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Congressmen are Paid to Vote for War

January 7, 2012


Nascar-Uniform.jpg























Congressmen regard "public service" as an opportunity to enrich themselves, their families and friends.

by David Richards
(henrymakow.com)


The USA is the Illuminati's military enforcer. To make sure American politicians play their role, Congressmen are allowed to own stocks in defense contractors, and make millions of dollars buying and selling them using insider knowledge.

According to reports from OpenSecrets.org, in 2006, 151 members of Congress had $195.5 million invested in defense corporations. Their average net worth was $910,000 compared to $100,000 for American families in general. Over 50 range between $5 million and $190 million. John Kerry is at the top end of the scale. 

For the psychopaths on Capitol Hill, each new military escapade is a lottery windfall.

INSIDER TRADING

While insider trading carries hefty prison terms for common people, it is perfectly legal for US congressmen. They are free to own shares in companies that are regulated by committees they sit on.

Members of congress can trade freely using insider knowledge they have about regulations or events that could affect specific industries or the stock market as a whole, such as an economic crash, a new law... or a war.

Peter Scheizer, a researcher at Stanford University, who is writing a book on insider trading on Capitol Hill, told CBS that congressmen have a simple outlook.

'This is a venture opportunity. This is an opportunity to leverage your position in public service and use that position to enrich yourself, your friends, and your family.'

They are running a criminal enterprise in all but name.

Scheizer: "We know that during the health care debate people were trading health care stocks. We know that during the financial crisis of 2008, they were getting out of the market before the rest of America really knew what was going on."

WAR IS A RACKET

If you are a member of Congress and you sit on a 'defense committee', you are free to trade as much defense stock as you want to. A shocking example is former presidential candidate John Kerry, who has $30 million invested in defense contractors.

Wars are planned by groups such as the Council of Foreign Relations, founded by David Rockefeller. They feature both politicians and CEO's of defense contractors.

Another group is the 'Atlantic Council'. On their website, they describe their mission as "drafting roadmaps for U.S. policy towards the Balkans, Cuba, Iraq, Iran and Libya." Corporate membership includes all four of the top four defense corporations in the country: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.

Recently General Jim Jones left his job as chairman of the Atlantic Council to work as Obama's National Security Adviser. Four other prominent officials from Obama's administration are also members: Susan Rice, Richard Holbrooke, General Eric Shinseki, and the ominously named Anne-Marie Slaughter.

Another example is the cozy relationship that existed between Northrop Grumman, the fourth largest defense corporation in the world, and the Bush administration. According to Corpwatch, at least seven former officials, consultants or shareholders of Northrop Grumman held positions in the Bush administration. Unsurprisingly, as the war on terror expanded, Northrop Grumman saw net sales of $7.6 billion in 2000 skyrocket to $34 billion by 2008.

Most defense contractors fund the Republicans and Democrats equally. During the 2008 election, Lockheed Martin gave $2,612,219 in total political campaign donations, with 49% to Democrats ($1,285,493) and 51% to Republicans ($1,325,159).

What is the best way to expose our political representatives affiliations with bloodthirsty corporations?

I like a solution that has been circulating online. Let's require politicians to wear their corporate sponsors on their clothing like Nascar drivers.

If Obama had to wear a racing suit with 'Lockheed Martin' emblazoned across his chest, he would look absurd espousing his rhetoric for the impending war with Iran.

The bottom line is that politicians should be banned from receiving financial contributions of any kind. Those who can demonstrate support should be publicly funded. For the cost of one battleship, we could have genuine democracy.

Instead we use "democracy" as a pretext to wage wars of aggression around the world.

--

David Richards is an English teacher residing in Mongolia.

 



Scruples - the game of moral dillemas

Comments for "Congressmen are Paid to Vote for War"

Dan said (January 8, 2012):

Conflict of interests is at the root of corruption. I haven't researched the whittling away of the safeguards but I will at some point. I don't know when it happened but it's gotten out of control during my lifetime. A gang of politicians heavily invested in the military industrial complex got away with a paradigm shift in US foreign policy to one of perpetual wars and occupations.
To solve this matter requires rooting out every tentacle and loophole enabling conflict of interest.

The first loophole that must be shut is the way the rules against conflict of interest are not retroactive. Currently, high level bureaucrats waltz from public service to corporate titles to pick up their millions in what we used to call 'kick backs'. When was the last time you heard 'conflicts of interests' or 'kick back scheme' spoken in the press?

I also say that when military generals retire, they shouldn't get to waltz into corporate titles with any corporation in the military industrial complex. I would say that any officer above the rank of Major should be barred for life from future income from military industrial complex corporations.


Henry Makow received his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Toronto in 1982. He welcomes your comments at