Saturday, July 28, 2007

Congressman Knollenberg, this is for you

We know that Joe Knollenberg's staff and possibly Joe Knollenberg himself come around to this blog frequently. This is for them, an appeal to your conscience Congressman Knollenberg to bring our troops home before any more die. One more death is too many Congressman Knollenberg.

Knollenberg Letters to the Editor keep coming

July 28 Edition of the Oakland Press had these two letters to the editor disputing the story that had appeared in the Oakland Press last week. They tell some of the story of what happened when some constituents tried to talk to Joe Knollenberg's staff about Joe's position on the war in Iraq.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Watch This Video and Call Joe Knollenberg's office today

Tony Trupiano interviews Bruce Fealk about Joe Knollenberg controversy

On July 19, 2007, Bruce Fealk appeared on The Tony Trupiano Show and talked with Tony about Joe Knollenberg and the recent controversy regarding comments Bruce made regarding Congressman Knollenberg's votes on the Iraq war.

Scroll down to the Tony Trupiano Show for July 19. Click on the small play button on the left side of the page to play the interview. The interview starts after the news.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Knollenberg Goes On Pork Barrel Spending Spree

Knollenberg is a big pig at the taxpayers trough.

In a lame attempt to offset criticism of his pork barrel spending, Knollenberg is now bragging about some of his "earmarks". Earmarks are where line items are secretly slipped into appropriations bills and that specify amounts of taxpayer money to be directed to friends of the Congressman.

Here is what the ultra conservative Heritage Foundation says about earmarks in an article titled "The Problem with Pork":

In the past, Congress created grant programs and either distributed the money to state and local governments by formula or instructed federal agencies to distribute the grants through a merit-based application process. Today, Congress actually determines, within legislation, who will receive government grants by "earmarking" grant money to specific recipients. Earmarks are also known as pork projects.

Earmarking is a corrupting process. Many of these pork projects are shepherded through Congress by lobbyists, who, for a generous commission, ensure that a client gets a government grant without having to go through the regular process of justifying a project to a federal agency. Perhaps coincidentally, lawmakers often receive hefty campaign donations from earmark recipients. Former Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA), for example, is currently serving an eight-year prison term for accepting bribes in return for pork projects.


Knollenberg is currently bragging on his website about over $30 million in pork barrel spending. But he still won't release a list of all of his pork projects. He is only discussing the handful that may pass as being generally useful for the community. Knollenberg is still hiding the majority of his pork barrel spending spree.

There are of course dozens of earmarks that Knollenberg doesn't want you to know about. Earmarks like the $8 million he specified be spent by Amtrak purchasing refrigerated rail cars from his BIGGEST campaign donor's company!!!


A formula for Disaster:

Knollenberg = Pork Barrel Spending = Favors for Lobbyists

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Knollenberg Gives D.C. Lobbyist Over $39,000 of Taxpayer Money



In another example of how Joe Knollenberg wastes your tax dollars, he has hired a Washington, D.C. lobbyist, Trent Wisecup, as his Chief of Staff -- even though all he is doing is running Knollenberg's re-election campaign -- and paid him $39,957 in just the first 3 months of the year!!!

Those useless glossy fliers you've been getting in the mail from Knollenberg -- also at taxpayer expense -- are work of this lobbyist.

Wisecup used to lobby for the pharmaceutical industry. In fact, his lobbying firm has bragged about how successful Wisecup was in convincing Congressman like Knollenberg to vote AGAINST SENIORS by prohibiting them from saving money by getting their prescriptions from Canada.

Notice how the flyers you have gotten from Knollenberg look almost identical to the flyers Wisecup used as a lobbyist.

It is bad enough that corrupt lobbyists have so much influence over Congress. Now they are using lobbyists to influence our choices in major elections. It doesn't get much sleazier than that.

This not only shows just how tied Knollenberg is with lobbyists, it brings Knollenberg's judgment into question.

How can you possibly trust anyone who spends nearly $40,000 of taxpayer money on a lobbyist.

And that $40,000 is just for the first 3 months of the year.
  • 2 months work for the Appropriations Committee: $19,978.50 ($ 9,989.25/month)
  • 3 months work for Knollenberg: $19,090.57 + $887.93 = $19,938.50 ($9,969.25/month)
That means we, as taxpayers, are paying this lobbyist $ 19, 958.50/month!!!

If Joe Knollenberg wants to hire a lobbyist, he should be honest about it and pay the lobbyist from campaign funds, not out of our tax dollars.


Joe Knollenberg is wasting $239,502/year
of taxpayer money on a lobbyist!!!

We cannot afford 2 more years of Joe Knollenberg.

Joe, we were at your house. Where were you?

The Raging Grannies went caroling for peace on Sunday at Congressman Joe Knollenberg's house, but Joe was nowhere to be found. We did find a few neighbors at home. One said she tells Joe all the time, he doesn't represent her and that she can't get Joe to listen either.