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Like Blood from a Stone…

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… government auditors want to get money out of an ACORN.

Auditors questioned about $2 million because ACORN Associates didn’t document open competition by contractors — many of them ACORN affiliates throughout the country.

The inspector general said HUD should demand records that document why contractors were selected and records that justify the lack of competition.

Another $1.2 million was found to have been spent on ineligible activities, such as payroll taxesand workmen’s compensation insurance. A small portion of that money, about $6,000, went for fundraising and political campaigns.

Attorneys for ACORN disputed the inspector general’s findings. Arthur Z. Schwartz wrote that the audit was severely flawed and ignored that ACORN Associates “reached thousands of Americans and helped clean up thousands of homes.”

Now, as an audit professional, I am not entirely sure how “ignoring that ACORN associates reached thousands of Americans,” technically speaking, means that the audit was severely flawed.  I mean, audits are, as a rule, not interested whatever good deed the mis-used money was put to.  What they are concerned with is that government grants and payments weren’t misused by the recipient.  Contracts between related parties should lead to an investigation, since these cannot be arm’s length transactions and would not normally be reimbursable under government regulations — in Medicare, such arrangements would normally be reduced down to cost.

Obama administration – ACORN violated federal rules concerning housing grants

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ACORN still exists, they were never put out of business. They simply changed the name of the organization, continuing their abuse of the system. Another symptom of the disease since any sort of federal funding of programs like this is completely unconstitutional.

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We’ve changed our name New England, but we’re still … ACORN

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Like Freddie or a bad penny, they just won’t go away. Despite numerous federal investigations and a series of videos that exposed unethical behavior (among them, one showing ACORN employees facilitating under age prostitution) … these “Community” organizers, aka Obama Get Out The Vote Campaign, ACORN has just rebranded itself … and yes, here in New England too.

Apart from Communities United, ACORN chapters in 12 states have reorganized themselves into 11 new organizations. The largest appear to be Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, New York Communities for Change, and New England United for Justice (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island).

Just so you remember, ACORN in New England = New England United for Justice. I would imagine, it’s justice for everyone except 15 year old Central American girls who are forced into prostitution. Not to mention this:

ACORN Housing is under investigation by HUD.

ACORN received some unwanted publicity in recent weeks when a video surfaced showing ACORN Chief Executive and chief organizer Bertha Lewis openly praising socialism and referring to the Tea Party as a “bowel movement” filled with racists.

Although ACORN leaders typically refuse to be labeled as socialists because they realize the term has a negative connotation in American culture, ACORN’s manifesto, the “People’s Platform,” explicitly endorses massive redistribution of wealth, along with a crackdown on bankers and forcing corporations to put poor people on their corporate boards.

Remember, Congress cut funding to ACORN for a reason. Via CapitolReport.

ACORN’s Bertha Lewis: Socialism is the right thing, TEA party is a bowel movement

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I’m not sure how relevant the CEO of ACORN is anymore, but at least she’s not hiding her stripes. She attended a Young Democratic Socialists meeting in late March and said we are living in a time – referring to the TEA party movement – that will dwarf the era of Jim Crow and segregation.

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Health care legislation includes Office of Minority Health, possible ACORN funding

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I’m not sure what’s more disturbing. The fact the federal government feels the need to demand six bloated federal bureaucracies add an official Office of Minority Health, or that ACORN may well qualify for grant cash to “conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans.”

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ACORN complains – our rights are being violated

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From the you’ve got to be kidding me file. ACORN, who’s government swindling exploits are well documented, feels so damn entitled after years of federal handouts totaling millions, they sue the federal government after their funding is pulled by Congress.

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ACORN: Who will be fired in Philadelphia? Housing, prostitution, fraud

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Will Katherine Conway-Russell, office director at the Philadelphia ACORN office be fired? Will the main stream media post dozens of required retractions since they claimed James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles were kicked out of the ACORN office? Will Media Matters disown ACORN and post their own retractions? Update: More video added.

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MSNBC Spins ACORN Story … and lack of coverage – Update- ABC too

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Ahhh … if only spinning was this easy at the gym. Norah O’Donnell on the morning Joe takes on the unenviable task of explainning why the President’s favortie community organization is under fire, and why NBC hasn’t touched the story until now.

