Sweet Home Chicago
"The Obama Shakedown"
Sweet Home Chicago “The Obama Shakedown"
Pearson Publishing owns Penguin-Random House Publishing. The Obama administration gave Pearson Publishing a whopping $350 million dollars to help sell Common Core to the various States when Obama’s one-size-fits-all-curriculum was first foisted on the American people. Essentially, without their consent.
A few years later—after Barack Obama left office—he and Michele were given a $65 million dollar advance on their future memoirs, a number greatly exceeding that of previous presidents. This is especially true when you consider Michele Obama's advance was approximately half of that staggering number.
Who was so generous to the Obama's?
You guessed it, Pearson Publishing. This is what Pres. Trump was referring to when he suggested The Obama's, book deal, needed to be looked into.
"Was this a quid pro quo?"
The various states that adopted Common core did so, at least in part, because they were given taxpayer money as an incentive. In other words—states that were hungry for federal funds—following The Great Recession of 2007, would've gratefully accepted just about anything, for an infusion of much-needed taxpayer money. Should the states choose not to implement President Obama’s one size fits all educational curriculum, however, those desperately needed federal funds would be withheld.
“Was that a quid pro quo?”
The generosity of corporations like Pearson Publishing, as well as Netflix, who also made a whopping financial deal with the Obama’s, post-presidency, is how the Obama's got the largess to buy a $15 million dollar house on the ocean, on Martha’s Vineyard, a neighborhood so exclusive that the average person would probably be arrested for simply existing, should they trespass on Martha’s very exclusive neighborhood.
You might also wonder why climate change-alarmists like Barack Obama (who had access to the greatest scientific minds on the subject and all) would buy a $15 million dollar house on the ocean. Especially when considering the world is supposed to end in 12 years, (or some other number, as yet to be named) the result of boiling oceans and rapidly rising sea levels. But, apparently, "The Obama’s" bravely ignored their own warnings and made the purchase anyway.
Am I startled by the Obama’s indifference to their own cataclysmic prophesies? Not even a little.
And, lest we forget, the Obama’s had previously bought an $8.1 million mansion, in a very exclusive Chicago neighborhood, shortly after leaving office. Not bad for a politician making $400K a year as president. All totaled that’s $23 million dollars in mansion purchases, (The Obama’s don’t buy just any ole house) only a few short years after vacating the White House.
Of course, there’s also the Chicago Mansion that the Obama’s bought for $1.6 million, $300,000,00 less than the asking price, way back in 2005, after Tony Rezko, Obama’s longtime money man stepped in to help make the deal a reality. At the time of The Obama’s real estate deal, Rezko was under investigation by the FBI for wire fraud, money laundering, and extortion. Regardless, to seal the deal on The Obama’s, new home, Rezko, significantly overpaid for an empty lot next door, purchasing it from the same man who sold the Obama’s, their dream home. One of the key contractual demands was that both The Obama’s house and Rezko’s empty lot close on the same day. This was almost certainly done to keep from raising a red flag that the deal was suspect, thus, compelling the banks involved to shut both deals down. Because the two deals wouldn’t show up in the public record until long after the deals were done. This little deflection enabled the seller to undersell the first property, making it affordable for Barack and Michele, while making up the price difference on the empty lot. In both cases, all you’d need is a title company or, better still, two title companies that wouldn’t look too closely at the contracts. There was also, probably, a separate contract between the Obama’s and the seller, and another contract with Rezko’s wife as the purchaser of the empty lot. With a compliant real estate appraiser in your pocket, the value of both properties could be inflated, allowing hundreds of thousands of dollars to be kicked back to Rezko at closing. And, with a couple of “Favorable” title companies, the paper trail could be made to appear legal. One more thing, with a corrupt local and state government, which is basically a given, in Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town,) the paperwork could be disappeared, the same way third world oligarchs disappear their political opposition. This is one, very obvious way to launder money.
So, this is how and why Tony “The Racketeer” Rezko, paid for an empty lot, nearly half of what the Obama’s paid for their 100 yr old, gorgeous, historic mansion, and, then sold a 10 ft. section of his very expensive lot to the Obama’s at a steal, thus, devaluing his own empty lot by a significant amount, while greatly enhancing the value of the Obama’s newly purchased dream abode. How generous Tony “The Extortionist” Rezko was to his valued friends. But, as the press like to say, when dealing with favored politicians, “Pay that conspiracy theory shit no never mind. You rightwing bastards!”
The really entertaining part of this story is reading how “Politifact” spins something that clearly did happen, as just a rightwing conspiracy. Politifact selectively tap dances through the evidence like a crack-smoking Johnny Cochran, trying to make it all seem above board. “If it does not fit...you must acquit!” Or, in this case, the 100 yr. old historic Obama mansion, in one of Chicago’s most exclusive neighborhoods, was probably just some old, musty house that nobody wanted. “I mean, 100 yr-old house? C’mon! That’s really old! Did the plumbing even work?” The fact that the house’s value was almost $2 million, stone-cold dollars, apparently, meant nothing.
