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Scandalized HUD Chief Got Royal Send Off
How do you say goodbye to a HUD chief who ineptly presided over the worst national housing crisis in recent memory, who made HUD a byword for cronyism, and who resigned under the cloud of a federal criminal investigation?
Last Wednesday, Alphonso Jackson got the send off he deserved, as you can see from the cover of the program for the event obtained by TPMmuckraker. The event, which was held in the main auditorium at HUD, included an overflow crowd of about 1,000 HUD employees, said HUD spokesman Jerry Brown. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the special guest speaker at the event, Brown said.
Despite the regal appearance of the program, Brown said that the event mainly involved "a slide show and a person who sang the national anthem." It was "pretty much the standard fare when a secretary departs." You can bet that the slide show contained plenty of pictures of Jackson -- and maybe even a painting or two.
You can see the full program here.
Comments (10)
A Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman also seems to like that "author unknown" inspiration.
http://www.ernievillanueva.com/break.html
April 21, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where I work, a big sendoff is a lunch with a short speech, possibly with presentation of going-away gifts for the more senior people. No singers, no four-color (or even b/w) programs; with luck, there might be a banner. Most people just get cake and punch.
April 21, 2008 3:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Emmmm-barassing.
I'm trying to picture the audience of HUD employees shifting from foot to foot and looking at their watches. Like an episode of the The Office.
Wonder how many tax dollars were spent on this?
April 21, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I recall when Tom Daschle had his farewell ceremony in the senate, the republicans out-and-out boycotted it. As they had General Shinseki's ceremony before that. And they recently had the gall to interrupt the memorial service for Tom Lantos.
Petty stuff, to be sure. But how anyone with a shred of decency can throw in with that bunch is beyond me. GOP representatives and apparatchiks are utter swine- ALL of them.
April 21, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Waxman letter forthcoming?
April 21, 2008 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Missing is the photo of him in an orange jumpsuit.
Heckuva job, Al.
April 21, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll bet his next slide show will be a mug shot and fingerprint session at Ye Olde Federal Pokey.
Hey, where's my Medal of Freedom?
April 21, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
This ongoing criminal conspiracy aka gwb43 will certainly be one for the text books -
April 21, 2008 9:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only picture I would like to see of Jackson would be in prison garb. This guy is a true scum bag. He should have been in jail months ago. Jackson is another example of the corruption of this administration right down to its core. How anybody could vote for a republican is beyond my understanding.
April 21, 2008 11:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
I believe the first scandal of the Reagan Administration was the HUD scandal.
Sam Pierce was the Administrator that oversaw Republican influence peddling and corruption on a grand scale.
Wealthy contributors to the administration's campaign were rewarded with funding for low income housing development without the customary background checks, and lobbyists, such as former Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt, were rewarded with huge lobbying fees for assisting campaign contributors with receiving government loans and guarantees. Six administration staffers were convicted.
History repeating itself as Republican standard operating procedure.
May 20, 2008 5:51 AM | Reply | Permalink