The Pictures of Corruption: How Hastert Used Tax Dollars to Turn a $1.5 Million Profit
The Pictures of Corruption: How Hastert Used Tax Dollars to Turn a $1.5 Million Profit
Here’s a graphic timeline explaining how House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) used a federal earmark to turn a $1.5 million profit:
August 2002: “Hastert and his wife bought a 195-acre farm in Plano in 2002, of which 69.5 acres had no access to roads.” The parcel is located in Hastert’s congressional district (IL-14).
February 2004: Hastert and two partners purchase another 69 acres adjacent to the original property. Here’s a picture of the two parcels, outlined in yellow:
August 2005: Hastert secures $207 million in federal dollars to build the “Prairie Parkway” through his district. The Chicago Tribune describes it as a “pet project” of Hastert’s that will “cut through valuable farmland and increase suburban sprawl.” President Bush comes to IL-14 to sign the bill. Here’s a picture:
Here’s an overlay of Hastert’s property and the new highway, shown in green. The highway is just 5.5 miles away:
The “Prairie Parkway” transforms the Hastert property from an isolated parcel to one with convenient access to major cities.
December 2005: Hastert sells property to the Robert Arthur Land Company, who plans to builds 1500 homes on the property. Hastert earns at least $1.5 million in profit. His two partners makes another 1.5 million.
May 2006: The Kendall County Board votes “in favor of putting an interchange on Galena Road, giving residents of the new development easy access to the highway.”
TODAY: Hastert’s spokesman claims, “None of the properties purchased by the speaker are near enough to the Prairie Parkway to be affected by the proposed highway.”
More at the Sunlight Foundation.
UPDATE: Using Google Earth a commenter at the Sunlight Foundation concludes that the distance between the entrance to the highway and the Hastert development is 2.6 miles. (Hastert’s spokesman says it’s 5.5 miles.)
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104 Responses to “The Pictures of Corruption: How Hastert Used Tax Dollars to Turn a $1.5 Million Profit”
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Sure am glad Hastert is showing some steely resolve in riping of the American public.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:34 pm[…] UPDATE: Here's the timeline. […]
June 15th, 2006 at 6:37 pmTotally corrupt, totally shameless, and he’s going to get away with it…
June 15th, 2006 at 6:38 pmJust drop Hastert on Iraq without a parachute and be done with him! He might cause a huge crater in the ground in Baghdad, but hey the Iraqis can fill it with water and make it a fish pond > lol
June 15th, 2006 at 6:42 pmThat makes me sick. As a politically active Mother I have taught my children that people go into politics to help others but the older I get the more I realize that there are also those who go into politics as a lucrative “get rich” scheme. Shame on them.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:46 pmOh, hey look it’s my representative, Melissa Bean. :(
June 15th, 2006 at 6:50 pmSo, you use your position and insider knowledge to rip off Americans, pocket millions, and the mindless lemmings in the GOP love you. You do the same thing in the banking or investment industry (Enron) and people call you a criminal and want you to go to jail for the rest of your life. Just sad.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:51 pmI’m happy for Dennis. He made some money. It’s not like he made 400 million on a golden parachute like Lee Raymond did.
It’s only 1.5 million dollars, it’ll be gone before he dies, or some pharmaceutical company will get it when he goes to the old folks home in Plano.
It’ll be more walled communities obscenely disrupting the bucolic life of hardworking farm families. The suburbanites will complain about the farmers making too much noise, so the farmers will sell their land at inflated prices. The farmers will get rich and the suburbanites will have more room to build their dream homes.
Everybody’s happy about this one. Quitcherbeefin’ about Dennis, he’s gonna get him some money.
By the way, be sure to vote ‘Republican’ come November. Deibold will make sure you do.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:53 pmFunny, using the measuring tool in Google Earth, the above image maps, and the proposed interchange on Galena Road, I come up with about 2.5 miles as the crow flies.
June 15th, 2006 at 6:57 pmGood god…. Seriously, what the hell? At least Delay had some sense to try and hide some of his shady dealingings, this guy is just inept.
June 15th, 2006 at 7:08 pmSO you want to convict Hastert like you did Rove. OK
June 15th, 2006 at 7:10 pm#11
Funny, the only mention of Rove here is from you. But you’re a Troll, and I shouldn’t feed you.
