For the past several months, a late night comedian has been doing an ongoing send up of Super PACs—the campaign funding mechanism that allows contributors to donate millions of dollars anonymously to a candidate or issue. Federal contribution limits to candidates are $2,500 per person per election, but the sky is the limit with Super PACs. Millionaires and corporations can affect the outcome of an election without concern about having their identities traced.
Irving Voices (IV) was formed in 2011 to unseat the incumbent mayor and specific candidates for City Council. IV has been running crudely-designed political “ads” on the back page of every issue of a local paper. These so-called “ads” are actually rants against anyone or any issue they disagree with. Allegations have included the competence/incompetence of city staff, the integrity of City Council members and candidates, the Entertainment Center, the Proposition Irving voters passed in 2007. Many charges are made with little or no factual support or reasoning. Beliefs are often asserted as facts.
So, what do Super PACs and Irving Voices PAC have in common? Transparency—or lack thereof.
Ironic, isn’t it? One of IV’s ongoing complaints is the alleged lack of transparency in city government. This charge comes from a small group that hides behind a catchy name and tosses boulders across the wall without identifying themselves. Their names are nowhere to be seen on the Web site or in their “ads.” The fact that information about City business is readily available in many ways makes this allegation not only ironic, but also demonstrates the lack of foundation for many of positions that IV takes. They call themselves “the voice of the people,” [sic] but what people? Very few in Irving would say IV speaks for them. Who would want to be associated with a group that has such obvious disrespect for the democratic process that they can mock and threaten duly elected Council members as they do?
Although we don’t know whose “voices” they are, at least we can see who is funding them. Their Web site includes a link to their TEC (Texas Elections Commission) public filings. Unlike Super PACS, Texas general purpose PACs do require identification of donors and expenditures on a periodic basis. To see who is funding these ads, go to
http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/php/filer.php?acct=00065035gpac. The next filing is due April 12 so check back again for updates.
I can't really figure out what your quote has to do with anything - “When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness.” ~ Samuel Johnson Are you implying that because people do not agree with you, that they are not civil? You are in the newspaper business - welllll, maybe - and you of all people should know that opinions, especially at election time make the world go round. FYI, to fill in a gap in your misinformation - PAC's do not have MEMBERS. They are not clubs. But also to enlighten you and to call you out, no one working with IV has hidden any identity. Last election, IV people could be seen everywhere handing out IV literature at the polls. How much more exposure do you want? Look up from your narrow little world of pettiness and you will see the entire picture and perhaps quit printing lies. You might want to learn some laws about PACS, super PACS, and free speech while you are at it. We (being you) may not know who these "voices" are but everyone else in town does and LISTENS!
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