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Call me naive but I thought this was illegal. I have run for office 3 different times and each and every time we have to fill out financial reports, we still are to this day. Every dime has to be accounted for and every single dime has to be campaign related.

The hardest part of running for office is raising money, so because of that alone you feel a personal responsibility to spend that money wisely. Of course if money comes easily like the corrupt, controlled incumbents money does,I guess you don’t care how it’s spent. Then that attitude goes right over to how they control our tax dollars.

So apparently we can do what ever we want with campaign cash… It’s easier for them though, in most cases the unions and other special interest groups print, mail, distribute their literature for them. Or they have the benefit of using tax dollars to send out mailings, their staff writes everything, proofs it and sticks it in the mail and we pay for it all.

This is all part of the incumbent protection racket they have created for themselves, challengers do not have a chance, especially real reform minded people like me and others that are affiliated with Primary Challenge.

Groups Seek End to Personal Use of Campaign Money

In the wake of Gov. David A. Paterson’s recent revelations that he used campaign funds to pay for hotel stays with his paramours, furniture and clothing, a group of government watchdog groups came together this afternoon to urge leaders in Albany to ban the personal use of such money.

“We think the culture here is one that is very acceptant and tolerant of things that we believe are wrong,” said Blair Horner, who is the legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, which watches government. “In this particular case,” he said of Mr. Paterson’s admissions, “that is a practice that should not be allowed. Campaign contributions should be used for campaign activities, not to subsidize personal lifestyles.”

He continued: “It’s hard to tag the governor uniquely when this is a widespread practice. It’s a practice that needs to stop. What Governor Paterson can do is seize this initiative and go for it — shut the loopholes down.”

Mr. Horner was accompanied by Susan Lerner of Common Cause and Barbara Bartoletti with the League of Women Voters.

“This is the opportunity for this new governor, who has admitted doing what virtually probably 80 percent of New York legislators do as well as the majority of states across the nation, what there legislators do,” Ms. Bartoletti said.

“I think this is indeed the opportunity that this governor has to say we’re not going to do this anymore,” she added — even if it means using the “bully pulpit” and “twisting arms.”

Mr. Horner blasted lawmakers for living large on the tab of taxpayers and special interest groups.

“They get per diems in Albany and so I don’t know how they can justify dinners and everything else while they’re in Albany at the same time,” Mr. Horner said. “And It’s not just because we’re being knit picky or being unfair in some way, this is money that comes from special interest groups that lobby the Legislature and the governor.

“That’s the inherent conflict; the lifestyles of lawmakers are subsidized by special interest groups. They get to drive the luxury car, not because they make a lot of money, but because their campaign contributors give them the money to do that. That’s the problem. That has to end.”

The group handed out a packet of information that included a list of all 50 states and their level of restrictions on the personal use of campaign contributions in relation to New York. In the column for New York they used a quote, attributed to the State Board of Elections spokesman Lee Daghlian, which read:

Unless you out-and-out stick it in your pocket and walk away, everything’s legal.