John Murtha, Jason Altmire, and UPMC: The Politics of Personal Dishonesty

"No man ever went wrong overestimating the gullibility of the American people." (Attributed to P. T. Barnum) -- Note: Scroll down to see the press release of William Russell

Why am I so strongly backing the campaigns of congressional candidates William Russell (against John Murtha) and Melissa Hart (against Jason Altmire)? Read on . . . (www.williamrussellforcongress.com)

In 2006, UPMC – University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – a Pennsylvania health-care colossus -- gave total political contributions of more than $202,000 to Jason Altmire, congressman from the 4th District (west and north of Pittsburgh) and John Murtha, congressman from the 12th District (south and east of Pittsburgh).

Of course, these huge contributions came from the traditional “fat cats,” hospital administrators and wealthy doctors. Most UPMC employees, nurses, hourly workers, and the like, gave nothing to Altmire and Murtha.

What’s the relationship between Altmire and Murtha? They’re something like the Siamese Twins of Western Pennsylvania politics. In the last election, Altmire referred to Murtha as his “campaign manager.”

In 2006, UPMC was by far Murtha’s biggest contributor. As for Altmire, UPMC formerly employed him as its head lobbyist. As a congressman, his positions on health issues dovetail completely with those of his former employer.

Murtha is regularly cited as one of the most “corrupt” officials in Congress. If Altmire regards him as a role model, the voters in the 4th District have a lot to worry about.

UPMC advertises itself as a "non-profit." However, in the last fiscal year, it had a "surplus" (i.e., a profit) of $480,000,000! Many people, including yours truly, believe it achieves the surplus by overcharging both its customers and the U.S. government, which pays a good chunk of the bills (through Medicare and Medicaid) for health services.

The head of UPMC is a man named Jeffrey Romoff. He's extremely well-paid. The following is from the Pittssburgh Tribune-Review on May 22, 2007:

"The compensation of Jeffrey A. Romoff, president and CEO at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, jumped 17 percent last year -- to $3.3 million -- according to tax documents released by UPMC this morning.
In a prepared statement, the Oakland giant said UPMC's board of directors considers Romoff's pay appropriate, given the organization's size, complexity and accomplishments."

"Under Romoff's leadership, UPMC recently posted $6 billion in revenue. Romoff has been president and CEO of UPMC since 1992. His pay was $2.9 million last year."

If it wasn't John Murtha channeling tens of millions to UPMC, Mr. Romoff's compensation -- it's safe to assume -- would be much less.

Under Romoff's leadership, UPMC has been big on slogans -- and short on performance. For example, in the late 1990s, the company engaged heavily in a PR campaign to assert its supposed excellence in medicine. It told Pennsylvanians to "Choose your health care as if your life depended on it."

Let’s consider how Romoff personally reacted to that slogan. In 1998, Romoff found out he had prostate cancer, and presumably his life depended on how he handled it. He chose to have prostate surgery not at UPMC in Pittsburgh, but rather at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.When the embarrassing news leaked out, UPMC trotted out a hapless spokeswoman to explain.

She said Romoff had gone to Hopkins rather than his own hospital system because "the high visibility of his position made it necessary to maintain privacy."Later, Romoff -- in a rare moment of candor -- indicated that he made the decision because of Hopkins' superiority in matters urological.

One aspect in which UPMC truly does demonstrate superiority is in ensuring the support of elected officials. It does so by contributing heavily, directly and indirectly, to supportive politicians. For example, UPMC was the bigest contributor to the campaign of John Murtha. The donation of more than $192,000 was not exactly a donation made in the name of good government.

Instead, Murtha been a key figure in providing federal pork to fatten Romoff's health care empire.No so coincidentally, Murtha's own campaign -- engorged with UPMC money -- also contributed heavily to Jason Altmire's campaign war chest.

In gratitude, the new congressman cast his vote for the ethically challenged Murtha as Democratic majority leader.

So, what should you do about all these facts, other than get angry? Every individual and institution in Pennsylvania should reconsider ever using UPMC. In other words, follow the example of Mr. Romoff in going elsewhere. Granted, if you're a fan of political corruption and payoffs, keep patronizing UPMC facilities -- but be sure to bring your checkbook..

In the 4th and 12th congressional districts, there are at least 200,000 people -- the ones who voted for Melissa Hart (against Altmire) and Diana Lynn Irey (against Murtha) who deplore the political cynicism of UPMC. If that company can't see its way to being a "non-profit," at least it ought to be non-partisan.

As long as a few companies are buying their own politicians, our government "of, by, and for the people" is a myth. Yes, the actions of Murtha and Altmire have improved the financial health of UPMC, but they've done little or nothing to advance patient health.

