How Corzine's Giving Keeps On Giving Back To Him

When Jon Corzine traveled to Indonesia in January, to see first hand the devastation caused by the tsunami, we wondered how much money he donated to the victims. We concluded that because no party bosses or voters would be influenced by a Corzine donation, none would be made.

We think there’s something to be said for the old adage - charity begins at home – and Corzine certainly adheres to that concept. Free to spend his money as he chooses, Corzine chooses to make donations to those that can help further his political ambitions.

Thus far Corzine has spent at least $100 million dollars to win a senate seat and to secure his party’s gubernatorial nomination. You have to wonder about a man so consumed with the quest for power – the ultimate pay to player. It really doesn’t seem healthy – for Jon Corzine or the people of New Jersey.

Snips below from today’s Star-Ledger article - How Corzine's giving keeps on giving back to him:

The Jon Corzine Foundation, with Corzine as its only trustee, has showered charities with more than $32 million since Corzine entered the political arena five years ago.

Those charitable contributions -- on top of $8 million Corzine has donated to Democratic causes and candidates during the same period -- are another illustration of how Corzine's enormous personal wealth has transformed politics in New Jersey.

Much of the giving the past five years, one of every six or seven dollars, went to New Jersey charities with political connections, according to a Star-Ledger analysis of annual reports the foundation files with the Internal Revenue Service.