Republican Party Agrees With Charlie Justice

Today in Washington the Republican Congressional Committee joined Charlie Justice as well as Democratic leaders in Congress in the movement to end the corruptive practice of earmarks that continue to drive the U.S. economy and budget out of control.

“It is refreshing to see that even the Republican Party can no longer tolerate the corruptive practice of earmark/pork-barrel spending that has gone on for far too long in our government. Democrats and Republicans agree that earmarks are corrupting our government and wasting taxpayers’ money,” stated Charlie Justice candidate for Congress FL-10. “Cong. Bill Young still clings to the idea that there is nothing wrong with pork-barrel spending and goes so far as to brag about it. About the only person left who thinks pork-barrel spending is a good idea seems to be Bill Young. The fact that he’s bragging about wasteful spending even as his Republican colleagues in Congress are pledging not to request any earmarks acknowledges how out-of-touch Bill Young is with reality and the struggles the people here back home are dealing with.”

According to Alex Leary of the St. Petersburg Time, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana, chairman of the Republican conference acknowledged, “federal spending is out of control and the American people know it. Earmarks have become emblematic of everything that is wrong with spending here in Washington D.C."

Charlie Justice Says Bill Young Milked the STAR Center for $145,000 in Campaign Cash

Congressman Bill Young has put amendments in the federal budget totaling $33 million for tenants of the STAR Center and has received $145,000 in campaign contributions from tenants there, according to Charlie Justice.

“If you made a movie about Bill Young’s abuse of the STAR Center it wouldn’t win an Oscar because it’s just unbelievable,” Justice said. “Bill Young is using the STAR Center as a cash cow for his campaign.”

Justice’s release of the information today is the fifth installment in his “ten point indictment” of Young’s abuse of power. Before today’s release, Justice criticized Young for sending $13.5 million to New York Harbor for a floating museum and pointed out that Young-backed earmarks have been investigated by law enforcement officials on four separate occasions. Three of those investigations are still open. Justice also revealed that Young has placed amendments on the budget to the tune of $118 million that directly benefited his sons, daughter-in-law and former members of his staff. Young also spent $30,000 of his campaign cash for a luxury car for himself.

One of the tenants of the STAR Center, Raytheon, accounted for approximately $100,000 in contributions, Justice said.

Raytheon is at the center of a battle that pits Justice and his constituents against Young and the defense contractor. Last week, Justice, a state senator, sent a letter to Governor Charlie Crist and other state officials calling for immediate action to clean up a dangerous industrial plume affecting his constituents. The latest remedial action proposal that came from Raytheon suggested that the cleanup of the site won’t be complete for 78 years.

In 1991, the Department of Environmental Protection found the toxic plume to be affecting neighborhoods in Justice’s St. Petersburg district. However, residents were not made aware of the contamination until 2008, seventeen years later. Over the past seventeen years, the dangerous chemicals have migrated 200 acres, affecting two apartment complexes, three neighborhoods, community parks, schools and the waters of Tampa Bay.

“While the people of St. Petersburg wait for action from Raytheon, Congressman Bill Young took $100,000 in campaign contributions from the company and their lobbyists. No wonder the cleanup is being slow walked,” Justice said.

In 1995 the Department of Energy sold its Largo, FL facility to Pinellas County for redevelopment. The county was so pleased with the facility’s success that in 2001 they renamed it in part after Rep. Young. He touts the success of the STAR Center as an example of his ability to bring jobs to Pinellas County. (STAR Center website, Congressman Bill Young brochure)

$145,000 to Young from STAR Center Tenants and their Lobbyists

“Just when it starts to look as though Bill Young is doing something solely to benefit his community – like using his influence over the already-stretched defense budget to direct tens of millions to his district – the other shoe drops,” Justice said. “Each of the seven tenants that received earmarks through Rep. Young’s efforts returned the favor by kicking in for his re-election campaign.”

Since 2006, Young has received $145,000 in contributions from the tenants of the STAR Center and their lobbyists. Young, leaving no stone unturned in his thirst for campaign cash, even received a donation from the facility’s director.

Florida Democratic Party to Speaker Rubio: Where do You Stand on the RNC "Fear-gate" Presentation

As the fallout from the fear-mongering RNC fundraising presentation continues, Miami lobbyist Marco Rubio has been silent on the issue of the leaked presentation which uses crude images and caricatures of the President and other Democrats to scare the American people.

Today, the Florida Democratic Party called on Speaker Rubio to take a stand on the despicable fundraising tactics by the Republican National Committee which breathlessly uses cries socialism, calls Democrats "The Evil Empire" and depicts President Obama as The Joker.

"It's a very simple question, Speaker Rubio," said Florida Democratic Party Spokesman Eric Jotkoff. "Do you agree with the RNC's tactics to exploit donors and Americans through fear, use images of the President of the United States as The Joker and warn voters of the coming of 'socialism'? If not, will you condemn the use of such political tactics, or is fear really the only thing the Republican Party has left?

"Those who Miami lobbyist Marco Rubio wants to represent deserve to know where he stands on this issue. Leading Republicans have already condemned the RNC's strategy of fundraising on lies and stoking fears, but will Rubio? Speaker Rubio, the people of Florida are eagerly awaiting your answer."

The Republican Party's PowerPoint presentation described high-level Republican donors as "ego-driven" and claimed they could be enticed with "tchochkes." The document also included a slide - titled "The Evil Empire" - with images depicting Obama as the Joker, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Cruella DeVille and Harry Reid as Scooby Doo. Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine called for a "house cleaning" over the incident on Friday.

