Psycho

Al Gore would be more effective Luke if he would move to another planet.

By Yolanda Woodlee Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, February 21, 2007; Page B02 READ WASHINGTON POST STORY IN FULL The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance is investigating allegations that freshman D.C. Council member Mary Cheh did not properly report some expenditures and contributions to her 2006 campaign for the Ward 3 seat. The investigation was prompted by a formal complaint made by Jonathan R. Rees, who ran against Cheh in the Democratic primary, campaign finance officials said. In the complaint, Rees alleges that Cheh's campaign accepted reduced rent for office space from PN Hoffman Co. and that Cheh allowed an unregistered political action committee to solicit campaign contributions and operate as part of her campaign committee. In a letter to Rees, Cecily E. Collier-Montgomery, director of the campaign finance office, said the matters under investigation involve "false reporting of expenditures and contributions; and the alleged existence of another political action committee in support of the Cheh campaign." Campaign finance office officials have 90 days to complete the investigation, according to Kathy S. Williams, the office's general counsel. Rees said Cheh was aware that the PAC was working for her and that she paid a total of $3,000 to rent prime property on Wisconsin Avenue NW for six months, when others in the same building paid twice that much each month. Cheh, a George Washington University law professor who was elected in November to represent the city's most affluent ward, in Northwest Washington, said in an interview that she did nothing wrong and accused Rees of saying "the most outlandish things" about her. "His claims that I'm corrupt and accepted [unreported] contributions are outrageous and untrue," Cheh said. Regarding the rented office space, she said her campaign paid the appropriate amount. Campaign finance officials plan to interview Rees next Wednesday. Cheh said officials asked her to appear before them March 1. She has requested another date because the council Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs that she heads meets that day. "Every contribution I received, I reported it. I tried to follow the rules to the letter," Cheh said. "If there may have been something amiss, I'm not sure, but if it is, I'd like to clear it up and deal with it." Rees also alleged that acting D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer, her husband, developer Joe Sternlieb, and 21 other people failed to report the existence of a political action committee. Sternlieb, who said he is a "legitimate witness" in the investigation, said Singer played no role in what he described as "a group of friends who got together to see who they wanted to support." He said it was not a PAC and did not raise or spend money on any candidate's behalf. Traci L. Hughes, spokeswoman for Singer, said she is aware of the investigation but has not been asked to appear before campaign officials. "She has responded to the inquiries," Hughes said. "She never made any contributions to a PAC and has not done anything improper."

INTERIM DC ATTORNEY GENERAL LINDA JILL SINGER SHOULD STEP DOWN IMMEDIATELY Interim DC Attorney General Linda Jill Singer should step down from her interim post because of her total disrespect for our DC Campaign Finance laws. There is no denying that Linda Jill Singer, her husband Joe Sternlieb and twenty five (25) other people created a political action committee known to a handful of former ward 3 candidates as Friends of Joe Sternlieb which Linda Jill Singer master-minded but had her husband appear as the front for this group so as not to jeopardize what they both knew was a soon to be Fenty nomination as DC Attorney General. Friends of Joe Sternlieb never registered their existence with the DC Office of Campaign Finance. Friends of Joe Sternlieb are behind the fraud that is being alleged to have been committed by Council Member Mary M. Cheh. Also, it will be shown that the acts of Friends of Joe Sternlieb helped funnel illegal campaign contributions to the Fenty for Mayor Campaign and this is why Mayor Adrian Fenty nominated Linda Jill Singer; namely, to reward her for a job well done, and what Singer has been saying to the media about how surprised she was to get nominated is a bold face lie on her part. The DC Office of Inspector General, US Dept of Justice and DC Office of Campaign Finance have all launched an investigation into Singer, Sternlieb & Cheh.

