Outrageous! Politicians Kissing Up for Cash

When politicians and big donors get cozy, the rest of us end up paying for their sweetheart deals.

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• Politicians
• Michael Crowley
• Election 2008
• Politics

Tax-Funded Campaigns

You don't need a map to know that Florida is a long way from Alaska. But that didn't stop Don Young, a Republican and Alaska's lone Congressman, from making a February 2005 trip to the Sunshine State for a fund-raiser that added $40,000 to his political coffers. Among the hosts: a wealthy Florida developer with an interest in a transportation bill drawn up by a committee Young chaired.

Shortly after the event, that bill got a little tweak -- slipped in after Congress approved the legislation but before the President signed it. Ten million dollars originally meant for general improvements to Florida's Interstate 75 was earmarked for building an interchange at a specific spot, along Coconut Road. The site just happens to sit near 4,000 acres owned by that Florida developer -- property that's likely to soar in value if the interchange is built.

Young hasn't commented on whether he was behind the last-minute change to the bill. But it sure seems like he was trading $10 million of your taxes to help a rich guy get even richer in exchange for feeding his campaign fund. It's yet another example of how big-money interests are doing their best to drown out those whose only influence is the old-fashioned vote. "We've come to a point where no candidate for office can be competitive without a personal fortune or access to many wealthy people," says Massie Ritsch of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. "When you follow the money and the tiny fraction of mostly wealthy Americans who donate it, you understand gas prices, health care, student loans, taxation, defense contracting and pretty much every other policy in a whole new light."

Look at the 2008 White House race, shaping up to be the most money-soaked ever. The cost of TV advertising alone could reach $3 billion. That puts huge pressure on candidates to take cash from wherever -- whomever -- they can.

And that’s how we wind up with donors like one named Carlyn who last year gave $2,300 to Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Carlyn's donation wouldn't be remarkable -- except that she's two years old. Yup, still in diapers. Obama also got money from a seven- and eight-year-old brother and sister (each gave $4,600). And his campaign, which said it would return the donations and stop taking money from kids, wasn't alone in drawing pint-size financial backers. Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain also took checks from kids.

• The 2008 Election
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• The $40 Billion Scam
• How slick lawyers have turned a genuine health crisis into a ripoff you won't believe.
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• Outrageous! Show Us the Money
• We're paying for studies to heal sick kids and the elderly. We're getting swindled instead.
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Some people are extremely impressed when you tell them you're a Navy SEAL. Case in point: my grandson's pre-kindergarten class. It was career day, and I was regaling them with stories of my exploits in the military. After I finished, hands shot up in the air. The kids were fascinated and eager to ask questions. "So," asked one little girl, "can you balance a ball on your nose?"

-- G.A. Davis

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