Rep. Greg Walden has shown his core dishonesty so flagrantly that even Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives (Walden represents AT&T, drug companies and the insurance industry) are backing away from his smell.
The news is everywhere, but we offer this story from Oregonlive, the online version of The Oregonian. Essentially, Walden attacked a part of President Obama's budget that was to reduce the deficit. It has to do with how cost of living increases are calculated and was initially proposed by Republicans.
So Walden trying to use it to get seniors angry at Obama backfired and caused Republican leaders to call Walden immediately on the carpet.
Walden is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, in charge of raising funds for Republicans to get elected, so he is in campaign mode and did this for cheap political points. Walden is the type of political hack that gives politics its stink: the destructive, tear-opponents-down-any-way-you-can kind of nonsense that voters across America rejected last November.
That's aside from being in the pocket of corporations which profit from monopolizing services essential for Americans (look at his record and draw the lines right back to market-destroying activism).
But there is much to enjoy here. For the act of attacking President Obama, Walden not only faces the wrath of House conservatives and leadership, but at the same time was labeled a "Rino" by conservative action committees for opposing something that would reduce the budget deficit.
Central Oregon should be part of an effort to refuse Walden another term in Congress so he can go to work lobbying for AT&T and make the income he deserves from work that he loves.
Showing posts with label Greg Walden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greg Walden. Show all posts
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A bad bargain
Republicans and Democrats have agreed to sell spectrum and use the proceeds to pay for payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits. Sounds like a good deal all the way around, right?
No.
To begin with, spectrum is a limited resource. Once it is sold, it is gone. Payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits are long-term recurring needs which should not be supported even in the short run by one-off sales.
It's a little like chopping up the piano for firewood — in the Spring.
Secondly, far more jobs would be created over the long term if we (we as in us, as in U.S.) held our spectrum back, or made it available for free, to anyone.
How can that be, with the auction expected to raise $25 billion?
Because innovation would follow such a major lowering of "barriers to entry" into wireless markets. Not selling spectrum to fat and entrenched oligopolies, but allowing general access to hungry and smart entrepreneurs would encourage new companies to spring up and new industries to flourish. Tremendous growth and more tax revenues in the long run would actually pay for programs that proceeds from this one time auction may offset temporarily.
But no, the fix is in. AT&T and Verizon will buy up most of the spectrum and Americans will be stuck with extortionist policies as powerful corporate "persons" profit by limiting our choice of phones, dictating usage through lawyered-up sleight-of-hand, and bundling unwanted services.
How badly does this reek? First clue is support by Oregon's Rep. Greg Walden, AT&T's main man in Washington. That right there smells like a used fish barrel.
In "The National Journal:"
The provision in the House spectrum bill is aimed at ensuring the FCC can't keep the nation's two biggest wireless providers ,Verizon Wireless and AT&T, from participating in future spectrum auctions. Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., who drafted the House spectrum legislation, said last month that he doesn't think it's good public policy to exclude any market players from participating in spectrum auctions.
The second clue that this is not a good deal is the standard-issue fiscal recklessness of those on the left who continue the magical thinking of getting something for nothing. "Win-win," chortles the threadbare Democrat while AT&T and its shill Verizon buy from him an apple with money they just picked from his pocket. How sad.
It's a bad bargain between the worst inclinations of both major parties.
No.
To begin with, spectrum is a limited resource. Once it is sold, it is gone. Payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits are long-term recurring needs which should not be supported even in the short run by one-off sales.
It's a little like chopping up the piano for firewood — in the Spring.
Secondly, far more jobs would be created over the long term if we (we as in us, as in U.S.) held our spectrum back, or made it available for free, to anyone.
How can that be, with the auction expected to raise $25 billion?
Because innovation would follow such a major lowering of "barriers to entry" into wireless markets. Not selling spectrum to fat and entrenched oligopolies, but allowing general access to hungry and smart entrepreneurs would encourage new companies to spring up and new industries to flourish. Tremendous growth and more tax revenues in the long run would actually pay for programs that proceeds from this one time auction may offset temporarily.
But no, the fix is in. AT&T and Verizon will buy up most of the spectrum and Americans will be stuck with extortionist policies as powerful corporate "persons" profit by limiting our choice of phones, dictating usage through lawyered-up sleight-of-hand, and bundling unwanted services.