SADLY LEONA HEMSLEY WAS RIGHT Although she finally did a prison term for her folly, Leona Hemsley once said: “Only the little people pay taxes” and she was right to a great extent. A careful examination of both our Federal and District of Columbia tax codes show that in order to lower your tax liability to as near zero as possible, you have to have a sizeable enough income to do what it takes to escape taxes offered up through pages of loopholes. In DC, the rich who earn more than $150k a year pay less proportionately that those only earning $45k. If we would look at the IRS and DC Income Tax Returns of Mayor Fenty and members of the DC City Council, I would bet all of you that they paid in 2006, far less taxes percentage wise than did most of the readers of TheMail. One of the reasons people over at DC Vote and their supporters oppose the NO TAXATION approach versus a VOTE is because, only those who work in the private sector are exempt from federal taxation, but if you work for the federal, state or municipal governments, you still have to pay and those loopholes go away! Also, if you work for any concern that lobbies, services or provides products to any governmental body, you are not exempt nor are your employees. This means, Mayor Fenty, the City Council and anybody who works with DC Vote and the like whether they are paid for it or not would lose out and not have those federal tax loopholes to lower their tax liabilities to the US Government. The argument for a VOTE by their supporters is as deceptive and self-serving as corporate America who promotes “right to work laws” because they see the losses they will suffer under unionization. I would bet that my detractors know little if anything about the structure of the NO TAXATION standing our territories get, who is exempt, who is not and the impact it has had in a favorable way upon the territories like a major move by the pharmaceutical and technology industries to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. DC Vote will never meet me toe to toe to argue the pros and cons of NO TAXATION versus REPRESENTATION as they know their argument is not designed to benefit all just a select few. DC Vote’s argument is baseless in that they cannot show any benefits to every man, woman or child that a VOTE would bring that we would not get anyway without that VOTE and have been getting just like any state has for over fifty years. DC Vote is just like Mayor Fenty; namely, a lot of one line statements but no substance behind it or compelling reason to support them, and their agenda would hurt the middle class and poor but benefit the rich and those seeking more power.

YOU AND I HAVE A CONSCIENCE BUT THEY DON’T The real power in the District of Columbia is not Mayor Fenty, Council Chairman Vincent Gray or any of the other members of the DC City Council. The real power is our business leaders big and small, and people like Mayor Fenty down the line are puppets who dare not to do too much to upset the business community or risk being given their walking papers the next election cycle. Proof that our business leaders are the real power is seen in our elected officials spending a tremendous amount of time cuddling up to our business leaders, looking to them for under the table perks, campaign contributions and more. So while you and I come to TheMail and other list servers to complain about the short-comings of our leaders, we must never lose sight that no matter how absurd the actions and ideas our elected officials engage in, it may be the result that they are pursuing the wishes of those who paid the tab to get them elected. Thus all the complaining we do may have no impact upon our elected officials especially if what we say goes against what is expected of them by the business leaders who backed them. As a young man, I watched my father and his business partners Don Higley and Rudy Goulet (Robert Goulet’s brothers) run behind the scenes Mohawk Industries (Bigelow Carpets, Durkan, Karastan, Mohawk and more) as the real owners of the majority of stocks. They wheeled and dealed on Capitol Hill and before many state capitols to the point that almost every federal building in the USA had Bigelow Carpets or Durkan titles, and ditto in a large number of states. My father always taught me that elected officials are parasites who spend most of their time awake sucking the blood out of those who work for a living, have created a world among their own, have little sympathy for those they claim they represent and sadly, the world they have created forces business leaders to pay them off to get things done and business leaders gladly play the game to get one up on the competition. The route cause of this corruption that permeates every level of government was created by lawyers. Lawyers (politicians) create laws to force you and me to use their services and those lawyers holding political positions create laws to enrich themselves by a system that requires that businesses leaders vie for their services, lawfully and otherwise. No matter what any of us have said or will say here in TheMail yesterday, tomorrow or for years to come, it will have very little impact upon our elected officials as there is no incentive for them to put a stop to a way of life going back 5,000 years in history. In sum, we can go on and complain but that will not stop our elected leaders from buying those new BMWs, getting free tickets to see our sports teams, being able to walk out of any steak house and not have to pay the tab and so much more as they snicker at what we say and wonder why should they give this up because you and I don’t like it or feel it is unethical or possibly illegal. The people who flock to TheMail have a conscience. Sadly, our mayor and city council members don’t and until most of us understand that what we are facing is a 5,000 year old tradition that seems to have no end to it, not enough of us will become a force for change.

