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Today's Must Read
Remember when slipping your district millions of federal dollars for a pet project was brazen? Rep. Don Young (R-AK) has raised the bar. Take a look at the story of Coconut Road in today’s New York Times.
The Florida road mysteriously received a $10 million earmark in 2006 that would connect it to a major interstate. Local congressman Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL) says he isn’t responsible for it.
Just days before the earmark appeared, real estate developer Daniel J. Aronoff helped raise $40,000 for Young at the Hyatt Coconut Point Hotel in Florida:
A consultant who helped push for the project spelled out why its supporters held the fund-raiser.“We were looking for a lot of money,” said the consultant, Joe Mazurkiewicz. “We evidently made a very good impression on Congressman Young, and thanks to a lot of great work from Congressman Young, we got $81 million to expand Interstate 75 and $10 million for the Coconut Road interchange.”
This isn’t Young’s entrée into earmarking.
Young, who last year steered more than $200 million to a so-called bridge to nowhere reaching 80 people on Gravina Island, Alaska, has no constituents in Florida.
Unfortunately for Young, this news is coming out at a bad time. He is already roped into the ongoing federal investigation into Alaska lawmakers’ ties with a local oil services company, Veco Corp. And as the Times points out, one of his former top aides, Mark Zachares, has pleaded guilty to bribery charges involving the lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Young declined to speak with the Times reporter on the story.
When he was approached near the House floor by a reporter, Mr. Young responded with an obscene gesture.
Comments (37)
Cliff wrote on June 7, 2007 9:37 AM:This stuff is ridiculous. What does it take? A bloody glove? Ooops....nevermind.
Rebel wrote on June 7, 2007 9:47 AM:"When he was approached near the House floor by a reporter, Mr. Young responded with an obscene gesture."
We at least he didn't pull a Cheney and tell the Times reporter to "Go f*ck yourself."
Uh? wrote on June 7, 2007 10:01 AM:Uh, the caption says the photo is Ted Stevens, eventhough the photo is of Don Young.
nellieh wrote on June 7, 2007 10:02 AM:You hear complaints why voting turnout is pitiful and news like this is one reason. Unfortunately folks think the one they vote for will be a bigger thief than the one that is there. There is nothing they will do that will embarrass them. They are beyond that. Congress can't straighten themselves out because "if you charge me , I'll charge you." And they both will be guilty. Ethics committee? The last one had a member that received $15,000.00 from DeLay's pac and donated $10,000.00 to his defense fund. And the Chairman was a friend. What is shameful is they think doing these abhorrent rituals is OK. Something drastic will have to happen to get on the right track if it is even possible. It's not as though something drastic hasn't already happened. Code word: where. As in, "where do we go from here?"
spoon wrote on June 7, 2007 10:04 AM:You have either Steven's name under Young's picture, or Young's picture over Steven's name.
Not that they dont morph into a conflation of issues on the Hill.
Just saying...given the high-dudgeon over Conyers picture mis-use by Murdoch...
Johann wrote on June 7, 2007 10:06 AM:Where else can anyone get $91 Million in return for a $40,000 investment?
After all, it is taxpayers money and not the Congressmen's own money.
Buster wrote on June 7, 2007 10:11 AM:Politicians' vulgar personal attacks are more telling than many people realize: in effect, they serve like the thermometer in a Frank Purdue turkey. They tell us when the politician fears he is completely cooked.
By now, Young is baked, and Cheney is charcoal.
Buster wrote on June 7, 2007 10:12 AM:Politicians' vulgar personal attacks are more telling than many people realize: in effect, they serve like the thermometer in a Frank Purdue turkey. They tell us when the politician fears he is completely cooked.
By now, Young is baked, and Cheney is charcoal.
Buster wrote on June 7, 2007 10:12 AM:Politicians' vulgar personal attacks are more telling than many people realize: in effect, they serve like the thermometer in a Frank Purdue turkey. They tell us when the politician fears he is completely cooked.
By now, Young is baked, and Cheney is charcoal.
