|
|
Post by Cranky on May 22, 2013 0:45:22 GMT -5
Harper just sat there looking at the media as they peppered him with questions. Dis, have you ever heard of the phrase...you can't argue with people who buy ink by the barrel? Everything, anything, even a nod will be spun into another segment, another spin, another headline scream to get ratings. Say nothing and they have to keep repeating the old spin, where viewers lose interest in a real hurry. Case in point. Last night, CTV screamed "secret deal" 30 odd times in their leading segment. Tonight, a few. Tomorrow or at the latest, the day after, they will have to find another leading story. The screaming does get attention, but then, they have to keep screaming to keep getting attention. |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 22, 2013 0:52:40 GMT -5
will be interesting . . . at least when the Liberals speak up, as they have been dragging the discussion. They have senators that are under investigation and they have the $peaking i$$$ue of Trudeau. Kind of hard to throw gas on the fire when they live in paper mache houses. I'm taking bets that "speaking fees" along with any ambiguity will be gone in a month....to the chagrin of ALL the parliamentarians. |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 22, 2013 7:07:09 GMT -5
Again and again, "sources say" is not any proof other then what you (or they) think you can make it by repeating it a million times. There is no harm in checking out the "sources" claims. If there is no contract, if there is no expectation on Duffy, if there is no conflict of interest in Wright's affairs ... let the Ethics Commissioner and the RCMP investigate. What I find appalling, is that Newfoundland let authorities investigate the spending habits of its politicians and a few were charged (all political parties involved) and served jail time for fraud against the government for double billing. So this affair, kinda sticks in my craw, if they get away scott-free. You leave my unicorn horn out of this ....
The night before, the senator claimed in an email to CTV News that Wright played no role and that he’d taken out a loan to repay the money.The night before when? At one point Duffy was trying to get a bank loan and not getting help from Wright. So now we get intentional muddling of the timing of events to "prove" guilt. And you rinse and repeat it. Last night, I heard the word "secret" applied by CTV to describe a private agreement 30 times . The secret agreement of the secret...secret...secret.....did we mention secret? So now, private agreements are "secrets". Do YOU have any agreements? Are they secrets? It is pretty clear what is meant by "the night before" ... the night before the PMO confirmed it was Wright that wrote the check. That's when Duffy was claiming that Wright had no role. But "sources" said that Wright did play a role .... gee sometimes sources can be "wright". The "secret" agreement allegedly involves a former lawyer to the PMO. That's the kind of stuff that has to be looked into. You can bet that any paper trail is gone by now; but you just don't brush off something because it comes from sources. That would be irresponsible, and only the bluest conservative would even suggest that there isnt enough evidence to warrant an investigation. You say there was nothing illegal done. We have absolutely no idea if that's true or not. No one is talking. So there has to be an investigation. Because if a contract did exist between Duffy and Wright, whether verbal or written, then that's illegal ... and both should serve jail time. If the PM knew about it (harder to prove, and I'm not sure if he did or didn't) then .... well I'm not sure a Canadian equivalent exists for impeachment. I think that power would rest with the Governor General. |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 22, 2013 7:41:41 GMT -5
Harper just sat there looking at the media as they peppered him with questions. Dis, have you ever heard of the phrase...you can't argue with people who buy ink by the barrel? Everything, anything, even a nod will be spun into another segment, another spin, another headline scream to get ratings. Say nothing and they have to keep repeating the old spin, where viewers lose interest in a real hurry. Case in point. Last night, CTV screamed "secret deal" 30 odd times in their leading segment. Tonight, a few. Tomorrow or at the latest, the day after, they will have to find another leading story. The screaming does get attention, but then, they have to keep screaming to keep getting attention. I know what you're saying, HA; however, I've never seen this from a PM before. It's one thing not to field questions by leaving as soon as you've finished talking, but it's entirely another matter to sit there and smugly look at the press as they ask pertinent questions. I couldn't tell you one way or another, but I think the PM is doing what Franko suggested. Hopefully this will die out in a month. However, I'm thinking Harper will field questions once he knows he can do so with the upper hand. That's not an excuse to diss the press, mind you. But, going in prepared is always good. Hopefully that's what he's doing. He'll have to answer questions eventually. If he doesn't I suspect this issue will hang over his head and eventually define his tenure as PM. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by blny on May 22, 2013 9:19:51 GMT -5
There was a spending 'scandal' here in NS too. RCMP investigated MLAs from all parties. Some got jail time. Basically, the 'old boys club' got caught. Tax dollars were being spent on personal purchases - from cars to laptops, etc.
