Reichert Continues Wasteful Franking Behavior

Dave Reichert is in the news again for abusing his franking privileges.

According to an AP report published in various papers today, including the Seattle PI, Dave Reichert ranked 16th among House members by spending $143,843.03 on franked mailings such as this large two-sided glossy card that was sent out just a couple of weeks ago:

According to the article:

Sometimes the lawmakers' taxpayer funded mailings topped what they paid for direct mail through their campaign funds.

Of the 64 House members with at least $100,000 in taxpayer-funded mailing expenses - and overwhelmingly for mass mailings - 42 were Republicans and 22 were Democrats, the AP review found.

Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., ranked 16th among House members, spending $143,843.03.

Mind you, it isn't as if everyone abuses franking privileges:

In sharp contrast, 59 lawmakers in the 435-member House - 35 Republicans and 24 Democrats - spent nothing on mass mailings. They tended to be the more experienced House members, often with 14 or more years of service.

Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash. were among that group.

Mass mailings cannot be blatantly political, but they still can have political benefits, said Pete Sepp, a spokesman for the National Taxpayers' Union, which has condemned mass mailings.

"A taxpayer-financed mailing doesn't have to say 're-elect me' to have an impact on voters," Sepp said. "A glossy newsletter splashed with the incumbent's achievements in Congress can build useful credentials a lawmaker can take with him to the ballot box. The franking privilege is one of the main cogs in Congress' PR machine."

Franking, practiced since the early days of the republic, lets members of Congress send mail with just a signature where the postage would normally be affixed. Although the mailings are regulated by a congressional commission to guard against overt political appeals and cannot go out within 90 days of an election, they still sometimes take a dig at the opposition.

In his first term he spent over $500,000 in tax payer money on his inane mailings, and it also appeared that he illegally sent out franked mailings within the 90 day window before an election. It seems that nothing has changed as he continues to waste our tax dollars on his PR machine at an excessive rate.