Franking Privilege Exploited By TeaBagger Incumbents

Franking Privilege Exploited By Tea Party Incumbents

Freshman GOP lawmakers have decried runaway government spending, but they're still willing to use their taxpayer-funded postage privileges to send mail to constituents.

Critics of the "franking privilege" argue that it helps keep incumbents in their seats at cost to the taxpayer, since lawmakers can use it to send election materials. Frankable items include correspondence, press releases and questionnaires.

Tea Party-aligned representatives have been vocal against this type of frivolous government spending. But now that they're in office during an election year, it seems their tune is starting to change, at least when it comes to postage.

According to the News Press, freshman GOP House members comprise eight of the top 10 and 18 of the top 25 lawmakers spending the most on franking: "Republicans Joe Heck of Nevada ($319,251), Bobby Schilling of Illinois ($293,021) and Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee ($282,385) topped the list."

And Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) and David McKinley (R-W. Va.) have both been called out for excessive franking. According to Roll Call, McKinley spent $312,000 and Guinta totaled $308,000 in the period between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012.

Faced with pressure from voters to curb excessive government spending, Congress has tried to reduce overall spending on franking while increasing transparency. According to a 2007 Congressional Research Service Report, Congress reduced franking costs 70 percent from 1988 to 2006, from $113.4 million to $34.3 million. House franking costs last year fell to an all-time low of $11.3 million.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/1 ... f=politics

Wellllll, golly.... Hypocrisy, thy name is TeaBaggers...

Sending info to your voters so they can see what you are doing after being elected? Sounds like the transparent government Obama promised but refused to deliver.

"Sending info to your voters" wasn't the subject of the story, was it...

But thanks for playing.

Democracy4Sale wrote: "Sending info to your voters" wasn't the subject of the story, was it...

What do you think franking entails? Sending mailings to the people in your district. Sometimes your blinders prevent you from reading your own postings.

Since YOUR blinders require you to have the last word by ignoring the truth of the article...you shall have it.

Does anyone know how much of the "mail to constituents" involves their bid for reelection? Wouldn't that give them an unfair advantage over their opponent who has to pay for all that postage.......even just the repetition of mailings from them keeps their name in front of the voters in a way that their opponent cannot. I think they should all have to provide their own postage.

There are many advantages incumbents of both parties have over challengers. And franking is one of them.

If a Dem was using above average franking to help him defeat a (R) supported by the Koch brothers, I doubt Democrats4Sale would post that thread.

The piece is another hit piece, simple as that. It is nothing out of the ordinary, has been going on since the republic was created.

Tea Party-aligned representatives have been vocal against this type of frivolous government spending. But now that they're in office during an election year, it seems their tune is starting to change, at least when it comes to postage.

It's not that they use it... It's the hypocrisy of decrying the "frivolous government spending", and then becoming the top users of the system they complained about...

:Whistle

OMIGOD! A politician being a hypocrite? Thanks for exposing this. This will change the election for sure!!!

The GOP is just trying to support the poor USPS, right?

Democracy4Sale wrote: Tea Party-aligned representatives have been vocal against this type of frivolous government spending. But now that they're in office during an election year, it seems their tune is starting to change, at least when it comes to postage.

It's not that they use it... It's the hypocrisy of decrying the "frivolous government spending", and then becoming the top users of the system they complained about...

:Whistle

Really......did you expect anything less from them? I'm surprised that anyone thought that the Tea Party candidates would be any different when they got into office than any other politician, right or left. Don't tell me the rightie voters actually BELIEVED all the Tea Party rhetoric.......surely they are not that dumb.....surely, I mean really, could they have actually thought these Tea Party members were immune to the politics of being in POWER?