To become a legislator
and have the responsibility of unraveling the thicket of problems
surrounding the…budget
one first has to run for office
And to run for office
candidates need to raise money from some of the same people
who have an abiding interest in the decisions made…
That’s a problem
according to government watchdog Democracy North Carolina
which says the state’s top 36 most generous political action committees
or PACs
will be looking for a return on the $7 million
they invested during the 2008 campaign cycle
“The PACs apparently believe it’s in their interest
to give a lot of money as an investment in something”
said Bob Hall, who heads Democracy North Carolina
“They’re definitely trying to ingratiate themselves
with an expectation that they’re going to get something back”
…Hall said this year’s budget situation
makes that long-standing practice particularly troublesome
There are questions about which taxes will be raised
and which programs will be cut
The question Hall raises is this
Will legislators be willing to hurt the interests of big political donors
to balance the budget and not harm those
who don’t have a big voice in the political process?
…It’s the chicken-and-egg problem of modern American politics
Do campaign donations chase politicians with certain policies
or are politicians swayed by donors?
Campaign donors hold stake in budget
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