Indy Star: Burton (R) hires relatives; voters should fire him

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070622/OPINION/706220404/-1/LOCAL17

Burton hires relatives; voters should fire him


Our position: Indiana congressman has again shown his disregard for his constituents.


Dan Burton hasn't exactly been the best public servant for his constituents in the 5th Congressional District, or for Indiana. From spending $9,500 of taxpayer money on an electronic guestbook to skipping 27 percent of U.S. House roll-call votes this past January (so he could play golf), he has shown little regard for his public responsibilities.

Now there's more. A watchdog group -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) -- shows the 12-term Republican apparently thinks that the purpose of politics is to provide jobs and income for his relatives. Burton isn't the only member of Congress with a penchant for putting family on the payroll. Fellow Indiana Congressman Steve Buyer's campaign committee helped his daughter Colleen with her bills in 2004 by paying her $1,900 in fundraising fees.

Forty-four other members -- including long-shot presidential candidate Ron Paul and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. -- also employ or pay fees to their relatives.

But given Burton's record for flouting decorum and common sense, it isn't surprising that he's landed on this list. Burton's daughter, Danielle Sarkine, makes a living as one of her father's campaign staffers. She earned $58,400 in salary (along with $3,200 in reimbursed expenses) from her father's campaign committee last year.In fact, Sarkine has earned $144,000 from the campaign over the past six years, ranking her among CREW's list of the 10 most well-compensated relatives on a congressional campaign.

Burton's younger brother Woody already holds a powerful political seat in the Indiana House of Representatives. But he was paid $5,600 from his brother's campaign committee between 2002 and 2006 for vehicle repairs, insurance and other services.

As a rule, members of Congress aren't allowed to place relatives on their congressional staffs, largely because of the taint of nepotism and the potential for corruption. By hiring relatives as campaign staffers, they leave themselves open to the same kinds of problems, including the type of "ghost employment" that sows the seeds for graft and worse.

Ultimately, it is up to representatives to behave themselves. Some, like Burton, who is serving his 25th year in Congress, have come up short. He should know better. But as we've seen before, his disregard for the voters and even campaign donors knows no bounds.
Gerrymandering has placed him in a district so overwhelmingly Republican that victory in the general election is almost assured.

The challenge offered by former Marion County coroner John McGoff in next year's Republican primary offers voters a good alternative -- and a chance to vote Burton out of office.

[babylonsister]

1. Sadly, he's not alone:

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070618/a_campaignfunds18.art.htm

Lawmakers used campaign funds to pay relatives
Some would like to tighten rules on family, payrolls

By Matt Kelley
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Seventy-two members of the House of Representatives spent $5.1 million in campaign funds to pay relatives or their relatives' companies or employers during the past six years, a liberal watchdog group says in a report to be released today.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) found nearly $3.5 million in campaign payments to relatives during the past three election cycles, from 2001 to 2006. Campaigns paid about $1.6 million to firms owned by or employing the lawmakers or their relatives, the group found.

It is not illegal for federal candidates to pay family members for political work, as long as they are paid fair market value, the Federal Election Commission has ruled. Some would like to change the law because of recent investigations.

Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Mike Castle, R-Del., introduced a bill this month that would prohibit congressional candidates from paying their spouses with campaign funds and require campaigns to disclose close relatives on the payroll.

"I think the ban on spouses drawing campaign checks is needed because there's simply been too much abuse of the practice," Schiff says.

The House member cited in the CREW report as spending the most campaign funds on a spouse says she supports that proposal.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., paid her husband's firm, Collins and Day, $285,481 over the past six years, the report says.

Lofgren says her husband, John Marshall Collins, has dissolved the firm, which provided accounting, fundraising and regulatory compliance services.

In addition, Lofgren's campaign paid John Marshall Collins PC, a second company controlled by her husband, $62,705 for rent and office services, the report found.

Campaign records show that neither company received any payments this year.

"It was good, because the work was done right," Lofgren says of her campaign's relationship with Collins and Day. "But people didn't feel comfortable with it. … If you have to use more than two sentences to explain it, that doesn't work."

CREW analyzed campaign-finance reports from 337 House members: Democratic and Republican leaders, as well as chairpersons and ranking members of all committees and subcommittees. Fifty-three paid one or more relatives with campaign funds; eight paid firms owned by or employing relatives; and 11 did both, the report found.

Of those 72 House members, 41 are Republicans and 31 are Democrats.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. You know, it makes you want to think, "throwing them all out

and starting from scratch" may not be a bad idea afterall.

Makes me appreciate Kennedy. I guess he will never get a break - people still make fun of him. But, he's got all the money in the world, he's lost his brothers, but every day - without any reason to do it, in need of no money, he goes in and fights for those who need it most. If we could just replace everyone with a Kennedy we'd be all set.

[KharmaTrain]

3. And This Is New Stuff About Disco Danny???

So this is being put out by a REPUGNICAN primary challenger? :popcorn:

The dirt on Burton's finances and private life are easily available on "The Google"...it's been documented for years and stll the fine folks in his district find it fitting to send this POS back for term after the term.