Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNYT: It’s Official, Secret Money Corrupts
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/its-official-secret-money-corrupts/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0Lawmakers of both parties are desperately trying to stop the Internal Revenue Service from interfering with the most powerful political invention that ever fell into their laps: the use of non-profit groups as a source of unlimited and anonymous campaign money. If you want to understand why, consider an investigation now unfolding in Utah, which exposes in remarkable detail how profoundly the non-profit system can be corrupted for the benefit of a single industry and a single politician.
...
The politician involved was John Swallow, a former lobbyist for an empire of payday-loan and check-cashing companies (the kind of places known for their exploitation of the poor). When Mr. Swallow ran for Utah Attorney General as a Republican in 2012, his strategist established several social-welfare groups, which dont have to name their donors, so that the payday-loan industry could support him financially without anyone knowing.
Mr. Swallow didnt want the connection to the industry exposed, because of the poor reputation of the lenders. But he had no problem promising to protect the industry from greater federal regulation if he were elected. The groups collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in secret donations from the industry, and the money was used to run attack ads against Mr. Swallows opponent, who wanted to crack down on payday lenders. The ads worked, and Mr. Swallow was elected.
When the I.R.S. started looking into the non-profit groups and demanding documentation, his strategist changed the groups records, which investigators described as a falsification. But the I.R.S. investigation was weakened when Congressional Republicans accused the agency (falsely) of singling out conservative non-profit groups. Eventually, a parallel state investigation drove Mr. Swallow from office; he resigned last fall, and last week a state legislative panel accused him of breaching the public trust by hanging a veritable for sale sign on the office door that invited moneyed interests to seek special treatment and favors.
...
The politician involved was John Swallow, a former lobbyist for an empire of payday-loan and check-cashing companies (the kind of places known for their exploitation of the poor). When Mr. Swallow ran for Utah Attorney General as a Republican in 2012, his strategist established several social-welfare groups, which dont have to name their donors, so that the payday-loan industry could support him financially without anyone knowing.
Mr. Swallow didnt want the connection to the industry exposed, because of the poor reputation of the lenders. But he had no problem promising to protect the industry from greater federal regulation if he were elected. The groups collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in secret donations from the industry, and the money was used to run attack ads against Mr. Swallows opponent, who wanted to crack down on payday lenders. The ads worked, and Mr. Swallow was elected.
When the I.R.S. started looking into the non-profit groups and demanding documentation, his strategist changed the groups records, which investigators described as a falsification. But the I.R.S. investigation was weakened when Congressional Republicans accused the agency (falsely) of singling out conservative non-profit groups. Eventually, a parallel state investigation drove Mr. Swallow from office; he resigned last fall, and last week a state legislative panel accused him of breaching the public trust by hanging a veritable for sale sign on the office door that invited moneyed interests to seek special treatment and favors.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
3 replies, 579 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (12)
ReplyReply to this post
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
NYT: It’s Official, Secret Money Corrupts (Original Post)
Scuba
Mar 2014
OP
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)1. In other news
Pope Catholic, water wet, sun bright and death fatal.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)2. You sure about the Pope?
He just said about a week ago that the Catholic Church did more to protect victims of sexual abuse than anyone else.
Personally, that proved to me the non-existence of god, since no god could let that massive lie pass without some serious smiting.