The Chicago Way - Garden Variety - a new state investigation of Obama friends
By LisaB on September 26, 2008 at 7:00 AM in Arrogance, Barack Obama, Chicago, Chicago politics, Corruption, Current Affairs
Foreword by SusanUnPC: The report below, found and written cogently by LisaB, is a typical Obama operation whereby he preaches his usual lofty rhetoric, but delivers only to his insider rich friends. Taxpayer money is diverted to the likes of Obama’s close friend, the now-convicted Tony Rezko, who also enabled the Obamas to buy a mansion they couldn’t afford. Some reasons for our nation’s current financial crisis are found in the kinds of cozy public housing deals supposedly to help poor people but which benefited mostly Obama’s rich Chicago machine buddies. Below LisaB’s report I’ve listed some essential reading on how Obama has manipulated public housing monies to reward his political benefactors.
…………………………………………………………………….
LISAB: Thursday’s Sun-Times has an article following up on an old campaign promise Obama made to would-be Illinois constituents. Way back when Obama was trying to (unsuccessfully) seat US Rep. Bobby Rush, Obama promised to “work tirelessly” to get a local garden built for an inner city neighborhood.
The matter is now under investigation by the state attorney general.
A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports, about whether the money might have been misspent.
The garden was never built. And now state records obtained by the Sun-Times show $65,000 of the grant money went to the wife of Kenny B. Smith, the Obama 2000 congressional campaign volunteer who heads the Chicago Better Housing Association, which was in charge of the project for the blighted South Side neighborhood.
Smith wrote another $20,000 in grant-related checks to K.D. Contractors, a construction company that his wife, Karen D. Smith, created five months after work on the garden was supposed to have begun, records show. K.D. is no longer in business.
——————In a previous interview, Smith said the state grant money was legitimately spent, mostly on underground site preparation.
But no one ever took out construction permits required for such work, city records show. And a contractor who Smith said did most of the work told a reporter all he did was cut down trees and grade the site with a Bobcat.
——————The relationship between Smith and Obama dates to at least 1997, when Obama wrote a letter that Smith used to help the housing association win city funding for an affordable-housing development near the garden site. Plans called for more than 50 homes; a dozen ultimately were built.
Smith also has donated $550 to Obama campaign funds.
Does this sound kind of shady (no pun intended, really) to you? Well, by Chicago standards, this is penny ante. But it’s the Chicago way.
1) Get money from the government
2) Involve friends and relatives who get a piece of the project
3) Don’t bother to do the job
4) Get indignant if questioned and act pugnaciously
One last component.
5) Don’t bother to really hide the graft. No one cares anyway.
Voila! The Chicago way.
:::::::::::
Afterword by SusanUNPC: For more, do not miss these essential reads, two No Quarter stories by Un coup de des:
(1) “Boston Globe Exposé, Part II: Barack Obama (D-Slumlord) Is Aloof, Oblivious, Dangerous and
(2) “Boston Globe Exposé, Part II: Barack Obama (D-Slumlord) Is Aloof, Oblivious, Dangerous.
There’s also my recent story, “The Blood Money of Barack Obama’s Money Men.”
on sale for only $16.95.
also comes with a special spatula.)
(List Price: $27.95 - Your Price: $15.47)
“The story of poker is that of risk-loving America ... a crazy ride in unparalleled detail, driven by wit, wisdom, true love, and sizzling style. As analyst, historian, devotee, and no mean player, James McManus is poker’s most eloquent advocate.”
By Sarah Palin (Release date: November 17. 2009)
This latest 0bama scandal needs a name and that name is “Flowergate”.
I’ve seen it called that on a few blogs and I think we should make that name stick.
Is Zogby predicting a McCain landslide?
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/zogby-predicting-a-mccain-landslide/
This is what I’ve been saying for some time. A large pool of undecideds who, in uncertain times, are not going to break for the hopey changey guy but for the old shoe. mcCain by 10 pts and an electoral landslide. Obama will lose any state where he does not currently lead by 10 or more.
Will Obama’s “media shields” hold against all this stuff?
Yes….they are impermeable.
ABC shows Obama over McCain by 9 points last night, whereas Gallup had them 46-46
yep no bias at ABC!
Now they will arrest you for speaking out against Obama in St.Louis.
Missouri Sheriffs & Top Prosecutors Form Obama “Truth Squads” & Threaten Libel Charges Against Obama Critics
Please read the Missouri Sheriffs story — go to the video. This is chilling.
OMG!
I am not giving up my free speech to this f!@#!
Noway, no how, NObamatard!
Shouldn’t law enforcement take care of important matters rather than prosectue people who make Mr. Hopey chabgey feel bad?
Another reason NOT to vote for Obama!
MCCAIN/PALIN 08
HILLARY 2012
I’d love to see any one of those cases get into court before the election. Can you imagine tv coverage of an attempt to prove that Obama did not have sex with Larry Sinclair for example? Or that he did not travel to Mecca on an Indonesian passport? In a libel case the burden of proof is on the plaintiff. Just imagine all the evidence that could be subpoena’d by the defense. What a joke.
They would delay until after the vote.
MORE THUGGISHNESS: Obama threatening the licenses of TV stations that run NRA ads.
A bit more on this and the ad in question.
This is what Nadhmi Auchi does. He sues anyone who says anything negative about him…until no one does anymore, and then the truth never really gets out.
Are we living through the “invasion of the body snatchers”? Between the NRA threat and the lawyers suing for liable, I feel like I have left our America and I am living in a parallel universe. What is going on?
That’s what is bothering me too,Irish.Where are the brave patriotic Americans, who would NOT consider to have a presidential candidate with shady past to run for office in the previous elections? AMERICA NEEDS YOU !!
