For all the embedded links please go to:http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/18/13554/6972
Hastert (IL-14) profiteering story getting BIG
by Jerry 101
Sun Jun 18, 2006 at 10:55:04 AM PDT
As many of you are undoubtedly aware, the Speaker of the House used his position to insert a $200 million earmark into the transportation bill a year ago to build his much desired "Prarie Parkway"-a new interstate to connect Interstate 88 with Interstate 80, across exurban Chicago, and specifically Denny's district...
* Jerry 101's diary :: ::
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While he was doing this, he joined with 2 other people to buy up about 250 acres near the proposed highway, and worked the Kendall County Board to ensure an onramp was installed just down the street from one of the properties.
Now, Denny and his partners are selling the land. The first sale, about 90 acres, netted them roughly $3.8 million! They bought the land at $11k an acre and sold it at $35k an acre.
This has been picking up speed over the past few months throughout the blogosphere. I remember reading about the transaction about 2 months ago at http://www.soapblox.net/... .
Now, its being picked up by bigger blogs, most recently thinkprogress: http://thinkprogress.org/... http://thinkprogress.org/...
In the past few days, a few of the papers in Denny's district have picked up on the story. Bad for Denny, obviously. (This post at soapblox has the rundown of the local stories: http://www.soapblox.net/... )
Well, now its BIG. The Chicago Tribune, the right-leaning paper of record in Illinois picked up on the story. Big Time. Its the Sunday Tribune page 3 story. First thing you see when you open the paper is: Hastert cashes in on land sale. http://www.chicagotribune.com/...
Hastert's troubles are starting to get real big. He's becoming more and more vulnerable. Its time we helped the fall of the Speaker along. Many of you who went (unlike me) to YearlyKos got to meet the man running against the Speaker, Fighting Dem John Laesch. John needs everyone's help. He's a great candidate, but is lagging in fundraising. So, if you can spare a few bucks, please, donate to him. Here's the link to the fighting dems actblue site: http://www.actblue.com/... (scroll down a little and you'll find him under IL-14)
SNIP
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/18/13554/6972
