Senators' financial disclosures show vast wealth

[JayS]

June 15, 2004, 1:18AM
Senators' financial disclosures show vast wealth
Associated Press
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2628020



WASHINGTON -- Senators' financial disclosure reports showed anew Monday how wealthy most of them are, with quirky nuggets like a $1,059.75 Taurus and the gift of a sled dog buried amid trust funds, blind trusts and real estate holdings.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who reported from $8 million to $40 million in family trust funds, listed up to $2,500 in rental income for a single parking space in Boston.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said his three sons' holdings included small interests in Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Wendy's International Inc. Those companies' fast-food products seem counterintuitive for the senator, a heart surgeon and avid jogger.

*SNIP*

Once again, the filings show that riches know no political boundary and that the Senate's millionaires are not limited to those from families of renowned wealth.

*SNIP*

[JayS]

1. Thump

[PassingFair]

2. Welcome to Rome, peons...

n/t

[JayS]

3. It gives one a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, doesn't it? n/t

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[JayS]

4. Well, this drew surprisingly little interest. n/t

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[seabeyond]

5. i knew krispy creme owned by repugs

small, expensive, overly sugared, and no substance, wink

[LiberalCat]

6. Is this why the Dems won't fight the BFEE?

Are they so out of touch with how the rest of us live and are they trying to protect their wealth, so it's easier to go along with those in power? Besides, they have benefited from bush's tax cuts. Looks like they're in it for the wealth and not the responsibilities.

[JayS]

8. I think in a great many cases you are right. n/t

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[Skip Intro]

7. Meanwhile the poor and elderly jump through hoops for crumbs

Its so wrong.

[JayS]

9. All animals are created equal...

...but some are more equal than others.

[JayS]

12. Here is the counterpart story for the House.

June 16, 2004, 1:06PM
House members' wealth varies greatly
Associated Press
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2630895



WASHINGTON -- House Majority Whip Roy Blunt got one break this year when he joined his 434 colleagues in making public his financial records today: He didn't have to list the gifts from his wedding last October.

Blunt, R-Mo., asked for and was granted a waiver from the House ethics committee so he could keep private his wedding benefactors, presumably including some in the business community with ties to the third-ranked Republican, or friends of his bride, a lobbyist. Asked by The Associated Press for a list of gift givers, a spokeswoman in Blunt's office said his office doesn't have one.

Otherwise, he and other House members were required, in an annual rite, to submit financial disclosure forms that show outside sources of income beyond their $154,700 salaries, as well as assets, liabilities, travel paid by private interests and speech honoraria. Most categories are reported within broad dollar ranges.

The House's no. 2 Republican, Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, did report gifts he received, $53,500 in corporate and individual donations to his legal expense trust fund.

*SNIP*

[AP]

10. How many got rich doing anything productive for society?

Frist (to paraphrase Katherine Q. Seelye) manipulated the arcane insurance and health care legal landscape to ride the hobbyhorse of privatized health care to immense profits, to the great cost of sick Americans.

[Cat Atomic]

11. The root of our tax and public services problems.

The wealthy are writing tax laws and handing out government money to their wealthy buddies in the form of government contracts, while cutting those 'useless' services that none of their friends seem to use anyway.

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

13. It makes it quite difficult for some of us to fight for the dems.

And gives the right plenty of ammo. At least they wear their corporate whoredom on their sleaves.

Alas, I will be voting dem. . . . again.

I am a whore. Or am I a John?