"You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." -Gov. Sarah Palin-


"The media are not above the daily test of any free institution." -Barry M. Goldwater-

"America's first interest must be to punish our enemies, then, if possible, please our friends." -Zell Miller-

"One single object...[will merit] the endless gratitude of the society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation." -President Thomas Jefferson-

"Don't get stuck on stupid!" -Lt. Gen. Russel Honore-

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." -Isaiah 5:20-



Petition For The FairTax




GOP Bloggers Blog Directory & Search engine Blog Sweet Blog Directory

Directory of Politics Blogs My Zimbio

Righty Blogs Of Virginia

Coalition For A Conservative Majority






A REASON TO TRY available from Barnes & Noble
A REASON TO TRY available from Borders
A REASON TO TRY available from Books-A-Million
A REASON TO TRY available from SeekBooks New Zealand
A REASON TO TRY available from SeekBooks Australia
A REASON TO TRY available from Chapters.indigo.ca Canada's Online Bookstore
A REASON TO TRY available from Amazon.com
A REASON TO TRY available from Amazon UK
A REASON TO TRY available from Amazon Canada

Monday, August 24, 2009

Tom Daschle: Conflict Of Interest On Health Care

Remember during the campaign when Obama said that he would clamp down on lobbyists and not use any in his administration? He has already broken that promise several times, usually as a means of politically paying off his allies who helped get him elected. But it still doesn't excuse the broken promise.

Well, this broken promise has come back and bit Obama again. Now, it is with Tom Daschle, the former HHS nominee who was scuttled when it came to light that Daschle had failed to pay certain taxes. Today, Daschle is a very well-payed lobbyist for Alston & Byrd and has the ear of the President on the contentious issue of health care.

From the New York Times:

Mr. Daschle never left the picture. With unrivaled ties on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, he talks constantly with top White House advisers, many of whom previously worked for him.

...

Now the White House and Senate Democratic leaders appear to be moving toward a blueprint for overhauling the health system, centered on nonprofit insurance cooperatives, that Mr. Daschle began promoting two months ago as a politically feasible alternative to a more muscular government-run insurance plan.

It is an idea that happens to dovetail with the interests of many Alston & Bird clients, like the insurance giant UnitedHealth and the Tennessee Hospital Association.


The conflict of interest here is as bright as the sun on a cloudless day.

You can access the complete story on-line here:

Daschle Has Ear Of White House And Industry
David D. Kirkpatrick
New York Times
August 22, 2009

No comments: