PAC man dines in Dillsburg

Some of those fiscal dealings are little things like how he was able to obtain a mortgage for his mansion in the Virginia suburbs from a bank that, technically, does not do mortgages in the traditional sense. Of course, that’s ignoring the issue that the guy doesn’t even live in Pennsylvania, something he criticized an opponent of when he was running for Congress some years back.

“Santorum� could simply mean hypocrisy. But that’d be too easy.

For guidance, let’s go to the story, reported by Philadelphia Daily News senior writer Will Bunch and published by American Prospect magazine. Bunch reported that Santorum refinanced his Loudoun County, Va., mansion for $500,000 in the fall of 2002, obtaining the loan from something called Philadelphia Trust Company.

The company, according to Bunch, caters to “affluent investors and institutions� and offers banking services “at no additional charge to (its) clients.� Interestingly, Santorum isn’t a client, but he was able to get half a million from the bank. Bunch called the bank to ask about getting a mortgage and was told that the bank doesn’t do mortgages, per se.

Also, interestingly, officers of the bank have contributed $24,000 to Santorum’s political action committee and his re-election effort, Bunch reported.

Hmmmm.

At this point, you may think that the alternate, family-newspaper-friendly definition of “santorum� would be “receiving favors and money from rich people for no apparent reason.� An example: “I was just standing there, minding my own business, and these dudes totally santorumed with a half-million-buck loan.�

It needs some work.

Let’s look for some help from reports about America’s Foundation. The PAC is described as a foundation to assist other Republican candidates. But Bunch’s review of its expense reports indicates that it didn’t spend so much on other campaigns as it did on, say, trips to Arby’s in Dillsburg.

Now, typically, politicians use political action committees to pay for such things as mailings to raise money by scaring potential donors with images of illegal aliens coming here to perform such nefarious tasks as mowing our lawns, cleaning ourpools and serving us enchiladas.

Or they use them to produce TV commercials accusing their opponents of being in league with terrorists, or desiring to raise taxes, or favoring the influx of illegal immigrants who will take jobs that Americans don’t want to do anyway.

Or they use them to make trips to the corner convenience store, or Target, or Iron City Saloon.

Which is what Santorum’s PAC spent money on.

According to the article, America’s Foundation, dedicated to, I guess, America, spent money on pizza, Chinese food, roast beef sandwiches and lots of coffee. The PAC paid for 66 trips to Starbucks in Leesburg, Va., totaling $558.65 in 2001.

That’s a lot of lattes.

Yet no expense was too small for Santorum to charge to his PAC. One bill was a $5.74 tab at Great Wall Express in Alexandria, Va. Another was submitted for a $4.44 charge at a Sheetz in Mount Jackson, Va. Another was for $2.49 at an Auntie Anne’s pretzel store.

Some of the charges were for fast food — Burger King, Wendy’s, Sbarro, Papa John’s Pizza.

But Arby’s was the winner, according to Bunch. Eleven trips to Arby’s were financed by Santorum’s PAC, including eight to the franchise in Dillsburg.

Dillsburg?

I called Arby’s in Dillsburg and asked Dottie about Santorum.

“I’ve never seen him here,� she said.

Other than being kind of amusing — that a U.S. senator would use PAC funds to buy Chinese, pizza and roast beef sandwiches — these expenses raise some questions, Bunch wrote. Ethics experts said the expenses were “at best unconventional, and at worst a possible violation of Senate rules.�

The ethics experts quoted in the story also said his mortgage from the bank that, technically, doesn’t grant mortgages to the general public smacks of special treatment. And they also point out that Santorum raises more money from lobbyists for corporate interests than any other member of Congress, including huge contributions to America’s Foundation by the tobacco, liquor and gambling industries.

Santorum often lauds his commitment to family values and, I suppose, in some parts, smoking, drinking and gambling are family values.

Which leads us to the new definition of “santorum.�

It means “having someone else pick up your tab for no apparent reason.�

For example: “That dude from the pharmaceutical company totally santorumed lunch at Arby’s. I’ll have to make sure to do something nice for him some day.�

Mike Argento, whose column appears Mondays and Fridays in Living and Sundays in Viewpoints, can be reached at 771-2046 or at mike@ydr.com.