How badly does this reek? First clue is support by Oregon's Rep. Greg Walden, AT&T's main man in Washington. That right there smells like a used fish barrel.
In "The National Journal:"
The provision in the House spectrum bill is aimed at ensuring the FCC can't keep the nation's two biggest wireless providers ,Verizon Wireless and AT&T, from participating in future spectrum auctions. Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., who drafted the House spectrum legislation, said last month that he doesn't think it's good public policy to exclude any market players from participating in spectrum auctions.
AT&T has echoed Walden's view on the issue. "Auctions should be open, not closed. Any qualified carrier, including those on today's letter, should have a chance to bid on any spectrum available in an auction," AT&T Senior Executive Vice President Jim Cicconi said in a statement. "This group, however, wants the FCC to stack the deck in its favor. Congress is right to resist this notion." –
The second clue that this is not a good deal is the standard-issue fiscal recklessness of those on the left who continue the magical thinking of getting something for nothing. "Win-win," chortles the threadbare Democrat while AT&T and its shill Verizon buy from him an apple with money they just picked from his pocket. How sad.
It's a bad bargain between the worst inclinations of both major parties.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
AT&T's lies for all to see
How wonderful this last week to see the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission protecting markets, small businesses and consumers from a rapaciously hungry corporate monster.
Even "The Economist" magazine, hardly a liberal rag, opposed the AT&T takeover of T-Mobile.
AT&T's discomfort at the release of the FCC staff report on the merger is understandable, and wrong. That is OUR government staff, that is OUR report, transparency is GOOD, the people have A RIGHT TO KNOW. The company wasn't opposed to putting its falsehoods out there during the process. It's blatant hypocrisy to affect outrage when the government releases its findings.
In fact, ALL the documents of the proposed merger should be released. They were filed with a public body to get something from the public. We should be able to see them. Distortions and other bad things, like AT&T, grow in the mouldering dark.
Anyone who watched the AT&T CEO in action before Congress, read the canned pro-merger crap AT&T regional presidents planted in newspapers around the nation (it all reads the same!), watched the callously manipulated spectacle of gay and lesbian organizations, Latino advocacy groups, Black community leaders giving pay back by advocating outside their interest, watched AT&T lawyers preen with false outrage, read anything about this corporation or even just dealt with an indifferent AT&T representative after the company attempted to rip them off, knows that AT&T is a company without a soul.
Yeah, yeah, we get there are people working for AT&T who have souls. So far. Leave it alone.
AT&T will eat whatever it can until gorged and then eat some more, the only thing stopping it something larger.
Which is why we have laws against monopolies, why AT&T had to be broken up once before, and why this last couple weeks of courage on the part of the justice department and FCC is only the beginning. AT&T has already said, somewhat ominously, they will pursue "alternate means" to get what they want.
One day, see the ancient James Coburn movie, "The President's Analyst."
At&T's representative from Oregon, Greg Walden, a man corrupted by campaign contributions and who knows what other spores AT&T may have planted in his brain, must be sweating bullets. He will now have to work harder for his host, and risks even greater exposure.
Even "The Economist" magazine, hardly a liberal rag, opposed the AT&T takeover of T-Mobile.
AT&T's discomfort at the release of the FCC staff report on the merger is understandable, and wrong. That is OUR government staff, that is OUR report, transparency is GOOD, the people have A RIGHT TO KNOW. The company wasn't opposed to putting its falsehoods out there during the process. It's blatant hypocrisy to affect outrage when the government releases its findings.
In fact, ALL the documents of the proposed merger should be released. They were filed with a public body to get something from the public. We should be able to see them. Distortions and other bad things, like AT&T, grow in the mouldering dark.
Anyone who watched the AT&T CEO in action before Congress, read the canned pro-merger crap AT&T regional presidents planted in newspapers around the nation (it all reads the same!), watched the callously manipulated spectacle of gay and lesbian organizations, Latino advocacy groups, Black community leaders giving pay back by advocating outside their interest, watched AT&T lawyers preen with false outrage, read anything about this corporation or even just dealt with an indifferent AT&T representative after the company attempted to rip them off, knows that AT&T is a company without a soul.
Yeah, yeah, we get there are people working for AT&T who have souls. So far. Leave it alone.
AT&T will eat whatever it can until gorged and then eat some more, the only thing stopping it something larger.
