Myths and Lies on the Record

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Is it just me or are these guys out of control?


Myths and Lies on the Record
By John Stossel

Last week, Kenneth Lay was convicted of fraud. Prosecutor Sean Berkowitz said that sent a message: "No matter how rich and powerful you are, you have to play by the rules."

No matter how rich, maybe, but the truly powerful get to make their own rules.

Consider the Congressional Record. You probably think it's a record of what our representatives said or did. But that's a myth.

Every night that Congress is in session, stenographers take down every historic word and ship them off to the Government Printing Office. The printing office stays open all night to be sure the official record will be on every member's desk by the following morning. That sounds important.

But the Record isn't a record of what was said in Congress -- the politicians wouldn't subject themselves to that. The Record is a record of what the members want you to think they said.

That's fraud, twice over. It's a fraud on the public, which believes the millions Congress spends on the Record are spent to document what actually happens in Congress. And it's a fraud on those of you who think your congressman talked about you.

The Record reports that Derek Vaught's congressman, Mike Espy, rose on the floor to give a tribute to the lad's karate skills. "I thought it was pretty awesome," Vaught said.

The Record says a congressman rose to pay tribute to rock singer Ted Nugent for being "as good with a bow and arrow as he is with a guitar."

The Record claims that a congressman said, "Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Dot Hill, who's a legend not only in her own hometown, but throughout the world." (Hill is a drum majorette.)

None of those tributes was ever made, but they're all in print, enshrined in history along with what really was said.

Or wasn't said. A congressman once got angry with a colleague and exclaimed, "You're trying to shut me off? You better not do that, ma'am. . . . Who do you think you are?"

You didn't read that in the Congressional Record. The Congressman or his staff had the Record print his comments this way: "I will say to the gentle lady for whom I have the greatest respect . . ."

The law says the Record must be "substantially a verbatim report." Congressmen use the word "substantially" to print their lies.

Why do they add the silly tributes?

Well, suppose I'm Congressman Stossel, eager to impress my constituents. What's more impressive than public praise in the official Record?

Of course, it would be embarrassing to actually stand in front of my colleagues and talk about Ted Nugent's archery, so I'll just make it seem as if I did. To make it extra convincing, I'll use phrases like, "Mr. Speaker, I rise today . . . " The additions cost taxpayers millions, but so what? They don't cost me anything.

The waste calculates out to almost $675 a page. Derek Vaught's father didn't mind: "If they're going to waste money," he told us, "I'd just as soon they wasted it on my son."

I confronted one representative about it. He'd used the Record for tributes to his grade school, a friend who collected antique cars, the local tennis pro, etc.

He shouted at me: "John . . . what the hell are you doing? . . . Jacking me around with these other politicians who are so dumb they can throw themselves to the ground and miss, who blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on free mail, which I don't abuse, and you're here, talking to me about giving some tributes for achievements made?"

The congressman, Jim Traficant, later was busted for other frauds, and he's now in prison. But as the website FreeTraficant.com says, "Traficant's error wasn't committing fraud and taking money. His error was doing it old style."

Public officials commit fraud all the time. But because they write the rules, they call it "public service."

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[bobs turbo pt]

i sent you an email please let me know if you got it thanks bob

[quicksilverdon]

I really want a third party. The only thing I've seen the democrats and republicans agree on is to attack the FBI for busting a crooked congressman!!! [xx(]
I think a monthly dose of electroshock therapy is needed for Congress - the voltage to be increased for every year they've been in office - just to try to snap them out of it and bring them closer to reality.....

[bobs turbo pt]

"a monthly dose of electroshock therapy is needed for Congress "

now thats a good idea!![^]

[Hotrod]

Off the subject a little but about congress, here's a tid bit. I'm stationd on the USS John F. Kennedy an air craft carrier, the second oldest in the fleet. It's been skiped over the last two cycles for a complete overhall due to $. It has a hole the size of a compact car below the water line, it has as of this year been deemed unsafe and can't land any aircraft without major repairs. The Navy wants to decommission it as of last year where congress voted to keep her yet we recieved no additional money for repairs as so we are operating on a shoe string. This year any orders for supplies or repairs or "normal" operation over 1 cent that's right one penny is considered high dollar and requires the supply officer's review and signature to allow the order to be replaced. Last year it dropped to $100.00. The Navy again says it doesn't want it and it can't afford to repair it on the budget it operates on nor does it want to afford the opperating costs. One day out to sea is over 1 mill. just for fuel. Now I don't want to actually have to move and pick new orders nor am I disgruntle of the ship or Navy but this ship is just sitting at port rusting away. The last out to sea period was for 4 days and we watered down the jet fuel we had on board since we can't land planes anyways for diesel because our request to be refueled was denied and that was the only way we could perform the out to sea period which is required to maintain our status of a sea going vessel in the Navy. Well congress has as of now choosen to keep the JFK yet another year.Now will say they gave the Navy and extra $280 mil for her repairs but never stated that money was required to be used souly on the kennedy and as you can guess, I along with my shipmates do not recognize any additional funds spent on our ship and with the budget to .01 being high dollars for parts and supplies it appears that money didn't get used for the Kennedy. Waist of money to keep a carrier that can't land planes and will not without millions and over a year to complete along with the Navy giving no idication these repairs are ever going to begin, I'd say another waist of tax dollars there too. Ofcourse the local area wants to keep the ship, 3000 sailers and thier families don't hurt the local economy but wouldn't destroy it if the ship left either.