|
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 22, 2013 10:04:35 GMT -5
There was a spending 'scandal' here in NS too. RCMP investigated MLAs from all parties. Some got jail time. Basically, the 'old boys club' got caught. Tax dollars were being spent on personal purchases - from cars to laptops, etc. We had one politician here who purchased a piece of art - a painting I believe. When confronted, he willingly returned the money, and that was the end of it ... what ticked me off was they only got the purchase price money from him, meanwhile the art work, basically doubled (or more) in value. |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 22, 2013 11:29:28 GMT -5
There was a spending 'scandal' here in NS too. RCMP investigated MLAs from all parties. Some got jail time. Basically, the 'old boys club' got caught. Tax dollars were being spent on personal purchases - from cars to laptops, etc. Other then Duffy over-claiming, how is the same? Particularly past Duffy? |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 22, 2013 12:04:37 GMT -5
There was a spending 'scandal' here in NS too. RCMP investigated MLAs from all parties. Some got jail time. Basically, the 'old boys club' got caught. Tax dollars were being spent on personal purchases - from cars to laptops, etc. We had one politician here who purchased a piece of art - a painting I believe. When confronted, he willingly returned the money, and that was the end of it ... what ticked me off was they only got the purchase price money from him, meanwhile the art work, basically doubled (or more) in value. That would be receiving a "gift" of a certain (high?) value, not declaring it and then getting caught. There is no harm in checking out the "sources" claims. If there is no contract, if there is no expectation on Duffy, if there is no conflict of interest in Wright's affairs ... let the Ethics Commissioner and the RCMP investigate. Okay, if I remember the lines from playing a lawyer in the Naked Lawyer... Hold on. A contract would be proof of intent. A contract between parties for re-payment with no expectation of anything other then repayment would prove there was no intent of the monies to be a "gift", which would then contravene the rules. What I find appalling, is that Newfoundland let authorities investigate the spending habits of its politicians and a few were charged (all political parties involved) and served jail time for fraud against the government for double billing. So this affair, kinda sticks in my craw, if they get away scott-free. Fair enough. I find it hard to believe that Duffy would not know the rules. However....and there is always a however.... How does Trudeau go on paid speaking engagements and then discuss matters that may pertain to them in parliament and according to him, he is allowed to do that? \ Right now, the senators are policing themselves. It may well be that there are nods and winks, OR setups, OR just plain incompetence. Regardless, ALL politicians should be subjected to arms length expense auditing. This Duffy deal is FOUR years in the making. Absurd. If he 'innocently" declared it the first year and got slapped, this never happens. The night before, the senator claimed in an email to CTV News that Wright played no role and that he’d taken out a loan to repay the money. [/i] The night before when? At one point Duffy was trying to get a bank loan and not getting help from Wright. So now we get intentional muddling of the timing of events to "prove" guilt. And you rinse and repeat it. Last night, I heard the word "secret" applied by CTV to describe a private agreement 30 times . The secret agreement of the secret...secret...secret.....did we mention secret? So now, private agreements are "secrets". Do YOU have any agreements? Are they secrets? It is pretty clear what is meant by "the night before" ... the night before the PMO confirmed it was Wright that wrote the check. That's when Duffy was claiming that Wright had no role. But "sources" said that Wright did play a role .... gee sometimes sources can be "wright". The "secret" agreement allegedly involves a former lawyer to the PMO. That's the kind of stuff that has to be looked into. You can bet that any paper trail is gone by now; but you just don't brush off something because it comes from sources. That would be irresponsible, and only the bluest conservative would even suggest that there isnt enough evidence to warrant an investigation.[/quote] An ethics investigation? Sure. But an RCMP investigation would be warranted if there is criminal activity. If Duffy has the money from a personal loan and a written agreement to pay it back. Where is the crime? If Duffy has a bank loan? Where is the crime? Only in the first instance if Duffy knowingly defrauded the government, criminal intent, hello RCMP. I bet Duffy would come back and say.... I did it for four years and I never hid it. I simply didn't know the rules. You say there was nothing illegal done. We have absolutely no idea if that's true or not. No one is talking. So there has to be an investigation. Because if a contract did exist between Duffy and Wright, whether verbal or written, then that's illegal ... and both should serve jail time. If the PM knew about it (harder to prove, and I'm not sure if he did or didn't) then .... well I'm not sure a Canadian equivalent exists for impeachment. I think that power would rest with the Governor General. How is the contract "illegal" Please explain. The very essence of a contract is the exact opposite. I linked the rules, where did you see the illegality of it? To repeat, a contract in fact shows that it's not a gift. I believe that Wright has two law degrees, I hardly think he will be caught with his pants down. As for impeachment, that's simply a wet dream for people who don't like Harper. About the only way Harper can be impeached is if there is proof that he did something truly criminal. Chinese spy handing him a bag of cocaine. Violent crime. Etc. At the very worst, this is a scandal, not a crime. |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 22, 2013 12:17:08 GMT -5
