Why do we have to rely on journalists to tell us these
things. Don’t we have three members of Congress with that responsibility?
It was not from Senators Mike Enzi or John Barrasso, nor
Representative Liz Cheney that we learned taxpayers are paying to settle
discrimination lawsuits against congressmen. Why the secrecy? It’s how members
of Congress, including ours, like it.
John Conyers is being hung out to dry and rightly so. But
why should he be the only one when secret congressional dossiers protect other
members?
Here’s how it works. A member of Congress engages in
unlawful discrimination. Sometimes it’s sexual harassment or gender
discrimination. Sometimes they illegally discriminate based on religion,
disability, or race. Sometimes they just want to cover up their corrupt,
partisan zealotry.
As an example of how corrupt this is, according to the
Washington Post, the chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, Rep.
Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) used $150,000 in these taxpayer dollars to settle with a
former aide and cover up allegations that he was fired in part because he was
not willing to focus his investigative work on Hillary Clinton.
We don’t know which category or which congressmen because
Congress keeps these things between themselves.
We don’t even know whether a member of Congress from Wyoming
has been involved.
What we do know, thanks to the same media some politicians
want you to distrust, is that over the last 20 years, 15-17 million dollars
have been paid out to quietly settle 268 cases and make them go away.
We also know Congress surreptitiously arranged for a special
fund to have the taxpayers cover the costs. The average settlement is just
under 65 thousand dollars.
Why can’t rely on Misters Enzi or Barrasso or Ms. Cheney to
tell us these things? Because they are a part of the conspiracy to make sure we
don’t know. We are just voters and taxpayers. We aren’t allowed to know how
much this illegal behavior is costing. We aren’t allowed to know the nature of
the unlawful discrimination. We just foot the bill.
The most highly guarded secrets are the names of the congressmen
and women who are guilty. Anyone victimized by one of these politicians cannot
even think about filing a complaint unless he or she is willing to sign a
lengthy non-disclosure agreement. If you’ve been discriminated against, you
can’t even tell your spouse about the matter without violating this contract.
Our congressmen and women have created a legalistic process
which is designed to do three things. First, the process is intended to
discourage a victim from filing a complaint. Second, it is designed to protect
the offending politician from being found out. Third, the process makes certain
that if anyone has to pay, it will be the taxpayers, not the guilty member of
Congress.
The process protects the violators while further victimizing
the victims. The victims are forced to take action to protect themselves. Women
on Capitol Hill keep book on which members of Congress to avoid. Some members
are known for taking advantage of young women who work on their staffs or serve
as interns.
You can bet, our three members of Congress could name names.
Don’t bet on them doing so. They are in on the secrets and on the plans to keep
them secret.
When these shenanigans were discovered and made public, the reaction
of Congress was to consider a rule that requires members to undergo mandatory
non-discrimination training. Imagine that. The people we elect to Congress
apparently don’t have enough self-control. They have to be trained to keep
their hands off of those with whom they work?
C’mon. They don’t need to be trained. They need to be named.
Once again, the public can’t rely on Congressmen to do it. That’s okay. The
media will.
Wyoming’s Senators and Representative need to come clean
about this mess. What did they know and when did they know about this slush
fund and why have they covered it up?
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