OBAMA BANNED FUNDING TO ACORN? THINK AGAIN.

Your tax dollars and mine are still going to ACORN through back door funding of an ACORN offshoot, the AFFORDABLE HOUSING CENTERS OF AMERICA.  And looky HERE: the ACORN website is still up even though there are no recent posts. Wonder where the money to keep the website up is coming from? Just wondering.

Anyway, the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to AHCOA despite a 2009 Federal law cutting taxpayer funding of ACORN and its affiliate, the DEFUND ACORN ACT.  At the time the law was enacted, AHCOA was known as the Acorn Housing Corporation, Inc. It filed papers last year changing it's name to AHCOA. 

According to the Federal government's website, USASPENDING.GOV, AHCOA, still listed as the ACORN Housing Corporation, Inc., received $461,086.00 in January 2011 from HUD. Click HERE for the listing.  More recently in March of this year, HUD granted AHCOA $79,819 (click HERE for the listing on HUD's website, and scroll down to Florida).

As you may recall, ACORN employees had been caught fraudulently registering voters such as cartoon characters and professional athletes (without the athletes' knowledge of course), giving information on how to evade taxes, and immigration and child prostitution laws.  And, HUD's inspector general last year conducted an audit of AHCOA and found that it had "inappropriately" spent over $3.2 million dollars in grants that was supposed to have been used in eliminating lead poisoning in its housing program.  That's a lot of lead.  A lot of the money went instead to fattening AHCOA employees' wallets, and continuing to pay some after they were no longer employed by AHCOA. (Click HERE for the story by The Examiner).

In spite of all of this, and the fraud investigations taking place during Obama's tenure in office, we find he is still taking care of his political cronies.  If it were possible, I think it would be very interesting to follow this money trail all the way to the lowest common denominator.  I believe we would find the list of names quite interesting to say the least.

http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011070814017/us/politics-and-economics/obama-administration-still-bankrolling-acorn.html?utm_source=Right+Side+News&utm_campaign=199f29b761-daily-rss-newsletter&utm_medium=email

YOU THINK ACORN WENT AWAY?

Think again. Just like the radicals (liberals) of the '60's, they didn't go away, just went somewhere else. Just a side note here in case you didn't know, liberals in the '60's were known as "radicals". They didn't disappear, they took over the environmental movement. That's why the environmental movement is so wildly leftist now. ACORN is now operating under the name of "Communities United" and continues to lobby in Washington. Yes, ACORN has faded from the news media, but they are now trying to fly just under the radar of the public. Here's the article:

ACORN lobby efforts continue in Washington under Communities United name

By Matthew Vadum - The Daily Caller | Published: 05/11/10 at 3:57 AM | Updated: 05/11/10 at 11:33 AM

For a supposedly dead organization, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now sure has been busy.

Despite ACORN’s reported demise, the radical group’s flagship Washington, D.C., office continues to go about its business below the radar as state chapters across the nation form breakaway groups.

On May 5 ACORN’s new D.C. spinoff group, Communities United, held a founding meeting in ACORN’s office on 8th Street Southeast in the nation’s capital.

“Communities United is just ACORN’s way of thumbing their nose in the face of everyone,” sources close to ACORN say.

The D.C. office is important to ACORN because the embattled advocacy organization runs its congressional lobbying efforts out of it.

The same office is also home to Project Vote, ACORN’s voter registration arm, which continues to operate. In the 1990s President Obama trained ACORN activists and worked for Project Vote.

Communities United registered as a nonprofit corporation with the District of Columbia government on May 4 and is the product of the consolidation of ACORN’s D.C. and Maryland chapters. The new group expects to open a Maryland branch office, sources said.

ACORN’s head organizer for Columbus, Ohio, Barbara Clark, is expected to be brought in to run the new group, according to sources. As part of a racketeering lawsuit settlement with the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, a libertarian public interest law firm, ACORN is required to surrender its business licenses in Ohio by June 1.

Apart from Communities United, ACORN chapters in 12 states have reorganized themselves into 11 new organizations. The largest appear to be Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, New York Communities for Change, and New England United for Justice (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island).

Meanwhile, lobbyists for ACORN’s largest and best-funded affiliate, ACORN Housing, which recently changed its name to Affordable Housing Centers of America, disclosed in a lobbying reporting form that they have been lobbying a federal agency that is reportedly investigating ACORN Housing.

According to the form ACORN Housing paid the lobbying firm $40,000 in the first quarter of this year to lobby both houses of Congress, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

ACORN Housing is under investigation by HUD.

ACORN received some unwanted publicity in recent weeks when a video surfaced showing ACORN Chief Executive and chief organizer Bertha Lewis openly praising socialism and referring to the Tea Party as a “bowel movement” filled with racists.