June 15th, 2006 at 7:14 pmI have never understood this bizarre attraction to electoral political trivia and gossip. Real politics is not what some politician said on a particular day. Real politics is how ideas are disseminated to masses of people and how politicians have to play up to those ideas. If you really want progress in America in the direction of what they have in Europe, then you have to push ideas into Americans’s brains. Do that by going directly to the people with video and audio.
June 15th, 2006 at 7:38 pmNo matter how many times I write the local Chicago TV News Stations they refuse to cover any of these stories on Hastert. So the people of Chicago remain uninformed what a criminal, conniving jack*ss Hastert is. The state of local Chicago TV news is abhorrent.
June 15th, 2006 at 7:48 pmSurely Hastert is just planning to retire to a quiet life of farming.
June 15th, 2006 at 8:09 pmAlways remember Whitewater! When you lose $10,000, you get a $40 million investigation that attempts to wreck your Presidency. When you make $2 million, you’re just one helluva business head.
June 15th, 2006 at 8:17 pmHastert’s spokesman claims “None of the properties purchased by the speaker are near enough to the Prairie Parkway to be affected by the proposed highway.â€
June 15th, 2006 at 8:20 pmRep. Ken Calvert’s (R-CA) screwy land deal was 16 miles from the earmarked highway, and Hastert’s is 5.5.
Dead Prez
http://www.deadprez.com/
Join the movement
June 15th, 2006 at 8:24 pmHere are a couple of things you might add to the timeline:
February 2004: Hastert purchases land in fire sale from failed farmer. Sun Times: “Ingemunson told the Sun-Times that the three bought the 68.9-acre parcel from a farmer who wanted “to have cash immediately.”â€
August, 2005: Hastert secures earmark for Prairie Parkway.
Summer 2005: Illinois experiences the worst drought in 100 years, causing many farms to fail.
December 7, 2005: Hastert sells farm land to suburban developer.
Christmas, 2005: Hastert cuts emergency farm aid for failed farms just before Christmas. Merry Christmas.
June 15th, 2006 at 8:40 pmThere’s more about Hastert but it hasn’t surfaced yet. Wait!
June 15th, 2006 at 8:43 pmMarty you always throw out these teasers, but nothing substantive. Do you really know something or do you just like to tease?
June 15th, 2006 at 8:57 pmSome people on this board might disagree about some of the nuances surrounding the profound issues that are discussed in today’s raucous political milieu, but I think there’s one thing we can ALL agree on– the GOP’s gots ta get PAID!
June 15th, 2006 at 9:15 pmThis fat pig is even from the state I live in? How can those mouth-breathers in his district continue to vote for him? Easy. I-80 isn’t just a highway, it’s the max on these folks IQ.
June 15th, 2006 at 9:19 pmThe 5.5 mile figure does not figure from your maps.
Surpries! the figure comes from Hasert’s Attorney!
264 acres / 640 acres per sq mile = 0.41 sq mile
approx diimension of equiv square property = sq root of 0.41 sq. miles = 0.64 miles
roughly scaling from your map — well, it looks like Sunlight’s “few miles” is an exaguration–on the upside! Would you want your subdivision any closer than about one mile from an expressway?
June 15th, 2006 at 9:23 pmLet Ms. Edwards testify on his dealings in Turkey.
This crap goes on all the time. Political control is all about deal making for profit.
I recall Batchhelder’s landfill deal in Medina County Ohio.
They serve to profit.
Almost $300 million a day in Iraq and Afganistan. They’ll be set for generations. The Amerikan children will be learning their rewritten history.
June 15th, 2006 at 10:11 pmA republicant scams the public and gets rich.
I hate to say it but that is not news. It happens everyday.
It is however white collar criminality.
Republicants are dumb(_!_)es.
Who voted for Shrub! I want a refund!
;¬Þ
June 15th, 2006 at 10:20 pmWhat is missing from this entire discussion is what else the USA could have done with the $207 million dollars. And, of course, what else we could have done with the 100s of billions of dollars wasted on the war in Iraq. But, you can be sure that Denny and his pals have been getting rich off of that war. In fact, there has been a war industry boom…in Texas…and other states. And, do you think your congressman might not be secretly invested in that?
June 15th, 2006 at 11:08 pmThis deal stinks, almost as much as the $2 million in pork Hastert got for Waubonsee Community College to waste in science equipment for the new building that will open this fall. Clearly, this guy is part of the problem and should be shown the door. I am sick of him being treated like royalty out here in the sticks. Stop the corruption. Vote for a change.
