Strange things make me angry sometimes...

I got a postcard from Matt McCoy today. You know Matt McCoy, he's the Democrat who takes money from MidAmerican Energy, supports the INCESTUAL Fund and endorses an anti-choice, pro-corporate welfare candidate for governor.

Anyway, my apartment got two postcards today, one for me and one for Laura, which is a whole different problem. The next time the IDP mentions not having enough money to do everything they'd like to do, I'm going to show them this postcard.

Back to the point. Here's what the postcard said:

Your views are important to me. Please feel free to contact me should you need assistance with a state agency, or want to voice your concerns about pending legislation, or any other matter important to you.

Then it lists his contact info.

First and foremost, I know for a fact my views aren't important to him. He's a lifetime 0-for-3 replying to my emails. But, this is the kind of bullshit one spews out when one has forgotten their constituents for years, but now is suddenly facing a challenge in a primary.

I sat down with this postcard and considered two options:

1) I go short, to the point, and harsh as a rusty bic. Something like "Until you've done one thing in the legislature to prove you're a Democrat, you shouldn't make the Democratic Party send me mail on your behalf."

2) I write a book. I go in depth on every issue. I make something so long-winded and detailed that I have to send it to him in a box, not an envelope. Ok, maybe I don't have that much time, but 10-15 pages isn't outside the realm of possibility.

While considering the possibility, I decided to gather my sources. Since campaign finance is the issue that ties it all together for me, I decided to check his 2006 finance reports.

Look at this shit.

Saying it's handwritten is an understatement. I'm pretty sure I can write clearer than that with my toes. Also, I'm not a campaign treasurer, but I know one, and she told me every donor is required to have a full address. Six of the donors on the first page don't have that.

Once I got over the fact that my own state senator couldn't hire a third grader to write legibly for him, I started looking at the actual donors.

Rod Aycox is the owner of LoanMax, the car title loan company that's being allowed to rape and pillage the poor in Iowa because of the legislature's inactivity on the subject. McCoy took $750 from him.

Anybody care to guess what the sixth line says? I can't figure it out.

The PACs:

PACEG (Ruan Corporation): $1000
Iowa Optometric Assoc: $250
The one I couldn't read before: $100
Associated General Contractors of Iowa: $500
Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores of Iowa (Touchplay, anyone?): $250
Iowa Realtors PAC: $500
Iowa Chiropractic Society: $100
Iowa Committee of Auto Retailers: $150
Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance PAC: $100
Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa: $250
Motor Carriers PAC: $500
Bankers Unite in Legislative Decisions: $200
Heavy Highway PAC: $200
Iowa Industry PAC: $150
Iowa LawPAC: $200
Justice for All PAC: $250
Meredith Corp: $250
Fourth line, page four is not legible, except for the word PAC: $200
Iowa Telecom: $150
Deere PAC: $500
United Transportation (something) PAC: $500
Qwest: $500
Independent Insurance Agents of Iowa (again): $250
MidAmerican Energy: $500
Iowa Cable PAC: $500
Associated General Contractors of Iowa (again): $500
Motor Carriers (again): $500
Wells Fargo: $250
Principal: $1000
Iowa Committee of Auto Retailers (again): $250
IANA-PAC (Iowa Association of Nurse Anesthetists): $150
Iowa LawPAC (again): $200
Master Builders of Iowa: $1000

Total: $11,900, and bear in mind this is not an election year.

So all in all, I guess the message I'm sending to Matt McCoy, as it stands right now, is this: Stop pretending we're your constituents. I know not every PAC donation inspires a result, but I also know this. The people who dish that money out aren't stupid. And if that many of them are investing in you, they've gotta be pretty sure they're getting something back.

KL