Keith Ashdown
Keith Ashdown
small snapshot
but it is only a small snapshot of what is going on.
bargaining believe chip move road senators sending thrown
It's sending shivers down the spines of a lot of senators. They've thrown down the gauntlet here to other people. I believe this is probably a bargaining chip to try to move senators down the road to more earmarking reform.
guarantee paid paying prices reviewed
I guarantee we're going to come back to this after everything has been reviewed and find we paid Nordstrom prices when we should have been paying Wal-Mart costs.
acted acting air billion business force instead nearly partner silent
Instead of the Air Force acting as an independent reviewer of this nearly $30 billion deal, they've acted as a silent business partner of Boeing.
benefit coast contracts corporate economic flow good gulf looks miles pressure stays thousands
It looks like they're going to do what they should have done in the first place. There's been a lot of pressure on them to make sure that the economic benefit of these contracts stays in the Gulf Coast and doesn't flow to corporate boardrooms thousands of miles away. So in that respect, this is good news.
effort sure taxpayers troops work
They're not really sure if they're going to get anything that actually will work in a real-time effort like Iraq. It's frustrating in that most taxpayers are going to say we need to keep our troops safe.
definitely influence lobbyists lung second strategy
Most other lobbyists would give up their second lung to get that kind of access. It's not always illegal, but it's definitely a strategy of influence that's unparalleled.
blood trying
It's a challenge. We're really trying to get blood out of a stone, politically.
cost feeling kicked people percentage thousands
There could be a loophole of hundreds of thousands of people who would not be impacted. On a percentage of their income, they're the ones that are feeling (the cost increase) a lot, lot more. Some of us have been kicked, but they've been kicked in the teeth.
cunningham duke trading
Under this bill, Duke Cunningham still would be able to get away with trading bribes for earmarks.
best government shows strive
This shows the best government contractors don't always get hired, the most politically influential do. We need to strive for more competitive bidding.
hearings next sets stage
This sets the stage for some very, very interesting hearings next week.
alaska call hollywood north vancouver
You know how they call Vancouver 'North Hollywood'? Well, Alaska could become 'North North Hollywood,'
business people
We need to get out of the business of subsidizing people who are in harm's way.