June 15th, 2006 at 11:32 pmI hate to make TP look stupid, but this statement really illustrates an astonishing level of ignorance.
“The “Prairie Parkway†transforms the Hastert property from an isolated parcel”
Isolated parcel? These properties stradle two county highways, 9 and 12. Hardly an isolated property. Then posting an aerial to prove it! Once again a false TP argument. And somehow TP ignores the proposed corridor alternatives that were still being reviewed when Hastert bought the property. This Prairie Parkway may not have benefited Hastert at all. Hastert could not have known which corridor would be selected. Regardless, this property is a speculator’s slam dunk. He doesn’t need the corridor to increase his value. It’s at the intersection of two highways for christ’s sake! And Plano and Kendall County are growing. It’s classic development potential! Buying property in America is a wise investment. Anyone who did it before the economy ramped up is going to come out ahead. Nothing wrong with that. Just ask the Cali Democrat Phil Angelides. If this land speculation by politicians is corrupt, then we should soon be hearing about Angelides as he’s getting ready to run for governor - he’s also a corrupt land speculator. Right? We’ll be waiting to hear about Dems who doing the same thing from TP…
Next time learn how to read a map, TP.
June 16th, 2006 at 2:20 amAnd the Robert Arthur map is showing over 640 acres. Probably showing the whole development, not just the Hastert piece. The corridor is about 4 miles as the crow flies, maybe 5.5 actual driving distance.
June 16th, 2006 at 2:46 amhttp://groups.myspace.com/ liberaldemocraticpartyoftheunitedstatesofamerica
June 16th, 2006 at 6:27 amNice job, Bubba Hastert, in putting yourself ahead of state and country.
June 16th, 2006 at 7:16 amHASTERT HAS HIS 20 FAT FINGERS AND TOES IN EVERY PIE IN WASHINGTON.
June 16th, 2006 at 8:39 am“every picture tells a story dont it”…but this? this is a freakin novel!
June 16th, 2006 at 8:49 amI may lean more Conservative, but if what this site said is completely true, then this guy needs a kick in the ass. It should be illegal to do what he did. I know I am writing a letter to my congressman about it.
Sadly, I bet most all of the congress is like this republican or democrat.
June 16th, 2006 at 10:12 amI believe that the red boxes in the map above show restricted property rights - which were frozen in 2002 - see - http://www.sprawlway.org/
How convenient that Hastert’s property is outside the red line.
I live in Hastert’s district and this road - in my opinion - is not for traffic but for developers.
The road goes from NW to SE between I-88 and Interstate 80. If it was really built for traffic it would go NE (from Chicago direction) to SW. This would perhaps relieve some congestion from the Chicago beltways to allow N and S traffic to avoid having to go down to I - 80 and 294 which anyone who’ ever trraveled through knows is a bottleneck.
The direction it’s in now will take eastbound traffic off I-88 which is low this far west and dump it into east bound I-80 before the bottle neck.
All politics is local and being a consituents of Hastert’s here in IL-14, I’m support his opponent, John Laesch, this fall Please check his website out. http://www.john06.com
Thanks,
June 16th, 2006 at 10:38 am#31You’re in no position to give advice, I guess you missed the “no access to roads†reference.
You don’t know how to read a map either. Just accept whatever you’re told by a newspaper? Whoever wrote the article abviously hasn’t looked at the map either. The property is within .5 miles of two state highways. Hardly isolated. I’ve reviewed the project on DOT’s website and on the project website, Prairie-parkway.com. Your comments reflect your ignorance on how this cooridor was chosen. Did you know that one of the alternatives was alighned right next to Hasterts property? Didn’t think so. Do you really know how the Central Alternative was chosen? Didn’t think so. Kendall County is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Hastert didn’t need a protected transportation corridor to increase the value of his property. This is a good project. Maybe you should try to explaiin why it’s not instead of smearing Hastert.
You’re also ignorant of Phil’s real estate dealings. You’ve got some catching up to do.
June 16th, 2006 at 11:29 am[…] Think Progress has some good stuff on this story too. Check it out […]
June 16th, 2006 at 11:42 amThis cuts both ways. Not only did he and his partners make a number of deals up and down the proposed “Hastert Highway” route (as it’s known here), he was privy to IDOT information that was not public when he made the purchase of his estate property.
That is a fact.
And every buyer wins in this scenario: Hastert and his partners buy valuable land and sell it at great profit in an area growing faster than the existing infrastructure; the developer can sell at a much higher rate, based on the property’s proximity to the proposed highway (not too close, but very accessible); and the first home buyers win when they turn over the property after the highway becomes reality. Sweet.
