Softwood slush-fund for Republicans?

[da]

james_nicoll tells this story, which could scare the crap outta me. Google doesn't report any follow-up news on it, though it was supposed to be completely resolved as of September 1.

Briefly: the Canada/US Softwood Lumber dispute was wrapped up with $450 million conveyed as a trust fund to the White House for "meritous initiatives" of the President's choosing, not via the Congress. This, according to a trade lawyer in Virginia, is bound to be a slush-fund for Republican re-election campaigns. Anyone out there with contacts who could help confirm or deny this?

Ugh.

Comments

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Nicoll, actually.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

Eep. Fixed.

[thingo.livejournal.com]

Admittedly, I don't know much about this story. But a little bit of poking around with Google news seems to suggest that the $450 million won't simply be dropped into a slush fund. If this article is to be believed, the money will be divided up in what appears to be a fairly satisfactory way:

Of the $450 million provided for meritorious initiatives under the agreement, the United States Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc. was identified to receive $200 million, the American Forest Foundation was identified to receive $150 million, and Habitat for Humanity International was identified to receive $100 million.

Let's hope this turns out to be the way the money is used.

[da-lj.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That helps.

The story continues here:

http://www.thenextagenda.ca/comments/2006/10/12/152526/31/3#3

This "United States Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Inc." is a brand new foundation based in Mississippi. Headed by a Democrat, so at least it's not likely a Republican slush-fund.


Some U.S. trade lawyers, including Elliot Feldman, have said the money for "meritorious initiatives" is nothing but a political slush fund that will benefit districts where beleaguered Republicans need help in next month's mid-term elections.

"I don't take at face value that because it's a foundation, it's free of political influence," Feldman said Friday.

"You can't tell me there's no political influence in a newly created foundation."

He noted that Senate investigators issued a report this week that said five conservative non-profits may have defrauded taxpayers by selling their clout to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

[...] "I can assure you, this money will not be used to partisan advantage," Endowment for Forestry president Dick Molpus said from Jackson, Miss.

"Politics just has no place in the decisions. Look, they asked a Democrat to pull this thing together," said Molpus, who served as Mississippi's secretary of state for 12 years and was a Democratic nominee for governor.

The endowment will soon be announcing an 11-person board that will include one non-voting Canadian member.


That organization hasn't spent any money setting up a website, yet.

At least I know Habitat's good folks.