EXTENDING THE DC SMOKING BAN Council Member Mary M. Cheh while working hard to become one of the most offensive council members in DC history is also a fanatic who believes in Big Brother running every aspect of your life if you study her mind-set on a long string of issues. Mary Cheh has been on this get healthy kick in some of her proposed bills. Mary M. Cheh has introduced the Smoking Restriction Amendment Act of 2007 which in a nutshell makes it a criminal act for any smoker to smoke in their car while a child is present. The penalty for doing such is a meager $100.00 fine, but the fine will be waived if you agree to enroll in a smoking cessation program. While on its face it all sound fine and dandy, I must ask when Mary Cheh going to seek that it be a criminal act to engage in other acts that shorten one’s life? This may offend a lot of people but Mary Cheh is a very strong advocate of granting all possible rights to homosexuals while ignoring the fact that while society is willing more and more to respect the right to live and let live, the homosexual life style shortens the life expectancy of its actors by twenty (20 years in the USA and more outside) which is a shortening of life more so than smoking cigarettes. This is a fact well agreed upon by every industrialize nation’s departments of health and human services including our CDC. In other words, those who practice the homosexual life style shorten their lives more so than people who smoke cigarettes. So when is Mary Cheh going to propose a bill making it a criminal act subject to fines for people who engage in the unhealthy life-style of homosexuality and offer them a homosexual cessation deal? In sum, we are all grown ups, we chose our life-style whether it is to smoke, down steaks three time a week and increase our risk for colon-rectal cancer, live a homosexual life-style that might shorten our lives, but that is the freedom we should all have, and we do not need Big Momma Mary telling us what we can and cannot do and forcing us to change our life-style in the alternative to paying a fine for doing things she has no right to decide upon.

After the ward 3 primaries, the losers moved on to what appears to be a better situation: Bob Gordon is still servicing government contracts. Cathy Wiss was re-elected to her ANC commission. Paul Strauss continues his practice of law but lost his senatorial seat sort to say. Bill Rice now works for the DC Office of Property Management as a Cutomer Service Associate. Eric Goulet is soon to be the budget director for the DC City Council. Erik Gaull has not been seen. Sam Brooks has vanished as nobody has seen him since November 2006. Jonathan Rees still lives in the District but plays a bigger role in his family's held businesses in Georgia and Puerto Rico.

THE WORST DC CITY COUNCIL TO DATE In an earlier edition of TheMail, Gary Imhoff [ http://www.dcwatch.com ] described “our” DC City Council as follows: “Under the chairmanship of Vincent Gray, this is the worst city council that the District of Columbia has ever had — and we remember the abysmal city councils of the 1970’s and 1980’s. But even in those days, when city council members were irresponsible and several of them were seriously stupid, at least they understood how to run public hearings, and they realized that public hearings were intended to give citizens of the District an opportunity to speak with their elected public servants. Their meetings maintained a certain minimum level of civility, decorum, and respect toward citizens”. Unfortunately, if Mr. Imhoff would have taken a look at the current legislation proposed by the various members of the DC City Council 17, he would not have been so kind in his assessment of them. Most of the pending legislation is duplicative of what is already on the books, do not need amending, is often overly intrusive into the lives of the people of the District of Columbia or is not needed at all. If any of you had taken the time to read the long list of proposed bills at http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/lims...asp?leg=checked, you would have to agree while there are a few needed bills most of which have been introduced by council members Catania, Evans and Schwartz, the overwhelming majority of these bills are unnecessary, a waste of taxpayer dollars, mind-boggling and often scary in a Draconian way. Sadly, our DC City Council gets away with this absurdity because the average voter does not keep up with what has been proposed as law, does not understand the implications nor cares until it affects them. Not all proposed bills are worthless but the good ones are needles in a haystack and often benefit those employed by DC Government but not by the voters of DC like the Excellence In Government Amendment Act of 2007 which Council Member Cheh introduced as such is totally uncalled for and can be used by members of the council to reward cronyism in a subtle way to agencies that do a good job of rendering favors and/or looking the other way. Indeed, I could attack half the proposed bills as being insane but I think readers of TheMail and other list servers need to keep up with the acts of our city council as that would give us a hundred new issues to argue the pros and cons about here in TheMail and elsewhere. Gary Imhoff has understated the reality of DC City Council 17 as they are showing their disrespect for the citizens in more ways that being rude but by cranking out poorly thought out bills that will not in their applications benefit the people of DC.

