151 Congressmen Profit From War

[laststeamtrain]

151 Congressmen Profit From War


Who profits from the Iraq war? More than a quarter of senators and congressmen have invested at least $196 million of their own money in companies doing business with the Department of Defense (DoD) that profit from the death and destruction in Iraq.

According to the latest reports, 151 members of Congress invested close to a quarter-billion in companies that received defense contracts of at least $5 million in 2006. These companies got more than $275.6 billion from the government in 2006, or $755 million per day, according to FedSpending.org, a website of the watchdog group OMBWatch.

Congressmen gave themselves a loophole so they only have to report their assets in broad ranges. Thus, they can be off as much as 160 percent. (Try giving the IRS an estimate like that.) In 2004, the first full year after the present Iraq war began, Republican and Democratic lawmakers—both hawks and doves—invested between $74.9 million and $161.3 million in companies under contract with the DoD. In 2006 Democrats had at least $3.7 million invested in the defense sector alone, compared to the Republicans’ “only” $577,500. As the war raged on, so did the billions of profits—and personal investments by Congress members in war contractors, which increased 5 percent from 2004 to 2006.

Investments in these contractors yielded Congress members between $15.8 million and $62 million in personal income from 2004 through 2006, through dividends, capital gains, royalties and interest. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), who are two of Congress’s wealthiest members, were among the lawmakers who garnered the most income from war contractors between 2004 and 2006: Sensenbrenner got at least $3.2 million and Kerry reaped at least $2.6 million.

Members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees which oversee the Iraq war had between $32 million and $44 million invested in companies with DoD contracts.

War hawk Sen. Joe Lieberman (IConn.), chairman of the defense-related
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had at least $51,000 invested in these companies in 2006.

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http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/151-congressmen-profit-from-war/3283/

[mac2]

1. They sell out America pretty cheaply.

They were the product of her social policy under which they prospered. They abuse the trust of the voters.

"Candidates who abuse us, cannot lead us."-Vote Smart.org

[JimmyJubes]

8. What else is new

Oil Companies profit everyday from this administration.

[hughee99]

2. No mention of Dianne Feinstein?

Doesn't her husband's investment management company own a large stake in USR Corp. which owns EG&G which has big contracts in Iraq, as well as controlling a majority stake in Perini (as of 2004, though I'm not sure if he still does) which has received Billions in contracts.

[ixion]

3. what they're doing amounts to insider trading at best, and makes them war criminals

by proxy, IMO.

[JDPriestly]

4. Kerry? Harkin? Lieberman is on the list, but that I would have expected.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), who are two of Congress’s wealthiest members, were among the lawmakers who garnered the most income from war contractors between 2004 and 2006: Sensenbrenner got at least $3.2 million and Kerry reaped at least $2.6 million.

. . . .

When our boys and girls are wounded the government bills them to return their reenlistment bonus. They have to return any pay they received while they were hospitalized. They have to pay for their helmets and uniforms that are destroyed in the hell of war. But they keep on fighting for these politicians’ right to keep their war profits.

• Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) $3,001,006 to $5,015,001
• Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) $250,001 to $500,000
• Rep. Kenny Ewell Marchant (R-Tex.) $162,074 to $162,074
• Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) $115,002 to $300,000
• Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) $115,002 to $300,000
• Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) $100,870 to $100,870
• Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) $65,646 to $65,646
• Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) $50,008 to $227,000
• Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) $50,001 to $100,000
• Rep. Stephen Ira Cohen (D-Tenn.) $45,003 to $150,000

#

http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/151-congressmen-profit-from-war/3283/

[Doctor_J]

5. WTF?

"When our boys and girls are wounded the government bills them to return their reenlistment bonus"

What in hell is wrong with this country?

[Hydra]

6. We as a country think our gov't is following its own laws

You know what they say about assuming.

[Baby Snooks]

7. Welcome to the oligarchy...

Congress no longer represents the interests of the American people and it's time for the American people to wake up before it's too late.

What is it that people didn't understand when Sheila Jackson Lee told her constituents that despite their having overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama that she will commit to Hillary Clinton as a superdelegate?

As for John Kerry there were questions raised about his wife's investments. People objected to the questions just as they have objected to the questions with regard to Hillary Clinton. When a growing number of Americans cannot afford to keep food on the table, the questions are very appropriate with regard to politicians who are immensely wealthy simply because obviously they have nothing in commmon with the average American. They no longer worry about health insurance or car insurance or the price of gas at the pump or the price of food on the grocery store shelves or any number of things that the average American is finding completely overwhelming at this point.

Theresa Heinz Kerry may have become a Democrat but the reality is her money is still very much Republican. Bottom line is the money.

It's all about the money, honey. Georgette Mosbacher wasn't just talking about the Republicans.

There is something quite offensive about our representatives in Congress claiming to oppose a war that obviously they are doing well by.

[mac2]

9. That's why the Super Delegates shouldn't have the power

of a vote which means more than her constituents wishes. They have delegates to do that.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. which, boys and girls, explains

why the damn wars are not going to stop.
this is not about "winning" a war.
This is about keeping a war/wars going to keep the money going.

but, hey, General Smedley Butler said it all so well decades ago
and no one listened then either.

And Kerry ? Kerry ????
Wonder about Kennedy, too.

[mac2]

11. Exactly...they don't want to win. They want to profit.

[kas125]

12. Maybe this is the reason we got a bunch of non-answers

today when my group met with our congressman's assistant. Is there a way to find out who the rest of the 151 congressmen are? I'd be very interested to know if mine is on that list.

[mac2]

15. Keep demanding the answers.

They work for you.

[acmavm]

13. I went back and forth with someone yesterday about this. She even

PMd me to tell me that it's really Teresa's money, or that it's okay because Kerry's invested in Pepsi, or that it's a blind trust (aren't Dick Cheney's investments tied up in a 'blind' trust too?).

And let's face it folks, if WE know where their money is, thinking THEY don't know is a scream.

[mac2]

14. They are bold faced about it too.

They think we are fooled.