Taxpayer-Funded Mailers Draw Criticism
The Orange County Register
By MARTIN WISCKOL
2010-08-26
You may think that slick color flier from your congressional representative is another campaign ad, but $1.8 million worth of mail sent by Orange County's House members since 2008 has been paid for with tax dollars...
…If you think there oughta be a law, there is.
…"This may not be a case of breaking the law, but for the average citizen there's a problem with the spirit of the law," said Pete Sepp, executive director of the National Taxpayers Union, which has fought for tighter laws on congressional mailings nearly since it was formed in 1969.
(JoinVanTran.com: OCR photo of Loretta Sanchez's taxpayer funded mailer that we are supposed to believe has nothing to do with the fact that she is running against the highest ranking Vietnamese-American elected official in California, Van Tran.)
The rules are specifically designed to prevent incumbents from campaigning with taxpayer money. They restrict the size and number of photos, ban biographical information and partisan attacks, and regulate the timing and quantity of the mailings, among other things.
But some representatives have found plenty of elbow room within the rules.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, spent…$156,000.
…Including printing costs, the 435 House members spent $34.3 million on franked mail in 2006 while the 100 senators spent just $3.6 million, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. Sepp did not have more current numbers, but believes they have stayed about the same since.
"Taxpayer dollars may not be directly involved in campaigning, but they are helping incumbents with communications that closely resemble electioneering," he said. "The amount of money at stake is relatively small, but the impact it has on elections can be quite considerable."
…Republican opponent Van Tran's campaign has taken a broad swing at her for the franked mailings.
Mailings by Sanchez this year include bilingual pieces targeting the Vietnamese community, which could swing the November election. While the mailings includes the glossy color approach…
…That didn't prompt restraint in the attack by Tran campaign aide George Andrews.
"Sanchez's reckless Congressional franking spending habits mirrors her reckless votes in favor of increased spending that has sky-rocketed our national debt," Andrews said.
For the complete article visit: http://www.ocregister.com/news/costs-263830-mail-members.html
Van Tran For Congress * 3337 S. Bristol #49, Santa Ana, CA. 92704 * 714-907-3442 * Info@JoinVanTran.com * http://www.joinvantran.com/
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