Dis, have you ever heard of the phrase...you can't argue with people who buy ink by the barrel? Everything, anything, even a nod will be spun into another segment, another spin, another headline scream to get ratings. Say nothing and they have to keep repeating the old spin, where viewers lose interest in a real hurry. Case in point. Last night, CTV screamed "secret deal" 30 odd times in their leading segment. Tonight, a few. Tomorrow or at the latest, the day after, they will have to find another leading story. The screaming does get attention, but then, they have to keep screaming to keep getting attention. I know what you're saying, HA; however, I've never seen this from a PM before. It's one thing not to field questions by leaving as soon as you've finished talking, but it's entirely another matter to sit there and smugly look at the press as they ask pertinent questions. I couldn't tell you one way or another, but I think the PM is doing what Franko suggested. Hopefully this will die out in a month. However, I'm thinking Harper will field questions once he knows he can do so with the upper hand. That's not an excuse to diss the press, mind you. But, going in prepared is always good. Hopefully that's what he's doing. He'll have to answer questions eventually. If he doesn't I suspect this issue will hang over his head and eventually define his tenure as PM. Cheers. I'm not close to Harper and he NEVER returns my calls....despite those ummm....envelops.... I can see why Harper would not want to add fuel to the fire. It's hard to be prepared is some people around him is going stupid. In fact, if he had a written laundry list, I would think that he had "organized" the entire thing. Right now, all Harper can do is say very little to nothing and...decapitate. I lost count of how many times I was blindsided by quality problems I thought I had fixed. All I could do at those meeting is say.....I'm surprised, but I will immediately look into it. Then went back and fixed/fired. On the other hand, I didn't have reporters desperately looking to shove mikes in my mouth and spinning my words to suit an agenda. |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 22, 2013 12:52:49 GMT -5
How is the contract "illegal" Please explain. The very essence of a contract is the exact opposite. I linked the rules, where did you see the illegality of it? To repeat, a contract in fact shows that it's not a gift. I believe that Wright has two law degrees, I hardly think he will be caught with his pants down. The illegality of the contract would be, (if there is a contract, it would be pretty stupid if there was) if it asks Duffy to perform some act (other than simply repayment), such as lobby or block something .... or use his influence in the Senate |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 22, 2013 20:38:25 GMT -5
I know what you're saying, HA; however, I've never seen this from a PM before. It's one thing not to field questions by leaving as soon as you've finished talking, but it's entirely another matter to sit there and smugly look at the press as they ask pertinent questions. I couldn't tell you one way or another, but I think the PM is doing what Franko suggested. Hopefully this will die out in a month. However, I'm thinking Harper will field questions once he knows he can do so with the upper hand. That's not an excuse to diss the press, mind you. But, going in prepared is always good. Hopefully that's what he's doing. He'll have to answer questions eventually. If he doesn't I suspect this issue will hang over his head and eventually define his tenure as PM. Cheers. I'm not close to Harper and he NEVER returns my calls....despite those ummm....envelops.... I can see why Harper would not want to add fuel to the fire. It's hard to be prepared is some people around him is going stupid. In fact, if he had a written laundry list, I would think that he had "organized" the entire thing. Right now, all Harper can do is say very little to nothing and...decapitate. I lost count of how many times I was blindsided by quality problems I thought I had fixed. All I could do at those meeting is say.....I'm surprised, but I will immediately look into it. Then went back and fixed/fired. On the other hand, I didn't have reporters desperately looking to shove mikes in my mouth and spinning my words to suit an agenda. Odd that that missing $3-billion issue is on the shelf now. Still, I understand why he's so stoic, but he might be inviting a bigger media disaster by not addressing the issue. Too bad about the opposition. This is a time where experienced politicians know what to do. Trudeau isn't a leader and he struggles in front of the camera. The NDP are leaderless too. When all is said and done, there might be only one viable option again ... and that's not good. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 22, 2013 23:38:12 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 23, 2013 1:49:40 GMT -5
How is the contract "illegal" Please explain. The very essence of a contract is the exact opposite. I linked the rules, where did you see the illegality of it? To repeat, a contract in fact shows that it's not a gift. I believe that Wright has two law degrees, I hardly think he will be caught with his pants down. The illegality of the contract would be, (if there is a contract, it would be pretty stupid if there was) if it asks Duffy to perform some act (other than simply repayment), such as lobby or block something .... or use his influence in the Senate Do you seriously believe that there would be a contract for anything other then repayment? That would be stupid on an epic scale....and Wright is not stupid. |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 23, 2013 1:55:23 GMT -5
Harper will turn this into a win. He will get senate reform, maybe even get it abolished like he wanted to begin with. Although that would be a can of worms that I'm not sure he wants to have on his hands. The yelping media is no match for Harper, no matter how hard they try. |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 23, 2013 22:12:19 GMT -5
Well, the RCMP have requested documents from the Senate to find out if they can ascertain criminal liability.
