Some people think their political positions
should remain personal. But, what about
political contributions? That information is
more easily accessible than you might think. So,
how do you get that information, and what is it
good for?
The information is on the Internet and you
can go to various sites including one called
fundrace.org. On it you can type in a zip code
and see, who in your neighborhood, is
contributing to either presidential candidate.
If that's not enough, you can see how much their
giving and exactly where they live. Although
some may see it as an invasion of privacy. The
purpose is to hold individuals and political
candidates accountable for their actions.
Professor of political science at Auburn
University says, "it's perfectly legal...and it
ensures there is no coincidence in excessive
contributions between sources of campaign funds
and voting records, votes that did not seem to
be in the interest of the district."
So far, President Bush has raised more than
170-million dollars in campaign funds, while
Democratic hopefully John Kerry has raised far
less at 42-million.
Publishing campaign contributions dates back
to 1974, but with the accessibility of the
Internet, getting that information has become
much easier.
For presidential campaigns individuals can
only donate 2 thousand dollars per election.
Primary's and general elections are counted
separately. Individuals can also donate up to 5
thousand dollars to any political action
committee.
To find out more on contributions made check
out the federal election committee's website at
http://www.fec.gov/