If you've heard of ACORN, you've probably heard of that group tied to "voter fraud". Well, I'm here to tell you that not only is the evidence of voter fraud by ACORN rather limited, but in fact, when the public focuses on its "voter fraud" activities they are playing right into the hands of ACORN and overlooking the real criminality by that group. In fact, the focus on ACORN itself plays into the hands of the powers that be in that group. (more on all of this in a minute)
When you hear about ACORN's attempt at voter fraud, what you hear about is a lot of fake names registered to vote. The most infamous example is when they registered "Mickey Mouse". Of course, this is not voter fraud because "Mickey Mouse" won't be voting. In fact, this is funding fraud. Often ACORN is hired by the George Soros funded group Democracy Alliance. Democracy Alliance will pay ACORN a certain amount, say $10, per name that is registered. Well, about 66% of the names handed into DA in 2008 by ACORN were likely fraudulent. They didn't exist much like "Mickey Mouse". This isn't voter fraud though since none of these names would ever vote. Ironically enough, the victim of this fraud is Soros and DA themselves, since they paid millions for voters that didn't exist.
Now, while I don't mean to minimize the fraud involved here, I can also tell you that everyone behind ACORN would love nothing more than for the public to focus on its "voter fraud" activities. There are several reasons for this. First, as I pointed out, it's hard to convict them of any illegal activities on "voter fraud" since there is really no evidence of this. Second, by making the focus "voter fraud" the public at large misses their far more serious crimes.
As I have already pointed out, their serious crimes are centered in Citizens Consulting Incorporated. CCI is a consulting and accounting group that counts only one client, ACORN. Here's where it gets tricky. ACORN itself isn't one organization but rather two hundred separate organization, most of them ACORN affiliates. The reason that the folks at ACORN want the public at large to focus on ACORN itself is also two fold. First, there is very little criminality going on at ACORN itself. By extension, ACORN can become the lightning rod for controversy all the while deflecting attention from its much more nefarious affiliates.
The real criminality comes from the manner in which funds are distributed. As I pointed out in another piece. all monies that ACORN receives start at CCI. ACORN receives money not only from private "philanthropies like Democracy Alliance but from the federal government itself. This money is often earmarked. For instance, it might earmarked for providing health care services to the poor. This would likely be done by the ACORN affiliate, Health Care for America Now. HCAN would lobby the government for funds. The government would write them a check. That check wouldn't got to HCAN but rather to CCI. From there, it could wind up in any of the 200 or so affiliates for any purposes. It might wind up in the coffers of one of its political arms to be used to fund the campaign of another politician.
This isn't merely fraud but a total misuse of funds, and often its tax payer funds. Of course, often monies get transferred between affiliates as though they are all in one account. Since CCI is itself a private enterprise, no one has yet seen their books.
So, what ACORN has done is created a sophisticated network of sister organizations and this network is actually run, financially at least, by CCI. All of this makes tracking down the money and the criminality very difficult. This is all by design. The scam here is so complicated that it means the public at large will likely get confused before understanding the scam.
Another aspect of ACORN's criminality is their unholy alliance with the SEIU (Service Employees Internation Union). As I reported prior, several years back Dale Rathke was found to have embezzled about a million dollars from ACORN. It is Dale's brother Wade that founded the organization. Well, Wade didn't necessarily go very far. He then moved onto create the New Orleans chapter of the SEIU. In fact, employees often find their way between ACORN affiliates and the SEIU. Often, their ideologies match and in such cases the SEIU uses ACORN as a sort of goon squad.
Here's how that works. If the SEIU wants to get a hospital to be unionized, they will hire ACORN to intimidate some of the major players at said hospital. This is what I refer to as ACORN's use of Alinksy Rule #13. They will bring in a few hundred protestors. The protestors will stand outside or across the street from the target's house. Then, these protestors will go several blocks all around passing out fliers to neighbors demonizing the target. The goal is of course to get the target to submit under the pressure of public scorn among their friends, colleagues, and neighbors. In other words, union contracts are often extorted through the constant public demonization of a hired goon squad.
Again, it's important to understand that a paper trail between ACORN itself and all of this is difficult to track. ACORN is put out as a sort of front group to attract attention. That way when a conservative blogger like me or any other opponent points out what they are doing they can go to my ideological enemies and ask for money. After all, if conservatives hate ACORN, then they must be doing something right in the eyes of someone like George Soros. They are also there to deflect attention from the real criminality which starts at CCI and continues in any number of about 200 affiliates that most people have never heard of. Finally, imagine trying to follow the money as it tracks between these two hundred or so affiliated organizations. That should tell you why the public at large focuses on "voter fraud". It's because the real criminality is far too complicated for anyone to grasp.
Please check out my new books, "Bullied to Death: Chris Mackney's Kafkaesque Divorce and Sandra Grazzini-Rucki and the World's Last Custody Trial"
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2 comments:
The comments made were right on. I was an ACORN insider for several years. Not only is CCI an arm of ACORN and affiliates, it has used the same audit firm both before and after the embezzlement. The audit firm allowed the theft to be carried as a loan.
The audit of ACORN'S books have not been done in a timely manner. A forensic audit has not been done, As reported in the article, funds are moved from agency, affiliate to other accounts.
Isn't this known as money laundering.
Excellent post! ACORN gets 40% of its funding from us (yes, you and me - taxpayers) through HUD. ACORN is an extention of the HUD and HUD Affiliate "thug" culture. Your previous post about HUD Shakedowns, including HUD-Affiliate Fair Housing Council of Orange County, acts just like ACORN. The criminality extends to HUD.
It is not an Obama-thing, even though he was associated. Even George W. Bush "enabled" these "thugs". Not only does there need to be a Congressional Investigation into ACORN, but also why HUD uses our taxpayer money to fund these organizations. HUD-Secretary Shaun Donovan should make HUD "transparent" as originally promised in the Presidential campaign - Government Transparency...what happened to that? Why doesn't HUD STOP payments to ACORN with our money, at least until we find out what happened to the rest (as Marcel Reid says).
Keep up your pursuit of "the truth", Mike!
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