Which is why we have laws against monopolies, why AT&T had to be broken up once before, and why this last couple weeks of courage on the part of the justice department and FCC is only the beginning. AT&T has already said, somewhat ominously, they will pursue "alternate means" to get what they want.
One day, see the ancient James Coburn movie, "The President's Analyst."
At&T's representative from Oregon, Greg Walden, a man corrupted by campaign contributions and who knows what other spores AT&T may have planted in his brain, must be sweating bullets. He will now have to work harder for his host, and risks even greater exposure.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Greg Walden for Sale
Rep. Greg Walden is a representative for ATT. The telephone companies have bought themselves a congressman from Oregon.
Walden, Republican Representative for Oregon's second district, signed a letter designed to fire a shot across the bow of the United States Department of Justice for suing to block ATTs purchase of T-Mobile. Read more here.
The DOJ fears ATT's acquisition of T-Mobile would harm competition.
Walden isn't willing to let the DOJ lawsuit play out in courts. He wants to haul the DOJ and Federal Communications Commission before congressional staffers to explain “the extent to which each agency has been considering the impact on jobs and economic growth.”
How absurd. Should the DOJ also justify the extent to which they considered the impact on plate tectonics, or global warming? The issue is competition and the long term harm to the markets and consumers if ATT gobbles up the only other national GSM wireless provider.
Walden is the top recipient of cash from the telecom services and equipment companies AND telephone utilities. Verizon, Qwest, Comcast, ATT, they LOVE Greg Walden. Read more about that here. They give him a lot of money, so he does them favors. It is that simple.
Walden's letter is just a ploy to threaten the DOJ and FCC, force them to face more work, more explanations. He wants to let them know that he might look hard at their funding if they don't buckle under. Because he wants to protect the source of his income.
Oregon, one of our congressmen is back in Washington, threatening the justice department for trying to protect the market from a duopoly (Verizon and ATT are the remnants of old Ma Bell), because he is in their pocket and owes them big.
Would you like to give him a call?
Rep Greg Walden
2182 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Main: 202-225-6730
Fax: 202-225-5774
Central Oregon office:
1051 NW Bond St., Suite 400
Bend, OR 97701
Main: 541-389-4408
Fax: 541-389-4452
Southern Oregon Office:
14 N. Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Main: 541-776-4646
Fax: 541-779-0204
Toll free: 800-533-3303
Eastern Oregon office:
1211 Washington Avenue
La Grande, OR 97850
Main: 541-624-2400
Fax: 541-624-2402
Walden, Republican Representative for Oregon's second district, signed a letter designed to fire a shot across the bow of the United States Department of Justice for suing to block ATTs purchase of T-Mobile. Read more here.
The DOJ fears ATT's acquisition of T-Mobile would harm competition.
Walden isn't willing to let the DOJ lawsuit play out in courts. He wants to haul the DOJ and Federal Communications Commission before congressional staffers to explain “the extent to which each agency has been considering the impact on jobs and economic growth.”
How absurd. Should the DOJ also justify the extent to which they considered the impact on plate tectonics, or global warming? The issue is competition and the long term harm to the markets and consumers if ATT gobbles up the only other national GSM wireless provider.
Walden is the top recipient of cash from the telecom services and equipment companies AND telephone utilities. Verizon, Qwest, Comcast, ATT, they LOVE Greg Walden. Read more about that here. They give him a lot of money, so he does them favors. It is that simple.
Walden's letter is just a ploy to threaten the DOJ and FCC, force them to face more work, more explanations. He wants to let them know that he might look hard at their funding if they don't buckle under. Because he wants to protect the source of his income.
Oregon, one of our congressmen is back in Washington, threatening the justice department for trying to protect the market from a duopoly (Verizon and ATT are the remnants of old Ma Bell), because he is in their pocket and owes them big.
Would you like to give him a call?
Rep Greg Walden
2182 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Main: 202-225-6730
Fax: 202-225-5774
Central Oregon office:
1051 NW Bond St., Suite 400
Bend, OR 97701
Main: 541-389-4408
Fax: 541-389-4452
Southern Oregon Office:
14 N. Central Ave., Suite 112
Medford, OR 97501
Main: 541-776-4646
Fax: 541-779-0204
Toll free: 800-533-3303
Eastern Oregon office:
1211 Washington Avenue
La Grande, OR 97850
Main: 541-624-2400
Fax: 541-624-2402
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