Anonymous wrote on June 7, 2007 10:12 AM:Come on reporters . . . can't you be a little bit more clear about your communications with congressmen. "obscene gesture" could mean anything. There has to be a politically correct to clarify it's meaning:
"obscene gesture evoking the motions of sexual/oral intercourse"
"obscene gesture involving the lowering of the congressmen's pants "
"obscene gesture made famous by Michael Jackson"
"obscene gesture most recently utilized by justice Scalia"
"obscene gesture made with an extended middle finger"
B wrote on June 7, 2007 10:13 AM:Come on reporters . . . can't you be a little bit more clear about your communications with congressmen. "obscene gesture" could mean anything. There has to be a politically correct to clarify it's meaning:
"obscene gesture evoking the motions of sexual/oral intercourse"
"obscene gesture involving the lowering of the congressmen's pants "
"obscene gesture made famous by Michael Jackson"
"obscene gesture most recently utilized by justice Scalia"
"obscene gesture made with an extended middle finger"
gonzone wrote on June 7, 2007 10:29 AM:Don Young is obscene just existing.
babyfenfen wrote on June 7, 2007 10:43 AM:Why, if you Google Rep. Don Young, does the first listing say this:
Official web site for Representative Don Young (D - AK).
D????
Veritas78 wrote on June 7, 2007 10:58 AM:There is something deeply wrong with a system where you can raise $40,000 for a politician who then, within days, diverts $91 million your way. If that isn't a bribe, we need to redefine the term.
DaveE wrote on June 7, 2007 10:58 AM:"Why, if you Google Rep. Don Young, does the first listing say this:
Official web site for Representative Don Young (D - AK).
D????"
Yes, it does . . . so much for truth in advertising :)
Anonymous wrote on June 7, 2007 11:05 AM:babyfenfen: "Why, if you Google Rep. Don Young, does the first listing say this:
Official web site for Representative Don Young (D - AK).
D????"
I saw that too. That's a Google error. If you go to the site and read his bio, it clearly states that he's a republican.
Michael Lafferty wrote on June 7, 2007 11:09 AM:Q: What does it take? A bloody glove?
A: Apparently not. With the august body we know as the US House of Representatives, all it apparently takes is a blue dress.
What a pitiful historic commentary on what's required to whip a legislative body into frenzied action against someone perceived as having 'lied to the American people.'
Plantsman1 wrote on June 7, 2007 11:13 AM:"Invest" $40,000, and get $91,000,000 back. Where can I get some of THAT action???
William Fargo wrote on June 7, 2007 11:28 AM:The people will eventually have to do what they have to do. Until then, we suffer these cretins. Personally, I have done all the things a citizen is supposed to do. I have always voted (never again). My vote was disrespected by the thieves in the Bush camp who rigged two elections. That does dampen ones enthusiasm. I have written my "representatives," ha, ha, ha, ha. My "representatives," isn't that believing in the tooth fairy oh yeah. I get pablum back. Yadda Yadda yadda. They could give a shit less what I think. They swoon to power and money. Big green is their constituent. The more big green the better! Then, they get to find places to live where they don't have to rub shoulders with us lesser beings. They can afford to join country clubs for the rich and unenlightened exploiter class and then...in their minds, we will just go away. Politician heaven...no bothersome low life constituents and all the money you can ever spend. Don't write 'em, don't vote for 'em, don't believe in 'em. Whether they have an (R) or a (D) after their name, they're all pond scum.
FlyOnTheWall wrote on June 7, 2007 11:40 AM:It's not coincidental that the Ted Stevens and Don Young hail from the same state. Alaska is the only petro-state in the USA. 80% of its revenue comes from petroleum. That's deadly for effective governance.
The result is that the citizenry in Alaska rarely monitors spending closely - it's not, after all, their money. The congressional delegation tends to regard the federal purse much like state funds, as a piggy bank for personal projects. There's a culture of entitlement mixed with resentment - that's what happens when the state sends you a check every year just for living there. It's just incredibly corrosive to any notion of democracy.
We can, and should, indict these guys and send them away. But they're representative products of a system, not bad apples. That's been clearly illustrated by the endemic corruption within the state legislature. The ultimate solution is to divert petroleum revenue from the state to the federal government, to cease distributing checks to Alaskans, to tax them to pay for the government services that they receive, and to follow the Norwegian example in investing petro-dollars - barring local investments entirely.
Oh - and Don Young is a Rep., not a Sen. as the corrected caption suggests.
dolooper wrote on June 7, 2007 11:49 AM:Caption no longer references Ted Stevens, but it does say "Sen. Don Young." He's a congressman.
