B. U. G. S.

Since I have paid for BUGS entirely out of my own pocket, I have a chance to do what an old man does best: Preach about my own self-sacrifice and how others do this stuff for filthy old money.

Unfortunately I remember clearly that I sold my political talents and expertise to get my present money and income, so I can‘t preach at you.

In fact, nothing would please me more than thousands of people making a good living working for our cause.

Oddly enough, there was a very honest system of money-making in Washington when I was there.

Richard Viguerie was one of my colleagues, and he was a multi-multi-millionaire fund raiser. But he not only didn’t ma ke a secret of it, he told everybody how to do it all the time in speeches. They just couldn’t do it as well as he could.

Viguerie was one my writers for the New Right Papers Neither he nor I would realize what a compliment he paid me when one of his staff wrote his article and sent it to me for inclusion in a book to be put out by the world’s third largest publisher.

I don’t know if he saw it. I called him to check out some changes I had made. He said, “Is it what you need?”

I said yes, but I was checking out changes I had made.

His reply was, “Bob, just DO it!”

I was senior staff. John Ashbrook usually did not see what I wrote in his name until someone commented on it. Richard Viguerie wasn’t going to sit around worrying about my ruining him.

But “Just DO it, Bob, gives you an idea of the responsibility I was supposed to take for granted.

Yes, I am bragging.

On fund raising, the best article in my New Right Papers was that of Paul Weyrich. It is worth reading, and it is available through your public library if you want it.

One point Weyrich made was that ALL finances must not only be public property, but it must be up front. It was IN the press kit at any of a group’s news conferences.

The trick here is that one can have a financial dream come true and put it out there in public to be seen. Many a person I knew routinely had an organization he ran that could support him for the rest of his life in comfort.

And anybody who wanted the figures could have them. He committed himself to do honest work for the organization and the organization guaranteed him solid financial security.

Any of us would, I think, consider this the lap of luxury. PLUS most of these guys had regular day jobs on the Hill or elsewhere, on top of that.

Where fund-raising is handled openly and intelligently it is not a problem.

Even if they are out to get you, fund-raising is not a problem, because they are going to get you anyway on something.

Genseric and I have been talking in comments about the possibility of our giving money to a candidate to put the full Mantra into one of his campaign ads. That is as secret as any talk about fund raising will ever get here.

I hope to Heaven you GET financial security by fighting for our side.

Just keep it out in the open.

And put it in your press kit.