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REZKO For Dummies Friday, January 11th, 2008
In olden days, corrupt Chicago politicians would simply take a bag full of money. Usually the bag of money was passed under the table while corrupt politician and
corrupt fixer lunched or dined. Those were simpler times.
With all the do-gooders trying to stamp out political corruption things got more complicated for politicians on the take.
Republican Senator Alphonse D’Amato devised a clever system which got him in some trouble. D’Amato, played poker every Thursday night with lobbyists. D’Amato
won the poker games, got several hundred dollars on every poker hand played that night, and all was on the apparent up and up. After the lobbyist games were
revealed, and INVESTIGATED, D’Amato had to find a new job.
Now imagine this: A Chicago politician, in modern day Chicago, who wants things he can’t afford. Wifey likes expensive things and wants a big mansion to live in.
What new clever system would said modern day Chicago politician devise? Said Chicago politician first acquaints himself with ethics laws and how to skirt them.
Chicago politician and Chicago fixer come up with this scheme: Funnel tens of millions of dollars in government money to the Chicago Fixer and get him to somehow
buy you a house, among other amenities. Yes, you have to turn your back on freezing Chicago constituents, African-Americans mostly, but hey, it’s the Chicago way.
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What is a REZKO?
… Today, in a light-hearted, “down-to-earth” style, we will discuss REZKO. We will answer such questions as “What is a Rezko?”, “Why should I care about the
REZKO?”, “What is the deeper meaning of the REZKO?”
As regular reader of Big Pink know, we have tried to explain the REZKO before. We’ve written repeatedly about the REZKO. Among other articles, we have written Will
Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald Destroy the Obama Campaign?, The Case of the Missing State Senator, A Challenge To Big Media and Big Blogs, Obama’s $925,000
Question. But some people still don’t get it.
Yesterday, we received some assistance from ABC News and Good Morning America (We love that name - so sunshinny and cheery). Good Morning America ran a
package on Obama and Rezko. The ABC package was Youtubed. Patrick Fitzgerald is on the video. ABC News also posted the story on its website The Rezko
Connection: Obama’s Achilles Heel?
First, a few words of explanation as to how we will proceed in REZKO for Dummies:
Because so many journalists, much more than usual, are reading today (oy vey, don’t ask) we will go real slow. We will start with 2 video presentations - the Good
Morning America package and an earlier CNN production.
Then, later today, in response to popular demand, we will scour the internets and come up with real life questions and defenses from the Obama supporters
regarding the REZKO. We will then, in Part II, answer the questions (in Q and A style) you all have about the REZKO.
The piece then links to the aforementioned YouTube clips of media reports about Mr. Rezko.
And, as promised by these heroes, here is today’s offering:
REZKO For Dummies, Part II Sunday, January 13th, 2008
In our post A Challenge To Big Media and Big Blogs we dared these peas in a pod to Prove us wrong. Show us where we are wrong in the Obama benefactor and
friend, the indicted Antoin “Tony” Rezko, story. No one has come forward to take up the challenge.
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In old Chicago, paper bags filled with money were passed, literally “under the table” to politicians. These days complicated schemes are employed by politicians on
the take. Herewith, as lawyers say, is our “theory of the case”. As TV show detective “Monk” says “Here’s what happened”:
Obama had multiple land dealings regarding Rezko. Obama and his supporters answer a question about a particular land deal by bringing up details about a different
land deal. This is how they try to kill the REZKO scandal - distract, distort, deflect. But they never answer directly.
I. Obama/REZKO land dealings benefitting REZKO:
Both as part time State Senator and part time lawyer, Obama helped his friend of 17 years, REZKO, obtain tens of millions of dollars in government subsidies. There
are many of these land deals.
At the Chicago political machine law firm where Obama worked, Obama helped pump tens of millions of government subsidy monies to the REZKO company called
REZMAR.
As State Senator, Obama, in his official capacity, also helped pump tens of millions of more dollars to REZKO. senator but this video proves that too was an Obama lie HERE]
II. Obama/REZKO land dealings benefitting Obama:
Obama received many contributions from REZKO and even more money from contributions raised by REZKO for all of Obama’s political campaigns (the failed
congressional race, the state senate race, the U.S. Senate race). But the biggest personal benefit Obama received from REZKO, that we know of, is the big house
Obama lives in today.
Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. Obama and Michelle owned a condominum at that time but now that Obama was a U.S. Senator they wanted to move
to a big house. Obama could not afford the big house he wanted. The house cost $2,305,000. However, in 2005 Obama bought the house he could not afford. Here is
how Obama bought a house he could not afford:
Step 1 - Obama talked the doctor selling the house into selling the house and the house’s side yard separately. There would be two separate buyers of the single
property - both purchasing the property on the same day.
Step 2 - Obama had previously asked his friend REZKO to buy the side yard of the house. REZKO was doing financially well at this point.
Step 3 - Obama purchased the land with the house on it. REZKO, probably to hide his involvement in this land deal and protect Obama, had his wife Rita purchase
the side yard. Both purchases of the single property closed on the same day.
Result - Obama got a $300,000 discount on the much more valuable property on which the house stood. REZKO’s wife, Rita, purchased the side yard for full price.
After the deal, Obama paid for mowing of his front lawn as well as REZKO’s yard.
The math is this: Obama gets a $300,000 discount and pays $1,605,000 for his house; REZKO’s wife buys the yard at full price for the undeveloped, less valuable side
yard for $625,000. Obama gets a $2,305,000 house for $1,605,000. “Profit” to Obama = $925,000.
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