One of my favorite stories: When Arliss Sturgeluski was Republican candidate for Governor, Don introduced her at an event as Sturliss Argeluski. Arliss promptly thanked Congressman Yon Dung.
Norm wrote on June 7, 2007 11:57 AM:Wow, I actually worked on the design for the west end of Coconut Rd. that is about to be widened, with the future intention of handling traffic if the interchange is built. I had no idea this sort of slime was attached to it.
TSUMBRA wrote on June 7, 2007 11:59 AM:"OLEB and the Curse of George W"
Duke Boys wrote on June 7, 2007 12:09 PM:www.ilovepoetry.com/viewpoem.asp?id=92444
Reaping and sowing - just like George W?
TPM readers should investigate the following because local media needs TPM type Viagra reporting. Their reporting is impotent at best
Don Young kids and staffers that own land where Knik bridge ends up
Ted Steven's financial interest with companies that build military housing and buildings for NPS and other federal agencies. LA Times story
Funding for Alaska Seafood Marketing board which Ben Stevens dispersed funds
Ted Steven's staffers buying buildings around where the Feds soon bought buildings in Seward,AK
Ted Stevens appropriations to former Mayor of Fairbanks and his wife now under indictment. His son was on the Steven's Appropriations staff.
Lets not forget this little gem from Teddy Boy
VECO's funds came from these guys in front and center! No wonder VECO was the largest donor to Ted Stevens, Don Young, and Murkowski duo. Classic Alaska. This is what VECO money buys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbBRiatDdbI
alambernakis wrote on June 7, 2007 12:24 PM:And it ain't just in Florida. The Anchorage Daily News has previously reported previous contribution-earmark links for Young out of ARKANSAS. Here's the link:
Ed*ard Teller wrote on June 7, 2007 12:30 PM:http://www.adn.com/news/politics/elections/2006/story/8359726p-8251767c.html
I posted the following under this morning's Ted Stevens piece above, but it pertains to Rep. (NOT SEN.!) Don Young at least as much:
The joke our Alaska media is becoming grows bigger by the day. While TPMMuckraker is able to report on the egregious conduct of Sen. Stevens and Rep. Young on a daily basis and elicit comments from around Alaska, the USA and world on an hourly, if not minute-by-minute basis, our media continues to write puff pieces about both of these yet-to-be-indicted criminals as if nothing has happened. While the NYT and WaPo are able to haunt these crooks in the halls of congress and follow them on the stump, our Alaska reporters only appear to be showing up dutifully at the congressmen's pre-arranged photo ops and then dictate whatever the congressmen want.
My favorite very recent example is that at the same time your TPM crew is taking apart the absurd openness of these guys' criminality - I loved Josh's layed-back "Ted Stevens's House Renovation for Dummies" piece Tuesday morning - the Anchorage Daily News can only come up with this incredibly lame puff piece:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/8947184p-8847185c.html
"[Whittier] Museum organizers apparently have a special interest in aviation and have a special surprise on hand for visitors: Two dozen photos from Sen. Ted Stevens' World War II years flying in Asia. The collection includes a charming photo of young Sen. Stevens, an Army Air Force officer, strumming a guitar."
Special surprise? Charming? Good friggin' grief! So I'm going to go down to Whittier to see a picture of St. Ted strumming a guitar sixty years ago? This was surely thought up in The Department of You Can't Make This Sh*t Up, where thay have to work overtime up here, lately. How about getting Sen. Stevens to answer serious questions about what he's doing now, you hapless shills?
I wrote about this last year in regard to the paucity of in-depth coverage of Rep. Don Young:
http://www.insurgent49.com/munger_young.html
"This has been handled rather poorly, in most part, by Alaska media. Alaska editors and reporters need to begin connecting the dots very, very soon in a responsible and comprehensive way on the patterns of abuse of power by our sole representative in Congress. Should Young be re-elected and then indicted for his activities without a deeper coverage of his shortcomings by the Alaska press, Young’s indictment will also be an indictment of the Alaska media’s inability or unwillingness to fully do its job."
Words more and more true every day. Come on, Alaska media, start doing your job. I know several of you out there are FINALLY reading this site. At the rate things are going, especially in the Anchorage print media, within a couple of years, we'll be able to rename an empty Anchorage Daily News building "The Ted Stevens Warehouse of Moldy Stenography."
