June 21, 2008 05:17 pm
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By Joe Hadsall
Globe columnist
People have a right to know who is contributing money to politicians and what those donors want. But proving that those donations bought something can be difficult.
A new study sponsored by the Missouri Citizen Education Fund makes an attempt at that goal.
The study tracks the money given to Missouri politicians by Rex Sinquefield’s 100 political action committees, then compares how those politicians voted on Sinquefield’s pet issues.
The study’s logic is this: Sinquefield publicly favors the repeal of campaign contribution limits and “school choice” bills, the latter of which would allocate public money to parents to use in the school of their choice. Opponents say “school choice” is a cover for vouchers.
As of April, those committees had given more than $136,200 to candidates statewide. The study’s sponsors also note Sinquefield has thrown more than $1.2 million into this election cycle.
In the 2008 legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly considered bills repealing campaign contribution limits and later attached an amendment that would have removed voucher-friendly legislation from an education bill.
The study suggests Sinquefield would want a “yes” vote on the contributions bill and a “no” vote on the vouchers bill.
According to the study, representatives who received Sinquefield money voted 85.7 percent in favor with his views on removing campaign contribution limits. Those same representatives voted 78.9 percent in favor of school-voucher issues.
Area representatives voted in line with Sinquefield positions in favor of the contributions bill and against the vouchers amendment:
Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, received $2,175.
Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, received $1,000.
Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, received $7,500.
Other members of House leadership voted the same way, including:
Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, who received $25,500.
Speaker Pro Tem Bryan Pratt, R-Blue Springs, who received $25,025.
Majority Whip Brian Nieves, R-Union, who received $1,250.
Majority Caucus Chair Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, who received $1,300.
The Missouri Citizen Education Fund has financed several studies into Sinquefield’s political purchasing power.
According to the Center for Civic Participation, the Fund is an affiliate of the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition, “a statewide coalition of 40 labor unions and community groups founded in 1992 to give grassroots organizations the tools to engage their membership in the public policy process,” according to its Web site.
The study does not offer cut-and-dry proof that political back-scratching took place, however. Its conclusion simply states that “Missourians deserve to know whom their legislators are representing: The voters or the private interests of Sinquefield.”
The next round of campaign contribution reports is due out in mid-July. It will be interesting to see how much more of Sinquefield’s money politicians receive.
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