How Mitt Romney Steered A Key Salt Lake City Olympics Project To A Friend

Mother Jones:

As Mitt Romney got ready to take his seat in London for the Olympics' opening ceremonies, the focus of the presidential campaign this week shifted focus to the candidate's time running the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

Read the whole story at Mother Jones

Comments

[Ashanti]

11:10 AM on 07/29/2012

Dear Tro//s:

Now that you've cited all of your moral equivalents to Romney's actions (President Obama and Solyndra, etc.), perhaps you can take a moment to actually respond to the subject at hand.

What do you think about what MITT ROMNEY did?

Also, why is it that when Romney or others on the right are criticized or exposed, their defenders never respond to the subject at hand, and never ever condemn the wrong-doing? They simply look for a tit for tat or try to change the subject!

Why is it that they can't simply say, in respect to this thread for example, "Although others on the other side of the aisle, specifically President Obama, may be guilty of similar behaviors, what Mitt Romney did was unethical and deserving of scrutiny."

Now, is that so hard?

[Agreeable]

10:24 PM on 07/28/2012

609 MILLION of taxpayers money to pay for Salt Lake. I'll take my chances on a buiness before squandering it like that.

[Grichde]

08:42 PM on 07/28/2012

Solyndra lost of 525 billion funds going to one Obamas contributors.

[Agreeable]

10:22 PM on 07/28/2012

What? Get your facts straight.

[CitronY]

07:13 AM on 07/29/2012

You are completely clueless on Solyndra. You shouldn't mention it again until you check your facts.

[Grichde]

10:49 AM on 07/29/2012

In October 2007, the Department of Energy had completed vetting of the applications and had narrowed the number it was still considering to 16, one of which was the application from Solyndra. The remaining 16 were invited to submit full applications for the program, and Solyndra did so in May 2008. On January 9, 2009, the Department of Energy's credit committee decided unanimously that although the project "appears to have merit, there are several areas where the information presented did not thoroughly support a finding that the project is ready to be approved at this time." The committee "without prejudice" remanded the project "for further development of information."

Timeline of Solyndra loan approval After President Obama took office, analysts in the Energy Department and in the Office of Management and Budget questioned the loan, as one Energy official wrote in an e-mail of "a major outstanding issue": cash flow predictions showed that the Fab 2 subsidiary (the entity receiving the loan guarantee) would be low on cash in September 2011, possibly needing help from the parent company until the cash flow recovered in subsequent months.

In March 2009, after a successful milestone in the approval process, the White House wanted to announce the loan guarantee. One White House budget analyst nixed the announcement in a March 10, 2009 e-mail, writing "This deal is NOT ready for prime time" and listing remaining milestones.

On March 20, 2009, the Department of Energy committee that had remanded the loan application in January made a

[Grichde]

08:41 PM on 07/28/2012

Topaz Solar is the height of Hypocrisy for the Obama administration. This one transaction illustrates how much Obama is committed to his green jobs, and helping the middle class.

The darling of liberals and Obama grandpa Warren Buffet gets a 2 billion dollar tax break thanks to the Administration's Dept of Energy. 

Buffet gets one massive incentive payments for the Topaz Solar company. The tax break equal to 100% of the cost of the project. This “Bonus tax deduction” can be used to reduce federal taxes in the year that that the project is first completed. 

First Solar American's number one solar company, was months away from finalizing the massive solar plant called Topaz Solar. Their request to the administration for extra time to close the project was denied. Month later low and behold Buffet took over the deal.

Like any small business, non-profit or your average family a steady stream of cash flow is needed to support the monthly operations. Not to happen for First Solar. Only Buffets investors they will get the 25 years of sales of the power, and all their investment money back the first year. 

That money could have gone a long way to support One of our few surviving solar companies. Rather than supporting green initiatives it's go to a corporate giant. 

Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway at the tax rate of 35%. Therefore the value of the tax deduction could be as high as $700,000,000. Then he get one year write off the balance. Of course warren Buffet

[MaxHeadroom]

02:50 PM on 07/28/2012

What an "ethical" President this guy would make.

[jcolvin325]

02:24 PM on 07/28/2012

Of course none of Obama's friends/donors have ever gotten anything from him.

[MaxHeadroom]

02:50 PM on 07/28/2012

They haven't and if they had, you had best prove it right here and now.

Go ahead, and make our day with your lies.

