Why the Wars (& Wall St. Bailouts) Roll on: Campaign Money From Outside Cong. District

[yurbud]

Everyone on this board knows why the wars and trillions go in bailouts to Wall Street crooks who deserve to be publicly beheaded while Congress simultaneously dithers, whines, and gums up the health care reform debate: money talks louder than voters.

A lot louder. This article tells you just how outgunned we are when it comes to making donations to our senators and even representatives.

Why the Wars Roll on: Ban Campaign Money From Outside the District

Friday 04 September 2009

by: Ralph Lopez, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Very few people know that on average 80 percent of their Congress members' and senators' campaign funds come from outside the district, and largely from outside the state. They come from industries like defense, telecommunications and financial services. What do they get for these contributions, even in cases when the Congress member votes against those contributors' positions on certain bills?


The savings and loan bailout of the nineties, at $200 billion, was chump change compared to the $700 billion TARP slush fund of today, which rewards financial services companies for the subprime mortgage fiasco. In searching for an answer to how the $3 trillion Iraq war can drag on despite three years of Democratic majorities in Congress elected to end it, follow the money.

The citizen's watchdog group MAPlight.org has found that congressmen who voted for TARP, the "Troubled Assets Relief Program," received nearly 50 percent more in campaign contributions from the financial services industry (an average of about $149,000) than congressmen who voted no. Legislators who voted for the automobile industry bailout in 2009 received an average of 40 percent more in "contributions" from that industry (the less politic call them "bribes") than those who voted against it. And House Energy and Commerce Committee members who voted yes on an amendment in 2009 favored by the forest products industry, to allow heavier cutting of trees, received an average of $25,745 from the forestry and paper products industry. This was ten times as much as was received by each member voting no. This pattern repeats itself over and over.

True, contributions don't guarantee a particular legislator will vote your way. But neither will he or she filibuster your bill or go on TV to ask rude questions about impacts to taxpayers or consumers. Arguably, that could be called hush money.

http://www.truthout.org/090409A">FULL TEXT