Towns Is Certainly No Waxman

When Congressman Waxman left the House Government and Oversight Committee for the Energy and Commerce Committee, there were big shoes to fill for his replacement. Unfortunately, thanks to seniority, that man was Brooklyn's Congressman Ed Towns. It isn't that he has the worst record among Democrats, but that he has hardly any record, in twenty-six years of representing his district. His tobacco connections also do not look so good. Naturally, I did not have high hopes for his very first Committee Chair position.

And well, neither does he:

California Democrat Henry Waxman, Mr. Towns’ direct predecessor, was the paradigm, leveraging the position for maximum influence by spearheading high-profile investigations and afflicting the powerful with his peevish demeanor. “Waxman showed what could be done in that committee,” said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. “The chair has got a roving commission to go after almost anything, from the spill in Tennessee at that coal impoundment pond to hauling in Citibank executives.”

Expect Mr. Towns’ style to be somewhat different.

“I’m not one of the guys who jumps in front of the cameras,” he told The Brooklyn Paper in August 2008.
Video of Mr. Towns, a North Carolina native, at committee hearings and giving Congressional testimony depict a mild-mannered politician who sticks to his talking points.

Now sure, he does have plans to do oversight, but nothing along the lines of what Congressman Waxman has done in the last Congress and before Republicans took over in 1994 as well. Personally, I believe that in this crucial role, one must be a passionate advocate for reform and exposing crooked activities, whether it be in the public or private sector. Waxman had that tenacity. Going on Towns' quarter of a century in Congress, he doesn't.

Ed Towns' Chairmanship: Fox, Meet Henhouse

Seniority has a funny way of working in the House of Representatives. Yes, it provides some sense of order in a chaotic chamber of our government, but it can also put very peculiar people into jobs that they might not be truly deserving of. This certainly applies to Brooklyn's very own Ed Towns. One of his critics' issues with him is that in a quarter of a century, he never once chaired a committee. Well now he can cross that off the list, but his "Washingtonian" ways are far worse, and now compounded by the fact that he chairs the House Government and Oversight Committee.

From The Village Voice:

Poised to succeed the legendary Henry Waxman as chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Brooklyn congressman Ed Towns was once the target himself of a federal probe.

While Towns was not indicted, his videotaped receipt of a cash payment in an undercover operation raises questions about his appropriateness to head the House's premier investigations committee, particularly at a time when it may be called upon to probe the financial scandals that led to the current economic meltdown.

Brooklyn federal prosecutors and the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) caught Towns on videotape stuffing $1,300 in cash into his pockets in an undercover sting in 1982, when he first ran for Congress. Apparently, he was tipped off that the three Salini Construction Company executives were actually cops, and he returned the money a few days later and wasn't indicted.

And that was before he truly learned his way around town. Wayne Barrett's article goes more into depth about that particular incident back in 1982. Though that doesn't mean his shadiness ended there. He's known to be a good friend to Big Tobacco (as they are good friend$ to him) and a vote for CAFTA was a terrible deal for his constituents back in Brooklyn.

Now Towns' isn't all bad, he did co-sponsor the bill to impeach Bush. He generally votes the right way for his party, but from that district, there are better Democrats that could represent them in Congress. Likewise, there are also more stand-up Democrats in the body that could exercise reform and oversight and if merit played a factor in choosing Waxman's successor, Towns would certainly not be it.

FEMA Trailers: Killing Them With Kindness

FEMA's response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has already been proven as a disaster to compliment the destruction of Mother Nature. Now Congress is examining one such example where the trailers that were brought in to house refugees were contaminated with high levels of cancer causing formaldehyde. Just one more disgrace after another for the Bush Administration and its agencies that are supposed to help people.

From The Gavel:

At 10:00 a.m. the Oversight Committee will hold a hearing, “FEMA’s Response to Reports of Toxic Trailers.” The Committee will hold a hearing investigating formaldehyde levels in FEMA trailers provided for victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes and FEMA’s response to these reports. The Committee will hear from current residents occupying FEMA trailers, experts who are familiar with the health impact of formaldehyde, and from FEMA Administrator Paulison. Formaldehyde is a chemical used in paint and adhesives, and is classified as a “known carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Reports of high formaldehyde levels found in FEMA issued trailers and FEMA’s response raise serious public health concerns.

