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Jun 10, 2007

Anchorage Daily News - Young's favors

Years ago, Sen. Russell Long of Louisiana was asked to describe the difference between a campaign contribution and a bribe. "Almost a hairline," he said.

The latest front-page story about the Congressman for Alaska Don Young illustrates the point perfectly.

According to the New York Times, Congressman Young put a $10 million earmark for a Florida road in the House transportation budget.

The congressman from that district didn't know about the appropriation. Members of local government in the community near Fort Meyers didn't know about the appropriation. Local planners didn't know either.

But real estate developer Daniel J. Aronoff knew about it -- all about it.

Mr. Aronoff gave Congressman Young $3,000 in campaign contributions. And Mr. Aronoff helped organize a Florida fundraiser that netted Congressman Young more than $40,000.

Congressman Young further demonstrated his loyalty to the developer by telling the local planning committee that if the money was not used for the highway project, his committee would take it back.

The Times noted in passing that when a reporter approached Young to interview him, the self-proclaimed Congressman for Alaska "responded with an obscene gesture."

Congressman Young has long presented himself as a "fighter for Alaska." Well, the record shows he took breaks from that fight to be a fighter for special interests far beyond Alaska's borders.

In Florida and Arkansas, Congressman Young's M.O. was the same. He flies into town, attends a lucrative fundraiser, flies back to Washington -- and presto, his transportation committee delivers a road appropriation that will be of benefit to some who attended the fundraiser. In fact, after Mr. Young visited Pine Bluff, Ark., local business interests became some of his most generous contributors.

In government, there are two kinds of corruption: Illegal and legal. The illegal can get you sent to jail (if caught). The legal can get you re-elected. Only the clumsy and stupid -- and the exceptionally greedy -- engage in bribes when they know campaign contributions are a perfectly legal alternative.

What is to be done? Unfortunately, the law will not stop Congressman Young from dispensing favors to benefit campaign contributors. He can keep traveling to fundraisers and deliver projects to those who write the checks.

The voters are the only recourse, come election day. If they can't stand the congressman's cozy backscratching arrangements with campaign contributors, they know what to do about it.

BOTTOM LINE: Don Young's multimillion dollar earmarks for out-of-state fundraisers may be legal but that doesn't make them right.