N.C. Congressman's Foundation Draws Fire

[Rose Siding]

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A drug and alcohol counseling foundation started by Rep. Frank Ballance is riddled with conflicts of interest, including payments to his relatives and people who worked on his campaigns, the state auditor said Wednesday.

The John A. Hyman Foundation began receiving state funds when Ballance was vice chairman of the state Senate's Finance Committee, and now receives more than $200,000 a year from the state, auditor Ralph Campbell said.

Some of the foundation's money went to foundation employees who had served on Ballance's campaigns, Campbell said. In one instance, the foundation wrote a $5,000 check to the Democrat's daughter for work that wasn't performed, he said.
snip>

Pastors at several churches that received grants from the foundation have been political supporters and donors of Ballance.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-congressman-foundation,0,2581772.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

If there is corruption it should, of course, be exposed. But do tell me how the church grants differ from Bush's faith based half million to Pat Robertson's FL charity last year.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Could be Republican politics, like Whitewater, too, I think

(snip) Feds investigating Ballance’s foundation
The Associated Press

RALEIGH (AP) – A now-defunct drug and alcohol treatment program founded by U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance has become the subject of a federal criminal probe, state officials said Tuesday.

Investigators from the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office have collected information about the John A. Hyman Foundation from the N.C. Department of Correction in recent weeks, said department spokesman Keith Acree.

The foundation was largely financed by the state, with its state appropriation approved by the General Assembly. The money flowed through the Department of Correction.

“We have been contacted by federal officials that are looking into the Hyman Foundation. Our controllers office has cooperated with that federal investigation,” Acree said.

He declined to provide specifics about the information given to federal investigators, but said it was similar to documents turned over to state auditors earlier this year.

An audit of the foundation by State Auditor Ralph Campbell is scheduled to be released Wednesday.

Gloria Dupree, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said she could neither confirm nor deny an investigation of the foundation, named after the first black congressman elected in North Carolina, in 1875. (snip/...)

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[tom_paine]

2. Totalitarians ALWAYS target their political enemies with govt. orgs

they themselves have wrested control of.

I am brought to mind of an old quote, which veryt much explains these "conveniently timed" investigations in Philly, Baltimore, and now NC.

"The struggle is a light one now as we are able to employ all the means of the state. Radio and press are at our disposal."
--Josef Goebbels, 1933

Does anyone think the Busheviks operate any differently (aside from being less violent and not as overtly racist)?

[snippy]

3. This is becoming more and more common. Combines pork and nepotism.

There was an article some time ago describing this and quoting a Congresswoman from Kentucky (I think) saying that anyone in Congress who did not do this was a fool. I think it should be illegal for the government to fund any foundation created by a currently serving elected official.