In the last edition of DC Watch - TheMail [02-15-2007] Gary and Dorothy devoted almost an entire edition to the issue of voting rights for the District of Columbia. I would challenge the people over at DC Vote, Mayor Fenty and the entire DC City Council to come forward and tell the people of DC how they would be better off with a congressional vote versus what I say is a better for the people of DC; namely, federal tax-exempt status. Let’s be real about it all. Who has so far benefited from the efforts of DC Vote? Right, people like Joe Sternlieb who helped create DC Vote, obtained various funding for it, paid himself a nice salary which helped by him a home in the upscale area of ward 3. Yet, has anybody benefited from DC Vote as much as Joe Sternlieb has? Of course not! Assume that DC gets full congressional rights to vote on everything. I again would ask DC Vote, Mayor Fenty and the entire DC City Council to come forward and tell the people of DC how they would be better off with such a vote. I mean just one vote in a body of 435 people who get to vote on all issues versus the average worker putting $4,800.00 back in their pocket not in the pockets of Uncle Sam. The only people who would benefit from DC getting full congressional voting rights are the District’s political elite and its wealthiest citizens who make over $200k a year but it would not trickle down to anybody else. The people of the US territories are not clamoring like DC is to get a vote as they do not want to give up that tax exempt status. As I said before, DC would seem boom times with its residents being exempt from federal taxes with: 1) a major influx of new residents (300,000 in the next decade) who want the benefits of no federal taxation; 2) a major housing boom to meet the needs of new residents; 3) a major increase in DC tax revenues; 4) a major increase in businesses wanting to locate in DC to tap into our new labor pool; 5) a major increase in money in each Washingtonians’ pocket that would be spent and bolster the DC economy; and more, but DC would not change nor grow under full congressional voting rights. Remember people, it is not you who get the vote but just one person who does not always seek what all of us do. If we held a public referendum on this issue, I would bet that 95% of the voters would chose tax exempt status versus a congressional vote when the simple reality of the two are laid out. It is time for DC Vote and others to stop misleading people about any benefits in a congressional vote and our local leaders need to promote equally tax exempt status in the alternative before Congress out of fair play!

I guess since I grew up a hop, skip & jump from Yankee Stadium my preference is for baseball but Ido watch all kinds of sports. I like Boxing and Karate too.

JUST SAY NO TO A DC VOTE IN CONGRESS AND YES TO FEDERAL TAX EXEMPT STATUS A careful analysis of the issue of any benefits DC would receive if our congressional member would have a vote vs. if DC residents would be exempt from federal taxes like Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and etcetera as there is no comparison. A Congressional vote would have little or no impact on DC. Many studies have shown that a tax exempt status would benefit DC by: A major influx of new residents (300,000 in the next decade) who want the benefits of no federal taxation; A major housing boom to meet the needs of new residents; A major increase in DC tax revenues; A major increase in businesses wanting to locate in DC to tap into our new labor pool; A major increase in money in each Washingtonians’ pocket that would be spent and bolster the DC economy; and More A federal tax exempt status would bring into the DC Government coiffures close to 40 times the revenue that any proposed commuter or other taxes that had been proposed! Those promoting a congressional vote are dummies who do not understand that a congressional vote would have no benefits for each DC resident, and it is time we stop supporting a congressional vote and those behind it.

Luke, Why ask such a question? The answer is simple; Schizophrenia!

THANKS!

For argument sake; Even if we got 1 vote vs the other 435 votes in Congress, what impact will that really have? Experts say none. So since our 1 vote would not really benefit DC other than be symbolic, I'd rather not pay federal taxes than have that vote. The people who promote DC Voting rights have made a killing off it like Joe Sterlieb who started DC Vote, got grants for it, paid himself a hefty salary, bought a home in Forest Hills with that Hefty salary but you and I have yet if ever benefitted from his scam.