But Sugar Magnolia is way off on this one. The property is, in fact, close to two state highways. But the part not stated is that Hastert and his buddies have blocked every attempt to improve the other roadways in the area until the Hastert Highway is a reality.
And the “central alternative?” It was chosen to spite landowners who were most vocal in their opposition to this project: it cuts their farm vehicle access from the remainder much of their farmland. In one notable case, it paves over the living area of an historic farmsite in Kane county.
Drop in any time to see what life is like 50 Miles Out of the Loop:
June 16th, 2006 at 11:45 amhttp://50milesout.blogspot.com
Missing something: how much was Hastert’s initial investment or subsequent investment? We can’t say just how corrupt this is without knowing the rate of return. It already sounds fishy due to the all the inside knowledge and the bush-esque higher percentage of profit than ownership. But we need the initial inflow number and whether he wrote a check or took a loan to pay for it.
June 16th, 2006 at 11:51 am[…] - House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert used a federal earmark to turn a $1.5 million profit (check out the pictures of his lucrative real estate investment). (Think Progress) […]
June 16th, 2006 at 11:53 amok I RTFA in the Trib. The total hastert investment in 2002 + 2004 was 2.4 million. So , yeah, that’s a freaking way above average return. It’s hinkey.
June 16th, 2006 at 11:54 amMore facts. In Hastert’s disclosures, you will not find anything about a mortgage for the $3m estate purchased in 2002. That’s because the two former school teachers paid cash for it.
Not bad. Especially when they lowered the price of the property they sold on Rt 34 by $300K when they sold it to a developer. They must have been all doe-eyed or something.
The subsequent mortgage that was taken out did a couple of things. First, it sent packing the local folks who found out about the cash payment for the $3m estate (it is a wooded estate, not a farm… the house is a small mansion, not a farmhouse).
Another thing that it did was allow Denny “J. Dennis” Hastert, the wealthiest of his lineage, to bail out an uncle who was having some financial problems. You should also know that when that bailout was complete, the Speaker took possession of his uncle’s business. His uncle never spoke to him again.
And the third thing it did, in some measure, was provide some ready cash for more investments like this.
Again, not bad for an obese, diabetic former wrestling coach and “history teacher.”
http://50milesout.blogspot.com
June 16th, 2006 at 12:37 pmHRC
June 16th, 2006 at 1:39 pmThanks for the additional info on fat boy Hastert. This is alla not that far geographically from me, but I didn’t know all these details. Then again, with the Times, Tribune and Herald all decidedly Republican, they aren’t too quick to inform us of too much of the negative news about their boys and girls.
And the “central alternative?†It was chosen to spite landowners who were most vocal in their opposition to this project: it cuts their farm vehicle access from the remainder much of their farmland. In one notable case, it paves over the living area of an historic farmsite in Kane county.
Lies, lies, lies. From the record of public hearing, July 2002.
Summary
The following sets forth the basis for selecting the modified Central Corridor for
Corridor Protection in Grundy, Kendall and Kane counties.
Central Corridor Modification Analysis
The decision to protect the modified Central Corridor alternative, versus other
corridors, is based upon current regional conditions, local government plans,
existing and proposed transportation facilities, natural resources, historical and
archaeological resources, and utilities in the counties of Grundy, Kendall and Kane,
as well as 2010 and 2020 plans for the region. Impacts on wetlands, water quality,
threatened and endangered species, Illinois natural area inventory sites, parks, forest
preserves and nature preserves have been evaluated and were avoided to the greatest
extent possible to minimize any potential impacts. It is also based on information
gathered from the public hearing on December 11, 2001, and other public
informational meetings conducted on January 9, January 15, January 23, January 29,
and January 31, 2002. The decision is also based on public and agency comments
pertaining to Corridor Protection.
It should be noted that a key criterion of the selection of the initial corridor was to
minimize impacts to established homesites and subdivisions. The modified
corridor, while less intrusive on property severances, will affect more residences
than the corridor presented at the public hearing. However, this alternative is still
preferred since overwhelming public response from the farm community indicated
that farmers were generally more concerned about severances of the farms than
impacts to the individual farm houses.
The modified Central Corridor involves the property necessary for an approximately
35½ mile long roadway. The corridor provides for the connection to the major
transportation routes of I-80 and I-88, as well as access to existing state and US
highways.