I love this ….. “ACORN helps poor people get homes … and she was trying to explain to them, even though they were a pimp and a prostitute, how they could put it down on tax forms so they could get a house.” Actually no, Norah … the video shows they were aiding and abetting a couple trying to set up an underage illegal prostitution ring and avoid legal scrutiny by falsifying IRS forms.  There are other gems in this little gym exercise but you have to watch.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUeWZIqVRrw

Two more points … Republicans didn’t accuse ACORN of voter registratioin fraud during the election … the Feds did … and continue to do so. Go to Michelle for more.

I also like the fact that Mika thinks NBC should cover this. “It;’s an interest story.” Actually no Mika, it was interesting a week ago. Charges of murder and prostitution put it way past interesting.

Update: I forgot to add this. Michelle has the audio of the day from ABC’s Charlie Gibson :

Gibson: HAHAHAHAHA. HEHEHE. I didn’t even know about it. Um. So, you’ve got me at a loss. I don’t know. Uh. Uh. But my goodness, if it’s got everything including sleaziness in it, we should talk about it this morning.

Alinsky Rule #8: Never let up

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It was only a week ago SEIU members lamented that conservatives learned the rules so fast. Indeed. Jim Geraghty over at “The Campaign Spot” has a partial transcript.

Big Government’s James O’Keefe, doing the work 60 Minutes just won’t do anymore, is now back with Part 4 … and this involves a California ACORN office, murder and prostitution. Watch it all.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s8w9GEpSzw&feature=player_embedded

For Part 1 and 2 in Baltimore and Washington D.C. go here. And for the video of the New York office … go here.

UPDATE: If you are not already aware … the Senate voted yesterday to cut off all federal housing money rom ACORN … but the Republicans want more … and they should.

House Minority Leader John Boehner introduced legislation Tuesday that would break all federal government ties with ACORN — the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. House Republicans also wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to use his authority to end all federal funding for ACORN.

The call for a congressional probe came from Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Shelby made the request in a letter to committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.

Let’s hope Senator Dodd gets this right.

Update 2: Oh man … this from the Wall Street Journal On-Line.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Tuesday that the behavior shown on the videotapes was “despicable,” but that it isn’t clear whether problems at Acorn are isolated. If such behavior is widespread, Hoyer said, “I think we need to look very carefully at the assistance that we give.”

Well if four cases doesn’t convince the Democrat my guess is Tape 5, 6, 7, 8 …. won’t either.

Attention Prostitutes, has ACORN Got A Deal For You, Part 2

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James O’Keefe and his colleague Hannah Giles have blown the lid off the ACORN Pandora’s box. We touched a bit on it today, but the hits just keep on coming.

Yesterday O’Keefe and Big Government posted part one of their investigation into the ACORN housing scam. Posing as a pimp with Hannah the prostitute he asked for and received advice on how to scam the system and get Federal aid to run a teenage prostitution ring.

ACORN says the undercover documentary put together by James O’Keefe and his colleague was a setup and one time event.

In a statement, ACORN Maryland board member Margaret Williams said the video was an attempt to smear ACORN, and that undercover teams attempted similar setups in at least three other ACORN offices.

Just some stray community activists? Not so.

O’Keefe is back today with yet another video … this one at a Washington DC office … producing the same results. Need help setting up a prostitution ring … ACORN to the rescue.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWRTYD26Kxc&feature=player_embedded

Remember folks, this is taxpayer money, your money. Go to the link above to see Part 2. And here’s the link to Part 1 in Baltimore.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtTnizEnC1U&feature=player_embedded

No one has followed the ACORN corruption better than Michelle Malkin.

As I note in Culture of Corruption and have reported previously, the Bush administration bears ample blame for fueling the ACORN housing/mortgage counseling racket. The GOP increased funding for left-wing-operated housing counseling programs by 150 percent since taking office in 2001.

Are there any Democrats who care about how all that money is being spent? John Conyers chickened out.

Bueller? Bueller?

Go to BigGovernment to read how the whole story unfolded. But here’s an article I liked the most and you can find it there. The quote is from Congressman Steve King.

“Taxpayers should be outraged that their money has gone to an organization that, in addition to facing charges of voter fraud and tax violations, is willing to facilitate prostitution,” King said. “As this video confirms, ACORN continues to operate as a criminal enterprise. Nancy Pelosi, John Conyers, Barney Frank and other Democrats on Capitol Hill continue to protect and fund ACORN while blocking Congressional hearings on ACORN’s operations and finances. Shielding ACORN from oversight ensures that this partisan criminal enterprise will continue its shady practices while collecting taxpayer funds.”

It is amazing. Will there be a Part 3? Plus where is the MSM. Ha. Such a silly question. Covering for the One.