The Echo

I know I've been scooped by Kilroy and Transparent Christina.  And I've now thrown hours into research with little more to report than there appears to be a SuperPac playing in school board election.  But this much I do know:

After receiving the following mailer, I called candidate Valene Harris who stated that she had no knowledge of the propaganda that was being delivered on her behalf to Christina's voters.

Dear Christina,

Today many of you received the following disgusting political mailer that targets the Christina School Board.  This waste of postage is brought to you by Voices 4 Delaware Action Fund, administered at www.voices4delaware.org. On September 28, 2011, Voices for Delaware Education posted an ad in the Philanthropy News Digest for an Executive Director.  The ad states:

Voices 4 Delaware Education is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) with the mission of accelerating and sustaining the transformation of Delaware’s public schools and ensuring that every student has access to a world-class education. The ED also will lead a parallel, legally separate 501(c)(4) organization, Voices 4 Delaware Education Action Fund. These organizations will support, advocate for, and mobilize public engagement around policies and practices that:

• Set high standards and provide a rigorous curriculum for all students
• Expand high-quality early childhood education
• Develop and support highly effective teachers
• Empower great principals to lead their schools
• Encourage innovation and require accountability
• Establish a simple and equitable funding system
• Engage families and communities

The organization’s policy framework is based upon Vision 2015, Delaware’s nationally acclaimed plan for school transformation developed in 2006 by a coalition of public, private, and civic leaders. Vision 2015 laid the foundation for Delaware’s #1 rated selection in the federal Race to the Top competition and remains a framework for comprehensive, coherent education reform.

Just What Is a 501 c 4?

501(c)(4)  from wikipedia:
501(c)(4) organizations are generally civic leagues and other corporations operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare, or local associations of employees with membership limited to a designated company or people in a particular municipality or neighborhood, and with net earnings devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.^[30] 501(c)(4) organizations may lobby for legislation, and unlike 501(c)(3) organizations they may also participate in political campaigns and elections, as long as its primary activity is the promotion of social welfare.^[31] The tax exemption for 501(c)(4) organizations applies to most of their operations, but contributions may be subject to gift tax, and income spent on political activities - generally the advocacy of a particular candidate in an election - is taxable.^[32]
Contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations are not deductible as charitable contributions for the U.S. income tax. 501(c)(4) organizations are not required to disclose their donors publicly.^[33] This aspect of the law has led to extensive use of the 501(c)(4) provisions for organizations that are actively involved in lobbying, and has become controversial.^[34][35] In 2010, a bill (the DISCLOSE Act) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that addressed identification of donors to organizations involved in political advocacy,^[36] but the Senate Republicans filibustered and prevented a vote on the bill.^[37]
In summer 2011, comedian Stephen Colbert brought attention to the issue of Super PACs by forming his own and a 501(c)(4).^[38] As of August 2011, 165,000 of his viewers had joined it.^[39]

So, Christina, when you sort your mail tonight, do me the favor of putting this piece of trash in the recycling bin.  Our trees are worth saving, this post card is not: