Billy Long is Indeed Wrong, Contradicts House Ethics Rules

It was amazing, listening to Mr. Billy Long complain how successful he has been in business and now must throw it away if elected to Congress.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5586138
 ( fast forward to 1:16:30 )


Mike Moon starts to challenge him but doesn't take it far enough asking whether he has to give up his farm if elected, Long said 'yes' if he has 'fiduciary' responsibilities. The real answer is no. Mike Moon doesn't have to give up anything and neither does Billy Long have to give up ANY of his assets, if in the unlikely event he can pull this off. Billy Long must have the worst advisers on the planet. He has bemoaned in the past and did so again about having to surrender his lifelong business to serve as a U.S. Congressman if elected. I'm amazed that he has never been challenged on that issue with the exception of Mike Moons' minor questioning.

So here is the challenge::

Billy Long::
A.     Knows the truth and is hoping the voters of the 7th CD are ignorant enough not to question his position.
B.      Is lying and is trying to garner sympathy for the downtrodden Millionaire
C.      Is clueless as to the rules in the Ethics Manual ( Not going there today ), and the 'advisers' that he has been rumored to have retained are equally ignorant.

I choose the 3rd, because it fits his past statements of saying "I'm not the smartest guy in the room"


For those wanting to read, look here:
Page 256 (not the pdf page) of the 2008 House Ethics Manual

http://ethics.house.gov/Media/PDF/2008_House_Ethics_Manual.pdf

For those who don't want to read it, here are the cliff notes:

Basically, everything that is real property over the value of $1,000 bucks need to be disclosed, with a few exceptions i.e. your home that doesn't produce income. The reasons for the disclosure is to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest. i.e. owning a medical billing company and voting on a medicare bill that could impact your industry, or a car dealership and have the government bail out your manufacture. Now having friends that it could impact might not be a violation, but it sure looks fishy.

Putting everything in a qualified blind trust (as per the House Ethics Manual) alleviates the need to disclose because you can't control the trust, therefor, no potential conflict of interest.

The Long and Short of it, is simple:

Do your homework before coming to class or risk being embarrassed by your teacher

Ethics Charges Filed

Ethics charges have been filed with the General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission against Billy Long (R) Mo. 7th CD

Potential FEC Ethics Violations to be Reported

Mar 15, 2010 – Until today's tragic house fire ( see:  www.wardellforcongress.com for further information)

which claimed the lives of my employee’s three children, Alexis (7), Kelsey (5), and Devin (4), it was my intent to travel to Jefferson City, Mo. to register for the upcoming Republican primary for the 7th Congressional seat now held by Roy Blunt. Due to the tragedy that struck my business, I will remain in Springfield to attend the children’s funerals.

With that said, it’s now been two weeks since Republican Billy Long was accused of attempting to bribe the blogger who writes the Billy Long is Wrong Web site. Since that time, Long has avoided the issue and not answered questions of the allegations. I have confirmed with three sources that Long did attempt to offer a job to the blogger known as Bungalow Bill in exchange for removing the blog site critical of the Long campaign on March 2, 2010, at Pizza by Stout in Joplin, Missouri, following the Republican women’s meeting that evening.

It has also come to my attention that Mr. Long may also be in violation of corporate in-kind donations to his campaign, which violates the 1907 Tillman Act. It is for these reasons I am moving forward with filing a complaint against Long with the Federal Election Commission.

I have prepared a statement of what I have learned about the event, and I will have it notarized and sent FedEx to the Federal Election Commission within the next two days. Our party is in the process of rebuilding trust with voters, and Longs unethical behavior puts our party at risk of losing the 7th Congressional seat if these allegations wait for the Democratic challenger to use then against Long in the fall if he were to win the primary.

Since this story broke almost two weeks ago, I am in disbelief and dismayed that my other six Republican opponents have remained without comment towards the possible ethics violations Long is accused of, with so much on the line this year. If Republicans want to return to the party America can trust, they are going to have to do so by policing their own. With so much to lose, the other six candidates chose to remain quiet. Republicans cannot afford to send a man to Washington who will hurt the party through payoffs to avoid criticism or gain favor. Americans already have trust issues with our party, and we need to work every day to rebuild that trust. What Long did at a Joplin pizza parlor will not benefit the Republican party in the long run.

