Pay to Play is the Name of the Game
From The Toledo Blade via Buckeye State Blog.
ODP Chairman Chris Redfern responded by saying that "That's the way business is done in Columbus. Want a contract? Write a check."
This is a filthy process and it should be illegal. Companies that make political contributions should be uneligible for contracts from the politicians they contribute to. The system that is set up now encourages, and even legitimizes rampant corruption.
COLUMBUS - Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican candidate for governor, has accepted more than $1 million in contributions from employees of firms seeking business with the statewide offices he's held over the past 12 years, a Blade investigation shows.
The Blade's analysis also found that financial institutions contributing to the campaigns of Mr. Blackwell, who became secretary of state in 1999 after nearly five years as state treasurer, have given at least $1.34 million to the Ohio Republican Party. In turn, the party has shipped at least $1.29 million to Mr. Blackwell's campaigns.
In addition, firms that have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in business from the secretary of state's office under Mr. Blackwell's watch have been hired to do work for his political campaigns.
ODP Chairman Chris Redfern responded by saying that "That's the way business is done in Columbus. Want a contract? Write a check."
This is a filthy process and it should be illegal. Companies that make political contributions should be uneligible for contracts from the politicians they contribute to. The system that is set up now encourages, and even legitimizes rampant corruption.
