The Money Trail: Who's Behind All This?

Claims by state-based supporters of TABOR that their proposals are the outgrowth of "grassroots" efforts notwithstanding, the fact that the TABOR proposals are all backed by a tightly knit network of wealthy libertarian activists has been bouncing around the blogosphere for some time. But over the past several months, the issue has started to surface in the commercial media, as well.

Many of the money trails eventually lead to New York real estate mogul Howard Rich, founder and principal supporter of Americans for Limited Government, a Chicago-based libertarian think tank.

The Associated Press reported in June that in Oregon, "The initiative for the state spending cap raised more than $230,000 by May. More than 90 percent of the money came from Americans for Limited Government, based in Chicago, and Americans for Tax Reform, in Washington, D.C. Neither group will disclose its donors."

The Oregonian reported in its Aug. 5, 2006 edition:

The most sweeping initiative on Oregon's November ballot -- a measure to cap state spending -- is bankrolled by a New York real estate investor who has poured millions of dollars into similar government-limiting measures in 12 states this year, an analysis by The Oregonian shows.

Organizations controlled by Howard Rich, a Manhattan real estate owner with a longstanding interest in libertarian causes, have funneled more than $7.3 million into initiative campaigns, primarily to curb government and expand property rights.

In Oregon, $1.1 million from Americans for Limited Government and U.S. Term Limits, both tax-exempt groups headed by Rich, account for one-third of the money spent promoting all 10 measures that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

In the July 27, 2006 issue of the Missoula Independent, reporter Alyssa Work wrote , "According to newspaper reports, Rich's Americans for Limited Government, Fund for Democracy and U.S. Term Limits are providing the majority of funding for initiatives in at least nine states. The measures that Tillman calls 'our state campaigns' are similar, with some differences in ballot language, to CI-97 (known as Stop OverSpending) and I-154 (or Protect Our Homes Montana).

"A survey of the nation's ballot initiatives reveals Stop OverSpending Michigan, Stop OverSpending Oklahoma and Stop OverSpending Nebraska, and five Protect Our Homes measures, in California, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Nevada (Missouri and Oklahoma's initiatives were struck down before they could qualify for the ballot)."

Writing in the Lincoln, Nebraska, Journal Star, reporter Nancy Hicks noted , "Rich has longstanding ties to Kansas oil billionaires David and Charles Koch, fellow ex-Libertarians who helped found and fund the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C. Rich serves on the Cato Board."

For ample and well-documented background on the Koch brothers, see this blog entry: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/17/234014/285.