Patterico's Pontifications

6/17/2011

Rep. King Says Stage Set To Investigate Pigford…

Filed under: General — Stranahan @ 2:49 pm



[Guest post by Lee Stranahan]

This press release just in from Rep. Steve King’s Office – and please take 10 seconds to sign the Petition.

Congressman King reacts to strong showing of Congressional disapproval for settlement program funding unresolved Pigford v. Vilsack claims

Washington D.C.- Congressman Steve King (R-IA) released the following statement after 155 Members of Congress voted in favor of an amendment he offered to the Agriculture Appropriations bill in an attempt to block an additional $1.15 billion in spending allocated for the fraud-plagued Pigford II settlement program.

"The vote on my amendment revealed that 155 Members of Congress are prepared to join me in pulling the plug on funding for unresolved Pigford v. Vilsack claims because of the concerns that have been raised about widespread fraud," said King. "These concerns are well placed."

"How is it possible that Secretary Vilsack can identify 94,000  ‘victims’ of USDA discrimination against black farmers from a total universe of only 18,000 black farmers? The original USDA estimate predicted that 3,000 of 18,000 black farmers would file a discrimination claim. Now, Tom Vilsack and Eric Holder have taken it upon themselves to negotiate a $1.15 billion agreement in Pigford II with the anonymous representatives of a universe of anonymous claimants that has swelled to 94,000. When added to the tab of the Pigford I settlement, this new $1.15 billion agreement brings the total taxpayer funded Pigford payout to $2.3 billion."

"We do not have the list of all the attorneys who are collecting commissions as part of these settlements, but we do have video footage of one of them admitting that 10% of his clients are frauds. Despite this, Secretary Vilsack asserts there are only three cases of fraud in the 94,000 — yet the USDA has not identified, let alone disciplined, a single employee who discriminated against even one of these 94,000."

"We’ve all heard the expression ‘victimless crime’, but now we have ‘crimeless victims’ –- individuals who, without basis for a grievance, claim to be victims even though no one can be identified as having discriminated against them. In light of the strong showing of support for my effort to block funding for Pigford II, the House should now be prepared to initiate a Congressional investigation. The 155 votes my amendment received indicate that the stage has been set for this Congress to investigate Pigford II fraud fully."

And here’s King on the House Floor arguing for the amendment a couple of days ago…

– Lee Stranahan

12 Responses to “Rep. King Says Stage Set To Investigate Pigford…”

  1. Tom Vilsack must’ve decided he doesn’t have any presidential ambitions anymore cause you can’t hardly be as openly scuzzy and corrupt as he is and hope to get elected, really. I guess he could try… America’s standards for political leadership drop a little lower every day.

    It’s gotten quite embarrassing.

    But still.

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  2. I’m not sure but this may be the vote referenced in the post. Unfortunately King’s amendment failed and it appears to me that the appropriations bill passed.

    A link to a report of House legislative activities is here. Click on the proceedings for June 16, 2011.

    Anon (fdd243)

  3. I’d say that Rep. King is being a tad too sanguine here, if he can only get two thirds of his own party in the House to vote for his amendment.

    Hic est.

    But the House did find the willpower to defend us from the possibility of having a better salmon.

    Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) successfully amended the legislation to prohibit the FDA from approving for sale genetically engineered salmon.

    The agency has spent years reviewing an application from a biotechnology company for approval of the fish, which would be the first genetically engineered animal sold as food in the United States.

    Creators of the salmon inserted a growth hormone from a Chinook salmon and a gene from an ocean pout into an Atlantic salmon. The result is a salmon that grows at twice the normal rate. Critics have dismissed it as “Frankenfish,” and Young and other lawmakers from coastal states with salmon populations see it as competition that threatens their fishing industries.

    “I eat Alaskan wild salmon and I support Alaskan wild salmon, and I will not allow these fake fish to affect our healthy stocks,” Young said.

    FDA scientists have said that there are no biologically relevant differences between the engineered fish and conventional counterparts, and that the salmon is unlikely to pose a risk to consumers.

    But independent scientists, consumer groups and environmental organizations are concerned about the pending decision and the process that the FDA uses to determine whether the genetically modified fish is safe for human health and the environment.

    kishnevi (38f6c3)

  4. Comment by Anon — 6/17/2011 @ 5:51 pm
    Great minds think alike.

    kishnevi (38f6c3)

  5. I eat a lot of salmon. But I don’t need to enrich some whore Alaskan welfare case wif my sammin monies.

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  6. I think it’s pretty easy to get tasty sammins from Chile and Norway. I will check at my little market.

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  7. Lose in a Republican House and commence to whining on steroids!

    timb (8f04c0)

  8. And who could troll for Democratic criminal fraud … and up pops timb.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  9. A post asking for further action and 8 comments is whining on steroids. Timmah’s Friday angry hatefest is so droll.

    Mary Katherine Day Petranos (318f81)

  10. Tim ah approves of fraud if it involves taking money from taxpayers and redistributing it to leftists.

    JD (318f81)

  11. Would anyone mind filling me in on the Petranos and the service horse joke being batted around? Sounds funny

    bmertz (d77c52)

  12. Bmertz – a good primer … Every reference made to them is true. I excerpted comments from their twitter feed. The autism service legal seeing eye horse was something she claimed to need to pass the bar exam, and since the Courts would not let Huerta take Mr Ed to the exam, she sued for autism hate crimes and discrimination. This was before and after the naval frogmen snipers shot out her lights and the FBI broke into her home and lynched her dog and recruited her neighbors to spy on her and also the Arby’s roast beef slicer. It is a special brand of crazy.

    JD (318f81)


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