David Goossen's Blog
The Washington Post reports that the feeble federal effort for lobbying reform has fizzled. While this probably does not come as a surprise to anyone, it emphasizes the need for lobbying reform at the state level.
I just finished reading Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga's book Crashing the Gate. It is depressing to think of the advantage the Republicans now hold in shaping the public debate and winning elections. But it strikes a hopeful note that at least Progressives now recognize the task ahead of them.
I think they are right on all counts. For me though, the place to start is in restoring ethics in government. I find it shocking to think that in Colorado there are 11 registered lobbyists for every elected legislator. The influence they have in shaping legislation is not good for our democracy. It has to stop.
The Ethics in Government initiative supported by Common Cause is a good start.
I think they are right on all counts. For me though, the place to start is in restoring ethics in government. I find it shocking to think that in Colorado there are 11 registered lobbyists for every elected legislator. The influence they have in shaping legislation is not good for our democracy. It has to stop.
The Ethics in Government initiative supported by Common Cause is a good start.
As I wait for news about state efforts to clean up our democracy, I got this from Public Campaign Action Fund
I suppose they have a long way to go on this, but I think raising representatives' awareness that this is an issue people care about is a necessary first step.
Our political system is broken. The officials we elect to represent us spend their time chasing big campaign checks and using their votes to do political favors for big-money special interests and lobbyists instead.
It's time to do something about it -- and we can.
By enacting a system of public financing for elections we can cut the ties between politicians and the big-money special interests and lobbyists who currently fund their campaigns. It's called Clean Elections, and it's already working in seven states and two cities across the country.
Click here now to tell Congress to enact real campaign reform by passing the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act.
Under Clean Elections, qualified candidates who agree to forgo all private contributions and follow strict spending limits receive public financing for their campaigns, freeing them from having to chase campaign donations from big money special interests and lobbyists.
It's a system that's proven to work. Clean Elections has been in place in Arizona since 2000 and has already reshaped the state's politics. Ten out of 11 statewide officials in Arizona - including Gov. Janet Napolitano - ran and won "clean" by accepting public financing.
Under a Clean Elections program, voters can go to the polls knowing that candidates will answer to them, not big-money, special-interest contributors.
It's time to expand Clean Elections nationwide! Click here to tell Congress to pass Clean Elections today!
Once you've taken action, will you please forward this message to five of your friends and ask them to join you in standing up for Clean Elections?
Thank you for helping empower voters to elect officials who are NOT bought and paid for by big-money special interests.
I suppose they have a long way to go on this, but I think raising representatives' awareness that this is an issue people care about is a necessary first step.
I attended the Drinking Liberally event in Denver last night. The event featured Representative Morgan Carroll and author/campaign strategist David Sirota. Carroll spoke about the power of lobbyists in shaping -- in fact writing -- legislation. Sirota spoke about his new book Hostile Takeover, which details how corporate special interests have basically taken over the country. This issue is really at the core of everything that is wrong with government in our time. Urge the Governor to sign Representative Carroll's HB-1149 Lobby Reform bill. His number is 303-866-2471 and email is governorowens@state.co.us.
I heard on the radio this evening that the Republican-controlled Congress is heeding the President's call to cut the budget. In the face of the twin disasters of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Congress is preparing to cut $35 Billion from Medicaid while returing $70 Billion in the form of tax cuts primarily to the super wealthy. This is what it has come to -- taking money away from people who have nothing and giving it to the rich. Now that takes courage. Are the Democrats going to do anything to stop this outrage?
I have been test-driving ProgressNowAction's new interactive web site. I am frankly amazed at what they have put together. There is now no excuse not to be politically active. They have provided all the tools that any person might need to affect change. They have led us to water . . .
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Following Paulson's failed experiment which created a nuclear winter
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