Protection of the identified corridor at this time allows more efficient and lessintrusive
implementation of a new highway from I-80 near Minooka (Grundy
County) to I-88 near Kaneville (Kane County) at some time in the future.
As a part of this corridor protection approval, IDOT, in accordance with the
language in 605 ILCS 5/4-510, will record the Corridor Protection Map with the
Grundy, Kendall and Kane County Recorder’s offices. Affected property owners
will then be notified of the recording via registered US mail.
The corridor protection study is the initial stage in evaluating the need and location
of a future highway to serve the region. The next step in the process would be a
Phase I engineering study. This study would further evaluate the purpose, need and
the scope of the project and further analyze the social and environmental impacts of
a future roadway. A study for this type of project would take from five to ten years.
If Hastert really wanted to make some money he could have waited a few years.
June 16th, 2006 at 2:23 pm[…] Think Progress has some good stuff on this story too. Check it out […]
June 16th, 2006 at 2:39 pmBut Sugar Magnolia is way off on this one. The property is, in fact, close to two state highways.
How am I way off if in fact the property is very close to 2 state highways?
But the part not stated is that Hastert and his buddies have blocked every attempt to improve the other roadways in the area until the Hastert Highway is a reality.
False. After reviewing Kendall County’s capital improvement projects I actually see many improvements to transportion scheduled for this area, including widening and other improvements to State Rt 12, one of the 2 highways that run near Hastert’s “isolated” property into Little Rock. Did I mention that this area is like top 5 fastest growing areas in the country? Hastert didn’t need Prairie Parkway to increase the value of his property.
June 16th, 2006 at 5:05 pmIt looks incredibly isolated. Guess that no road access is hard to understand when you’re from somewhere without roads.
Isolated? Within .5 miles of 2 highways? I guess it’s hard for someone to understand who can’t read a map. See the yellow lines representing the 640+ acres? It stradles 12 and is adjacent to 9. Apparently Hastert’s 69 acres is a portion of that. Hardly isolated.
Back to TP’s flawed analysis:
The “Prairie Parkway†transforms the Hastert property from an isolated parcel to one with convenient access to major cities.
There’s already convenient, although congested, access to major cities. The Prairie Parkway project is 4 to 6 miles away and does not propose to construct roads into Hastert’s “isolated” property. And the construction of the highway won’t happen for another 5 years, at least. Why not sit on the property and watch values go up even more? Yoy know it will happen since this one of the fastest growing areas in the country.
June 16th, 2006 at 5:25 pmThey’re raping and pillaging what ’s left of our country. They’re foul and despicable and should be severely punished. They’re hateful and greedy and should have all their assets removed. They should be taxed to the hilt. Oh, that would just KILL them. Their children should have mandatory military enlistment and should be the first drafted. You benefit financially in this country with first rate perks and incentives, give something back.You don’t want to pay taxes, so put on a uniform and defend your country-after all, you have to fight them over there instead of here,RIGHT?
June 16th, 2006 at 8:11 pmHi all,
I’m writing from the beautiful Fox Valley in Northen Illinois. I live due west of Chicago in between Aurora and Geneva, IL.
My kids are at their moms tonight so my black lab and I hopped in the car to take a ride out to Dennis Hastert’s estate. I always enjoy the ride out that way because the farmland is so beautiful and with the sun hanging low… It was gorgeuos. Here are my on-site notes and feelings.
I took Rt. 47 south to Galena Road east. If you look and the first picture in this article than you’ll notice that Hastert’s land is just SW of the intersection of Galena Road and Little Rock Road. The distance from Rock Creek Road to the East is 3.4 miles. Approximate that the highway will come in halfway between them and you are down to 1.7 miles. Lets give them the .3 and say 2 miles to the new highway.
I’m not sure what state highways that Sweet was refering too. All the roads around here are two lane - 55 mph’ers -
Thoughts and feelings. It’s not as isolated as I thought. Plano lays 3 miles to the south with the Plano High School on Little Rock Road. My first thought was…
This land is gorgeous. It as a beautiful rolling terrain with LOTS of old, old trees. Perfect for very expensive homes! My feeling was that Plano couldn’t support a sub-division like this - It would have to attract Chicago area workers. Now I know a lot of these town are exploding with growth but I couldn’t help feeling that this sub-division was only missing one thing. A nearby highway.
I have no doubt in my mind that this is land and much more along the corridor will skyrocket in price when the highway is built.
