Bureaucratic Finger Pointing Over the Amtrak Crash

Even before the dead had been moved to the morgue, the Congressional Democrats were "ghoulishly" blaming Republicans for the the Amtrak crash.  They fault the GOP because they claim that funding delays were created when they didn't approve President' Obama's $300 billion infrastructure bill. They cite it as a direct cause of the accident.  But, in typical Democrat fashion, this was all a lie.

The first thing that disproved the infrastructure argument was when it was revealed that  the train engineer took that fatal turn at twice the speed recommended for that stretch of track.   Then, the Democrats shifted the argument by saying that, if the infrastructure spending bill had been approved,  a Positive Train Control (speed control) would have been installed on that train and the tragedy would have been avoided.

Really?

The truth is that the speed system was installed but not turned on.  Apparently, the blame for failing to activate it falls on the shoulders of Obama's Federal Communication Commission (FCC) who was dragging its heels at deciding which frequency the train control system could use.  But, the FCC is saying they already approved the frequency usage and the fault lies with Amtrak for not turning the system on.  Somehow, George W. Bush has avoided the blame on this one. At least for now.

Lying and CYA (covering Your a*s) seems to be alive and well in Washington D.C.  Does anyone really care about the lives that were lost and the people who were injured, or are we just taking advantage of another political opportunity?


References:

Speed Control Was Installed, Not On at Time of Amtrak Crash: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/05/14/exclusive-train-control-was-installed-turned-off-at-time-of-amtrak-crash-congressmen-say


Are Republicans really to blame for fatal Amtrak crash? : http://www.marketwatch.com/story/are-republicans-really-to-blame-for-fatal-amtrak-crash-2015-05-15

The IRS: The Very Embodiment of Record Keeping, Loses Lois Lerner's Emails?

For two years now, the IRS has stonewalled Congress in providing access to any records and communications related to the scandal over that agency's blocking of conservative groups from gaining 501(c) tax-free status.  Lois Lerner, a D.C.-based IRS employee, appears to be at the heart of it, and may in fact, have ties to the White House.  However, she has clammed up; refusing to answer any of Congress' questions by citing her 5th Amendment right not to incriminate herself.

Now, conveniently, the IRS -- the Agency that maintains so many detailed records on almost every American -- has managed to lose any and all emails either to and from Lois Lerner because her hard drive crashed.  Well, what about backup files?  Or, too, what about everyone who sent or received a Lerner email? They should also have a copy of those files on their hard drives.   Does anyone really find this "hard drive crash excuse" to be believable?  If anything, it just shows that those emails must contain damaging information and that they needed to be purged.  Obviously, there is an effort, here, to protect some high ranking people at either the IRS or the White House.  Does anyone smell a rat like the 18-1/2 minute gap in those famous Nixon Watergate tapes?  It's not looking too good for Obama's claim that the IRS scandal is a phony one.


Oh, by the way. The next time you get audited, try telling the IRS that you "lost" the supporting documentation for your deductions.  My guess is that you'll pay through the nose for that comment.

References:

IRS lost Lois Lerner's emails in tea party probe: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-lost-lois-lerners-emails-in-tea-party-probe/

Did The IRS Really Lose Lois Lerner's Emails? Let a Special Prosecutor Find Them Obama needs to address this 'phony scandal' and the public trust with real transparency: http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/did-the-irs-really-lose-lois-lerner-s-emails-let-a-special-prosecutor-find-them-20140613