US Taxpayers Pay Part of Extra Lavish Traveling Expenses for Schwarzenegger While Political Donors Can Retain Hidden Status

The glories of neocon charities that aid our right wing political bosses explained by the LA Times.

Excerpt "Nonprofit subsidizes Schwarzenegger travel frills ": 

California's larger-than-life governor is unabashed about living large, but keeping him in luxury sometimes depends on the same taxpayer subsidies granted to hand-to-mouth charities.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, a millionaire many times over, bills much of his overseas travel to an obscure nonprofit group that can qualify its secret donors for full tax deductions, just as if they were giving to skid row shelters or the United Way.
  Whether journeying to China, Japan or last week's destinations — Austria, England and France — Schwarzenegger typically flies on top-of-the-line private jets like the plush Gulfstream models and has booked hotel suites that can run thousands of dollars a night.

Nonprofit watchdogs say using charitable write-offs to pay for sumptuous travel is an abuse of tax codes.

"Wow, that's a problem," said Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy. "Why should our tax dollars subsidize his lavish lifestyle?"

Making matters worse, Borochoff and others say, is that the nonprofit that finances Schwarzenegger's globe-trotting, the California State Protocol Foundation, could be a vehicle for interests that hope to curry favor with the governor.

By giving to the foundation, donors avoid having their identities made public, because charities are not governed by the disclosure rules that apply to campaign contributions. And they can donate unlimited amounts to the nonprofit, which is not subject to contribution ceilings the way campaign accounts are.

This is big and an important report.  It also explains why the LA Times worked up the flimsy story on the mayor's having a girlfriend into a scandal and keeps harping on it, and even used a single source from a self admitted news junkie (read Limbaughhead or Free Republic poster) to expand the length of the mayor's intimacy with Ms. Salinas by about 6 months.  The Watergate journalists needed 3 sources when working their story, but if allegations are going to hurt a Democratic official one person with issues is just fine.

They have a lot of proof on the Schwarzenegger deal, but I doubt it will be talked about as much as THE MAYOR'S GIRLFRIEND  TUT! TUT!  TUT!

Excerpt #2 from report on nonprofits and Schwarzenegger:

Representatives for Schwarzenegger and the foundation say there is nothing inappropriate about his arrangement with the group, which is closely associated with the California Chamber of Commerce.

The foundation declined to release details of its expenditures, despite expectations in the nonprofit world that charities be as transparent as possible.

"Good nonprofits are open books," said Trent Stamp, president of Charity Navigator, an online rating service. "Good nonprofits relish the opportunity to be accountable."

Schwarzenegger has tapped at least one other charity for some of his travel. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, celebrated for its Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and far-flung Nazi-hunting efforts, paid more than $51,000 to help send the governor to Israel in 2004, a year when the charity ran a deficit, records show.

Now Schwarzenegger has just become inarguably disgusting.  If I contributed to the Wiesenthal Center, I'd want some answers.  I haven't heard Arnold do anything to advance tolerance for all that money.

He just smokes his cigars and laughs at all of us.

And, in fact, the LA Times in the last couple of years helped pass the talking points that put one of the most corrupt political officials ever back in the governor's office.

The people that just got the boot and/or quit the Air Resources Board have told us that Schwarzenegger's office was putting pressure on them to slow down emissions control on businesses even though the governor pretends he's as "green" as peas.

tags: california  schwarzenegger  charities  non profits  political donations  

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