NOTE: I'M AN INDEPENDENT BLOGGER & ACTIVIST WHO REMOVES NO FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM ANY CAMPAIGN AND IS NOT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF ANY CANDIDATE.

WILLIAM RUSSELL: RUNNING HARD AGAINST JOHN MURTHA

NOTE: IN TWO PERMANENT PLACES ON THIS BLOG I'VE NOTED THAT I RECEIVE NO FINANCIAL SUPPORT OR DIRECTION FROM ANY CANDIDATE SUPPORTED HERE. THE CANDIDATES I'VE ENDORSED ARE: RUDY GIULIANI FOR PRESIDENT, SARAH PALIN FOR V--P, HEATHER WILSON FOR U.S. SENATE (NEW MEXICO), DIANA IREY FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMISSIONER, MELISSA HART FOR CONGRESS (4TH CD, PA), AND WILLIAM RUSSELL FOR CONGRESS (12TH CD, PA). i WILL SUPPORT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT -- PERIOD, END OF SENTENCE.

Later today (Sunday), I'll post a column about how to run for Congress effectively -- without spending a fortune. In the 2008 race, John Murtha may raise as much as $4 million, most of the money coming as "paybacks" by wealthy lobbyists Murtha has helped to enrich. So, there's no way a candidate of modest means -- say, Iraq War veteran William Russell -- can outspend Murtha. A really good candidate (e.g., William) might be able to win the race by spending $250,000 -- or perhaps less than that. Don't get me wrong: William is going to need money, and now is the time to contribute, to make an investment in our country. If the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) will invest $5,000 NOW in William, it will pay great dividends.

His address is: P.O. Box 630 Johnstown, PA 15907

About Sarah Palin, I believe she would appeal to young professionals, mothers of several children, ethics in government advocates, wives of workingmen, and military familes. Why? Because she and her family are all these things. As for Hillary Clinton, she's basically none of those things.

Rudy, John, Mitt, and Fred, are you listening?

I'm getting enquiries about the campaign of William Russell against John Murtha in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District (Johnstown, Monongahela, Washington, Greene County, and other locations).

You can help William, an Iraq War veteran and a fine human being, get his campaign off to a good start by making a small contribution (or a large one if you wish!) to him by sending it to:

William Russell for Congress
P.O. Box 630
Johnstown, PA 15907
Phone: 814-248-3435
His Web Site is: http://www.williamrussellforcongress.com/
His E-mail Address is: william.russell@williamrussellforcongress.com

If you can't make a cash contribution right now, volunteer to help in other ways, such as by contacting neighbors, working at his campaign locations, or putting up a yard sign.

In 2004, President Bush, not the most popular figure in Pennsylvania, and Senator Kerry basically split the vote in the 12th District by 50-50. In other words, this district is winnable by a strong candidate, and Russell can be that candidate. If the national candidates (for President and Vice-President) are strong ones, William Russell may amaze the political world by dethroning John Murtha, known widely as "The Prince of Pork."

William is already running hard against Murtha, who's a thoroughly disreputable individual, someone that's made a career of trading his votes and influence for campaign cash. People who provide financial support to Murtha have zero interest in anything approximating good government.

William needs your help. As a veteran, he would very much appreciate getting strong support from veterans, active-duty soldiers and Guardsmen, and military families. If you can make a small contribution, please do so. Also, please start mentioning his campaign to your family, friends, and neighbors.

There's no way William can out-spend Murtha, but he can and will out-work him. To win, he needs your support.


steve maloney
ambridge, pa

Note: If you go to http://www.opensecrets.org/, you can find out what groups contributed huge sums of money to Murtha's campaign in 2006. (If you have any trouble finding the information, let me know at TalkTop65@aol.com, and I'll walk you through the process.)

You'll notice, for example, that Murtha got approximately $150,000 from wealthy doctors and administrators at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which is supposedly a non-profit health empire. In the last fiscal year, this "non-profit" made a "surplus" (i.e., profit) of nearly $500,000,000.00 As long as the Murthas of the world are in Congress, such outrages will continue. (You can find out why UPMC fat cats love Murtha by "googling" Windber + John Murtha + UPMC.)

If you're interested in finding out exactly who the money-bags groups contributing to Murtha are -- and why they're doing so -- please contact me and I'll let you know. Hint: They aren't exactly individuals or groups who are living paycheck to paycheck.

(Additional column this weekend about who the people are who truly exert great influence in political campaign -- Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. See the previous column for definitions. The terms come from Malcolm Gladwell's wonderful book called The Tipping Point.)