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Feinstein: Closing the Gun Show “Loophole” Will Reduce Gun Violence

May 7, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

CNSNews.com is reporting that Reps. Michael Castle (R-Del.) and Carolyn McCarthy, (D-N.Y.) have introduced a bill aimed at closing the so called “gun show loophole”:

Democratic lawmakers and one Republican told CNSNews.com on Wednesday that the so-called “gun show loophole” – sales between private individuals, which never require a background check — ought to be closed.

Republicans, meanwhile, told CNSNews.com that creating more rules on how a gun can be legally purchased will not prevent criminals – who do not follow the rules anyway — from obtaining weapons in illegal ways.

Federal law requires a background check when a weapon is purchased from a federally licensed firearms dealer, including those who set up tables at gun shows.

Sales between private parties are not subject to background checks at gun shows or anywhere else the sale happens to take place. (Dealers selling weapons from their private collections are not required to do background checks on those particular sales.)

Reps. Michael Castle (R-Del.) and Carolyn McCarthy, (D-N.Y.) held a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday with survivors and families of those killed at Virginia Tech to announce the introduction of a bill that would require a criminal background check in every weapons purchase.

Ok, fine… I’m not particularly troubled by requiring background checks on private sales or transfers of hand guns… They’re already required here in Connecticut. What I find laughable is Sen. Feinstein’s notion that closing this so called loophole will reduce gun violence. All one needs to do to understand the sheer stupidity of that notion is look at Washington D.C.

Our nation’s capitol has had some of, if not the most restrictive gun laws in the nation since the 1970′s and they have done absolutely nothing to curb gun violence in the district.

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Democratic Scandal Scorecard

April 27, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

Most ethical Congress in History? Umm, yeah, not so much… Jim Geraghty has the list, starting with Connecticut’s own Chris Dodd:

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D., CONN.): Dodd is most notably and recently in trouble for the provision of the stimulus bill that ensured that already-existing contracts for bonuses at companies receiving federal bailout money would be honored. In an interview with CNN, he initially denied any role in the provision.

As chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Dodd tried to put together federal aid for the then-troubled mortgage lender Countrywide Financial. Dodd’s homes in Connecticut and Washington, D.C., were refinanced to below-market rates under the “Friends of Angelo” program (meaning he was a friend of then-CEO Angelo Mozilo). He did not disclose the refinance in the six financial-disclosure statements he’s filed since then and has failed to keep promises to release more information about them. He later said he knew he was part of the company’s “VIP” program, but he didn’t know being a part of the VIP program meant he would receive favorable mortgage terms. (Really.) Those noted anti-Democrat partisans on the New York Times editorial board have declared “his excuses are wearing ridiculously thin.”

NRO and the Los Angeles Times have reported that Dodd’s financial bailout legislation was “exactly what Bank of America and Countrywide wanted.”

In Dodd’s Senate ethics filings, he has repeatedly listed the value of his “cottage” in Ireland as between $100,001 and $250,000. Others have assessed the value of the property at $1 million or more. He bought it with a Missouri businessman who was friends with a felon convicted of insider trading. Dodd helped secure the felon a pardon from President Clinton, and later bought his partner’s two-thirds share of the property for $127,000.

In summer of 2008, when he was responsible for oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Dodd argued that to “suggest they are in major trouble is not accurate.” Fannie and Freddie employees donated $133,900 to Dodd since 1989, more to him than to any other lawmaker.

Others on the list include Jack Murtha, Charlie Rangel, Bill Richardson & Dianne Feinstein.

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Dianne Feinstein Routed Government Money to Husband’s Firm

April 21, 2009 By Jeff 1 Comment

The Washington Times is reporting today that Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) took unusual steps to route route taxpayer dollars to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. which had just awarded her husband’s firm a lucrative contract:

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband’s real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms.

Mrs. Feinstein’s intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn’t a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments – not direct federal dollars.

Documents reviewed by The Washington Times show Mrs. Feinstein first offered Oct. 30 to help the FDIC secure money for its effort to stem the rise of home foreclosures. Her letter was sent just days before the agency determined that CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) – the commercial real estate firm that her husband Richard Blum heads as board chairman – had won the competitive bidding for a contract to sell foreclosed properties that FDIC had inherited from failed banks.

About the same time of the contract award, Mr. Blum’s private investment firm reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it and related affiliates had purchased more than 10 million new shares in CBRE. The shares were purchased for the going price of $3.77; CBRE’s stock closed Monday at $5.14.

Spokesmen for the FDIC, Mrs. Feinstein and Mr. Blum’s firm told The Times that there was no connection between the legislation and the contract signed Nov. 13, and that the couple didn’t even know about CBRE’s business with FDIC until after it was awarded.

Most ethical congress in history??? Not! At the very least Sen. Feinstein atcions represent a serious conflict of interest and breach of public trust… What they look like however is sceme to allow her family to cash in on taxpayer-funded bailout money.

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Dianne Feinstein Opposed to the Card Check Bill?

April 1, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

Yesterday The Hill reported Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) told capitol hill reporters that she was skeptical of the so called “Card Check” bill making it’s way through congress. Although she stopped short of saying she was opposed to the Card Check or Employee Free Choice Act her remarks are sure to give cover to dissident Democrats and moderate Republicans who are opposed to the bill:

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) on Tuesday told Capitol Hill reporters that she is skeptical of the Employee Free Choice Act, possibly dealing another deadly blow to the legislation.

Feinstein’s skepticism, coming a week after Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced his opposition, means Democratic leaders might find themselves in an even deeper hole as they search for 60 votes to move the so-called “card-check” bill.

“I think in this economy that what has to happen is that the unions and management get together and try to see if they can work out something,” Feinstein said. “The card-check bill, as drafted, in this economy, is extraordinarily difficult and I think almost a lightning rod to dissent. I think there are some things that can be done. I’ve talked with both sides and continue to talk to both sides to see if it isn’t possible to work something out.”

Feinstein hedged when asked if she was definitely opposed.

“I’m not on the bill, and I said what I said,” she said.

Oddly enough Feinstein’s remarks come a day after David Rivkin and Lee Casey published an Op Ed column in the Wall Street Journal questioning the Constitutionality of the Card Check bill.

“Card Check” isn’t the only troublesome provision of the Employee Free Choice Act, The US Chamber of Commerce has expressed concerns about the interest arbitration provisions of the bill. If you haven’t read it I’d suggest reading Ted Clark’s letter to Congress about the potential problems with the bill’s arbitration provisions.

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