Let me offer this consolation if you’re worried that Tony “The Lying Sack of Money Laundering Shit” Rezko lost money on the deal. He didn’t. Rezko’s wife bought the empty lot at a premium and then sold it at a profit to her personal attorney. At which time the new owners (Rezko’s wife’s attorney) put the property up for sale for a cool $1.5 million dollars. Believe me, when you do business the Chicago way, nobody loses money, (except the taxpayers.) Some of the participants, involved, may eventually end up in jail, which is the risk you take when dealing in multimillion-dollar real estate fraud. But somebody is going to make money, a whole lot of money. Having once been in the real estate investment and mortgage end of the business, dealing in fairly large sums of money, these kinds of deals are hardly rare, even while being thoroughly unethical and, in most cases, illegal. However, if you’re really good at your job and well connected, they can be made to look like they’re on the up and up. Nonetheless, after Tony “The Fraud-Master General” Rezko’s fraudulent schemes came to light, Senator Obama apologized for not seeing the criminally obvious, forest for the trees, when dealing with Tony “I’d Rape My Own Mother For a Dollar” Rezko, causing the press to say “Barack Obama is the bestest Senator/President, ever!” Much the way the press are currently saying “How dare you impugn kindly ole Uncle Joe and his wayward son Hunter “I Banged My Dead Brother’s Wife” Biden, with your rightwing conspiracy theories, simply because Hunter is cashing on his dad’s name like Jesus calling on Jehovah to fill up those wine barrels with piles of oligarch funded cash. “We assure you, this is not nepotistic corruption of the most venal kind. No sir!” said the media industrial complex.
One more thing, not long after The Obama’s epic real estate deal, Tony Rezko went to federal prison for wire fraud, extortion, and money laundering. However, before Rezko was sent to the “Big House,” he was making out like a bandit (literally) on a $14 million, low-income housing project scam, sent his way by, you guessed it, then-Senator Obama. Said project gave almost $1 million in fees to Tony “The Reeking Pile of Whale Shit” Rezko, adding to Rezko’s lengthy list of government-related cons.
Sometime later, after all these shenanigans were uncovered, Senator Obama confessed that he had no idea that Tony Rezko—one of Chicago’s long-time scum bags—was anything other than a swell guy. Just like when President Obama said “uh….sure….you can keep your doctor, with my swell new healthcare plan. Even though, he’d said exactly the opposite, dozens of times, in full view of the world. In both cases, the press just responded with; “Huh?”
Marie Antoinette’s "Let them eat cake”—and her inevitable beheading—seem more relevant, all the damned time. Or, at least, they should.
But I’m not holding my breath.
Mark Magula
Pearson Publishing owns Penguin-Random House Publishing. The Obama administration gave Pearson Publishing a whopping $350 million dollars to help sell Common Core to the various States when Obama’s one-size-fits-all-curriculum was first foisted on the American people. Essentially, without their consent.
A few years later—after Barack Obama left office—he and Michele were given a $65 million dollar advance on their future memoirs, a number greatly exceeding that of previous presidents. This is especially true when you consider Michele Obama's advance was approximately half of that staggering number.
Who was so generous to the Obama's?
You guessed it, Pearson Publishing. This is what Pres. Trump was referring to when he suggested The Obama's, book deal, needed to be looked into.
"Was this a quid pro quo?"
The various states that adopted Common core did so, at least in part, because they were given taxpayer money as an incentive. In other words—states that were hungry for federal funds—following The Great Recession of 2007, would've gratefully accepted just about anything, for an infusion of much-needed taxpayer money. Should the states choose not to implement President Obama’s one size fits all educational curriculum, however, those desperately needed federal funds would be withheld.
“Was that a quid pro quo?”
The generosity of corporations like Pearson Publishing, as well as Netflix, who also made a whopping financial deal with the Obama’s, post-presidency, is how the Obama's got the largess to buy a $15 million dollar house on the ocean, on Martha’s Vineyard, a neighborhood so exclusive that the average person would probably be arrested for simply existing, should they trespass on Martha’s very exclusive neighborhood.
You might also wonder why climate change-alarmists like Barack Obama (who had access to the greatest scientific minds on the subject and all) would buy a $15 million dollar house on the ocean. Especially when considering the world is supposed to end in 12 years, (or some other number, as yet to be named) the result of boiling oceans and rapidly rising sea levels. But, apparently, "The Obama’s" bravely ignored their own warnings and made the purchase anyway.
Am I startled by the Obama’s indifference to their own cataclysmic prophesies? Not even a little.
And, lest we forget, the Obama’s had previously bought an $8.1 million mansion, in a very exclusive Chicago neighborhood, shortly after leaving office. Not bad for a politician making $400K a year as president. All totaled that’s $23 million dollars in mansion purchases, (The Obama’s don’t buy just any ole house) only a few short years after vacating the White House.