So I was expecting an open field in the middle of nowhere and found some really choice property. Hastert would have made money without the highway but probably not as much without the highway.
BTW - He’s my rep and I’m not voting for him!
Peace from the Land of Lincoln.
June 16th, 2006 at 10:12 pmAnytime a public official makes a huge profit on real estate by flipping in just two years, it’s going to look very, very fishy, at best. More so when the land in question is impacted by hundreds of millions in Federal spending sought by the official in question.
The serious ethical questions raised on the face of such a deal is why no official who’s not joined at the hip to Dallas Ingemunson seems to be doing it.
Remember how Republicans had kittens over Hillary Clinton’s cattle futures deal several years ago? And she herself wasn’t even a public official yet, just the wife of one.
Wonder if Denny or his people had anything to say on that back then. The spin from Hastert’s camp certainly sounds similar to the “justifications” for Hillary spouted by James Carville back then, that’s for sure.
June 17th, 2006 at 1:07 amThis is a great story. The local Chicago press had a little about it on the 15th, but there has been no uproar about it in Washington or NYC. The other angle on this story are Hastert’s “partners” on the deal. One, according to the Trib, is none other that his mentor and Kendall County GOP Boss, Dallas Ingemunson. Per the Trib:
At least the article has Ingemunson out there trying to be honest. It still doesn’t smell very good for our beloved “coach.”
June 17th, 2006 at 6:58 am[…] In 2005, House Speaker Dennis Hastert secured $207 million in federal funds to build the “Prairie Parkway” through his Congressional district. A few months later, Hastert sold land he had purchased in 2002 and 2004 — located just three miles away from the future parkway — earning a profit of about $2 million. (Check out a graphic timeline of the transaction.) […]
June 17th, 2006 at 10:27 am[…] See the full article here. […]
June 17th, 2006 at 9:22 pm[…] Think Progress has details, including aerial photos. This entry was posted on Sunday, June 18th, 2006 at 3:09 am and is filed under Corruption. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Home» […]
June 18th, 2006 at 7:04 amHow come “O’Really, O’Reilly” hasn’t had it on his, Fair and Balanced show?
June 18th, 2006 at 9:10 pmI think there ought to be some interesting results in closely examining federal earmarks pushed by all of the GOP leadership in Congress. The harder they push it, the more closely it should be examined.
Where there is smoke, there is fire. Take it from me, Ba’al, I know a thing or two about smoke and fire.
June 18th, 2006 at 11:13 pmGeorge Washington Plunkitt was a Tammany Hall ward boss at the turn of the 20th century, and here’s what he had to say about what Hastert has done:
EVERYBODY is talkin’ these days about Tammany men growin’ rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin’ the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft. There’s all the difference in the world between the two. Yes, many of our men have grown rich in politics. I have myself. I’ve made a big fortune out of the game, and I’m gettin’ richer every day, but I’ve not gone in for dishonest graft – blackmailin’ gamblers, saloonkeepers, disorderly people, etc. – and neither has any of the men who have made big fortunes in politics.
There’s an honest graft, and I’m an example of how it works. I might sum up the whole thing by sayin’: “I seen my opportunities and I took ‘em.â€
Just let me explain by examples. My party’s in power in the city, and it’s goin’ to undertake a lot of public improvements. Well, I’m tipped off, say, that they’re going to lay out a new park at a certain place.
I see my opportunity and I take it. I go to that place and I buy up all the land I can in the neighborhood. Then the board of this or that makes its plan public, and there is a rush to get my land, which nobody cared particular for before.
Ain’t it perfectly honest to charge a good price and make a profit on my investment and foresight? Of course, it is. Well, that’s honest graft.
Things haven’t changed much in 100 years, Hastert saw his opportunity and he took it! All of Plunkitt’s comments can be found at
June 19th, 2006 at 8:03 amI have to agree with Will. This isn’t shocking - this is what politics in this country has always been about - lining your own pockets. Why do you think so many real estate developers and attorneys run for local government offices?
June 19th, 2006 at 11:02 amIf anyone is surprised by the land deal maybe someone at the so called news services in Chicago should look into the families of all the politicians involved in these shady deals.So many corporations put wives and children on their boards or pay them consulting fees and sometimes helpout with tuition for the kids or one hell of a retirement plan .