Although ACORN leaders typically refuse to be labeled as socialists because they realize the term has a negative connotation in American culture, ACORN’s manifesto, the “People’s Platform,” explicitly endorses massive redistribution of wealth, along with a crackdown on bankers and forcing corporations to put poor people on their corporate boards.

Lewis told reporters last month that her group had reduced its staff to four, down from as many as 600 employees.

http://dailycaller.com/2010/05/11/acorn-lobbying-efforts-continue-in-washington-under-communities-united-name/#ixzz0ngFdHVcL

THE "ACORN" DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE

Did you know that you no longer have to be a citizen of the United States to vote, at least in Georgia? Here is a news release from the Georgia Secretary of State, Karen Handel, released yesterday.

Obama Justice Department Decision Will Allow Non-Citizens to Register to Vote in Georgia

Decision Bars Georgia From Continuing Voter Verification Process

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel issued the following statement following the U.S. Department of Justice’s denial of preclearance of Georgia’s voter verification process:

Atlanta - “The decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to deny preclearance of Georgia’s already implemented citizenship verification process shows a shocking disregard for the integrity of our elections. With this decision, DOJ has now barred Georgia from continuing the citizenship verification program that DOJ lawyers helped to craft. DOJ’s decision also nullifies the orders of two federal courts directing Georgia to implement the procedure for the 2008 general election. The decision comes seven months after Georgia requested an expedited review of the preclearance submission.

“DOJ has thrown open the door for activist organizations such as ACORN to register non-citizens to vote in Georgia’s elections, and the state has no ability to verify an applicant’s citizenship status or whether the individual even exists. DOJ completely disregarded Georgia’s obvious and direct interest in preventing non-citizens from voting, instead siding with the ACLU and MALDEF. Clearly, politics took priority over common sense and good public policy. “This process is critical to protecting the integrity of our elections. We have evidence that non-citizens have voted in past Georgia elections and that more than 2,100 individuals have attempted to register, yet still have questions regarding their citizenship. Further, the Inspector General’s office is investigating more than 30 cases of non-citizens casting ballots in Georgia elections, including the case of a Henry County non-citizen who registered to vote and cast ballots in 2004 and 2006.

“It is important to underscore that not a single person has come forward to say he or she could not vote because of the verification process. Further, while DOJ argues that the process is somehow discriminatory, the historic voter turnout among Hispanic and African-American voters in the 2008 general elections clearly says otherwise.

“This decision provides a specific example of the inherently illogical and unfair nature of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. It is a sad day for the rights of our state and for the integrity of our elections. I remain committed to continuing the fight for citizenship verification. In the coming days, I will consider every option available to the state, including the possibility of legal action.”

Background:

As required by law and ordered by federal courts in October 2008, the eligibility of new applicants to register and vote is checked against the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) and Social Security Administration databases to ensure that individuals registering to vote report similar information. If information in these databases does not match information reported on the voter registration form, the applicant is asked to clarify the information. Additionally, if the applicant previously reported to DDS that he or she is not a U.S. citizen, that person is asked by a registrar to provide proof of citizenship.

Prior to the November 2008 General Election, Secretary Handel sent letters to 4,771 voter registration applicants whose records at DDS indicated they were not U.S. citizens, asking them to provide documentation of their citizenship. As of March 2009, 2,148 of these applicants still have chosen not to resolve the question about their U.S. citizenship.

In the November 2008 General Election, county election officials reported that 599 individuals cast a challenged ballot because the voter had previously indicated to DDS that he or she was not a United States citizen and had not resolved their status with county officials at the time of the election. Of those, 369 ballots were accepted because the voter provided documentation of their citizenship after the election; and 230 were rejected because the individual chose not to confirm his or her citizenship status.

On October 10, 2008, activist organizations including the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit to attempt to prevent Georgia from verifying the eligibility of applicants to register and vote in the November General Election, including whether those individuals were citizens of the United States.

On October 16, 2008, U.S. District Court Judge Jack Camp denied the motion by MALDEF and ACLU; directed the State to continue the verification process; and acknowledged the State’s requirements to verify information under the Help America Vote Act. In his order, Judge Camp stated:

HAVA requires that Defendant Handel match information in the statewide voter registration database with information from the Georgia DDS and the SSA databases “to the extent necessary to enable each such official to verify the accuracy of the information provided on the applications for voter registration.”

Judge Camp also stated:

'Since the possibility of fraudulent and inaccurate voting could significantly injure and diminish the public’s respect and confidence in the electoral process, the State’s ability to maintain reliable voter lists is paramount to a temporary and minor inconvenience to a few individuals.'