Cheers.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 28, 2013 22:27:55 GMT -5
I know what you're saying, HA; however, I've never seen this from a PM before. It's one thing not to field questions by leaving as soon as you've finished talking, but it's entirely another matter to sit there and smugly look at the press as they ask pertinent questions. I couldn't tell you one way or another, but I think the PM is doing what Franko suggested. Hopefully this will die out in a month. However, I'm thinking Harper will field questions once he knows he can do so with the upper hand. That's not an excuse to diss the press, mind you. But, going in prepared is always good. Hopefully that's what he's doing. He'll have to answer questions eventually. If he doesn't I suspect this issue will hang over his head and eventually define his tenure as PM. Cheers. I'm not close to Harper and he NEVER returns my calls....despite those ummm....envelops.... I can see why Harper would not want to add fuel to the fire. It's hard to be prepared is some people around him is going stupid. In fact, if he had a written laundry list, I would think that he had "organized" the entire thing. Right now, all Harper can do is say very little to nothing and...decapitate. I lost count of how many times I was blindsided by quality problems I thought I had fixed. All I could do at those meeting is say.....I'm surprised, but I will immediately look into it. Then went back and fixed/fired. On the other hand, I didn't have reporters desperately looking to shove mikes in my mouth and spinning my words to suit an agenda. I used to tell the troops that it's better if you let me know about any problems they might have right away. They could come to see me directly any time. But, don't let me hear of anything through the back door from the top. Quite honestly, it put me in a different frame of mind. Coming from the top usually meant follow up action. Yet, had they seen me first, we might have avoided a lot of grief. In that context I can empathize with Harper if this is, indeed, what he feels. This Senate scandal is starting to become clearer. From Sun News. Senate sends ... expense issue to RCMPI none expense claim, Duffy said he was in Ottawa but was in fact vacationing in Florida, which Duffy chalked up to a "clerical error," the Deloitte report stated. Duffy is taking a defence that the Senate rules for spending are unclear. However, there are acqusations of falsifying claims. I don't know what penalties Duffy might face, but it's something the ordinary soldier would hang for. Besides, I don't know how Senators like he or Wallin wouldn't know how to use common sense. My guess is that this has been going on for a while. Not necessarily a reflection on all Senators, but these two do their offices no service whatsoever. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by seventeen on May 28, 2013 22:38:47 GMT -5
I'm still stuck on "how the hell can Mike Duffy be so valuable that the Conservatives would eat $90 grand for him?" He's a moron, or close to it, or so arrogant that he thinks he's above all this. We're talking about a senator from PEI (duh), in a position that Canadians ignore [the Senate], so why didn't Harper just let him twist in the wind?
