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A conservative news and views blog.

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Location: St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Friday, March 16, 2012

Obama Breaks Law Yet Again, Uses Taxpayer Funds to Lobby for Obesity Schemes

Timothy Birdnow

The White House has broken the law yet again - this time by spending tax dollars to lobby for sugar and soda taxes.

From the Daily Caller:
http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/11/congressmen-demand-answers-on-lobbying-conducted-with-stimulus-anti-obesity-grants/

"Since March 2010, 30 states and Washington, D.C. have received $230 million in obesity prevention grants under the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Initiative (CPPW), a program established in the massive 2009 stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

According to public records, however, money from some of the CPPW grants and also from the Community Transformation Grants (CTGs) — another Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program established to bolster to the CPPW’s efforts — have been and are being used to lobby local governments in support of policies including sugar and soda taxes.

In a hearing to examine President Obama’s proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on health that she knew of the lobbying efforts but that they were acceptable — because the lobbying was taking place at the local level, and because the language governing the grants restricted grantees only from lobbying the federal government."

End excerpt.

As Adam Bitely from Net Right Daily points out, this is a violation of Federal Law:

http://netrightdaily.com/2012/03/your-tax-dollars-went-to-lobbying-for-higher-taxes/#ixzz1pHbxDpbn

"The report from The Daily Caller brought attention to the fact that some of the $230 million found its way to influence peddlers who lobby local governments for higher soda and sugar taxes.

As stated in Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 1913:

“No part of the money appropriated by any enactment of Congress shall, in the absence of express authorization by Congress, be used directly or indirectly to pay for any personal service, advertisement, telegram, telephone, letter, printed or written matter, or other device, intended or designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress, a jurisdiction, or an official of any government, to favor, adopt, or oppose, by vote or otherwise, any legislation, law, ratification, policy or appropriation"

End excerpt.

Now, this is grounds for removing Sec. Sebelius from office, but as Eric Holder is still in charge at Justice one wonders what it will take to remove ANY of Obama's people - or indeed Mr. Obama himself. How many laws must be broken before Congress takes a stand?

Richard Nixon resigned his Presidency over less than what this Administration does on a daily basis. What was the worst Nixon did? He spied on his enemies? The Obama Administration is running surveillance on all of the American People on a regular basis. He has DHS classify Pro-Life people, returning vets, Ron Paul voters as terrorists. He sends out x-ray vehicles to patrol the streets. He establishes "truth squads" to spy on his enemies, and proposes using agent provocateurs on the internet to spy and subvert. Nixon resigned because he had little support - even from his own party. Mr. Obama has openly defied Congress on numerous occasions and has broken the law repeatedly. He told a judge to bugger off (leading to a contempt of court charge). He has ignored laws that displease him.

When will Congress shake off the lethargy brought on by Obama's godlike coronation?

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