DID WE MAKE A MISTAKE? Local political spin doctors seem to think that we did when we voted for Mary M. Cheh to be our Ward 3 city council member. The publisher of DC Watch, Gary Imhoff; a local political watch dog publication has sized up Mary M. Cheh when he wrote: “Councilmember Mary Cheh is rapidly shaping up to be the nastiest and most disagreeable council member in DC history!” Mary M. Cheh throughout the course of her campaign failed to inform voters that: 1. Her campaign was being backed by an illegal political action committee that helped her obtain campaign funding; 2. Her campaign received illegal contributions from PN Hoffman Company in the form of $25,000.00 to $60,000.00 in rent discounts on her 4931 Wisconsin Avenue NW office where she claims to only have paid $500.00 a month for 1,900 sq. ft., of prime office space; 3. That she was in the pocket of developers and a part of the Fenty Plan to sell off land to developers in DC and NY; and 4. That she falsified her filings with the DC Office of Campaign Finance in violation of DC Criminal Code 22-2405 (False Statements) then attempted to amend her filings to cover up what she did by seeking advice from OCF officials how to correct her errors in light of complaints filed against her with OCF, DC Office of Inspector General and the US Department of Justice for There is no doubt that Mary M. Cheh deceived all of the voters of ward 3 except those in cahoots with her, but on January 3, 2008, a large group of Democrats, Independents and Republicans in Ward 3 will file a Recall Petition and we feel we have the numbers to achieve a recall vote.

BlingBling, The District can hold any non-binding referendum it wants just like Puerto Rico does when it votes on whether or not it wants to become a state.

In the movie “The Godfather II”, the fictional character Michael Corleone faced with a corrupt U.S. Senator Geary looking to get in on the “power (land) grab offered him nothing when he realized that his intentions were not honorable but just as corrupt as him by saying: “Senator, you can have my answer now. My answer is this, NOTHING and I would appreciate it if you would pay the cost of the license out of your own pocket”. Michael Corleone ended that confrontation with a cute statement: “Senator, we are all a part of the same hypocrisy”. In the foregoing vein, it seems like voters who contribute to TheMail their feelings about Mayor Fenty, the City Council, School Board and others have come to realize that none of them are being honorable or truthful about their real intentions about wanting control of the DC Public School with some readers suggesting none truly care about the children, some want it to be able to pay back contributors, some want it for personal gain down the road and some want it for their own ego. Yet, none want it for the reasons they are telling us. Gary Imhoff, I believe stated a while ago that Mayor Fenty never spoke of taking over the schools during his campaign, but his intentions were self-evident early on in his campaign as it was for some of the council members who were heavily backed by developers and individuals who had MILLION$ to profit with Fenty and even Cheh and Thomas who got 90% of their campaign finances from developers and employees with developers. Our last election was a field day for developers who helped put together the FENTY MACHINE and that machine spread the wealth to other candidates ready and willing to support the FENTY MACHINE. At this point, I wonder why so many complain here on DC Watch and elsewhere since many of us voted for Fenty and the others all hand picked by Fenty just as Fenty is trying to extend his power by backing candidates in ward 4 and 7 who will be his puppets on the city council. Sorry people, you made your bed when you voted for Fenty, et. al. and now you will have to sleep in it for four years but then again, when you voted for these jokers, you became a part of the same hypocrisy!

BlingBling, The vote Puerto Ricans taken ever five years is done by the Government of Puerto Rico not something the Feds offer. DC too could have such a District sponsored vote.

WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE Twice a week, readers go to the TheMail, DC Pages and other smaller avenues to express their unhappiness with the state of affairs with our government, the District of Columbia, and despite our doing such, little has changed because our leaders do not listen nor care for various reasons. To the readers of TheMail, etc. enjoy this as it should be some food for thought: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=10116&vid=18166 I am not advocating that we should ever give up to make things better, but if history has taught us anything, it has taught us that man is flawed, he does not adhere to the will of his maker and the good people who come to TheMail, etc. to let their unhappiness be known should never stop, as it is the few avenues left in this corrupt world to attempt to see good done. I want to thank Gary Imhoff, Dorothy Brizill and Like Wilbur over at DC Pages for their never giving up on our most basic rights to be heard. In sum, if enough of us fight for what is best for all, then those in opposition will have many sleeplessness nights and live in fear of those who are honorable and care!