Speaking as a voter and for the voters in Southwest Missouri, Billy Long owes us an explanation why he feels the First Amendment is something he can silence with a bribe.

Wardell Issues Statement Concerning Allegations Against Employee of Family Business

As today’s tragedy of loss unfolds, my employee David Williams and his fiance have lost their three children, it's evident the bile of human nature still circles the carcass of the fallen.

The report that Mr. David Williams is a sexual predictor is a complete over exaggeration. It saddens me that in this man’s time of loss, so many people are quick to judge him without knowing the facts.

David is on the sex offender list.

I knew that when I hired him as he disclosed this to me at the time of the interview. He was 17 at the time of the offense and I personal looked into the matter. After learning the facts surrounding the case, and discussing it with David, and I was completely and unequivocally confidant that David was not a threat to me, my family or my two-year old daughter. The Authorities are aware that he and Violet were together, engaged, and that there were children in their home. The Authorities were comfortable with the situation.

Davids' past is unfortunate, growing up as a confused teenager in foster care. Before you place judgment on him, you should know his label of 'sex offender' is one of the least offensive judgments. They were a boy and a girl taking it further than they should have, and the system waited until his 18th birthday to charge him as an adult.

David has taken his punishment and has turned his life around. He has a job, a fiance, and her children that he loves and fought to save. He has gone from being two months behind on his rent in a poorly maintained trailer, to a recently renovated home and two cars that get he and his fiance' to work trying to better themselves. The Government does lend assistance but they were working to get off of that, and I am proud to help an American who had made poor choices turn his life around, and I admonish anyone who judges me for giving this Man a chance.

I am not advocating the actions which places this label upon him, it’s a reminder that we must work harder in our community to promote healthy lifestyles with our teenagers. It also is a reminder that people can fix their problems....if given a chance.

Michael J. Wardell

Candidate for Congress.

Nixa, Mo.

Wardell Explores Ethics Charge Against Billy Long

It is with no joy that I make this announcement.

A week ago, Mr. Billy Long, a Candidate for the 7^th Congressional District, attempted to bribe or coerce a citizen journalist into killing a blog, critical of his campaign in exchange for a position on his campaign. Fired-Up Missouri, a liberal blog, is already tracking this.

It has been a week and Mr. Long has not denied this charge.

Mr. Long must step down as a candidate, not because I asked him to but because he gives napalm to Tim Davis and the Democratic Majority. If we Republicans tolerate this behavior and sweep this under the rug, we will regret it.

If Mr. Long and his $500,000+ war chest were to win the Primary, Tim Davis, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama will pull out all the stops and flood this district with cash and support in a race that the Democrat Majority is losing members at lightning speed.

They will wait until September and THEY will file an Ethics charge, damaging the Republican Candidate, and potentially having him removed from the ballot. Barack Obama used a similar tactic in his own Senatorial race in Illinois and won

I will not stand idle and let Southwest Missouri be hijacked by the opposition, because I lacked the backbone to say something about someone who lacks the capacity to understand the ramification of his actions could potentially damage my Party and my District.

Wardell Calls For Long to Step Down

Congressional Candidate Michael Wardell running for Missouri's Seventh District Congressional Seat that Roy Blunt currently holds issued the following statement:

Over the past several days, a report has surfaced that has shaken the very foundation of our District, our Liberty, and our Party and has embarrassed my fellow Conservatives. A candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives should be an example of leadership, Integrity and Character for the community regardless of party affiliation.

We Republicans have railed against the Democrats for their backroom deals, Louisiana Purchases and its Nebraska buyouts, and yet one of our own who professes to be the citizen that should go to Washington D.C. believes that those rules only apply to others.

According to blogger Bungalow Bill, who writes Bungalow Bill’s Conservative Wisdom and Billy Long is Wrong, on Tuesday the 2nd of March, Mr. Long attempted to stifle free speech, and buy the bloggers silence. The two met for coffee and the rest, they say, is history.

This is not the kind of representation we need in the 7th Congressional district, and if confirmed Mr. Long should step down from the race. If Mr. Long is able to weather this lapse in ethical behavior and make it to the general election, his opponent will charge in with bayonets fixed and firing, and the seat could be lost. I’m not willing to accept that.--Michael Wardell 3/5/2010