June 19th, 2006 at 11:27 pmWho’s Against a Ban on
Fissile Material?
by Michael Carmichael
n 2005, Mohamed ElBaradei was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding work in the international control of nuclear weapons. In 2003, ElBaradei had proposed a verifiable ban on the production of weapons-grade fissile material – a positive move that would severely limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
In a vote of the Disarmament Committee of the United Nations (UN), one and only one nation voted against ElBaradei’s proposal – George Bush’s America. In that same vote, Israel abstained, apparently fearing international interference with their own outlaw nuclear weapons program, and Britain abstained in an act of diplomatic fealty to the “special relationship” between Tony Blair and George Bush. The final tally was 147 nations to one with the two abstentions. In a later vote of the entire UN General Assembly, Israel and Britain abstained, while America and Palau voted against ElBaradei’s verifiable ban on fission, and 179 nations voted in favor of his proposal. The final vote on that occasion was 179 in favor, two opposed (U.S. and Palau), and two abstentions (Israel and Britain).
ElBaradei’s proposal would monitor all nuclear fission and guarantee that non-nuclear weapons states would be able to obtain adequate supplies for their nonmilitary usage of enriched plutonium.
One nation has publicly accepted ElBaradei’s proposal: Iran.
In light of this important backstory, it is now perfectly obvious that the so-called “negotiations” among America, its intermediaries, and Iran have been designed to camouflage, distort, and erase the historical record. America and Israel are opposed to ElBaradei’s proposal for a verifiable ban on nuclear fission (Fissban) apparently to prevent the intrusion of international inspectors into the Israeli nuclear industry.
Given the facts of the highly publicized “Iran Plans” for a massive American military intervention against the Iranian nuclear industry and the constant threat of bombing Iran leveled by American authorities from George Bush and Condoleezza Rice to Richard Perle and John Bolton, it is equally clear that American policy is being driven by a Machiavellian political calculus.
Over the past two weeks, there has been a chain of interlocked events: the execution of Zarqawi; the Camp David summit on Iraq; Bush’s secret flight to Baghdad; and the narrow escape of Karl Rove from federal indictment in the Valerie Plame case. These events are fitting into a discernible pattern designed to resuscitate the dying political corpse of the Bush administration in time for the midterm elections this November.
The continuing weakness of the Bush administration, as measured by the president’s approval rating, will embolden those proponents of the unilateral bombardment of Iran as a measure that could precipitate the president’s resurgence. With so little left to lose, Bush may press the button for war in hopes of gaining approval in red-state America, where his political fate will be decided on the Nov. 6.
Darker plans may even be afoot, or so we are led to believe by scholars of the U.S. intelligence industry. The former CIA official Ray McGovern has warned of “staged” atrocities as part of a covert U.S. program for the manufacture of “’synthetic terror.” Robert Woodward warned an academic audience in Texas that the next major atrocity on U.S. soil would reduce 9/11 to a footnote in world history. There are persistent back-channel rumors of Republican Party officials circulating memoranda longing for a return to the heady days after 9/11 to revive the ailing Bush presidency – even at the cost of a new 9/11.
Neither America’s people nor the peoples of other nations are being adequately informed about the history of international planning for the control of fissionable materials, which are the essential ingredients for nuclear weapons. The global media is complicit in the increasing threats to peace by a deeply unpopular American president and his loyal cadre of neoconservative apparatchiks, who now threaten the future of the planet with a holocaust of gigantic proportions.
June 20th, 2006 at 5:30 amthe Original “American Dream”, held by the people who fought, sacraficed & suffered for it. was LIBERTY & the Freedom. for themselves & their families, for generations to come. from living under the authority of self serving tyranrts. Later in our nations prosperity. it came to symbolize the “Good Life”. These days are not gone. they’ve simply been altered. the Tyrants have returned. while America slept. lulled into complacence & snug in their appathy.
America is the single largest arms dealer in the world. it shouldn’t seem strange to anyone. that the middle east is engulfed in conflict. it possesses a huge potential to buy weapons with its nearly limitless petroleum revenues.
the present administration is way to cozy with a privately owned, investment banking firm. Known as the Carlyle Group. ex-president Bush, is an employee of this group. & earned a cool $180,000.00 last year from them, by brokering a $400 million weapons deal with the his good friends the Saudis. just last year. & this is just one of several deals the Carlyle Group engages in annually.
& this becomes the state of America today. the beaurcracy under administrative control. does everything, in it’s power. to frighten & intimidate the American People. so that they will never oppose them. all the while the Administration, asserts their influences abroad to instigate regional conflicts. which allows the principle members to profit, on many levels in the confussion. this is the “New American Dream”.
