As documented over the past few months by the Naples Daily News, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who served as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during the 2005 re-write of the national highway bill, took in $40,000 in campaign contributions at an event in February 2005 hosted by the developer. By the time the highway bill went to the White House in August 2005, a $10 million earmark had appeared for a new interchange off of I-75, known as the Coconut Road exchange. The developer owned property near the proposed interchange and would presumably build new homes on that land.

So Don Young wasn't satisfied with his bridge to nowhere, he also earmarked a project from a developer who had given him $40,000. I call that bribery.

Fla. County Says 'No Thanks' to $10 million Earmark - Capitol Briefing

Notices of unpaid taxes, unanticipated and little understood, will probably multiply as more people fall behind on their mortgages, said Ellen Harnick, senior policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, a nonpartisan research and policy center in Durham, N.C.

Foreclosure is one way that beleaguered homeowners can fall into this tax trap. The other is when homeowners are forced to sell their homes for less than the value of the mortgage. If the lender forgives that difference, they are liable for income taxes on that amount.

The 1099 shortfall, as it is called, stems from an Internal Revenue Service policy that treats forgiven debt of all types as income even if the taxpayer has nothing tangible to show for it, unless the debt is canceled through bankruptcy.

Still more fallout from the sub-prime trap. Lost your house? That's okay, you only owe us $30,000 because you lost it.

After Foreclosure, a Big Tax Bill From the I.R.S. - New York Times

Top Commerce and Treasury department officials appeared with Republican candidates and doled out millions in federal money in battleground congressional districts and states after receiving White House political briefings detailing GOP election strategy.

It's called the Hatch Act. It basically says, thou shalt not blow the federal dime to prop up candidates. That happens on some levels already (see earmarks) but those are legislated, these are administrative, which basically means, they're earmarks without getting earmarked.

It really does look like RICO is in order.

Commerce, Treasury funds helped boost GOP campaigns

A majority of Americans don't trust the upcoming report by the Army's top commander in Iraq on the progress of the war and even if they did, it wouldn't change their mind, according to a new poll.

Okay, CNN? Stop spinning this as the Petraeus report. It's already been widely stated, it's yet another White House serving of turd blossom, call it what it is.

Poll: Majority mistrustful of upcoming Iraq report - CNN.com

This is your taxpayer money hard at work. And who's cashing in? Conservative "watchdog" groups. Of course! In the video below, we explain why these conservatives are getting paid with your money to watch porn all day long.

Why am I picturing Church Lady saying, "It's Satan!"

People Who Get Paid to Watch Porn - News Bloggers

HH: Your intention to go the distance, Tony Snow?

TS: No, I’m not going to be…I’ve already made it clear I’m not going to be able to go the distance, but that’s primarily for financial reasons. I’ve told people when my money runs out, then I’ve got to go.

This was a complete side note in the discussion with Hewitt, and given everything going on with Tony, it's fully understandable. I guess we'll see how good Dana Perino is full time soon.

Tony Snow to leave White House

Last Oct. 18, Henry Barbour registered to lobby for Camp Dresser & McKee Inc., a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based engineering firm that had also been a client of his uncle's firm in Washington. A week later, seven CDM officials each gave the governor's re-election campaign $1,000.

One of the projects recommended by the governor's reconstruction commission was a $3 million study of water management systems in six Mississippi counties affected by Katrina. Camp Dresser and Waggoner Engineering, another client of Henry Barbour's firm, worked on that project. CDM paid Henry $15,000 for the final quarter of 2006, according to state lobbying records.

Nothing like a bit of cronyism and bribery...

Bloomberg.com: News

Despite Bush's repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government.

And with the White House being so candid with their other assessments, anyone want to make a wager on what this one is going to say?

Top general may propose pullbacks - Los Angeles Times

Embattled NFL quarterback Michael Vick, facing federal charges related to his alleged participation in dogfighting, has been hit with a "$63,000,000,000 billion dollar" lawsuit filed by a South Carolina inmate who alleges the Atlanta Falcons star stole his pit bulls and sold them on eBay to buy "missiles from Iran," FOX News has learned.

Okay, question number one, why did this get any play at all (oh wait, it's fox, duh)? Question two, are they sure this really isn't from The Onion?

FOXNews.com - South Carolina Inmate Hits Michael Vick With '$63,000,000,000 Billion Dollar' Lawsuit Alleging Al Qaeda Ties - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Wall Street has been pummeled as a deepening credit crunch spooked the market, and led to unease about potential losses at financial firms and funds. The Federal Reserve, which has injected some $64 billion of liquidity into the U.S. banking system since Thursday, said it stood ready to act again should market conditions warrant.

Oops. Yep, more people than ever own there own homes, and now more people than ever are going to have them foreclosed.

Stocks End Down on Credit, Consumer Woes - The Huffington Post