On October 27, 2008, a U.S. District Court three-judge panel again directed the State to continue its voter registration verification process and challenge ballot procedures through the November General Election.

The 2008 elections were the largest in Georgia’s history, featuring record turnout among minority voters with the citizenship verification program in place. The figures below represent voter turnout statistics among Hispanic/Latino, African-American and White voters from the 2004 and 2008 General Elections.

___________________________________________________

Voter Demographic

2004 Total Number of Votes Cast

Hispanic Latino: 18,000

African/American: 834,000

White: 2,300,000

2008 Total Number of Votes Cast

Hispanic Latino: 43,000

African/American: 1,200,000

White: 2,500,000

Percentage Increase

Hispanic/Latino: 140%

African/American: 42%

White: 8%

___________________________________________________

This is an absolute outrage. The U. S. Department of Justice lawyers helped the State of Georgia develop a voter verification process. Did you notice something in the first paragraph? DOJ nullified TWO Federal court orders ordering Georgia to implement the program for the 2008 elections. Now, just since when was any Federal agency allowed to overrule a Federal court?

Secretary of State Handel was absolutely right. The field in Georgia is now wide open for massive voter fraud. There is now no way to verify whether or not a person is a citizen of this country. Not by any far-reaching stretch of the imagination is citizenship verification for voting discriminatory. Americans can't vote in other countries' elections if they're not citizens there.

In my opinion, this is an attempt on the part of this administration to try to ensure continued power for the Democrats. ACORN, for example, has a long track record of voter registration fraud and violating campaign laws by encouraging people they register to vote Democrat. The voter verification process at least stopped non-citizens from voting and identity fraud.

To voice your opposition to this decision, here's how to contact the U. S. Department of Justice: by telephone, (202) 514-2000 (main switchboard); Office of the U. S. Attorney General is (202) 353-1555; by e-mail, askdoj@usdoj.gov (this e-mail is for contacting not only DOJ, but the U. S. Attorney General's Office too); and by mail,

U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Contact them today. If we don't stand up for our rights, it is certain that we will continue to lose them.

ACORN MAY BECOME INVOLVED IN THE CENSUS

As unbelievable as it sounds, ACORN, has been allowed to sign on as a national partner with the U. S. Census Bureau to assist in recruiting the 1.4 million temporary workers that are needed to conduct the census next year. According to a Fox News REPORT of March 18, 2009, ACORN signed on in February 2009. Representative Lynn Westmoreland, R-GA, who is on the subcommittee for the U. S. Census expressed concerns wanting "enumeration", not "false numbers".

In 2007, felony charges were filed against several paid employees and supervisors of ACORN for more than 1,700 fraudulent voter registrations in Washington State according to the same Fox News report. In March 2008, an ACORN worker was convicted of making twenty-nine fraudulent voter registration forms.

The WASHINGTON TIMES reported that agents of the Nevada Secretary of State and Attorney General raided the Nevada ACORN office on October 7, 2008. ACORN had reportedly hired fifty-nine convicted felons as canvassers through a work-release program and submitted almost 300 fraudulent voter registration cards as part of the registration campaign. "The submitted voter cards included addresses and names that do not exist in Nevada, duplicate registrations, names culled from telephone books, and names of Dallas Cowboys players, an investigator for the Secretary of State alleged in his affidavit for a search warrant." The investigator also spoke with an ACORN ex-employee who said she made up names for her forms when it was too hot to work outside.

Now, with its history of voter fraud, ACORN wants to be involved in the census??? What difference this could make? The purpose of the Census is not just to find out how many people live in the United States. It's used to determine how taxpayers' money is to be distributed through grants and appropriations, and it's also used to determine how the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are distributed. This could have serious implications in national elections.

There is a need for legislation preventing any organization with a history of fraud to be affiliated in any way with the Census. Contact your Representatives and Senators. They are just a mouse click away.

BAILOUT AFTER BAILOUT . . . WHERE DOES IT END?

NATALIE commented in an entry some time ago asking for my thoughts on the automaker bailout. It has been some weeks ago, but I haven't had the opportunity to research it out. I already had my opinions about all of the bailouts, so I'll include the first one too.

The first bailout is known as the TROUBLED ASSET RELIEF PROGRAM (TARP) (clickable link to see a brief explanation). I won't go into a lot of details about the particulars. I'm sure everyone has heard enough about for about three lifetimes.

