lots of members of congress have invested in the “defense” industry. almost $200 milllion in personal investments by members of congress. this is what is called “conflict of interest”.
here. look, between 2004 and 2006, this is how much they made off of our dying soldiers:
• Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) $3,001,006 to $5,015,001
• Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) $250,001 to $500,000
• Rep. Kenny Ewell Marchant (R-Tex.) $162,074 to $162,074
• Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) $115,002 to $300,000
• Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) $115,002 to $300,000
• Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) $100,870 to $100,870
• Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) $65,646 to $65,646
• Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) $50,008 to $227,000
• Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) $50,001 to $100,000
• Rep. Stephen Ira Cohen (D-Tenn.) $45,003 to $150,000
and this isn’t an oversight. when the iraq war began, members of congress had between $75 and $160 million invested in companies under contract with the dod. and they just kept investing.
these are just defense industry investments. we don’t know how many congressmen and women have invested in the big five oil producing companies, who have been making record profits since the war began, and are now looking at bid-free contracts given by the america-friendly iraqi government.
and the army still requires that wounded soldiers pay back their reinlistment bonuses for time spent lying in a hospital after having had something blown off by a roadside bomb.
this isn’t fucking fair. it’s a setup.
in the face of horrible war profits made during the civil war, congress enacted an up-to 95% tax on excess war profits. but this law was repealed in 1945, and i have no illusions that congress will be willing to put another war profit tax bill in place, because it would interfere with their personal bank accounts.
