Murkowski Pays Back Native Supporters 15-Fold in Earmarks

Ed. Note: In Alaska, it is very highly improper to refer to Natives as "Indian." The word "Indian" is being used in this instance because it is quoted as part of a headline in a story being cited. The numbers are also even greater than the author wrote.

In "Christmas Comes Early… RINO Murkowski Pays Back Indian Supporters Ten-Fold!" Jim Hoft details over $26 million in earmarks Alaska's Native Corporations have secured from Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the past month. These federal 8a corporations banded together to form a "Super PAC" pouring $1.7 million into Murkowski's write-in campaign. The FY 2011 Omnibus Earmarks Database delineates Sen. Murkowski's earmarks.

Put in Return-on-Investment (ROI) terms, the Native Corporations got at 15.29% return. In The Miller-Murkowski Fiasco: Follow the Money, I wrote:

Alaska’s Regional Native Corporations – Federal 8a entities – receive enormous amounts of money in the form of federal earmarks, in addition to being no-bid contractors. These multi-billion-dollar corporations are exempt from federal and shareholder oversight. They have foreign entanglements. They work at prices far above market rates. Nice work if you can get it.

Miller wrote an Op Ed in the Washington Times: Miller: Writing in Corruption, which detailed the inner workings of these 8a corporations and why Sen. Murkowski even bothered to do a write-in campaign after losing to Miller in the primary. The incumbent senator's condition for running was brutally simple: the 8a's needed to do a lot more than merely say they supported her. "I love Lisa" was not going to cut it. As a condition of running, Sen. Murkowski made clear her expectation that the 8as were going to expend significant get-out-the vote efforts. She would keep their earmark gravy train going. Miller, of course would have curtailed or eliminated most of the earmarks. Even the Democratic candidate was a threat, so the 8as who usually back Democrats supported Sen. Murkowski.

As we see from the foregoing, the 8as already got $26 million in earmarks, representing a 15.29% ROI and this is from Sen. Murkowski's current term. She has not even begun the term for which she declared victory. This is something to consider when analyzing Joe Millers vote count lawsuit. Arguments in the appeal on this case are to be heard later today.

HT KL for story lead