OCR Text |
Show Friday, December 28, DAILY HERALD A2 Customer Service Newsroom Toll free FAX House members spent $20.3 million on mailings ' A Lee Newspaper Established in 1873 375-510- Dennis Conrad 3 THE WASHINGTON 8008075 Street address: 1555 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo, UT Send mail to: P.O. Box 717, Provo, UT 846030717 News Editors Executive Editor Randy Metro Editor Am Rose osehera(dextra.com City Editor Angie Parkinson apantasonheraidextr&corn Sports Editor Darnell Business Editor Grace Leong Life Doug Fox Style Editor rwnghtdhefatdextra.com 3 Wright Dickson Editorial Page Editor JimTynen President Craig rJdicksonheraldextra.com gieongheraldeAa.com 0 dfoxheraidextra.com jtynenheraldextra.com 4 Senior Managers & Publisher Circulation Director Advertising cdennisheraldextra.com Dennis Stephen Kelsey Manager skelseyheraldextra.com Christensen Al 7 Chief Financial Officer Mark Heintzetman Production Manager Larry Hatch I.T. Brian Tregaskis Manager Human Resources ' Marketing acfinstensenheraldextra.com mfieirr&efrrianheraktextra.com lhatchheraldextra.com 5 btregaskisheraldextra.com Jeremy Walker 7 jererny.wakerneraldextra.com Michele Roberts 0 mrobertsheraldextra.com NEWS TIPS: On nights and weekends, call 3442554. At other times, contact an editor above. CORRECTIONS: The Herald corrects errors of fact appearing in its news and opinion columns. If you have a correction, call 344-253- Home Delivery 375-510- Advertising 3 Delivery by 6 a.m. Mon-Fr- 7 a.m. Sat-Su- i For missing papers, call by 9:30 a.m. CLASSIFIED 3735450 RETAIL 344-294- 6 ADVERTISING FAX 356-301- The Daily Herald (ISSN 0891-277is published mornUSPS 143-060- ) New subscriptions, restarts, delivery or ings, Sunday through Saturday, 3 by Lee Publications, a division of weekbilling information, call Lee Enterprises, Inc., 1555 N. days from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Freedom Blvd., Provo, Utah 84604. SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAMS Periodicals postage paid at Provo, Per year Utah. Postmaster: Send address Daily & Sunday $124.80 changes to The Daily Herald, P.O. Thur, Frl. Sat, Sun & Holidays $130.00 Box 717, Provo, Utah 84603-0717- . Thursday Only SUBSCRIPTIONS $52.00 $91.00 $36.40 t Sunday Only Thur, Sun & Holidays .". MEMBER, AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS 'Holiday delivery includes delivery the weeks of Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Pioneer Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Rates may vary by ASSOCIATED PRESS 801-344-25- www.heraldextra.ccwn . All contents Copyright O 2007, Dally Herald. Any reproduction or other use is strictly prohibited mail and outside of without wntten permission. Utah County. U.S. House members spent $20.3 million in tax money last year to send constituents what's often the government equivalent of junk mail meeting announcements, tips on car care and job interviews, surveys on public policy and just plain bragging. They sent nearly 116 million pieces of mail in all, many of them glossy productions filled with flattering photos and lists of the latest roads and bridges the lawmaker has brought home to the district, an Associated Press review of public records shows. Some offered advice on top- t - GERALD -. Associated Press HERBERT, Pieces of mass mailings from Congress members. cuts that "benefit the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working families." Stark has been a regular among the biggest users of the congressional franking privilege. For 2006, his mass mailings alone cost $172,357, an amount large enough to rank him among the top congressional mailers. House documents reported his overall mailing costs to be about $37,000 ments. less. The AP received no exAnd Rep. Cynthia McKin-neIX3a., who lost her priplanation for the apparent e discrepancy from spokesmen mary race after a scuffle with a Capitol Hill pofor Stark, the House Adminislice officer last year, sent out tration Committee and House a taxpayer-funde- d administration staff. newsletter Some lawmakers defend the a few months before the election that included this simple newsletters as a vital way of observation: communicating with constituents. "Convicted felons can vote," newsletter splashed with the "One of the biggest comincumbent's achievements in she said, if "your" prison sentence has been served, parole plaints my constituents had Congress can build useful credentials a lawmaker can take or probation completed and (with) my predecessor was fines paid. While campaignwith him to the ballot box. The that they never knew what was going on in Washington," ing, McKinney, who is black, franking privilege is one of noted that blacks make up a the main cogs in Congress' PR said Rep. Ginny Brown-Wait"They never had the opdisproportionately large share machine." of