Acorn Founder in Tennessee: Publicly-Funded College Invites Rathke to Speak to Students
WADE RATHKE TO SPEAK AT UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS TONIGHT
With the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) at the center at a number of criminal investigations, it’s likely that folks would want to avoid ties with the organization, right? Wrong. Shockingly, the publicly-funded University of Memphis has actually invited ACORN founder, Wade Rathke, to speak to a group of students this evening. According to a press release on the university’s website:
| “Wade Rathke, founder and longtime chief organizer for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), will speak Monday, Nov. 23, at 6:30 p.m. in the Fogelman Executive Conference Center, Room 136, on the University of Memphis campus. The talk is free and open to the public…" "Rathke’s talk, ‘Common Wealth: The Campaign to Save Working Families,’ will examine state and federal policies designed to strengthen the economic position of poor and working-class Americans during tough economic times. He will discuss how policy makers can improve the nation’s economic productivity and encourage a more equitable distribution of income, wealth and power within our society.” |
Recent polling says that the majority of voters don’t believe that ACORN should be receiving taxpayer funds. And if taxpayers don’t want their hard-earned money going to ACORN, why would they support a taxpayer-funded university scheduling and promoting an event with ACORN’s founder? It doesn’t seem likely they would.
Following is just a sampling of news reports highlighting some of ACORN’s most recent scandals and unlawful activities, including an article detailing Wade Rathke’s resignation after it was discovered his brother had embezzled nearly $1 million from ACORN and its affiliates:
- “Acorn has had a number of missteps. This month its founder, Wade Rathke, resigned after news emerged that his brother Dale had embezzled nearly $1 million from Acorn and affiliated groups eight years ago — information the group kept from law-enforcement authorities and most members. Dale Rathke left the organization only last month.” (Wall Street Journal, 7/31/08)
- “President Barack Obama says there should be an investigation into the hidden-camera video involving employees at the activist group ACORN and a couple posing as a prostitute and her pimp. The two ACORN workers are seen apparently advising the couple to lie about her profession and launder her earnings to get housing aid. The video is only the latest problem for the group, which had nearly $1 million embezzled by its founder’s brother and has been accused of voter registration fraud. The House and Senate voted last week to deny federal funds to ACORN.” (ABC News, 09/21/09)
- “State investigators raided Acorn’s offices here on Friday, taking hard drives and documents in an investigation into accusations of embezzlement and tax fraud when the group’s national headquarters was in New Orleans.” (Associated Press, 11/6/09)
- “The community organizing group ACORN mismanaged about $200,000 received from the Justice Department, which failed to track how the allocated money was used, according to a report by the department’s watchdog.” (Fox News, 11/20/09)
- “A former field director for the political advocacy organization ACORN was sentenced today in district court to up to three years of probation. Christopher Edwards, who in August pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime of compensation for registration of voters, a gross misdemeanor, received a suspended jail sentence and a $500 fine. He has agreed to testify against ACORN and one of its former regional directors, Amy Busefink.” (Las Vegas Sun, 11/23/09)