Philip Munger Palmer, Alaska
RW wrote on June 7, 2007 12:33 PM:I wonder how phithy the closet is for the GOP. Wondering if an appointment of a GOP Special Prosecutor originally from NY now from Chicago (as US Attorney) wouldn't be a big move to investigate all allegations of malfeasance.
Probably keep them busy for a decade or so.
Herb wrote on June 7, 2007 1:11 PM:WHO IS THIS: "No... NO!!!"?
Yksin wrote on June 7, 2007 1:12 PM:**********************************************
If you guessed "Ted Stevens," you are correct!
Now the photo caption calls him Sen. Don Young. He's not a Senator, he's a Representative.
nick wrote on June 7, 2007 1:21 PM:This "bridge to nowhere" business is being portrayed somewhat poorly by those in the media. While Gravina Island may only have 80 permanent residents, it's also the location of the only airport in Ketchikan, AK. As someone who lives in Southeast Alaska and is faced with the challenges of working and living in a huge area without any roads between populations, these little bits of connectivity are rather important. When I have a layover at the Ketchikan airport, it now involves a ferry ride to get to town. This isn't a hypothetical. Ketchikan is the 2nd rainiest spot in the US (200" a year), and weather delays are a way of life.
NitPicker1 wrote on June 7, 2007 3:30 PM:I am disgusted by the representation of Alaska as much as anyone else, but the "Bridge to Nowhere" connects the City of Ketchikan with it's airport. In Southeast Alaskan terms, that's "Everywhere".
-nick
Third time's the charm getting the caption right...
There ought to be an "update" or "correction" line added to the story. After Josh posted several times about the Conyers/Jefferson mistake on Fox news (and the lameness of the correction and apology), I don't see how this site can justify *not* making corrections more transparent to the reader.
(Yes, I was the one complaining recently about the same issue - a semi-secret correction on the piece about the market workers massacre in Iraq.)
murphy wrote on June 7, 2007 7:33 PM:it is embarresing to realize your sen. and rep. are dips**ts. what folks need to realize is the only way to make it fair is to fund elections. you would have to be trully serious about this and quit wasting everybodies time spouting off to no avail. take the money out what a simple concept do you have the cojones or are you just another paper tiger?
murphy wrote on June 7, 2007 7:34 PM:it is embarresing to realize your sen. and rep. are dips**ts. what folks need to realize is the only way to make it fair is to fund elections. you would have to be trully serious about this and quit wasting everybodies time spouting off to no avail. take the money out what a simple concept do you have the cojones or are you just another paper tiger?
michael dunatov wrote on June 7, 2007 10:18 PM:Something that "Nick" fails to mention in his sob story of how hard life is in Alaska and the wrenching travials that Ketchikan residents must endure in getting to or from their airport is that the body of water that must be crossed in 1/4 mile wide and take less tha 5 minutes to be crossed by the ferry.
Oh, the crime...oh, the horror that the put upon people of Ketchikan didn't get their bridge!
Why ever would any good Alaskan want to see Federal dollars go to eduction or health care or housing or disaster relief? Uncle Ted and Cousin Lisa and pal Donny make sure the Alaskas (as well as any other gang with the $$$ to contribute to their PACs) gets taken care of with oodles and oodles of much, much more $$$!
I BLAME THE ALASKANS! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO KEEP THESE THIEVES IN OFFICE AND IN FACT APPLAUDE THEM FOR THEIR PORKBARRELING WAYS...
I SAY SCREW ALASKA AND ALASKAN'S WITH ANY MORE EARMARK APPROPRIATIONS UNTIL THEY ELECT REAL REPRESENTATIVES TO WASHINGTON WHO HAVE INTEGRITY!
Of course that won't happen because the close friend of Uncle Ted is our eloquent senior Senator from KKK..oops I mean WV) who takes care his brother senator lest Robert Byrd not get his share of the piggypie. Do you have any idea how many divisions of the US Coast Guard are not headquartered in Martinsburg, WV and the state isn't even on the coast!
“POWER CORRUPTS, AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY”.
dueling banjos wrote on August 9, 2007 2:53 PM:Alaskans are victims of the Feds
Ted and Don and Lisa will all come home and say its a conspiracy against Alaskans
wmcszj qojbps wrote on September 2, 2007 10:13 AM:local media perpetuates it. so blatant its sad
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epenisa wrote on January 11, 2008 3:55 AM:Hi
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Bye