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ProPublica is reporting that Blue Dog Congressman Mike Ross (DINO-AR) "sold a piece of commercial property in 2007 for substantially more than a county assessment and an independent appraisal say it was worth."
Who did he sell it to? An Arkansas-based pharmacy chain with an interest in defeating universal health care.
Ross sold the real estate in Prescott, Ark., to USA Drug for $420,000 — an eye-popping number for real estate in the tiny train and lumber town about 100 miles southwest of Little Rock.
"You can buy half the town for $420,000," said Adam Guthrie, chairman of the county Board of Equalization and the only licensed real estate appraiser in Prescott.
ProPublica: Mike Ross Raises Eyebrows With Healthy Haul
But it’s not just $420,000. There is an extra almost 1 million dollars that went to the Rosses in the deal. The total value of the transaction is between $1 million and $1.67 million.
But the $420,000 was just the beginning of what Ross and his pharmacist wife, Holly, made from the sale of Holly’s Health Mart. The owner of USA Drug, Stephen L. LaFrance Sr., also paid the Rosses $500,000 to $1 million for the pharmacy’s assets and paid Holly Ross another $100,0001 to $250,000 for signing a non-compete agreement. Those numbers, which Ross listed on the financial disclosure reports he files as a member of Congress, bring the total value of the transaction to between $1 million and $1.67 million.
snip
Ross, a member of the committee, told reporters on Aug. 5 in Little Rock, “We held the bill hostage in committee for 10 days to make it better. … We protected small businesses. … And we ensured that if there is a government option, it will be just that, an option. It will not be mandated on anybody."
snip
The Rosses bought the lot in 1999 for $10,000, then constructed a building that the county assessed at $225,000.
Two months after the 2007 sale, LaFrance’s concerns about health care reform were spelled out in an article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"Universal health care will ruin our health care in America," LaFrance told the reporter. "There’ll be long lines, they won’t be able to get treated, potential doctors will be afraid to go into medical school, there will be an outflux of doctors — in my opinion. It’s not broke and don’t fix it."
ProPublica: Mike Ross Raises Eyebrows With Healthy Haul
Read the entire article. It looks bad for this blue dog.
I feel a new firedoglake advertisement coming!
Here’s their current ad:
Update I: About ProPublica:
ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Our work focuses exclusively on truly important stories, stories with “moral force.” We do this by producing journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them.
Investigative journalism is at risk. Many news organizations have increasingly come to see it as a luxury. Today’s investigative reporters lack resources: Time and budget constraints are curbing the ability of journalists not specifically designated “investigative” to do this kind of reporting in addition to their regular beats. This is therefore a moment when new models are necessary to carry forward some of the great work of journalism in the public interest that is such an integral part of self-government, and thus an important bulwark of our democracy.
The business crisis in publishing and — not unrelated — the revolution in publishing technology are having a number of wide-ranging effects. Among these are that the creation of original journalism in the public interest, and particularly the form that has come to be known as “investigative reporting,” is being squeezed down, and in some cases out.
ProPublica is led by Paul Steiger, the former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. Stephen Engelberg, a former managing editor of The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon and former investigative editor of The New York Times, is ProPublica’s managing editor.
Also on Daily Kos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/22/102824/022
4 Comments
Hope Jason, Jane, Eve, and Slink see this. There is an ad here.
It made the Rec List at dkos, so others are seeing it.
Think Progrerss and politico have it also.
Spread the word.
Great info, worth spreading for sure.
What a deplorable scumbag. Can’t wait to contribute to an ad to oust this piece of sh*t.
Blue Dogs, are republicans who ran as democrats, to get elected. The Dems for even concidering them Dems, are the idiots. As a Republican in Democrats clothing, being corrupt should be expected. The Guy in His response proved He was a crumb bum, but it was expected. There are to many like Him in Congress, and as long as people keep electing these guys, we will only have more problems. Remember many somebodies pulled the lever for thsi guy, or He wouldn’t be there to be such a disgrace to the Nation.