[jcolvin325]

02:57 PM on 07/28/2012

You're to easy.  Try Google..it will give you hours of reading regarding Obama donors and how he pays them back..  This is for starters.. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/10/obama-donors-get-deal-depositors-get-stiffed-again/?page=all

[Gestas]

01:35 PM on 07/28/2012

All of Romneys Friends are Rich...Why else would you even know Romney.

[BLambda]

02:38 PM on 07/28/2012

So, scooter arre you Pissed that Romney is rich or that YOU aren't?

[Sawyer116]

12:59 PM on 07/28/2012

If you think he's a foreign affairs nightmare, just think about what an ethical nightmare he would be should he win the election.

[BLambda]

02:38 PM on 07/28/2012

Truer words could not be spoken about President Obama

[MaxHeadroom]

02:52 PM on 07/28/2012

Have any evidence of malfeasance and improper judicial misdemeanors and felonies.... pumpkin?

Tell us your lies as we all want to know.

[aseyeseeit]

12:45 PM on 07/28/2012

So crooks who got the Olympics but were caught using dirty tricks were replaced by Mitt-
but not because he was going to be above board-but because he was better at hiding it?
Just another example of the arrogance of Mitt-the rules are there for everyone else and for him and his cronies to ignore.
I knew that he was probably more of a figurehead- to clean up the image of the SLC Olympics-but even I did not think he would have continued to pull such blatant tactics to enrich those same people who were so desperate that they bribed to get the Olympics. Seems no one suffered consequence to these actions after all. Mitt is in favor of handouts at taxpayers expense as long they go to his buddies who will then reward him for it.

[jhink465]

02:36 PM on 07/28/2012

Only the "little people" pay taxes or suffer consequences.

[angelbravo]

11:02 AM on 07/28/2012

1.3 billion in government dollars to handout for projects. The Rich will take care of the Rich. Everyday Americans be damned if he's elected in November

[john rajah]

09:30 AM on 07/28/2012

It IS easier to run the Olympics in the middle of nowhere

And more lucrative for your pals

Especially with Government funding

And this were just the Winter Olympics.Not the real one

[solskin101]

09:21 AM on 07/28/2012

And how is this news!!!!! I am sure there are many, many sweetheart dealt yet to come to life.
Mitt: did ya show yer tax returns yet?????
Obama/Biden 2012

[judesuper]

02:53 PM on 07/28/2012

NO, I'm too busy insulting our allies!

[1oldhippie]

11:39 PM on 07/27/2012

Nice Mitt
help your pals help you
at tax payer expense.

[marbiol]

03:02 AM on 07/28/2012

...ummmmm....who has beri helped out?? try checking out "greenenergy", davey akselrude, and im too tired to go on.......and HOW much $$$ has been lost to we TAXPAYERSn THESE endeavors?

As for Romney's actions affecting "taxpayers", it appears to me [tho i may have missed something] that the only taxpayers affected by Romney's actions were residents of SLC ...and perhaps residents of UT...[not that that excuses any favoritism]

beri's so-called "crony kapitalism" and selection of "green energy" firms for tax benefits/grants--whatever...probably cost US taxpayers a wee bit more than mittens' mistake.

[speechteach]

12:15 PM on 07/28/2012

So, the fact that some of those green energy firms were selected under the Bush administration and just continued under the Obama administration doesn't matter to you?

[Sawyer116]

01:01 PM on 07/28/2012

So supporting green energy is crony capitalism?

[BLambda]

02:39 PM on 07/28/2012

Obama ha NEVER taken care of any of his supporters now has he? PUH-LEEZE

[MaxHeadroom]

02:53 PM on 07/28/2012

Prove it.

[Almondo]

11:32 PM on 07/27/2012

The graftmatic crooked head.

[mrJJ]

09:21 PM on 07/27/2012

When Romney’s Salt Lake Organizing Committee developed the Gateway plaza in Salt Lake City, offering patrons and residents the chance to buy bricks for $100 and have their names inscribed, the committee used granite bricks from China, despite an abundance of granite in the nearby Wasatch mountains, the Salt Lake Tribune reported at the time.

“It’s extraordinary,” Romney told the paper, “but it’s cheaper to get it from China.”

Even the bricks became a victim of Romney's outsourcing habit.

[Almondo]

11:33 PM on 07/27/2012

The irony of Mitts out for (R)money.

[Sawyer116]

01:04 PM on 07/28/2012

Atlanta sold the inscribed bricks before Salt Lake City, used bricks locally produced and made a profit while putting the money into the American businesses. Mitt's all about outsourcing. Prices/Bids should have only been accepted from American companies, but Mitt's much more familiar and comfortable buying from China.