Thought Theater

HUD Secretary Possibly Broke The Law (Updated) genre: Polispeak

UPDATE:

Secretary Jackson's office has issued a statement that the story he recounted in his speech was simply "anecdotal".

"He was merely trying to explain to the audience how people in D.C., will say critical things about the secretary, will unfairly characterize the president and then turn around and ask you for money," Tucker said. "He did not actually meet with someone and turn down a contract. He's not part of the contracting process."

You can read the latest updated information here.

____________________________________________________

Alphonso Jackson, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary, was quoted as saying he withdrew a contract when the contractor stated he had "a problem with your president". You can read the full article here.

After discussing the huge strides the agency has made in doing business with minority-owned companies, Jackson closed with a cautionary tale, relaying a conversation he had with a prospective advertising contractor.

"He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years," Jackson said of the prospective contractor. "He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something ... he said, 'I have a problem with your president.'

"I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'I don't like President Bush.' I thought to myself, 'Brother, you have a disconnect -- the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn't be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don't tell the secretary.'

"He didn't get the contract," Jackson continued. "Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe."

I also found some interesting quotes that are attributed to Secretary Jackson. They were compiled from brainyquote.com and thinkexist.com. Given the above statements, he may find that being quoted isn't always a good thing.

It would be a mistake to rebuild the Ninth Ward.

The other part of outsourcing is this: it simply says where the work can be done outside better than it can be done inside, we should do it.

The Bush administration is the most diverse in history because the president fills jobs on the basis of a person's capabilities and qualifications, not on the color of his or her skin.

I was soon drawn to the Republican Party because I realized that it truly, not just rhetorically, believed in equality.

And I always like to stress, it's not a quota, not a set-aside, it's not about race, it's about giving opportunities to demonstrate their abilities to do work with the Federal Government.

You can't rise as a class. You have to rise individually. It's what many of the civil rights-era people don't understand.