Stop Corporate Welfare and Government Secrecy in New Mexico

From Sue Dayton:
On January 27, 2007, the Albuquerque Journal published a front-page article, “Sandia’s Manager Receives Bonus: Lockheed Earns a Contract Extension and $7.7 Million.” The article reported on Lockheed Martin’s “outstanding management” of Sandia National Laboratories. Lockheed’s management was so outstanding that Lockheed executives got $7.7 million in bonuses on top of its $16.6 million “fixed fee” for running the nuclear weapons lab! To add insult to injury the so-called “report card” with the information about Sandia’s performance and the executive bonuses is being withheld from the public. Along with the article the Journal published an editorial calling for the release of Sandia’s “report card” titled, “Let Taxpayers in On Sandia’s Open Secret.”

American taxpayers - and especially New Mexicans - should be OUTRAGED! Why?

• It’s called corporate government welfare. Taxpayers’ hard-earned money should not be used to pay the bonuses of Lockheed executives for doing what they should be doing.
• Sandia National Laboratories and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the sub-autonomous agency of the U.S. Department of Energy now in charge of the nation’s nuclear weapons labs, is creating its own system of classifying documents that should be made public.
• The “classified report card” on Sandia’s performance reeks of government cover-up under a closed-door policy instead of the new open-door policy of government that the House has now pledged to implement. The NNSA’s authority to designate public documents “for official use only” is out of control and the NNSA should be removed from running the labs altogether.
• Sandia’s “classified report card” needs to be released in its entirety. Not 50%, not 75%, not 95%, but in its entirety.

The new House Democratic leadership has pledged to “clean up Washington” by creating an honest government and open leadership policy. Your representatives need to hear from you now. It’s time to tell them that corporate welfare is not the responsibility of American taxpayers and government reports that are not classified should be made available to the public.

Feel free to use the bullet points above and send your letter to the following representatives:

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Office of the Speaker
235 Cannon House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-4965
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
www.house.gov/pelosi
(letters can be submitted via e-mail, website or by mail) 

Bart Stupak, Chairman
Energy and Commerce Committee
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation
2125 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2927 telephone or FAX  (202) 225-2525
(no e-mail address is available so send letter by mail or fax)

Senator Jeff Bingaman
United States Senate
703 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-5521
E-mail: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
(letters can be submitted via mail or e-mail)

Congressman Tom Udall
1410 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
www.tomudall.house.gov
(letters can be submitted via website or by mail)

Congresswoman Heather Wilson
318 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6316 phone
202-225-4975 fax
www.wilson.house.gov
(letters can be submitted via website, fax or mail)

Government Accountability Project
Gloria Jarmon, Congressional Relations
441 ‘G’ St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20548
(202) 512-3000
E-mail: congrel@gao.gov

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via e-mail. Many thanks for taking the time to write your representatives about this matter of utmost importance. 

Sincerely,
Sue Dayton
sdayton@swcp.com