Political Charity Stands Astride the World

We are now into the third month of one-party Democrat rule in Minnesota, and political charity finds itself going from triumph to triumph under the Capitol Dome.

On a daily basis, you can actually watch as progressive advocates recalibrate upward what is possible in this receptive policy environment.  It's all hands on deck for every liberal initiative ever conceived of and any half-baked idea will get an airing.

The seeds of today's victories were sown years ago.  You may recall 2011 as the year Republicans took control of the full state legislature for the first time, ever.  For the sophisticated, far-sighted investor in Minnesota's left-wing politics, 2011 was a year that the state's public policy was on sale at some very attractive prices.  As a result, Minnesota now fills a market niche for national foundations as a laboratory for new ideas.

As part of my research into Political Charity, I was reviewing some IRS Form 990 filings (non-profit tax returns, always a fun read) from 2011.  Here are just a few of the notable entries I discovered.

The San Francisco-based Energy Foundation gave the local Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy a $40,000 grant in 2011.[1]  The grant was "to investigate renewable thermal incentives for Minnesota that encourage high-efficiency biomass energy."  Violà!  In 2013 the bill H.F. No. 780 was introduced that appears to cover all of the Foundation's concerns.

The San Francisco-based Tides Foundation gave the local OutFront Minnesota Community Services a $60,000 grant in 2011.[2]  The grant to OutFront Minnesota was to support "efforts to secure a statewide LGBT-inclusive safe schools law by 2013."  Just in time, bills were introduced into the legislature this year (H.F. No. 826, the "Safe and Supportive Minnesota Schools Act") that have already received hearings in both the House and Senate.

The New Jersey-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gave the local political charity TakeAction Minnesota a $250,000 grant in 2011.[3]  Grant No. 69433 to TakeAction totals $250,000 and was earmarked by the Foundation, as follows,

This grant is one of ten in the Foundation's Coverage Team's target states that will support consumer organizations to work with their states to implement coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  More specifically, the TakeAction Minnesota Education Fund seeks to launch a statewide campaign focused on creating a robust, consumer-friendly Exchange.  TakeAction intends to: (1) ensure that consumers are fully represented in Exchange and other ACA-related decision making and policy making bodies; and (2) ensure that communities that have the most to gain under the coverage provisions of the ACA have full information about the benefits available to them, as well as opportunities to shape public policy related to those coverage provisions.  TakeAction Minnesota will work closely with members of the Governor's administration on this project, building on a partnership that is already well established.

Sure enough, this bill has already passed the House and soon will be considered by the state Senate.

My point is not to debate the merits of such legislation, I'm sure that reasonable people can come to different conclusions as to whether these three bills represent good public polilcy.  But I do want to point out a few inconsitencies.

While the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is registered as a lobbyist organization in Minnesota, the Energy Foundation is not.

While OutFront Minnesota is registered as a lobbyist organization in Minnesota, the Tides Foundation is not.

While TakeAction Minnesota is registered as a lobbyist organization in Minnesota, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is not.

State Senator Scott Dibble, who is a co-sponsor on the first two bills (see 1 and 2) has authored another bill, SF 26, targeting the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  ALEC is a right-leaning group that provides sample legislative text on a number of issues to state legislators around the country.

The political left is obsessed with this small and obscure outfit, based in Washington, DC.  As naturally as day follows night, the left's obsession with ALEC has become the local media's obsession.  See 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 for a few examples.

From my research and experience, money from the right side of the political spectrum trickles into Minnesota in the $ thousands.  Money from the left cascades into Minnesota as a tsunami of $ millions.

It seems, as if, whenever a dollar for the right manages to cross the border, it's met with a media feeding frenzy not unlike the paparrazi greeting a Kim Kardashian arrival at LAX.  Meanwhile, whole convoys of left-wing cash could gridlock I-94 at rush hour without attractiving any media notice, whatsoever.

  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

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[1] The Energy Foundation, 2011 IRS Form 990, Schedule I, Part II, page 28.

[2] The Tides Foundation, 2011 IRS Form 990, Schedule I, Part II, page 37.

[3] The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011 IRS Form 990PF, Part XV, Line 3.