Your Tax Dollars at Work

Roads? Bridges? No, not this time. Take a look at the January 11, 2008 issue of the Bismarck Tribune page 8A lower half. “WOPILA, Our Gratitude” with a nice photo of Senator Byron Dorgan, and beside it a smaller photo of Senator Dorgan with UTTC President David Gipp and an unidentified Indian woman in full costume. The purpose of the ad paid for by United Tribes Technical College is a message of profuse thanks for the funding secured by Dorgan for the UTTC. The glowing praise for Dorgan could not be more effusive had it been written by Dorgan’s staff for a political poster. This UTTC paid-for ad is a letter from David Gipp, President of UTTC to Dorgan thanking him for the money and citing him for his accomplishment on behalf of the Tribal people.

This is an abuse of tax money and an outrage! Where does one begin? Let’s start with the use of federal tax dollars to pay for a political ad. There is nothing in this ad that requires it be run as a paid-for public letter or notice. This letter, if it needed to written at all, should have been on one page of letter stationery, signed by Gipp, posted with a 41 cent stamp and sent to Dorgan. Instead the taxpayers paid what? Possibly one thousand seven hundred dollars (per the Tribune). $1700 versus 41 cents.

A second concern and yet more serious. This ad has all the looks of political advocacy for a particular person--a paid political promotion-- for the benefit of Senator Dorgan. It was paid for by UTTC, directly or indirectly, with tax dollars received through a grant obtained by Senator Dorgan. The statement in the letter is very clear about the reason. This is a nice way to pay back a favor--you get some money for us--we’ll run a nice ad giving you all the credit--out of gratitude you will get lots of votes. All paid for by the U.S. taxpayer.

The good senator will protest that he did not solicit this ad. He may well be insulated from the actions that put it into print, but it stretches belief that Pres. Gipp did this as a “surprise” without the knowledge of the Senator or his staff. It will be interesting to hear the Senator’s explanation.

Hal Neff