Are Non-profits Laundering money of for air america donors? My comments from Hugh Hewitts show

7/29/05 | Walkingfeather

[Walkingfeather]

This is just my theory

The point I made on Hugh's show today was that I suspect someone has made a deal to funnel money through these charities, then the charities buy commercial time on air america, then the charities take a cut and get a way of promoting their non-profit. This way the backers of Air america can write off their donations through the non-profit and still fund a commercial and political venture.

My guess would be that if we looked into their books we would see large donations to these charities and then look into the stations books on how much air time was booked by these non-profits. The difference between the donations and the cost of air time would be the non-profits cut to run it through the books.

Comments?

[mad puppy]

'... clearly no one is listening.'

A year or so ago, during a discussion with a liberal co-worker, he said that unless I'd listened to some of the other sides radio shows, I would have no way of putting the 'right wing' radio shows into context.

I admit it. I fell for it. For a couple weeks I tried, I really tried to listen to the likes of Randi Rhodes and Al Franken. They made me angry, but I listened. They didn't make sense, but I listened. I completely disagreed, but I listened. They spewed this rage backed up by the most twisted, paranoid thinking possible and after a couple weeks I had to turn it off.

Finally, I went to this co-worker and told him that I now understood why he was so frustrated and angry; why he hated Bush and thought the UN should be allowed to over rule the US Constitution; why cutting taxes was a give away to the rich; etc. etc. etc.

He was being feed a constant stream of B.S. and deep down he knew it was just wrong, which meant he was wrong on a great many issues of the day. That was simply more than he could take. A few weeks later his anger about other issues bubbled to the surface during an off-site meeting with a HUGE customer. That customer was offended and let it be known. He was fired.

Allowing Air America to live or die based on standard profit and loss business practices is only fair, but they won't play be the simple rules.

Allowing Air America to die, while to late for my co-worker, might help prevent others from developing that type of anger. So... for the good of the country, shut it down.

[Ann Archy]

I heard you today! Way to go!! You were right, and you might have put your finger on a HUGE SCANDAL!!! It's already a big scandal about the Gloria Weiss Center giving it's GRANT money to Air America!!

PAGING Elliot SPITZER!!!

[Cautor]

"primates who pose as newscasters"

Is there really a way to distinguish the two? Given a typewriter, and a zillion years, I'd say they both have an equal chance of getting a story factually correct. I might even give the primate better odds.

[Ann Archy]

It sounds like a felony happened. Giving non-profit grant money away to "get a profit".....doesn't quite seem Kosher.

[longtermmemmory]

ok but is it illegal?

It may be TECHNICALLY legal.

[Cautor]

"Giving non-profit grant money away to "get a profit".....doesn't quite seem Kosher."

I think you can rest easy. The chances of Air America turning a profit are...well...they're nil as the Brits would say.

[coulterfan1]

LOL. Perfect.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

I don't know how many times I have told people we need to de-fund the Left and the best way to do it is to go after the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporations. This is true “corporate welfare” (a term the Left likes to scream about).

There is no such thing as a “non-profit,” it is in the Internal Revenue Code as a “tax-exempt corporation,” it is another way the Left lies to cover up.

A novel way to whittle away at the “non-profit” scam is to put in the Internal Revenue Code that as a condition for tax-exempt status, all paid employees of such 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporations have to submit to mandatory random drug testing (including, and especially marijuana). You will see the likes of such groups as the ACLU, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, PETA, etc, etc., ad nauseum, fold like a cheap tent.

In fact, this suggestion on a consertvative local radio talk show in ultra left-wing Santa Cruz, California generated tons of irate callers. It really got under their skin. After all, conservative “non-profits” wouldn't have anything to worry about, would they?

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

See my #28...

[Ann Archy]

I'm not talking about Air America being non profit. I was talking about the NON-PROFIT Gloria Wise Center that gave their GRANT money to Air America!!! Sounds illegal to me....especially since it wasn't secured with anything!!

[melt]

Good theory. A foul wind blows at Air America. It seems fitting that Al F'rank'en would be at the helm.

[coulterfan1]

A novel way to whittle away at the “non-profit” scam is to put in the Internal Revenue Code that as a condition for tax-exempt status, all paid employees of such 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporations have to submit to mandatory random drug testing (including, and especially marijuana). You will see the likes of such groups as the ACLU, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, PETA, etc, etc., ad nauseum, fold like a cheap tent.

LOL. Brilliant.

My pet peeve is the money & resources that go to the left via forced payments, like union dues & taxes. That's what I'd really like to get rid of. Even if were going to something I agreed w/, I still hate the idea of being forced to give my money to anything.

[Ann Archy]

HA!

Maybe f this thing blows up into a real scandal about the 501 (c)(3)s, we'll have a party for McCain and Feingold!

[Cautor]

I take your point. I was just being my usual daft self. {;o) You are indeed correct.

[ozzymandus]

Air AntiAmerica couldn't possibly survive if they played by the legal rules, so naturally, they cheated. As you know, liberals are above the law because they're better than everybody else.

[RayChuang88]

One of the things that Hewitt mentioned on today's show is the fact for a radio talk show to be highly successful you need advertisers willing to back the show for long periods of time. Have you noticed that on his show all the national radio advertising spot airtime are completely sold out until January 2006, while it appears that Air America has most of its ads as public service announcements (PSA's)?

That tells me Air America is DESPERATE for money and is willing to use illegal means to continue its operations. Like I said, if Air America is still around 18 months from now I'll be amazed.

[Walkingfeather]

The question is.....
Are there other markets out there that are being supported by ads from non profits?

If so which markets?

Which 501(c)3's

and if it started at the same time my sense is that it is being funded by one person or a small group. Then they would go through a dummy corp. to hire the media buying agency.
Me wonders if they are trying to limp this along so they can get through the august duldrums so that they can amplify issue in the fall ( supremes, stirings of impeachment...)

Either way, if they have used 501(c)3's both the non-profits and the people that set it up will be in trouble. except for the fact that it is the left that runs the judicial side and just like sandy berger it will be put out of the publics mind and a small article mentioning their handslap will occur on page f 26 of the washington post on the friday before a major holiday.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

My pet peeve is the money & resources that go to the left via forced payments, like union dues & taxes.

A lot of these “non-profits” advocate increasing taxes on you and I that they don’t pay themselves...

It is like newspapers making their left wing, sanctimonious environmental pronouncements when they use up so many trees to print that garbage.

[mware]

Paging Elliot Spitzer, paging Elliot Spitzer.

[Walkingfeather]

You know at this point there is almost a presupposition that they can break any rule and that we have to follow every rule or they will go tell their mommy ( the press).