The LuLac Edition #243, June 10th, 2007

PHOTO INDEX: FORMER 11th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CANDIDATE JOE LEONARDI.




WE WERE WARNED


During last year's Congressional campaign, GOP candidate Joe Leonardi warned us about a lot of things. The Iraq situation, the tax base, the inflatible dam, the health care crisis as well as some of the dealings of his opponent Congressman Paul Kanjorski. Leonardi had little money and no support from the national GOP. While the Republicans were pouring money into the black hole known as the Sherwood candidacy, Leonardi had virtually nothing from them. Despite that, he ran a credible campaign, never lost his sense of humor or purpose and pulled about 50,000 votes (for a percentage of 28% of the vote) in a heavily Democratic district against a 22 year incumbent. Recently, the Times Shamrock newspapers ran an expose on the Kanjorski family business dealings, sourced primarily the federal goveernment. Or us, we the people, the taxpayers. Seems like Leonardi was a phrophet. On Friday, a group headed by Old Forge School Director Frank Scavo (never shy about getting into a fight) had a press conference with some fascinating info about the Kanjo family business. My friend Gort had something on this too. Here are the links to Gort and the citizen's group explaining the Kanjorski family funding formula.
http://gort42.blogspot.com/search/label/Frank%20Scavo.



PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT




Cornerstone Should Bring Kanjorski Consequences
Local Citizens call on Congress to investigate embattled Congressman Kanjorski



Plains, PA - The Public Accountability Project, led by local citizen Frank Scavo, held a morning press conference in front of the former headquarters of Cornerstone Technologies LLC. Cornerstone Technologies has recently been exposed in local media reports as being part of the bungled private dealings of Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski and his family.
“We call on our leaders in Congress to investigate Congressman Kanjorski for possible ethics violations and our leaders in the criminal justice system to investigate as to potential criminal wrong doing,” said Frank Scavo. “Congressman Kanjorski's years and years of securing federal contracts for his family's enterprises may or may not pass the legal test, but they sure don't pass the smell test. Citizens in this District deserve better.”
As reported Sunday in the Times-Tribune, Congressman Kanjorski began securing federal contracts or “earmarks” back in 1987 for the bungled family projects; funneling the money through foundations he set up and then through Cornerstone – where his family was making hundreds of thousands of dollars in payroll.
“Pennsylvania is an interesting microcosm of hypocrisy - of our political landscape today,” said Randall Thompson, President for the Peace and Prosperity Project. “On the one hand, you have Congressman Carney calling on Congressman William Jefferson to resign – but saying nothing about Congressman Kanjorski; apparently not differentiating between questionable money in a freezer and questionable money in a family's bank account. And, on the other hand, you have Congressman Murtha being called up for a reprimand in Congress for using earmarks as a tool to intimidate other members.”
“With Cornerstone, you have an overall mismanagement of funds, not paying subcontractors, inabilities to manage a project, overlapping inefficiencies and putting the family 'on the payroll.' It sounds just like many parts of the federal government.”
To learn more about Pennsylvania's Peace & Prosperity chapter, please contact Randall Thompson at (517) 402-1712 or via email at RThompson@usaconservative.org, or visit www.usaconservative.org.