Chairman Waxman:
“Another FEMA official wrote, the office of general counsel has advised ‘We do not do testing, because it would imply FEMA’s ownership of this issue.’ Early in the process, due to the perseverance of a pregnant mother with a four month old child, FEMA did test one occupied trailer. The results showed that their trailer had formaldehyde levels 75 times higher than the maximum workplace exposure levels recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The mother evacuated the trailer. FEMA then stopped testing other trailers.”

If only we had oversight like this with the Republican Congress before the disaster ever happened. Perhaps then those trailers wouldn't have been introduced in the first place. FEMA used to be such an amazing agency and now its a national and international disgrace. One of the reasons America became so great was that the government took care of its citizens and helped them to achieve a better life. Now they help poison them with carcinogens, how wonderful.

Charlie Rangel Slams George Tenet

Congressman Charlie Rangel called out the obvious on George Tenet yesterday with Bob Schieffer. He said the former CIA chief has no credibility and should be investigated. I couldn't agree more. Tenet takes no responsibility for his actions in the book, and the stuff he does mention about the Bush Administration.....why the hell didn't he say something before we went into Iraq? That makes him complicit with George Bush and Dick Cheney et al. crime of starting an illegal war. So go get em' Charlie!

From RawStory:

On CBS' Face The Nation Sunday morning, after a discussion of the impasse between the Democratic controlled Congress and president over the war funding bill, host Bob Schieffer asked the House Ways and Means Committee chairman if he could "switch to George Tenet, the former CIA director whose book came out this week."

"Sometime back, he got the Medal of Freedom," Schieffer continued. "I believe you were quoted somewhere along the way as saying that rather than the Medal of Freedom, he should be looked at by the Justice Department. What do you think about these allegations that he's making now that he was misunderstood when he said it was a slam dunk, that the administration had already made up its mind to go to war? Does he have credibility with you, Mr. Chairman?"

"No," Rangel responded, "I don't think he has credibility with anyone in the United States."

Rangel continued, "For him to have had the information that he had and to tell the president that it was a slam dunk. For the president to mislead the people in the United States in believing that there was weapons of mass destruction, that Saddam Hussein was involved in the attack in 9/11, that he was part of al Qaeda. And for him to have done what he did to my friend, Colin Powell, to have him sitting in the United Nations proclaiming the connection between the two, knowing in his heart that the evidence did not go in that direction. And to accept a medal and then to put out a book -- God knows what he got in terms of an advance -- to me, this warrants an investigation."

If you know that a murder is going to take place and you do nothing to stop it, you are essentially an accessory to murder. If you know that a disastrous war is about to take place, costing thousands upon thousands of lives and the pretenses for it are blatantly false....well then you are guilty of a lot more than just one murder.

As Rangel calls for an investigation, Congressman Henry Waxman has already invited the ex-CIA chief over to the Hill to appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform later this week. As Tenet sells books and makes his trip around the country promoting it, it is more than fair for him to pay a visit to Congress and answer a few important questions.

Congressman Dan Burton The Hypocrite

Republicans are widely known to have done certain things while Bill Clinton was President. Things like subpoenas issued over the Monica Lewinsky scandal, pursuing impeachment and generally abusing their powers from 1995 to 2000. Then when Bush came in Congress became a giant rubber stamp for their new Commander in Chief. Now that the Democratic party is in power Congress is beginning to clean up the gigantic mess that the previous sessions ( 104-109th) left in their wake.

Of course there are still roughly 200 Republican congressman are left and plenty are complaining about the new style of governing. Issues such as oversight, working longer hours and passing legislation for the people over the corporations are stressing the Republicans and they are starting to whine over it. Dan Burton is the latest crybaby, particularly about Henry Waxman who replaced him as Chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

Check this out from Roll Call via Crooks and Liars:

Rep. Dan Burton — the Indiana Republican who showered subpoenas on the Clinton White House as chairman of the House Government Reform Committee — is joining other Republicans in warning that the committee under its new Democratic leadership may be abusing its subpoena powers.

At the end of March … Burton, along with committee ranking member Tom Davis (R-Va.) and most of the other Republican members warned that the Democrats are straying close to the line of what is appropriate in oversight.

“Effective, constructive oversight is much more a matter of due diligence and digging than depositions and sensational disclosures,” the Republicans wrote.

Awww isn't that cute. Dan Burton thinks he can forget about his past transgressions, namely the 141 subpoenas he issued to the Clintons (guess how many went to the Bush Administration) on anything he could think of. He even subpoenaed the wrong guy because of a similar name situation. Dan really should just shut the hell up, he has absolutely no authority or high ground to stand on to preach about abusing subpoena powers.