Congress For Sale…But For a Good Cause

Congressman Joe Baca has a private foundation that gives out hats and sponsors local kids’ teams. WHO CAN POSSIBLY BE AGAINST THAT?!?!

Congressman Baca is a Representative from California. He was one of fifteen kids and his dad worked like a dog. He and his wife started a travel agency in 1989. He has a sociology degree from a community college. I don’t know anyone with that exact profile, but I know plenty of people who come from challenging backgrounds.

What I don’t know is anyone who never did anything more in the private sector other than a travel agency, and yet has the money for a private foundation. Do you? I don’t know anyone personally with a private foundation. So how did Joe get one?

Easy…he got it from the businesses and wealthy individuals who put money into it. What do they get out of it? Of course, I don’t know exactly, but it’s not real hard to figure out. They get influence and votes and favors from a congressman who’s on some very important committees.

It would be difficult to come up with a more blatantly corrupting mechanism than this. A poor boy works his way up through politics and now gets to give money out to people in his community…money that was given to his FOUNDATION by businesses and people who want him to cast certain votes in his role as a Congressman.

Here’s the link at the NY Times http://tinyurl.com/352zcdy.

If I had asked you, before you read this, if there was a law against a congressman having a private foundation that was funded by companies who have a direct stake in the legislative matters before his committee; you would have thought “of course there is.” It’s obvious corruption. GARDEN VARIETY GRAFT.

originally posted 9-8-2010