LETTER: Cashing In
Editor:
FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds was correct. She predicted that our ex-Congressman Dennis Hastert would join the lobbyist firm Dickstein Shapiro. As a foreign translator, she claimed to hear Turkish officials speaking about bribing Hastert. The U.S. government has used the State Secrets Privelege to prevent disclosure of the transcripts. Hastert doesn't need to take money from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff anymore. Now Hastert can legally take it from corporate America and foreign governments.
There are three other notable Republicans that are also cashing in as lobbyists. They are ex-Congressman Billy Tauzin (La.) working for the pharmaceutical industry. He, along with Hastert, helped push Medicare part B through the U.S. House, ex-Sen. Trent Lott (Miss.) lobbyist for Exxon, and ex-Sen. Phil Gramm (Texas) lobbyist for the Swiss IBS investment bank. Gramm, who was recently demoted from senior economic adviser for McCain, has been credited for the Enron loophole and his work on the disastrous banking deregulation legislation. This regulation has precipitated the housing foreclosure crisis that we are currently in.
This revolving door between government and industry is why our government doesn't work for the welfare of our citizens. It has become one of the major reasons our government is for sale to the highest bidder.
Stephen Reid
DeKalb