the prison population, which Franking, practiced since portunity to do surveys, etc. I she said dilutes their voting the early days of the republic, promised I would communicate lets members of Congress with them regularly." strength. Brown-Wait- e is one of the A dozen House members send mail with just a signaspent more than $133,000 each ture where the postage would biggest users of bulk mail, to send 9,8 million pieces of normally be affixed. Although with 657,951 pieces at a cost of $129,428 last year. That mass mailings. Total cost? $1.8 the mailings are regulated by million. a congressional commission surpassed the approximately Sometimes the lawmakers' to guard against overt politi$110,000 her campaign spent cal appeals and cannot go out on direct mailings and related taxpayer funded mailings costs. within 90 days of an election, topped what they paid for mailOne taxpayer-funde- d direct mail through their camthey still sometimes take a dig at the opposition. ing featured a picture of her paign funds. In a June 2006 newsletter, Of the 64 House members and the headline: "Medicare with at least $100,000 in taxpaRep. Pete Stark, DCalif ., noted Prescription Drug Update: The Time to Act is Now." Another, yer-funded mailing expenses that under the Republican maand overwhelmingly for jority, Congress had passed tax entitled "Constituent Service ics one would more commonly expect to see in a consumer-advic- e column. "Keep your car properly maintained" to improve mileage, suggested Rep. Tim Murin a newsletter on phy, how to deal with rising energy prices. Rep. David Dreier, offered tips on home improvey, high-profil- 42 were Remass mailings publicans and 22 were Democrats, the AP review found. In sharp contrast, 59 lawmakers in the 35 Republicans and House 24 Democrats spent nothing on mass mailings. They tended to be the more experienced House members, often with 14 or more years of service. Mass mailings cannot be blatantly political, but they still can have political benefits, said Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayers' Union, which has condemned mass mailings. mail"A taxpayer-finance- d ing doesn't have to say 'reelect me' to have an impact on voters," Sepp said. "A glossy er a. Guide for the 5th District," included a survey and information about how to obtain U.S. flags, assistance from federal agencies and an appointment to a military academy. The House Democratic Caucus encourages members to use the mailings to communicate with constituents, spokeswoman Sarah Feinberg said She said it was a good way for congressmen to focus on an issue or, if survey questions are used, get a handle on what constituents are thinking. That argument doesn't persuade Rep. Ray LaHood, who said he has never used the mailings in 13 years in Congress. "It's a waste of taxpayers' money," he said. "I don't believe in this LaHood argues that franking should be used only to answer constituent mail He has repeatedly introduced bills to ban mass mailings and just as often the legislation dies in committee. For the House and Senate combined, the cost of taxpamailings, includyer-paid ing mass mailings, letters to individuals and groups of up to 500 people, was $34.3 million for fiscal year 2006, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report. In 1988, before more restrictions were imposed on the use of mailings, the figure was more than three times larger, $113.3 millioa The biggest senders in the AP analysis included freshmen in tight fights and veterans who coasted to vic- tory. Rep. Henry Brown, had the most pieces of mass mailings: 1,257,972. His mass mailings' cost of $171,286 was among the highest in the House, as was the overall cost of his franked mail, at $177,705. Murphy, who advised constituents to maintain cars, was one of the House leaders in sending out bulk mail, with 1,003,836 pieces. The price tag: . $165,650. Among legislative leaders, the biggest spender was Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, who last fall became chairman of the House GOP Conference. He spent $133,053 to mail 844,336 pieces. k!3 tf i 91 I f 1 iJdnp8rMttirn.if. V: 0 ' :T1 r T 4 - - . 9 ..X . rCLyla of Your mmm fa tm Life. iu f - Earn Reward Points Mm (3U 2007 toward more Dillard's Reward Certificates every you Subject to credit approval. Certificates for opening a Dillard's Card account will arrive with the Dillard's Card and expire 60 Issuance. from See credit days application for Rewards program terms. and Sunday at all Dillard's locations. Shop In Provo, at Provo Town Centm. In Salt Lake City at Fashion Place and South Town Center. In Ogden, at Newgate Mall. In Logan, at Cache Valley Mall. We welcome your Dillard's Credit Card, The American Express Card, Diners Club International, Mastercard? Visa and The Discover Card Thursday-Saturda- y 10--9 12-- 6 L 4 j |