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:42 pmThese people love to call others unpatriotic. What exactly is patriotic about scamming taxpayers for personal profit?
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:08 pmYes, NO. 67 above you are right on Target like a laser guided missle.
The only problem is that no one in America seems to care any more that the American Dream is in the crapper.
I would like to add one thing though speaking of this illegal president of ours with his voter tampering and refusal to obey some 750 laws of the land.
In times of War, the Presidential Election can be suspended and that is exactly what is going to happen.
Their will be no 2008 Presidential Election.
May we all stand-up; face the east and raise our hands to the first U.S. Dictator,
George W. Bush……..2000 - ?
From George to George, “it was nice while it lasted” U.S. General Tommy Franks 2003.
June 23rd, 2006 at 4:17 pm“The essence of public corruption is that public officials deprive people in the community of their honest efforts to represent them. That’s theft of honest services, and that’s what the statute covers.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Shane Harrigan.
Honest services’ law, 18 U.S.C. §1346, is a brief addendum to the federal mail and wire fraud statute that makes it possible to prosecute public officials for a variety of unethical and criminal activities. This addendum in short reads as a “scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services.”
The 1872 mail fraud statute incorporated the common law concept of fraud, which consists of depriving someone of property by lying. In the late 1980’s, federal prosecutors persuaded lower federal courts to consider that the statute should also include deprivations of the intangible right to honest services. Congress responded by adding a new section to the mail fraud statute declaring that the public had a right to fair and honest representation by public officials. The federal mail fraud statute and honest services clause provides the federal government with jurisdiction to prosecute state and local officials, as well as federal officials. An extremely effective tool to fight public corruption, it is utilized more often than bribery or extortion charges.
In the Seventh Circuit, violating “intangible rights” constitutes a breach of fiduciary duty for personal gain, while most other courts seem to treat every legal duty of a public official as fiduciary. How “honest” must a public official be is a highly contested matter. Despite most citizens demand for honest government officials, we frequently ignore or excuse questionable behaviors by those in positions of power. On the other end of the spectrum, most federal courts of appeals have held in certain circumstances, even a government official’s failure to disclose a material conflict of interest can fit within the meaning of the term “honest services”, thus is prosecutable. Proving intent is the most difficult area in prosecution, with some cases not so clear cut.
Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham along with Washington defense contractor Mitchell Wade were recently convicted under the “honest services” statute, but they are not alone. Former Illinois Governor George Ryan joined the ranks of judges and attorneys who have been prosecuted for violations of the publics’ trust. Corrupt government officials usually receive the most media attention with lesser known corporate agents being brought into the public eye when their crimes are so egregious as to demand justice for their victims.
June 26th, 2006 at 11:10 am[…] House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-IL) “net worth has soared from no more than $290,000 to more than $6 million during his 19-year tenure on Capitol Hill.” Hastert has made most of his money through land deals, sometimes using federal earmarks to turn a profit. […]
July 7th, 2006 at 9:19 amWell, it certainly appears that Hastert is a liar and a thief.
July 7th, 2006 at 1:30 pmIs anyone stepping up to the prosecution plate? Oh, wait, no… he’s the GOP speaker of the House. So… he’s immune to our laws.
hastert is the typical shady eyed fast talking lying son of a b***h
August 26th, 2006 at 4:07 amthat gives perfect meaning related to perversion of the most
sacred trusted public servant. HE’S A DOG GONE CROOK!!!!
oh and he takes your hard earned money (just like the other 500 crooks)
where why you pay 100’s of 1000’s so you and i can receive a return
of trusted public servants and spends the money LIKE THAT.
THE FIRST PLACE THEY BELONG IS THE SLAMMER and the second
August 26th, 2006 at 4:11 amthing they should do is liquidate their gain and send you a check
personally. If we have 500 crooks each doing that with 1/2 billion
= 250 billion dollars x oh lets say 200 million taxpayers, their little
pet has cost you $1000…….totally CORRUPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
[…] Here’s a timeline showing Dennis Hastert’s land purchases in anticipation of a new highway going through nearby. […]
October 9th, 2006 at 7:16 pm[…] 63. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) secured a federal earmark to increase the property value of his land and reap at least $1.5 million in profits. [Link] […]
November 6th, 2006 at 6:27 pmBankruptcy Court Division Counties Illinois
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