Henry Jude "Trey" Radel III is an American GOP, Tea Party Right Wing Conservative politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives, from Florida's 19th congressional district. He is newly elected as of 2013 and his nickname is the Cocaine Cowboy. There is nothing he won't do for coke, nothing.
Trey Radel, Busted On Cocaine Charge, Voted For Drug Testing Food Stamp Recipients.
Florida Rep. Republican Trey Radel Pleads Guilty To Cocaine Possession.
The headlines are numerous and not at all unusual for the republican Party.
Trey is the Happiest Congressman in the World
Florida Republican congressman Trey Radel appeared in a Washington, D.C., court today and pled guilty to one count of cocaine possession.Radel, who admitted to being an addict, was placed on one year probation with "minimal supervision." He promised to seek treatment.
"Your honor, I apologize for what I've done," the congressman said to Judge Robert Tignor in a low voice. "I have hit the bottom ... I realize I need help and have aggressively sought the help... I am so sorry to be here. I know that I've let my constituents down, my country down, and most importantly my family, including my 2-year-old who doesn't know it yet."
Radel, 37, said he is seeking treatment so he can "be a better man, a better husband, and continue serving this country."
The freshman congressman was the target of an undercover sting operation, prosecutors told the court.
Radel, according to sources, first came on the radar of federal authorities when a suspected cocaine dealer under investigation by a joint Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI task force told agents that one of his customers was the Florida congressman.
According to prosecutors, confidential sources told authorities that Radel had purchases cocaine "on several occasions" for his own use, and "on occasion" would share that cocaine with others.
I did a line about that long. You'd think this was a fish story if Trey hadn't pleaded guilty.
About 10 p.m. on Oct 29, Radel met a confidential source and an undercover law enforcement officer at a Washington restaurant, prosecutors said. At the restaurant, Radel told the two that he had cocaine back at his apartment and said they could go back and use some, according to testimony.
They declined the offer to share coke with Radel, but the undercover officer said he could sell 3.5 grams to Radel, prosecutors said.
Outside the restaurant, Radel gave the undercover $260, and then inside a car, the undercover gave Radel the cocaine, according to prosecutors.
Radel and other members of the Republican Party support drug testing for poor women and children on food stamsp. The average food stamp amount is $113.00 for the entire month. Radel spent more than twice that amount on coke and gladely accepts his $170,000 a year tax payer paid salary. Like so many of his GOP and Tea Party associates Radel is a hypocrite and a criminal.
When Radel stepped outside of the car, federal authorities approached him. He dropped the bag of cocaine on the street. Radel admitted to authorities that he bought cocaine. Ultimately he and authorities went back to his apartment, where Radel retrieved another vial of cocaine and gave it to authorities, they told the court.
"What did you believe you were purchasing?" the judge asked Radel.
"A drug. Cocaine. I plead guilty," the congressman replied.
Radel's lawyer David Schertler told the court, "He has a disease... He recognizes that this isn't a problem that is going away overnight."
DEA Special Agent in Charge Karl Colder said in a statement after Redal's court appearance, We want young people to see the price people pay for drug abuse and trafficking in cases like this so they will resolve to live drug-free lives."
In sentencing Radel to probation, Tignor noted that for the congressman it was a first-time offense and probation gives Radel and others like him an opportunity "to prove themselves."
What Are the Effects of Cocaine?
The drug creates a strong sense of exhilaration. Users generally feel invincible, carefree, alert, euphoric and have a lot of energy. This is usually followed by agitation, depression, anxiety, paranoia and decreased appetite. The effects of cocaine generally last about two hours. The right wing conservative paranoia generally follows them to the grave
A check of sentences shows that the Congressman got a special Extra Light Deal from the court. Should you be picked up for the same offense expect 180 days in jail and a $2,500 fine along with the loss of your voting rights.
HEADLINES
Here's the Inside View of How Republicans Think About Voters and Citizens. These Congressmen sleep in their offices and shower in the House Gym to save the cost of renting a place in Washington so they can keep all of their $170,000 salary.
