AND DO THE PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY VOTE FOR?
by Sharon Rondeau
(Aug. 1, 2012) — Despite an FBI investigation of his campaign staff, former Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives is running for the congressional seat in the state’s fifth district.
Although Chris Donovan in early June hired an attorney and gave up his position as Speaker in the wake of the federal probe, questions remain about his involvement or lack thereof in the campaign-donations scheme to thwart legislation aimed at raising taxes on roll-your-own tobacco shops.
Christopher Donovan boasts a background in “community organizing” and says that his “skills are needed in Washington.” He has been criticized for making inconsistent statements as to when he found out about his campaign staff having been placed under federal investigation.
In early June, Donovan’s campaign finance manager, Robert Braddock, was arrested after probable cause was found that he conspired to conceal sources of campaign contributions given to affect pending legislation in the Connecticut General Assembly. At that time, reports varied as to whether or not Donovan himself was under investigation.
On his state legislative website, Donovan says, “…Moving our economy forward to a place of sustained recovery and job growth is one of many legislative initiatives I am leading to improve the lives of hard working families in Connecticut…”
A CNBC report ranks Connecticut at 44th out of 50 in regard to its friendliness to businesses, down from 39 last year, while the cost of doing business has also continued to rise. Connecticut is the third most expensive state in which to live, according to the same source. Under Democrat Governor Dannel Malloy, Connecticut has experienced the “largest take hike in history.” Under former Governor M. Jodi Rell, Democrats opposed the idea of a property tax cap.
Susan Kniep, President of The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Associations, claims that “Connecticut resembles the Greece of the U.S. from a state financial perspective” and that “Connecticut is by far the worst of all 50 states in its unfunded burden per taxpayer.” The state’s largest employer in the private sector, United Technologies Corporation (UTC), is looking to “do more of its work outside its home state and other ‘high-cost’ locations.”
Connecticut House Democrats say that they “have a long and proud history of representing and protecting the interests of all Connecticut residents” and have the majority of seats in both chambers of the General Assembly. House Republican Leader Lawrence Cafero says that a “committee of inquiry” should be formed to consider discipline against Donovan, citing the Connecticut constitution. House Republicans also object to the state spending more than it takes in, and the Democrat state treasurer has determined that the state may have to borrow money to remain in operation. She contended that “despite the massive tax hikes enacted just nine months ago, Connecticut’s cash pool is being depleted.”
Cafero called the abolition of the death penalty during the past legislative session “unconstitutional.”
Eight people have been arrested in the Donovan investigation. Donovan has been described by some of those arrested as in agreement with preventing the proposed bill to become law in exchange for campaign contributions. Donovan is reportedly a close friend of an indicted conspirator who admitted his guilt and agreed to cooperate with the FBI investigation.
There is a connection between Braddock, the man first arrested in the investigation, and Larry Sinclair, who claimed that he and Barack Hussein Obama took drugs together in Chicago in 1999. Braddock’s former employer, Dan Parisi, had filed a $30,000,000 defamation lawsuit against Sinclair which was dismissed in February of this year. Braddock and Parisi had run an adult website, whitehouse.com, which is now defunct. Last month, a lawsuit against Amazon.com, the distributor of Sinclair’s book, was dropped.
Other well-known community organizers are Barack Obama, whose long-form birth certificate and Selective Service registration card have been declared to be forgeries by a law enforcement investigation; and members of ACORN, with whom Obama had worked during the early 1990s. ACORN has been described as “a shady outfit” and was excoriated by a Nevada judge who penalized members convicted of voter fraud in 2008 with the highest possible fine. ACORN workers have been implicated in voter fraud schemes prior to the 2008 presidential election, and the organization has networked with MoveOn.org, La Raza, and “Rock the Vote,” all of which are associated with leftist ideology.
Project VOTE was another employer of Obama in Chicago in the 1992 which combined with ACORN to target certain states which Obama would have to win to be declared president in 2008. Many Democrats claim that the caucuses and general election were rife with voter fraud in Obama’s favor.
Obama represented a defendant in a lawsuit against Citibank for purportedly refusing to give the client a mortgage. ACORN sued a mortgage company with a class-action lawsuit to prevent “predatory practices.”
Subprime lending led to the economic crisis which began in late 2007 and still affects the housing market and overall economy today.
Despite allegations of fraud, ACORN and other social programs associated with it were well-rewarded after Obama signed the 2009 stimulus bill.