After Voting To Keep Them, Rep. Joe Walsh Tells Town Hall We ‘Absolutely’ Should Get Rid Of Oil Subs

[democracy1st]

Run time: 02:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JXUH56yado   Posted on YouTube: May 02, 2011 By YouTube Member: ThinkProgress2 Views on YouTube: 108   Posted on DU: May 03, 2011 By DU Member: democracy1st Views on DU: 1569

 
Conservative members of Congress have been feeling the heat all over the country, as a Main Street Movement of everyday Americans have been protesting their efforts to cut crucial services and public investment, including their vote to effectively end Medicare.

Last week, during a town hall in Schaumburg, Illinois, Walsh came face to face with this public anger. A video of the town hall posted on YouTube shows that a constituent asked why we aren’t reforming the laws that give tax dollars to oil companies that are making huge profits. Walsh replied by saying that he “absolutely” wants to get rid of subsidies for oil companies:

CONSTITUENT: You say you want reform, how about reforming the banking system that got us into this mess? How about reforming the laws that give away our tax dollars to giant oil companies making record-breaking profits? And gives tax breaks to multi-millionaires. Your constituency wants Social Security, Medicare, and universal health care including the right to women’s health.

WALSH: The tax code is a convoluted, complicated mess that members of both parties have created, and the only ones who make out like bandits are big corporations and wealthy Americans because they can pay high-priced support from Congress and high-priced lawyers to find every loophole and they end up like GE not paying any taxes. Give me a simple flat low tax. (mix of booing and cheering) Hold on, hold on, raise your hand you can go at it. Energy subsidies. Absolutely. Absolutely. Get rid of subsidies for oil companies.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/02/joe-walsh-oil-subsidies/

House GOP Says ‘So Be It’ To Taxpayers, Votes Unanimously to Protect Big Oil Subsidies


House Republicans voted in lockstep this afternoon to protect corporate welfare for Big Oil, even as they call for draconian cuts to programs that everyday Americans depend on each day. As the House of Representatives moved toward approving a stopgap resolution to avert a government shutdown for another two weeks, Democrats offered a motion to recommit that would have stripped the five largest oil companies of taxpayer subsidies, saving tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds. The motion failed on a vote of 176-249, with all Republicans voting against (approximately a dozen Democrats joined the GOP). A similar vote two weeks ago to recoup $53 billion in taxpayer funds from Big Oil was also voted down, largely along party lines. The former CEO of Shell Oil, John Hoffmeister, recently said Big Oil doesn’t need subsidies “in face of sustained high oil prices.” From 2005 to 2009, the largest oil companies have made a combined $485 billion in profits.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/01/house-gop-oil-subsidies/

[midnight]

1. K&R

[Angry Dragon]

2. PIGS at the trough

[LaPera]

3. Republicans are fucking habitual liars - Just like this republican fucker, they are ALL the same!

[DCKit]

4. While I will probably agree with all the bad thing that have been, or will be said in this thread...

regarding Republicans, they are seriously off-balance lately and don't know what to say next. As much as they may owe Koch Inc. for getting elected, they won't stay in Congress if they go against their constituents. In the face of everything else they've done to U.S., the margins of electronic election fraud aren't large enough to cover any loss of (R) support.

They're being whip-sawed between the opposing camps, and very few are smart or savvy enough to navigate the very different messages.

[whathehell]

5. This guy is my Rep...He's a tea partier who beat the incumbent by less than 300 votes n/t

[dotymed]

6. Did you catch it?

"A simple, low, flat tax for everybody."
That dog don't hunt....

[whathehell]

7. No, it doesn't....Only works out well for the wealthy, I understand. n/t

[Beth in MN]

8. Joe Walsh - Would you let this guy balance your checkbook?

GOP Congressional Candidate Joe Walsh Fails To File Personal Financial Disclosure Form

When asked if he was trying to hide something, Walsh said, "Oh God no. Oh God no. Not at all." (And we all know where this is going.)

After the primary, news surfaced that Walsh lost his Evanston condominium to foreclosure last June, because he owed more than $300,000 on the property. Walsh says he's a venture capitalist who averaged $40,000 in income the last two years but then fell on tough financial times. However, he still managed to scrape together enough money to rent a $3,300 per month house in upscale Winnetka.

"It was my own mistake. This whole foreclosure thing. I could hit myself. I should have talked about it in the primary. I wasn't hiding it, because it was a public record," said Walsh.

And now the public record shows Walsh loaned his campaign $28,500 just a half year after the foreclosure of his condo. Walsh listed the loan on his latest campaign finance disclosure form, filed with the Federal Election Commission. Walsh characterized it as a "terribly risky" loan.

"That's literally every cent we had, combined with a little extra I brought in that month to try and win the primary," he said. "Some people might say that's reckless, but so what?"

So Joe...me think a wannabe venture capitalist views Congress as your pot of gold. Gave every cent you had to win the primary.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/investigative/20100426-joe-walsh-investigation