Business
Idaho Politicos Paid $21 Million By Supporters
September 6, 2015 
The Daily Paper’s Bill Dentzer offered up a very detailed story Sunday about how much in payoffs are “donated” to Idaho politicians.
While the story is well researched and has lots of fair and accurate quotes from businesses and lobbyists, the takeaway has to be most of these elected officials are for sale.
Sure, they all claim there is no “quid pro quo,” but a GUARDIAN friend recently told us, “There is no reason for the pro quo without the quid.” Idaho Power leads off the top 50 when it comes to paying politicians with just under $133,000, but we have to remember these contributions are because it is expensive to run for office and the big donors want to see the best people win public office.
Melaleuca is a close second with more than $111,000. Could this explain the frequent visits of Mitt Romney and other Repubs to Idaho Falls?
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Comments & Discussion
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Sep 6, 2015, 11:03 am
Idaho Power’s money bag weighs a ton, no doubt about it, and try and get money from them if you are running against one of their recipients whose vote they can depend on.
Of equal importance is what is done with these contributions by the recipients which in many cases far exceeds their annual salary as a Legislator.
There is little or no examination of their expense accounts which in one State Senators case involved payments for his hobby of jumping out of airplanes with a parachute on.
Sep 6, 2015, 12:24 pm
The story here is that Dentzer actually wrote something.
Sep 6, 2015, 2:05 pm
“You’ve got to always be a player so when something comes up you can call them right away.”
Implying if you don’t give money you CAN”T call them?
The only good about campaign contributions is, it gets spread around.
Printing companies love election years! Radio, TV, advertising, etc…
LOTS of individual businesses and jobs benefit from where the money is spent.
And true, that politician is probably going to vote that ridiculous bill regardless of what the lobbyist/donor does.
Sep 6, 2015, 10:06 pm
We are a christian nation with high moral standards. Our economic system is based on gambling (Wall Street) and our political system is based on bribery!
The solution to all of our political problems is to eliminate incumbents from elections. No one should ever be running for re-election. Longer single terms – one and done! Can you imagine a citizen legislature or congress without professionals?
Donors would have no assurance of a pro quo for their quid and no track record to base bribes on.
Office holders could concentrate on the public’s business instead of fund raising.
The argument against is the same as with more feeble term limits: “…you would lose institutional memory and experience.”
I think it would be wonderful to lose memory of both current legislative and congressional institutions.
Sep 7, 2015, 1:10 am
The best government/Legislature money can buy.
Sep 7, 2015, 9:37 pm
Simply stated; government at all levels in America is a criminal organization, voting is a fraud, and the corporate media is a delivery device of propaganda to control the people. The rich folks are looting America at a record pace, and probably the only thing that can save us is a benign military coup. The Oligarch globalists running the country care nothing for the people of America, only fattening their bank accounts. Dark times…
Sep 8, 2015, 3:03 pm
America is as corrupt as the rest of the world…Sad.
Sep 9, 2015, 9:22 am
After yesterday’s report of ACHD ordered to pay a million dollar legal bill, I think the other “payments” not in the public eye are much concerning than the one in the public record.
“Hey, I’ll help you if you help me,” says the government employee.
Sep 14, 2015, 9:34 pm
It’s happening here too. The politicos see it as a reason to tax and spend more:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-legal-order-begins-to-fray-1442182979