They work 3 days a week and accomplish absoutely nothing. They sell their votes to big groups for contributions to their next campaign. A balanced system to them is getting money from the rich to protect them from the poor and votes from the poor to protect them from the rich.
They continually trade on inside information and exempt themselves from the rules and laws they saddle the normal people with. After wasting years and doing nothing to create jobs and boost the economy, now GOP Lawmakers Suggest the Unemployed Are On Drugs.
At least two Republican lawmakers suggested that many unemployed Americans could find work, if only they weren’t on drugs or too lazy. The lawmakers bemoan the cushiness of the welfare state and say that companies are having trouble finding workers who can pass a drug test.
At a town hall meeting in Russellville, Ark. Republican Rep. Steve Womack said a number of employers have told him that they can’t find enough workers who will take drug tests and that potential employees say they don’t want to take a job “until my unemployment runs out.”
What does Womack have to say about the GOP Cocaine Cowboy?
Rep. Womack continued, “What does that say about our country? I mean, I’m a big believer in giving a hand up to people that are down and out and need something. That need temporary assistance.
“We have created such dependency in a lot of these government programs that it’s more convenient and more lucrative for you not to work and to receive these benefits than it is for you to roll up your sleeves, do it the American way, be a productive citizen, get off of the welfare rolls, be a productive citizen — and that’s a twofer every time, it’s one person less drawing benefits and one person more contributing to the overall economy. Now, I am a huge believer, as a Christian, that we need to be helping people that can’t help themselves. Notice I said can’t help themselves. I don’t feel so strongly for people that won’t help themselves.”
And in Jackson, Ohio a constituent told Republican Rep. Bill Johnson that her cousin has a drug problem and has been selling her welfare checks to buy drugs. She wondered if the government could set up a system of random drug tests for people on welfare to stop that.
Johnson responded: “Sure, believe it or not, we actually passed some legislation in 2011 to do exactly that. It was part of unemployment compensation reform…. But there are employers up and down the river in Ohio that say ‘I can’t find workers because the kind of job that we need them to do — I can’t find people that can pass the drug test.’ And those people will come in and they will find out they gotta take a drug test and they’ll even leave and won’t take the drug test but they’ll use that employer sign-off to go back and stay on unemployment. They’ll use their unemployment checks for buying their drugs.”
Indeed, in 2011 the GOP-controlled House passed a bill that would allow states to drug test people before they get unemployment insurance benefits. It died in the Senate, but it came after a number of states passed their own versions. The issue has largely died since then, until now.
Florida started requiring that all applicants for welfare and unemployment benefits be tested in early 2011 (a federal judge later stopped the practice, calling it unconstitutional). As it turned out, just 2.5 percent of applicants failed the test, which, as Arthur Delaney pointed out, is far lower than national average illicit drug use rate of 8.7 percent. The program actually ended up costing more money than it saved because of how few people the state caught using drugs.
Average unemployment benefits are about $300 per week. Though it varies widely depending on the state and individual, it’s not exactly cushy.
Perhaps Bill has some thoughts to share on the GOP Cocaine Cowboy?
A spokesperson for Johnson said, “the congressman was addressing a specific issue and reassuring this young constituent that he has also heard of situations similar to hers.” She added that Jackson County, where the town hall was held, “has one of the most severe drug abuse populations in the state of Ohio,” as does neighboring Scioto County.
Rep. Johnson himself added: “While the vast majority of people on unemployment are honest, law-abiding and aggressively looking for jobs, the handful of drug users abusing the system are beginning to create a problem that ought to be addressed. Most of our unemployment problem stems from over regulation, over-taxation and the Bush economy, but we should be examining all the factors surrounding this issue — even when it’s just a handful of people abusing the system.”
Womack’s office was not able to immediately provide a statement, but we’ll update with it as soon as we get it.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for Rep. Womack sent this:
“Congressman Womack was echoing the concerns and experiences from local employers and understands that our unemployment problem is both serious and complex. He also understands that this is not the norm. However, he wholeheartedly believes we should address those who abuse the system to the detriment of everyone else.”