That's why I think there's a whole bunch more that hasn't come out. As usual.
|
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 29, 2013 7:14:39 GMT -5
I'm still stuck on "how the hell can Mike Duffy be so valuable that the Conservatives would eat $90 grand for him?" He's a moron, or close to it, or so arrogant that he thinks he's above all this. We're talking about a senator from PEI (duh), in a position that Canadians ignore [the Senate], so why didn't Harper just let him twist in the wind? That's why I think there's a whole bunch more that hasn't come out. As usual. From what I understand, and Cranky can correct me if wrong, Duffy has long been an important fundraising machine for the conservatives, even before he was a Senator. |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 29, 2013 7:27:34 GMT -5
This Senate scandal is starting to become clearer. From Sun News. Senate sends ... expense issue to RCMPI none expense claim, Duffy said he was in Ottawa but was in fact vacationing in Florida, which Duffy chalked up to a "clerical error," the Deloitte report stated. Duffy is taking a defence that the Senate rules for spending are unclear. However, there are acqusations of falsifying claims. I don't know what penalties Duffy might face, but it's something the ordinary soldier would hang for. Besides, I don't know how Senators like he or Wallin wouldn't know how to use common sense. My guess is that this has been going on for a while. Not necessarily a reflection on all Senators, but these two do their offices no service whatsoever. Cheers. This is precisely the shananigans that landed politicians behind bars here in Newfoundland. Falsifying claims, double dipping, purchasing expensive items and charging them to government, etc ... I was watching the news coverage of the House of Commons yesterday. Harper handled himself quite well, but the opposition are going to keep harping until they get more non-answers (like did he discuss the Duffy money affair with cabinet) and have those non-answers get traction. It was easy to see yesterday who the Leader of the Opposition is and see his legal background come to the forefront. The timeline appears to have occured like this: Duffy was co-operating with Deloitte in its Senate audit. Irregularities were found in Duffy's claims and in what constituted his primary residence Deloitte submitted a report on Duffy's expenses to Senate. Wright gives Duffy $90,000 to pay off amount owing that was leaked/released to public. Duffy stops co-operating with Deloitte AND two conservative Senators edit Deloitte's initial report on Duffy before releasing it to the public. We will soon find out I guess if Wright's money was linked to the report being edited AND/OR why Duffy suddenly stopped co-operating with the auditors. A reporter caught Wright jogging at night and had a quick interview with him ... he says he will be submitting (or has submitted) his side of the story to the ethics commissioner. |
|
|
|
Post by blny on May 29, 2013 9:01:40 GMT -5
From what I heard this morning on the radio, former CFL commish Larry Smith had asked for the RCMP probe. Always thought he was a stand up guy, so good on him for pushing for this.
I still have a very hard time believing that the PM didn't know what was going on in his own office.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 29, 2013 12:15:53 GMT -5
How would Harper know what Duffy was declaring? Do I know or should I know what my employees are claiming on their tax return? Nobody in his right mind would accuse me if one of my employees went stupid, even if I see every day and yet, someone who is a million times busier should know every bowel movement of everyone around him, even someone who he may or may not see once a month. Harper the Omnipotent.  |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 29, 2013 12:21:34 GMT -5
That's why I think there's a whole bunch more that hasn't come out. As usual. I think this might be the tip of the iceberg. I can't say for sure, but f the RCMP finds grounds for a criminal investigation then we'll probably see a history of Senate spending surface. If this happens it's entirely possible they'll be able to establish a years-old pattern to that spending, and that Wallin and Duffy only had the bad luck to get caught. That's the worst-case scenario. Getting back to the RCMP, their investigation may also ascertain accountability: I still have a very hard time believing that the PM didn't know what was going on in his own office. I agree with HA insomuch as, it's possible the PM didn't know. Yet, if it shows that he didn't have strong communication with his COS, then that could become an issue too. As an aside, during my military days I used to submit claims all the time. The pay clerk would usually give me 80% of my entitlement up front and I'd collect the remaining 20% when I finalized my claim. If I had overspent (hotel too posh, eating too extravigently) I'd owe the crown money. However, the clerk I was talking to told me about the expense claims of high-ranking officers he was ordered to process. These officers are made to follow the same rules we did (as non-commissioned ranks) but the claim he submitted included $100 bottles of wine and meals well in excess of what they were entitled to. That was back in the 90's and I suspect claims like this are still quietly authorized. There was another case of a naval LComd (major) who was working in Ottawa but had his home and family back in Halifax. The rules stated that he could live on "imposed restriction" (IR) for a year. One of the purposes of IR, is to provide the