Look to Kellogg, Brown and Root

Recently, the government has stopped all funding to ACORN [“House votes to cut ACORN funds,” News, Sept. 18]. Low-level workers for that group had given illegal advice to two Republican sting operators posing as a prostitute and pimp.

When he was president, Bill Clinton made an executive order that no company that defrauds the government can get further government contracts. He did that specifically because Kellogg, Brown and Root had just been levied $1.7 billion in fines for billions of dollars in inflated charges to the government while remodeling Ft. Ord in Monteray Bay, Calif.

When George Bush became president, he immediately rescinded that executive order. Kellogg, Brown and Root later got no-bid contracts to work in Iraq. While there, the company was further fined for excessive charges and shoddy work.

If ACORN gets defunded, then let’s go all the way and return Clinton’s plan to deny anyone who defrauds the government.

That would include Kellogg, Brown and Root, as well as Halliburton and Blackwater.

— Mark Thompson, Duvall

Larsen and McDermott oppose defunding

Two of the 75 House members who voted against defunding ACORN were our own Rick Larsen and Jim McDermott.

I am somewhat surprised that Congressmen Larsen and McDermott would look the other way, and ignore the alleged aiding and abetting of child prostitution by ACORN staffers.

— John Hession, Redmond