McCain Involved in Land Deal

So let’s say you have around fifty-five thousand acres of land that’s pretty much comprised of remote wilderness. There’s a pine forest, large expanses of grassland. It’s a place where the deer and the antelope play. Lots and lots of land that you can’t really do anything with. Times are getting a little tight, so you figure, “Hey — I have an idea. Why don’t I call up Senator John McCain and ask him if I can trade all this wildlife habitat for some juicy federally-owned land that’s all ready for development!? I could make a killing!!”

Folks, it could happen. Particularly if you hire the right people to contact the Senator.

…lobbyists that included McCain’s 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.When McCain’s legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal.

Of course he never discussed the deal. Of course. No need, right? I mean, if it’s just a land swap, it’s just land-for-land, right? Wrong. Seems as if land near the 55,000 acre parcel sold a few years ago for about $2K an acre. Meanwhile, the federally-owned parcel is getting about $120K an acre. I’m not great at math, but isn’t that the equivalent of an immediate 600% return on investment? So where else can someone get that kind of deal other than from someone in government? It just doesn’t happen.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Senator John McCain. He’ll do anything for a buck. And if you’re particularly pretty and charming, he might even petition the FCC on your behalf.