members with enough time to find suitable accommodations to eventually move their families. That one-year IR could be extended under special circumstances, so the LComd extended it for another four years (at that time this was not do-able for non-comms). That equated to about $1,800/month of taxpayers' dollars over five years. It covered the hotel he stayed in, as well as meals. However, what he failed to claim was that his wife left him during the second year; therefore, he was submitting expense claims as if he were still married for those remaining four years. He was caught and I can't remember what disciplinary action was taken, but at the very least he was ordered to pay back four years of fraudulant claims. The point? It's not just the Senate that needs to be audited, but anywhere where taxpayer dollars are used for funding someone's expenses. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 29, 2013 12:28:25 GMT -5
How would Harper know what Duffy was declaring? Do I know or should I know what my employees are claiming on their tax return? Nobody in his right mind would accuse me if one of my employees went stupid, even if I see every day and yet, someone who is a million times busier should know every bowel movement of everyone around him, even someone who he may or may not see once a month. Harper the Omnipotent. At the very least he has to know what his COS is doing. Still, it's entirely possible that the COS simply didn't inform the PM so as not to include him in the decision. Sigh ... the RCMP is involved now, too ... I'm hoping their investigation doesn't stop with Duffy and Wallin. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 29, 2013 12:32:55 GMT -5
I'm still stuck on "how the hell can Mike Duffy be so valuable that the Conservatives would eat $90 grand for him?" He's a moron, or close to it, or so arrogant that he thinks he's above all this. We're talking about a senator from PEI (duh), in a position that Canadians ignore [the Senate], so why didn't Harper just let him twist in the wind? That's why I think there's a whole bunch more that hasn't come out. As usual. From what I understand, and Cranky can correct me if wrong, Duffy has long been an important fundraising machine for the conservatives, even before he was a Senator. I don't know. Huffington post ran an article but then, it's a highly biased news source. Just for the record, I don't get involved much beyond locally and not much beyond a foot soldier. Reality is that I wouldn't lift a damn finger to help any of them on their own merits. Helping Ford was part of the "greater picture" of fighting arrogant, self righteous urban leftist disease who believe themselves to be the "rightful leaders of society" and anyone who doesn't prostrate to them is " a hateful right wing, conservative". Much like any disease, it's creeping into my area. |
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 29, 2013 12:59:41 GMT -5
How would Harper know what Duffy was declaring? Do I know or should I know what my employees are claiming on their tax return? Nobody in his right mind would accuse me if one of my employees went stupid, even if I see every day and yet, someone who is a million times busier should know every bowel movement of everyone around him, even someone who he may or may not see once a month. Harper the Omnipotent. At the very least he has to know what his COS is doing. Still, it's entirely possible that the COS simply didn't inform the PM so as not to include him in the decision. Sigh ... the RCMP is involved now, too ... I'm hoping their investigation doesn't stop with Duffy and Wallin. Cheers. What we do know.....Duffy was going for a bank loan. Wright who is well off thought that personally lending him the money to shorten the process, with a contract to repay, would take it off the front page. Nothing illegal. From news reports, the loan was made with stipulation that Duffy was suppose to report it. Of course, instead of taking it off the main page, CTV and media screaming "secret loan" and now looks like pay off. Bad optics in what was neither here or there of a personal loan to what now appears like a lying fool......and Wright loses his job. I'm okay with Wright losing his job even though he didn't have evil intent. He should of thought out the optics of this and the fact that media can now spin and claim everything without the need for proof. (Welcome to the new world of histrionic Enquirer media power courtesy of our Supreme Court) Duffy is persona non grata in conservatives circle now. |
|
|
|
Post by blny on May 29, 2013 13:10:46 GMT -5
How would Harper know what Duffy was declaring? Do I know or should I know what my employees are claiming on their tax return? Nobody in his right mind would accuse me if one of my employees went stupid, even if I see every day and yet, someone who is a million times busier should know every bowel movement of everyone around him, even someone who he may or may not see once a month. Harper the Omnipotent. I'm not talking about what Duffy declared, or didn't. That's not the PM's office. I'm talking about cutting a cheque to pay off what Duffy owed. If Harper isn't aware of his office cutting 90k cheques, he should be fired on the spot. |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 29, 2013 13:11:36 GMT -5
