[lbo-talk] FT: Bringing the Shah Back in

[Ian Murray]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Pollak" <mpollak at panix.com>
>
> So how do corporation donations like this get made?  Does a managing
> director decide he likes a group because he shares some of its views and
> wants them to prevail, and then he brings it up at a board meeting, and
> his colleagues sign off on giving the group a hundred grand and writing
it
> off on their taxes?  Is this just basically rich guys funding their
causes
> through corporate forms?  So where charging your swimming pool to the
> company would be illegal, charging your manias to the company is
perfectly
> fine so long as your partners will let you and you can convince them
it's
> just normal PR and lobbying?
>
> Michael
>

=================

I'm not a CEO [oh darn!] but based on my experience working at a Fortune
500 firm watching the process in DC, it's a matter of running the donation
by the legal department [in house and/or outside council] and cutting the
check. My former employer gives money to the Cato Institute and the
founder sits on the Cato board. He's about as interested in the free
market/laissez faire as a surfer in Malibu. I don't know if they write it
off, but given the creative accounting we've seen over the last business
cycle it doesn't seem like it would be a problem. It's not much different
from how they decide to give to the Republicrats. The hard work comes from
the fundraising officer at the think tank; quality letters to secure phone
calls etc.

Ian