He Who Has the Gold Rules

"You pay to go to GOPAC."
--Suzy Katt, Golden Rule, on getting to Gingrich

"Every American ought to have an opportunity to belong to [an MSA] system."
--Newt Gingrich on Golden Rule's MSAs

Golden Rule has been betting big on the GOP for the past few years, and they're getting ready to cash in their chips. The company is one of Gingrich's largest donors, giving more than $200,000 to his various enterprises.

Golden Rule's total political donations rose from $81,000 in 1989-90 to $277,000 in 1991-92, to a whopping $1,069,000 in 1993-94.

Here are some of Golden Rule's bigger gifts in the last election cycle:

• Republican Party soft money: $524,000
• Campaign America (Bob Dole): $30,000
• Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), early champion of MSAs: $24,600
• William V. Roth (R-Del.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee: $10,000

Golden Rule has also financed lobbyists and "research" organizations that promote MSAs:

• Council for Affordable Health Insurance: $100,000/year
• National Center for Policy Analysis: $60,000/year
• Lobbyist Robert Thompson: $250,000+