Should I start calling it the "secretive, shadowy" Center for Rural Affairs?
After watching the Bill O'Reilly show earlier this week, I got interested in figuring out whether any Nebraska groups are getting money from George Soros.
One group that seemed like a possibility is the Center for Rural Affairs.
So I sent them an email on Tuesday asking if they'd be willing to identify their donors. Within an hour, I got back a terse email from Executive Director Chuck Hassebrook that said:
Please identify the organization you are working for and the purpose of your inquiry.
That evening I wrote back saying I was a Nebraska blogger and giving him this URL.
He still hasn't responded. I have looked over the 990s that they display on their website, but they have chosen (at least as far as I could see) not to include Schedule B--the list of donors. I believe that 501(c)(3) non-profits don't have to include Schedule B in the part of the 990 that must be made available to the public. However, many groups do include their Schedule B.
I looked at the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure website to see if the Center for Rural Affairs gets involved politically in Nebraska. Indeed, they do.
Quite a bit.
Check out just one of their disclosures from last fall. Hm. That'd be Nebraskans Against 423. Need I say more? I know Dana will see the irony!
What political contest were they shovelling money into in 1998? It says "Nebraskans for the Good Life", a now-dissolved political committee. I don't think it was the anti-gambling people? Or was it? Anyone know? Wait...I remember. The anti-gambling people were called "Gambling with the Good Life".
What was Nebraskans for the Good Life?
Blogreaders, could you help me out? Since Center for Rural Affairs executive director Chuck Hassebrook isn't responding to me, could you email him and ask him if they would provide a list of their donors?
I've found more information but don't have time to post it until Monday or Tuesday.
Posted by: Binnie Bix | April 27, 2007 at 11:09 AM