By DAVID MARTIN
Olathe banker Don Bell contributes money to right-wing causes and politicians. But when his business stands to benefit, socialism begins to look pretty awesome.
The Kansas City Star reports today that Brittany Savings Corp., the parent company of Security Savings Bank, plans to apply for funds from the $700-billion bailout Congress approved in October.
Bell is the chairman of Brittany Savings. He's seeking help from the Treasury Department in spite of his distrust of secular institutions. Bell has claimed that he got into the banking business on God's orders and has given money to the campaigns of Phill Kline and Sam Brownback, heroes to Kansas conservatives.
But with his bank in the dumps, Bell is reaching out to godless Washington for a boost.
The hypocrisy makes your head spin. In 2007, Bell gave $1,000 to the campaign of Nick Jordan, who tried to unseat Kansas Congressman Dennis Moore in the 2008 election. During the campaign, Jordan blasted Moore for supporting the bailout, calling it "corporate socialism."
Brownback, who received $2,000 from Bell in 2004, also opposed the bailout. Brownback said Kansas wanted a plan that works for the broader economy "rather than just bailing out a few bad actors and hoping it helps everyone else."
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