Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news — make a quick donation to Truthout today!
Republican strategist Roger Stone reported a few days ago that David Koch (co-founder and co-owner of Koch Industries) may have played a vital role in the selection of Paul Ryan as the Republican vice-presidential candidate. According to Stone, Koch pledged to give Gov. Romney’s Super PAC $100 million if Congressman Ryan would be his V.P. selection.
I will not speculate that Governor Romney selected Ryan for such a bountiful donation — nor should liberal media outlets — because there is an actually a more substantive problem at hand.
Super PACs are defined under our tax codes as 501(c)(4) organizations, which are classified as charity or social welfare groups. An organization classified by the IRS under this section is essentially impervious to disclosure laws in regards to donors and donation amounts.
The other problem is that any donation can be tax deductible, like the deductions one gets for tithing or donating to a cancer foundation.
I am not trying to pick on Mr. Koch, or any Republican candidates, because the Democrats have their power brokers and Super PACs as well, making them no different from their opponents. My problem is that these Super PACs are responsible for publishing, producing and financing many of these distasteful, libel-ridden advertisements we see on TV or the Internet every day. Yet they operate under a tax-exempt status, with little to no regulation, and can in layman’s terms be called “charity.”
We should not allow these polarizing factions — major catalysts in eradicating Washington’s pragmatic personalities of old — to be classified as charitable organizations; rather, we should call them what they truly are: partisan provocateurs.
In order for us to move forward as a nation, with sensible public policy and prudent public officials, we should first try to discern the difference between a charity and a hate group.
Jason Brown
Columbus
A terrifying moment. We appeal for your support.
In the last weeks, we have witnessed an authoritarian assault on communities in Minnesota and across the nation.
The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. Yet, Trump-aligned billionaires and other allies have taken over many legacy media outlets — the culmination of a decades-long campaign to place control of the narrative into the hands of the political right.
We refuse to let Trump’s blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice.
But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. Over 80 percent of Truthout’s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors.
Truthout has launched a fundraiser, and we have a goal to add 273 new monthly donors in the next 72 hours. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger one-time gift, Truthout only works with your support.