Of course, there’s also the Chicago Mansion that the Obama’s bought for $1.6 million, $300,000,00 less than the asking price, way back in 2005, after Tony Rezko, Obama’s longtime money man stepped in to help make the deal a reality. At the time of The Obama’s real estate deal, Rezko was under investigation by the FBI for wire fraud, money laundering, and extortion. Regardless, to seal the deal on The Obama’s, new home, Rezko, significantly overpaid for an empty lot next door, purchasing it from the same man who sold the Obama’s, their dream home. One of the key contractual demands was that both The Obama’s house and Rezko’s empty lot close on the same day. This was almost certainly done to keep from raising a red flag that the deal was suspect, thus, compelling the banks involved to shut both deals down. Because the two deals wouldn’t show up in the public record until long after the deals were done. This little deflection enabled the seller to undersell the first property, making it affordable for Barack and Michele, while making up the price difference on the empty lot. In both cases, all you’d need is a title company or, better still, two title companies that wouldn’t look too closely at the contracts. There was also, probably, a separate contract between the Obama’s and the seller, and another contract with Rezko’s wife as the purchaser of the empty lot. With a compliant real estate appraiser in your pocket, the value of both properties could be inflated, allowing hundreds of thousands of dollars to be kicked back to Rezko at closing. And, with a couple of “Favorable” title companies, the paper trail could be made to appear legal. One more thing, with a corrupt local and state government, which is basically a given, in Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town,) the paperwork could be disappeared, the same way third world oligarchs disappear their political opposition. This is one, very obvious way to launder money.
So, this is how and why Tony “The Racketeer” Rezko, paid for an empty lot, nearly half of what the Obama’s paid for their 100 yr old, gorgeous, historic mansion, and, then sold a 10 ft. section of his very expensive lot to the Obama’s at a steal, thus, devaluing his own empty lot by a significant amount, while greatly enhancing the value of the Obama’s newly purchased dream abode. How generous Tony “The Extortionist” Rezko was to his valued friends. But, as the press like to say, when dealing with favored politicians, “Pay that conspiracy theory shit no never mind. You rightwing bastards!”
The really entertaining part of this story is reading how “Politifact” spins something that clearly did happen, as just a rightwing conspiracy. Politifact selectively tap dances through the evidence like a crack-smoking Johnny Cochran, trying to make it all seem above board. “If it does not fit...you must acquit!” Or, in this case, the 100 yr. old historic Obama mansion, in one of Chicago’s most exclusive neighborhoods, was probably just some old, musty house that nobody wanted. “I mean, 100 yr-old house? C’mon! That’s really old! Did the plumbing even work?” The fact that the house’s value was almost $2 million, stone-cold dollars, apparently, meant nothing.
Let me offer this consolation if you’re worried that Tony “The Lying Sack of Money Laundering Shit” Rezko lost money on the deal. He didn’t. Rezko’s wife bought the empty lot at a premium and then sold it at a profit to her personal attorney. At which time the new owners (Rezko’s wife’s attorney) put the property up for sale for a cool $1.5 million dollars. Believe me, when you do business the Chicago way, nobody loses money, (except the taxpayers.) Some of the participants, involved, may eventually end up in jail, which is the risk you take when dealing in multimillion-dollar real estate fraud. But somebody is going to make money, a whole lot of money. Having once been in the real estate investment and mortgage end of the business, dealing in fairly large sums of money, these kinds of deals are hardly rare, even while being thoroughly unethical and, in most cases, illegal. However, if you’re really good at your job and well connected, they can be made to look like they’re on the up and up. Nonetheless, after Tony “The Fraud-Master General” Rezko’s fraudulent schemes came to light, Senator Obama apologized for not seeing the criminally obvious, forest for the trees, when dealing with Tony “I’d Rape My Own Mother For a Dollar” Rezko, causing the press to say “Barack Obama is the bestest Senator/President, ever!” Much the way the press are currently saying “How dare you impugn kindly ole Uncle Joe and his wayward son Hunter “I Banged My Dead Brother’s Wife” Biden, with your rightwing conspiracy theories, simply because Hunter is cashing on his dad’s name like Jesus calling on Jehovah to fill up those wine barrels with piles of oligarch funded cash. “We assure you, this is not nepotistic corruption of the most venal kind. No sir!” said the media industrial complex.
One more thing, not long after The Obama’s epic real estate deal, Tony Rezko went to federal prison for wire fraud, extortion, and money laundering. However, before Rezko was sent to the “Big House,” he was making out like a bandit (literally) on a $14 million, low-income housing project scam, sent his way by, you guessed it, then-Senator Obama. Said project gave almost $1 million in fees to Tony “The Reeking Pile of Whale Shit” Rezko, adding to Rezko’s lengthy list of government-related cons.
Sometime later, after all these shenanigans were uncovered, Senator Obama confessed that he had no idea that Tony Rezko—one of Chicago’s long-time scum bags—was anything other than a swell guy. Just like when President Obama said “uh….sure….you can keep your doctor, with my swell new healthcare plan. Even though, he’d said exactly the opposite, dozens of times, in full view of the world. In both cases, the press just responded with; “Huh?”
Marie Antoinette’s "Let them eat cake”—and her inevitable beheading—seem more relevant, all the damned time. Or, at least, they should.
But I’m not holding my breath.
Mark Magula