At the very least he has to know what his COS is doing. Still, it's entirely possible that the COS simply didn't inform the PM so as not to include him in the decision. Sigh ... the RCMP is involved now, too ... I'm hoping their investigation doesn't stop with Duffy and Wallin. Cheers. What we do know.....Duffy was going for a bank loan. Wright who is well off thought that personally lending him the money to shorten the process, with a contract to repay, would take it off the front page. Nothing illegal. From news reports, the loan was made with stipulation that Duffy was suppose to report it. Of course, instead of taking it off the main page, CTV and media screaming "secret loan" and now looks like pay off. Bad optics in what was neither here or there of a personal loan to what now appears like a lying fool......and Wright loses his job. I'm okay with Wright losing his job even though he didn't have evil intent. He should of thought out the optics of this and the fact that media can now spin and claim everything without the need for proof. (Welcome to the new world of histrionic Enquirer media power courtesy of our Supreme Court) Duffy is persona non grata in conservatives circle now. Right on ... good post ... Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by franko on May 29, 2013 13:12:21 GMT -5
How would Harper know what Duffy was declaring? Do I know or should I know what my employees are claiming on their tax return? Nobody in his right mind would accuse me if one of my employees went stupid, even if I see every day and yet, someone who is a million times busier should know every bowel movement of everyone around him, even someone who he may or may not see once a month. Harper the Omnipotent. I'm not talking about what Duffy declared, or didn't. That's not the PM's office. I'm talking about cutting a cheque to pay off what Duffy owed. If Harper isn't aware of his office cutting 90k cheques, he should be fired on the spot. if Harper wasn't aware of someone in his office [a different animal than "his office" cutting 90k cheques, that's darn smart politics . . . something that can be scraped off the boot. |
|
|
|
Post by blny on May 29, 2013 13:16:11 GMT -5
That's why I think there's a whole bunch more that hasn't come out. As usual. I think this might be the tip of the iceberg. I can't say for sure, but f the RCMP finds grounds for a criminal investigation then we'll probably see a history of Senate spending surface. If this happens it's entirely possible they'll be able to establish a years-old pattern to that spending, and that Wallin and Duffy only had the bad luck to get caught. That's the worst-case scenario. Getting back to the RCMP, their investigation may also ascertain accountability: I still have a very hard time believing that the PM didn't know what was going on in his own office. I agree with HA insomuch as, it's possible the PM didn't know. Yet, if it shows that he didn't have strong communication with his COS, then that could become an issue too. As an aside, during my military days I used to submit claims all the time. The pay clerk would usually give me 80% of my entitlement up front and I'd collect the remaining 20% when I finalized my claim. If I had overspent (hotel too posh, eating too extravigently) I'd owe the crown money. However, the clerk I was talking to told me about the expense claims of high-ranking officers he was ordered to process. These officers are made to follow the same rules we did (as non-commissioned ranks) but the claim he submitted included $100 bottles of wine and meals well in excess of what they were entitled to. That was back in the 90's and I suspect claims like this are still quietly authorized. There was another case of a naval LComd (major) who was working in Ottawa but had his home and family back in Halifax. The rules stated that he could live on "imposed restriction" (IR) for a year. One of the purposes of IR, is to provide the members with enough time to find suitable accommodations to eventually move their families. That one-year IR could be extended under special circumstances, so the LComd extended it for another four years (at that time this was not do-able for non-comms). That equated to about $1,800/month of taxpayers' dollars over five years. It covered the hotel he stayed in, as well as meals. However, what he failed to claim was that his wife left him during the second year; therefore, he was submitting expense claims as if he were still married for those remaining four years. He was caught and I can't remember what disciplinary action was taken, but at the very least he was ordered to pay back four years of fraudulant claims. The point? It's not just the Senate that needs to be audited, but anywhere where taxpayer dollars are used for funding someone's expenses. Cheers. You federal guys lol. Can't do that here. It used to be the hotels direct bill the province, we bring back the invoice and it's submitted with our expense claim - which can take a month to get reimbursement for. Now, the province, in all their infinite wisdom, want people to pay out of pocket for hotel stays (which in some cases is a week long event), then wait a month to get the money back. So, I'm supposed to pay $1000 plus meals out of pocket and wait? Government isn't lining up to pay the interest on my CC I tell you that. Essentially, government employees have now become lumped in with the sub contractors on the procurement list. |
|
|
|
Post by franko on May 29, 2013 13:16:32 GMT -5
Huffington post . . news source. oxymoron. like the guy from Gawker who claims not to be a journalist, but a reporter . . .actually says that journalists are held to higher standards that he is not interested in. I keep hearing about the other copies of the video . . . can we just get this over with? either show them or not [c'mon, the ford brothers couldn't have found and destroyed all of them too, could they?] |
|