WHY DO PUERTO RICANS VOTE NO ON STATEHOOD OR A CONGRESSIONAL VOTE Why is it every time the people of Puerto Rico have their bi-decade vote on obtaining statehood or a congressional vote, they vote NO? It is because Puerto Ricans came to realize before that a Congressional vote or Statehood does not offer each citizen more than being exempt from Federal Income Taxes do. Yet, Puerto Ricans still get the same federal block grants/benefits as DC without having to pay federal income taxes. The people of the District of Columbia would gain more by pushing for NO TAXATION than for REPRESENTATION. NO TAXATION for DC is better than a commuter tax on people coming in from Maryland or Virginia because if DC residents do not have to pay federal income taxes then there will be a massive influx of people moving into DC from Maryland and Virginia, and the windfall in new income taxes and other taxes for the District would be far greater than a commuter tax and could add $4 billion in new tax revenues, it would be a boon for the DC economy and more, and businesses would move here to capitalize off the benefits of a NO TAXED work force. I think smart people in DC should start pushing Congress for NO TAXATION vs. a CONGRESSIONAL VOTE or STATEHOOD. STATEHOOD and CONGRESSIONAL VOTE is a losing proposition for DC but NO TAXATION is what smarter minds will opt for. If DC Vote, Mayor Fenty, Congresswoman Norton, DC City Council and others want to see DC boom then they are defeating that goal by seeking STATEHOOD and a CONGRESSIONAL VOTE. IT IS TIME TO SAY NO TO A CONGRESSIONAL VOTE OR STATEHOOD AND YES TO NO FEDERAL TAXATION just like the five US territories opted for!

Into Attorney General Linda Jill Singer and husband Joe Sternlieb for illegal political action committee that helped and financed and backed Mary Cheh. Into Mary Cheh hiding political contributions. This became official February 5, 2007! Yippie!

NOT TRUE it was at Singer's behest.

Read this > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7020702160.html

Bling Bling, I disagree with you. One vote in Congress will have little or no impact but giving DC resident tax free status like the territories is a better deal.

This week, the news media has finally gotten on the ball and begun attacking Mayor Fenty and some members of the city council for their fool-heartedness. Yet, Mary Cheh was finally sized up for what she is by Gary Imhoff of DC Watch when he said: “Councilmember Mary Cheh is rapidly shaping up to be the nastiest and most disagreeable councilmember in DC history” but we already knew that. Mary Cheh was bribed by developers in DC via her unreported “in-kind” contributions, bribed by an alter-ego of Merck & Company to sponsor legislation requiring all DC teenage girls to be injected with Gardasil as Merck & Company desperately needs new capital to over-come its hardships over Vioxx and other drugs that killed people or drove people to suicide. Each time Mary Cheh filed a OCF Form 16 and failed to report and/or falsely reported her expenditures to the DC OCF: E.G. Rent to PN Hoffman Company on one of her campaign offices at 4931 Wisconsin Ave NW, her act was a violation of DC Code 22-2404 [False Swearing] which brings up to $2,500.00 in a fine plus up to 3 years imprisonment per violation. Of course, Mary Cheh could be charged with other violations of District and Federal laws as a result of her act(s) but that is up to the US Attorney. Mary Cheh knowingly and willfully allowed what she knew to be members of an illegal political action committee to solicit campaign funding for her and that fact can be easily established based upon promises made by Linda Singer and Joe Sternlieb of what they could do for the ward 3 candidate they chose to endorse and help. Seeing that Mary Cheh’s actions were taken at the behest of her backers Friends of Joe Sternlieb but specifically at the behest of Linda Singer and Joe Sternlieb, a charge of Conspiracy could attach. Linda Jill Singer our current interim attorney general is a LIAR and was caught lying about her role in the termination and demotion of OAG staffers when she first denied any role in it and finally conceding to such. This says, Linda Jill Singer lacks credibility! The USA could be very creative in bringing charges against Singer, Sternlieb and Cheh. I suspect that the local news media will be exposing and uncovering a lot more in the weeks and months to come but hopefully all will in time come to realize that Friends of Joe Sternlieb did not just help Mary Cheh but also Adrian Fenty and that is why Fenty nominated a grossly unqualified and stale lawyer to be the next DC Attorney General as that is called cronyism at minimum or stupidity at best!