Please click the link below to see the Democratic National Committee ad titled "Is Fear All They Have Left?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbESRQqg9mg

Kendrick Meek Previews the Governor's 2010 State of the State Address

Hours before the Governor delivered his 2010 State of the State address, Kendrick Meek issued the following statement regarding Florida's troubled economic state:

"Floridians do not need to wait for this address to know the dire state of our state. We are hurting today because of bankrupt policies of the past that put special interests first and our communities last. That's been the status quo in Florida for over a decade and I have always stood up against the powerful and for the people. High unemployment rates in our counties, cities and towns are more than just numbers--they represent real people with families whose lives are being turned upside down. I see this pain in every living room I visit and every small business I enter. Bringing new, long term jobs to our state was what we were promised by the leadership of this state, but we are being let down. My fight is for all of us. I will continue to work hard to take Florida from recession to recovery. Only then can the state of our state be fully prosperous."

CNN Breaks Down Rubio's Nonsensical Explanation of Credit Card Misuse

Indictment #4 Young Used Campaign Funds To Buy A Luxury Car

From Charlie Justice:

Rep. Bill Young Used Campaign Funds To Buy A Luxury Car

Fourth Count of Indictment: Luxury Car with Campaign Funds

Young bought $30,000 car using campaign funds to “keep in touch” with constituents

St. Petersburg, FL - February 18, 2010 - Charlie Justice says Congressman Bill Young is so out of touch with reality that he once used his campaign fund to buy himself a luxury car.

“When a Congressman starts using his campaign funds to buy himself a luxury car then you can bet he thinks he’s untouchable,” Justice said. “The purchase of the car seems to be a point in time when Young became more reckless and arrogant than ever. He began putting more and more amendments in the federal budget for lobbyists and accepting huge campaign contributions in return.”

During the 1990 campaign cycle, Rep. Young purchased a brand new Lincoln Continental using $30,000 in campaign funds. Although questions were raised over a possible ethics violation, Young maintained that there was nothing untoward about the purchase. He claimed the car was necessary for campaigning in his district, but he ran unopposed in the 1990 election.

“Congressman Bill Young doesn’t think he has to answer to anybody. Not the voters, the taxpayers or the Ethics Committee,” Justice said.

Justice’s release of the information today is the fourth installment in his “ten point indictment” of Young’s abuse of power. Before today’s release, Justice criticized Young for sending $13.5 million to New York Harbor for a floating museum and pointed out that Young-backed earmarks have been investigated by law enforcement officials on four separate occasions. Three of those investigations are still open. Justice also revealed that Young has placed amendments on the budget to the tune of $118 million that directly benefited his sons, daughter-in-law and former members of his staff.

“At a time when families and small businesses in Pinellas County are struggling to make ends meet, Bill Young and his friends and family are living the high life at the taxpayers’ expense,” Justice said. “When I see this kind of abuse of trust I completely understand the anger and frustration that is shaking the foundations of our democracy.”

“In his relentless quest for campaign contributions, Congressman Young has taken $737,000 in campaign cash in return for inserting so-called budget ‘earmarks’ into the federal budget. Along the way, investigations have shown that Young’s benefactors have been investigated for a variety of charges including bribery and fraud,” Justice said.

“Here’s what I will do differently. I won’t be buying a luxury car with my campaign funds as your Congressman. To do so would be, in my view, an insult to the people of Pinellas County who are struggling to make ends meet,” Justice said.

Indictment #4 – Luxury Car with Campaign Funds

$30,000 in campaign funds unethically spent by Young.

$30,000 for a Luxury Car

Thanks to defense contractors and others who gave money to his campaign, Rep. C. W. Bill Young of St. Petersburg liked to ride in style in a light blue Lincoln.

The 10th-term Republican bought the car in August of 1990 with $29,124 in campaign money, replacing another Lincoln that Young's campaign leased for the last four years. He also billed the campaign for the new car's taxes and title, a portable telephone and frequent fill-ups at the gas station.

Exercised His Own Discretion Over Ethical Rules

Young didn't reach into his own pocket for the new Lincoln because, he said, the car will be used to drive to political events in his district in and around St. Petersburg.

"There is a very legitimate need for transportation," Young said.

He said he chose a Lincoln because "it's big" and can carry several passengers. The car's standard features include air conditioning, AM/FM stereo cassette, power windows, power antenna and power seats, according to a saleswoman at Scarritt Motors where Young's campaign bought the car.

"I don't think this is the kind of campaign expenditure people are concerned about. This is all up front. It's a pure provision of transportation for political purposes," Young said. "There's nothing hidden here. There's nothing improper about it at all." (St. Petersburg Times, Sep. 27, 1990)

Rivera, Sansom Re-Run, Enters Congressional Race

From FDP:

Given that State Representative David Rivera was handpicked by scandal-magnet Ray Sansom to head the House Budget Committee, Rivera's announcement today that he'll seek the Republican nomination to run for Congress in Florida's 25th district means Rivera starts his campaign under an ethical cloud.

"It hasn't even been a week since disgraced Speaker Ray Sansom resigned under criminal indictment and now his handpicked Budget Chair says he's running for Congress. Is this an indication of how hard it is to find a Republican candidate in Florida not marked by scandal?" asked Eric Jotkoff, spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party. "Rivera better tell Floridians the truth about his role in the scandal that's gripping the Republican Party of Florida and whether he had an RPOF AmEx card. Until he comes clean with the voters of Florida, he will continue to face serious questions about his shady associations and backroom deals."