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Late last month, Don Cravin, Jr's campaign made hay of the fact that while Mr. Cravins meets with regular Louisianans like you and I to listen to their concerns about high gas prices, the rising grocery bills, health care and other concerns, (pdf alert) Congressman Charles Boustany is apparently more concerned about hanging out with lobbyists at his beautiful home in Lafayette. The Roll Call article is behind a subscription wall, but the relevant text is this:
"Amid that growing concern, Boustany invited 30 of the most powerful Louisianans living in Washington, D.C., to his home in mid-February to discuss the state and its priorities."
"I called a meeting of Louisiana lobbyists ... to let them know that I'm willing to be the conduit to the rest of the delegation to make sure that we are setting our priorities and all working toward common goals."
As if hanging out with powerful Louisiana lobbyists so they can dictate his agenda was not enough, did you know that Congressman Boustany once attempted to buy an English Title? There was one small problem ... it was a fraud (pdf alert). Apparently, two con artists hoodwinked dumb wealthy Americans like Congressman Boustany that they could buy an English Title, which would give them all sorts of goodies like being called Lord Boustany and a seat to ride in the Queen Mum's 100th Birthday celebration back in the mid-1990's.
Most millionaires like Congressman Lord Boustany would let the money go. But not Congressman Lord Boustany. Noooo.
He went and filed a lawsuit that never went anywhere in Lafayette Parish, and it is available to the public ... I have all three pages of the complaint, but the most relevant one is page 2, which shows how much he paid for the Title - $18,500 - and lists both his name and that of his wife in the pleading, and why they are filing suit.
Ahh ... you might be thinking this can't get any worse for the erstwhile Congressman Lord Boustany ... but you'd be wrong. You see, he is well-known for being against earmarks:
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, a Republican, toes the line against pork-barrel projects, but Cravins argues that earmarks can have a positive impact, especially for a district still struggling to rebuild in the wake of 2005's Hurricane Rita. "How can Congressman Boustany not believe in earmarks for a district that has been devastated by a hurricane?" Cravins asks. "We need the money, and that's a lack of leadership."
... but like most snobbish Congressmen Lords, he is merely against earmarks for us mere commoners, as he will help out his wealthy friends who donate thousands to his campaign according to a Gerald Shields' article in The Advocate entitled Earmarks remain in 'pay to play' Congress, dated June 8, 2008, which is no longer available online:
One of those members is U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette. Boustany last year sponsored an earmark worth up to $1 million for C&C Technologies in the defense spending bill.
Donors associated with C&C Technologies have contributed $20,300 to Boustany's campaign since his election in 2004, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which analyzes federal campaign contributions.
I guess we common folk don't have the dough to play on Congressman Lord Boustany's level.
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