These funds are basically in two parts although the first part was broken up into an initial $250 billion and then $100 billion for a total of $350 billion. The total package is slated to be $700 billion. This bailout was to buy bad mortgages as taxpayer expense. YOU AND I NOW OWN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF "BAD DEBT." As we all know, "bad debt" is debt that can't be collected. So the bottom line is that YOUR MONEY AND MINE is being used to eliminate that losses of FANNIE MAE , FREDDIE MAC, LEHMAN BROTHERS, AIG, and others. The cause of this crisis was giving mortgages to people who had no business having them in the first place. If you visit Fannie Mae's website, for example, you'll see their purpose is to make home ownership possible. Problem is, mortgages were extended to people with bad credit or otherwise high risk. A tremendous amount of pressure was put on lending insitututions by the Federal government starting with the CARTER ADMINISTRATION and continued through the CLINTON ADMINISTRATION including a lawsuit led by ACORN that Barack Obama, then an attorney with the lawfirm of David, Miner, Barnhill, and Galland, forced Citigroup to make SUBPRIME MORTGAGES. And one of the chief problems identiified as being one of the major causes of this crisis? Subprime mortgages. Now, you don't have to understand what subprime mortgages to see the hypocrisy here. The proverbial chickens have come home to roost. Now the Federal government is using US the taxpayers to pay for this mess. The politicians in Washington didn't listen to us, the voters. EIGHTY-EIGHT PERCENT of the American public was AGAINST the bailout and extremely angry over this. I totally agree with the 88%. The Democrats' attempt to find a Republican to blame completely failed. That's because there was no Republican to blame. The vast majority of the American public didn't go for it. Amercia said very loudly, "NO!" Yet, as we all know, they did it anyway. I hope the 88% doesn't forget, and remembers those who voted for this bailout during upcoming elections.

I say don't distribute the remaining $350 billion until some accountability measures are put into place. Just like the Hurrican Katrina funding, this first $350 billion has absolutely no accountability measures, so there can't be any accounting for where all this money goes. Without accountability, this taxpayer money can be used by the individual companies or entities any way they like, which isn't the intention of the handing over of this money.

Now, here come the U. S. automakers while the Washington politicians are in the handout mood. I have a few of problems with this. Other than the obvious socialism involved here, in my opinion, from having lived through the '70's, the Federal government once again shares a large part of the responsibility. It was during the '70's that I saw the foreign automakers allowed to export their vehicles to the United States with no restrictions whatsoever. Now before anyone yells "protectionism" here, I'll go ahead and say "you betcha." Although I don't support massive protectionism, I think a certain amount was in order here to protect American industry. There have always been many, many other industries directly tied to the U. S. automakers. But, Washington did nothing. So the market was swamped by foreign imports produced by non-union labor and therefore could be sold at a much lower price. After a time, Washington finally placed some import tariffs on foreign imports. Then the foreign automakers started building plants here, shipping the parts from overseas, and started building their cars in the U.S. to bypass the import tariffs. Washington was again very slow to respond, but it was too little too late. The damage had been done. And speaking of the Federal government, I don't think I have to go into the massive Federal regulation of the automotive industry. As with any set of Federal regulations, only about 20% are really meaningful. The rest just drives up the cost to John Q. Consumer.

The UNITED AUTO WORKERS union is a large part of this too. Again, having lived through the '70's, I witnessed strike after strike after strike and negotiation after negotiation for more company benefits, higher and higher wages, on and on it went. These chickens have also come home to roost. A company absolutely cannot continue to pay out more and more benefits and higher and higher wages and still expect to maintain enough of a profit to remain in business. An example of this is that between fifteen and twenty years ago, a worker for General Motors was laid off. He moved from Michigan to Duluth, Georgia. According to his UAW contract, he was to received FULL PAY for TWO SOLID YEARS WITHOUT PRODUCING SO MUCH AS A DOORHANDLE. Just how many businesses can stay in business with such outgo? I'm surprised they've lasted this long.

The solution to this is not a taxpayer funded bailout, uh, excuse me, it's not a "bailout", they are "bridge loans". I think that the automakers should be allowed to go bankrupt. Again, before anyone has kittens about this, bankruptcy does not mean out of business. The type of bankruptcy the automakers should file is not to go out of business, but to reorganize. In the words of one of my readers, God knows they need to. Overlapping makes and models should be eliminated and union contracts renegotiated. Bankruptcy reorganization is the only way this could be accomplished. The U. S. automakers would emerge with a less expensive employee base, fewer product lines, and new strategic operational plans. This would also allow the U. S. automakers to bring back manufacturing which is being outsourced offshore. Employement would be provided for people no longer needed on assembly lines for duplicate makes such as the Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer - same vehicle, different nameplates. It would be far cheaper for the taxpayers if this were to happen, even if extended unemployment benefits were granted by the Federal government during the reorganization time.

One last major problem with all of these bailouts is this: JUST WHERE DOES IT STOP? These bailouts just open the door for more bailouts funded with YOUR money. It shouldn't have been started, and I say end it now.