throughout politics, to a greater and greater extent each year. Money is discussed as a deciding factor and candidates are graded on how much they have on hand; so too are parties.  And regulations that used to safeguard our political process from the out-and-out purchasing of political power have been thrown in the dustbin. Money is now openly acknowledged as the key to political success.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky proposes a label for this player:  “The Green and Folding Party” (there were other possible monikers, but this one was the least profane). In honor of its ascendency, he further proposes that the other two parties be absorbed into its rustling embrace – after all, neither party can live without cash, and both have become totally subservient to it.

It has long been a joke that we ‘have the best government that money can buy”.  It is no longer a joke, it is becoming reality.  That being the case, we might as well drop the pretense and name it accurately.

Mr. B & C