Club for Growth: Membership has its priveleges

Nuke's News & Views ^ | 11/12/07 | Nuke Gingrich

[grandpa jones]

Club for Growth President Pat Toomey was recently quoted, "Earmark reform will shine a glaring light on the profligate pork barrel projects and the politicians who sponsor them," It didn't occur to him that earmark reform also exposes the recipients of multi-million dollar pork projects--including the largest contributors to The Club for Growth.

Arkansas millionaire Jackson "Steve" Stephens, Jr., ... has been hounding Mike Huckabee for expanding government for the likes of providing health insurance for children of the working poor, building highways and keeping the sales tax on groceries to improved inadequate schools.

Small government, that’s the mantra of the Club for Growth, which is heavily financed in its political activities by Stephens, heir to the financial fortune built by his father and uncle.

So what?

Well, in the fine print of the defense spending bill approved Thursday, you’ll see $1.6 million to Exoxemis of Little Rock to research and test a substance for wound decontamination. That’s Stephens’ company. Nothing like having taxpayers finance R&D for multi-millionaires.

Steve Stephens, who served on the Board for The Club for Growth in 2004, and the Stephens family have donated some $1.4 million to the Club for Growth. Stephens has ranked consistently among Club for Growth’s leading donors, according to disclosure filings. In the 2004 election cycle, his $800,000 in contributions made him Club for Growth’s No. 1 benefactor.

[grandpa jones]

Membership has its priveleges, indeed.

[denydenydeny]

I’d be more impressed if the author knew how to spell.

[calcowgirl]

Ah, yes. Jackson Stephens, Jimmy Carter's roommate, Hillary and Bill's pimp, and other notable associations.

Now I know why the Club for Growth has been so whacky lately.
When they first began, I thought they had great promise.

[Mobile Vulgus]

I’d be more impressed if people who care so much about spelling would put as much passion into things that pose a true danger to the country.

[padre35]

It would make no sense for the Jackson’s to donate millions to the CFG, then to only receive a fraction of that back in public dole money.

There probably is more to the story then what there seems to be.

[Betty Jane]

I don't see this as necessarily as a problem for him. There are things that government does that I think it has no business doing and I would love to see eliminated, that I take advantage of because it is available.

Hypocritical, yes but practical under the circumstances.

[padre35]

CFG is not utterly opposed to Govt spending, they are opposed to high taxes to pay for that spending and for regulations that hamper the ability to compete.

Jackson’s company may have been performing a needed service for the of Arkansas, we don’t know that and the snippet doesn’t mention the truth behind that contract as the article seems to be more about “Ahhah! Gotcha CFG donor...”.

Not a big fan of the CFG, but I do think they represent a large segment of the Conservative Business Community in the US.

[Gipper08]

This story is a fraud put out buy Mike Huckster’s socialist acolytes. Huckster, you can’t fool all of the people...

[Gipper08]

apples and oranges. one has nothing to do with another.

[Sal]

When they first began, I thought they had great promise.

Same here, and I agree totally about all things Stephens. OTOH go to the link. There's not much more there, but at the bottom are a bunch more links making it clear that this "Nuke" guy is pimping for Huckabee.

I didn't read the links, but the titles ridicule Hunter, Thompson, etc.--basically everybody except Huckabee.