We have an egoistic presidential candidate with numerous “NO NO” (election strict standards in the earlier elections) & questionable background, yet he is acting as if he is already elected president.
WAKE-UP, AMERICA !!!
VOTE MCCAIN/PALIN ‘08
HILLARY ‘12
GOD SAVE AMERICA !!!
Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row.
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/mary_mary_quite_contrary.htm
… something to ponder
Barry Barry so unwary
How does Corruption grow?
With friends who steal money from government grants
And Changing Lies all in a row
At the beginning of that article it mentioned Obama’s pledge of unending support for what had been originally billed as a million dollar
boondoggleproject.The taxpayers are lucky that ADD-afflicted OBama got bored and lost interest in the scam
They are finally looking into this? This has been around for a while. There is a video out about the scam with the contractors standing on crappy land wondering where did the money go to?
The Real Barack Obama has a great tip this morning — Tony Rezko may be singing. http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/rezkotrialwatch-rezko-can-sing/
About time. Love the picture of the canary.
The Berg lawsuit got barky to admit dual citizenship, and that is just for starters.
Rezko, Blago and that huge corrupt group of criminals will form a chorus against the king.
Music to my ears.
Can we have Hillary back now please?
Lying Barney Frank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QBRIsCkGQ0
If the MSM was not so throughly in the tank for BO, he would already be ancient history.
I am thinking that the MSM will just air brush this guy until January, and then be SHOCKED! They are the true MORONS here.
The press, as envisioned by the founders, is gone.
GE dictates what is presented. Every time you hear a talking head start a sentence with “The American people (pick one ) “think”, “believe”, “want” “won’t put up with” “etc” you are hearing what GE wants you to think Americans are thinking, nothing more.
What the talking heads we hear every night are told what they can say and what they can’t (and are probably on a ten second delay, just in case). Still, they are traitors to this nation. But they don’t care as long as they get their money.
Perry…I love the “media shield” …it’s great.
Normally during campaign rallies and conventions, longtime friends of candidates and nominees speak on their behalf.
Who are Obama’s “friends”??
don’t you see them. They are the ones under the bus. See there’s tony rezko right next to kwami kilpatrick. Here they might actually share a cell. and theres father Pfleger right next to Minister Farrakahn. they can’t talk because obama’s bus is on top of them.
Those people you mentions are not under the bus. They are temporarily experiencing his majesty’s displeasure. If Obama is elected, trust me, there will be a group hug.
He will especially show his gratitude, in the “form of faith based initiatives” to the Rev. Wright for his whirl win get Obama off the hook tour last spring.
All those people who ever had any dealings with Obama and are under investigation are Obama’s friends.
LisaB: Thank you for the article. The more you read about his Chicago shenanigans…the more one’s blood pressure rises.
JUST SAY “NO” TO ACORN!
Here we go folks…I am hearing places can not make payroll already…
Any place using credit to make payroll is half belly-up already.
It’s worse than that.
Goodyear can’t get to $360 million in cash that they had parked in a money market fund.
The fund has blocked withdrawals.
http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/09/goodyear_others_feel_financial.html
“underground site preparation”
Well, I guess that “COVERS” it!
Will they “reap what they sow”?
“Underground site preparation” If they look, they might just find Jimmy Hoffa (and if they are quick about it, there will still be time to get him registered to vote.)
Update, from Michael Sneeds Column this mornings Sun Times. Sneed is usually very reliable.
Tipsville: Sneed hears rumbles that convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko, whose dealings have been linked to Barack Obama and Gov. Blagojevich, is singing to the feds.
• • To wit: “I’m told by a close friend of Rezko that he’s cooperating with the feds,” said a Sneed source. “I don’t know whether he’s talking about Gov. Blagojevich or Barack Obama or anyone else,” the source .
»
got a link for this?
Rezko redux
30 yr. dem,
You are right!
Some seem to think that business owners just pull cash from their pockets.
There are a lot of ordinary people who may lose their jobs!
It is trickling down…hotels, shopping malls etc..
Trickle Down Economics in action.
Why is it always only an investigation of Obama’s friends? Al Capone had friends too but he was investigated. How is it Obama is never investigated?
Obama has got some powerful friends.
You mean like the democratic party in general?
Yes - who do you mean?
Federal indictment of Governor?
one at a time…
Business as usual!
And people thought that somehow a Chicago politician is clean and tells the truth? Like others, I had problems with some of McCain’s ads a week or so ago. But now Obama is going overboard with deceptions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/us/politics/26ads.html?ex=1380168000&en=ee77cec5c6225e9d&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
This article is similar to one by the Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus a few days ago.
It’s the Chicago way . . .
Oh they’ve always been scum. Remember the Harry Louise junk in Ohio? Decency isn’t exactly Axelrod’s middle name.
Totally spot on!
What was it? 10 years before he decided to run for president, Bill Clinton’s former partner in a land development scheme lost him $40k and it just had to be investigated by a special counsel. Now we have all this stuff coming out about Obama and we hear crickets from the media. What gives? Shouldn’t they look into to see if there is a there there? Could it be they are in the tank for Obama? Don’t answer that , we all know they are.
This is the new “fair and balanced.”
They did it for Dubya. Now they’re doing it for Obama.
I really wish we didn’t have a fascism where the media was covering and promoting a candidate because he would be good for the special interests, Large Corporations and MIC.
How does this make people feel, that the media is dictating, not the government dictating through the media (which was bad enough).
Yes, any business running that close is in a jam and is prob. 2-6 months from going out anyway. Though this time of year is usually a little slow for many businesses and maybe they would have made it up in the holiday season.