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Sunday, October 15, 2006
Paul Jacob :: Townhall.com Columnist
I must not be a congressman
by Paul Jacob
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There’s no money in my freezer. I just checked. Not $90,000. Not a penny. Just some ground beef, frozen pizza, and ice cream.

I must not be a congressman.

Congressman William Jefferson (D-La.) had $90,000 in his freezer. The FBI thinks that’s odd. Now that I think of it, it does seem a bit odd. A lot of cool cash, though.

No one’s taken me on a great vacation to play golf in Scotland. But former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and Congressman Bob Ney (R-Ohio) got a lavish trip. For free, in fact.

Of course, I’m not a congressman. And I don’t play golf.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and some other Senators are big boxing fans. But please realize that when these solons accept free tickets to see the fights, they go not just for fun, but also for work. They’re always on the clock, learning about this great country they manage to miraculously keep afloat.

I’m no Senator, so for me to score a free ticket to something, I have to actually have a friend. However, it’s nice that I can cheer for my team without ever once pretending I’m really there on a fact-finding mission.

But I’m no boxing fan. Sure, boxers are great athletes, but somehow hitting people about the head and face in an attempt to knock them unconscious hardly seems like sport.

Tennis anyone?

Sen. Reid also happens to be a brilliant real estate investor. He knocked down a cool $1.1 million in a deal that just came to light. (Though, I betcha Reid never keeps his dough in the freezer.)

But what Reid isn’t as good at is filing his financial disclosure reports with the U.S. Senate. He failed to note this deal. That’s a violation of Senate rules. The deal was also with a fellow whose name has popped up in bribery and organized crime investigations . . . but hey: innocent until proven guilty.

Thank goodness I don’t have to disclose all my financial transactions. Even though I’m not a congressman, I do indeed know the feeling of getting raked over the coals on finances. Like when the charge card bill comes in and my wife sees how many mochas I’ve charged at Starbucks.

Amazing indeed is the long track record of phenomenal investing success by congresspersons — from New York Senator Hillary Clinton’s acumen with cattle futures to former Speaker of the House Tom Foley’s $100,000 IPO. I guess I’ve done okay in my investments, but I’m not a congressman — certainly no Hillary. I just invest as my wife suggests (when I’m wise). Of course, my wife can’t get us any of those IPOs. And she’s adamant that we steer clear of cattle futures.

Former Congressman Randy Cunningham (R-Calif.) got all kinds of money and free stuff for being a congressman. The bribes totaled some $2.4 million. That won’t even fit in your run-of-the-mill freezer. He also got limo rides, prostitutes, a Rolls Royce and even a $2,200 French toilet. Continued...

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About The Author
Paul Jacob is a Senior Advisor at The Sam Adams Alliance, a Townhall.com member group. His daily Common Sense commentary appears on the Web, via e-mail, and on radio stations across America.
 
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Subject: Professor Turley esquire
recently professor Tirley visited my college and suggested that he could go to any reasonably sized town and pick 535 people randonly and we would end up with a better House and Senate.

I must not be congressman
Actually, the problem here is that I have the wrong refridgerator.

I say any refridgerator that's full of money is a good one to own. I've always liked cold, hard cash!

:-)

(Blatent plug for a blog on a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT topic -- but since nobody's covering it right now, how else can I put in blatent plugs?)
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