Following the Money Against GoPerverted Principal

Anyone who got the opportunity to watch proceedings on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday got a treat. Rep. Abercrombie's House Resolution 400 was up for debate. The GoPervs opposed it.

H. Res. 400 establishes a fine of $1 MN, or twice the amount in ill-gotten gains the contractor got, for defrauding the government/people. Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia brazenly led the GoPerverted assault on the bill. Of course, even slime like this admit they favor what the resolution accomplishes. His grounds, like most grounds the GoPervs have used this year to oppose any public interest legislation, are spurious. He claimed that it would stifle innovation. Yep, cut off at the roots all those grand schemes to defraud the public.

The party of perversion has declared war on any productivity for the public this legislation session. That is its revenge on voters for putting them in the minority. If it takes throwing more money into the hole that Iraq - especially contracting - has become they will enthusiastically throw it. Before resuming their seats they will be claiming that the Dems are fiscally irresponsible for the debt the same GoPervs have run up.

The House voted Tuesday to make it easier to convict private contractors of defrauding the U.S. government during wartime, an effort aimed at curbing the abuse that has plagued the Iraqi reconstruction effort.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Neil Abercrombie, would create a new federal criminal statute banning contracting abuse associated with military operations and reconstruction efforts. It also would ensure federal courts have jurisdiction in all cases, closing what Abercrombie says is a loophole in existing law that has let many contractors off the hook.

"Some of these contractors have declared the U.S. occupation of Iraq open season on the American taxpayer," said Abercrombie, D-Hawaii. "Cleaning up this mess has been hampered by the fact that while anti-fraud laws protect against the waste or theft of U.S. tax dollars in the United States, there have been no statutes prohibiting sleazy business practices by American companies overseas." The measure passed by 375-3.
(snip)
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who co-sponsored the Leahy bill, said during a spring hearing on the issue that heavy fines against contractors simply amounted to "an inexpensive license to cheat the taxpayers."

Would it seem from Sen. Spectre's claim that we are being cheated out of billions? According to Iraq Inspector General Bowen, 'losses to American taxpayers will likely amount to "relatively small components of the overall investments in Iraq, totaling in the tens of millions" of dollars and not in the "hundreds of millions or billions as is sometimes imagined."' The cheaters need to get their stories straight.

So little of what goes on in Congress is ever reported, I like to see it in action sometimes. Anyone who watches CSpan footage of actual debate will find their respect for the Dems growing, as they struggle against the slimeball tactics and determination not to allow the public interest to be served, exhibited there constantly by the GoPervs.