HEADLINES
Here's the Inside View of How Republicans Think About Voters and Citizens. These Congressmen sleep in their offices and shower in the House Gym to save the cost of renting a place in Washington so they can keep all of their $170,000 salary.
They work 3 days a week and accomplish absoutely nothing. They sell their votes to big groups for contributions to their next campaign. A balanced system to them is getting money from the rich to protect them from the poor and votes from the poor to protect them from the rich.
They continually trade on inside information and exempt themselves from the rules and laws they saddle the normal people with. After wasting years and doing nothing to create jobs and boost the economy, now GOP Lawmakers Suggest the Unemployed Are On Drugs.
At least two Republican lawmakers suggested that many unemployed Americans could find work, if only they weren’t on drugs or too lazy. The lawmakers bemoan the cushiness of the welfare state and say that companies are having trouble finding workers who can pass a drug test.
At a town hall meeting in Russellville, Ark. Republican Rep. Steve Womack said a number of employers have told him that they can’t find enough workers who will take drug tests and that potential employees say they don’t want to take a job “until my unemployment runs out.”
Rep. Womack continued, “What does that say about our country? I mean, I’m a big believer in giving a hand up to people that are down and out and need something. That need temporary assistance.
“We have created such dependency in a lot of these government programs that it’s more convenient and more lucrative for you not to work and to receive these benefits than it is for you to roll up your sleeves, do it the American way, be a productive citizen, get off of the welfare rolls, be a productive citizen — and that’s a twofer every time, it’s one person less drawing benefits and one person more contributing to the overall economy. Now, I am a huge believer, as a Christian, that we need to be helping people that can’t help themselves. Notice I said can’t help themselves. I don’t feel so strongly for people that won’t help themselves.”
And in Jackson, Ohio a constituent told Republican Rep. Bill Johnson that her cousin has a drug problem and has been selling her welfare checks to buy drugs. She wondered if the government could set up a system of random drug tests for people on welfare to stop that.
Johnson responded: “Sure, believe it or not, we actually passed some legislation in 2011 to do exactly that. It was part of unemployment compensation reform…. But there are employers up and down the river in Ohio that say ‘I can’t find workers because the kind of job that we need them to do — I can’t find people that can pass the drug test.’ And those people will come in and they will find out they gotta take a drug test and they’ll even leave and won’t take the drug test but they’ll use that employer sign-off to go back and stay on unemployment. They’ll use their unemployment checks for buying their drugs.”
Indeed, in 2011 the GOP-controlled House passed a bill that would allow states to drug test people before they get unemployment insurance benefits. It died in the Senate, but it came after a number of states passed their own versions. The issue has largely died since then, until now.
Florida started requiring that all applicants for welfare and unemployment benefits be tested in early 2011 (a federal judge later stopped the practice, calling it unconstitutional). As it turned out, just 2.5 percent of applicants failed the test, which, as Arthur Delaney pointed out, is far lower than national average illicit drug use rate of 8.7 percent. The program actually ended up costing more money than it saved because of how few people the state caught using drugs.
Average unemployment benefits are about $300 per week. Though it varies widely depending on the state and individual, it’s not exactly cushy.
A spokesperson for Johnson said, “the congressman was addressing a specific issue and reassuring this young constituent that he has also heard of situations similar to hers.” She added that Jackson County, where the town hall was held, “has one of the most severe drug abuse populations in the state of Ohio,” as does neighboring Scioto County.
Rep. Johnson himself added: “While the vast majority of people on unemployment are honest, law-abiding and aggressively looking for jobs, the handful of drug users abusing the system are beginning to create a problem that ought to be addressed. Most of our unemployment problem stems from over regulation, over-taxation and the Bush economy, but we should be examining all the factors surrounding this issue — even when it’s just a handful of people abusing the system.”
Womack’s office was not able to immediately provide a statement, but we’ll update with it as soon as we get it.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for Rep. Womack sent this:
“Congressman Womack was echoing the concerns and experiences from local employers and understands that our unemployment problem is both serious and complex. He also understands that this is not the norm. However, he wholeheartedly believes we should address those who abuse the system to the detriment of everyone else.”
Terry McAuliffe
Protect The Earth
Vote Democrat
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