CHIP’s Two-Year Reprieve

This week, Congress passed legislation funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program for an additional two years. The bill passed with strong majorities and bipartisan support. There’s the good news in that legislative development: the bill included none of the attacks on CHIP – including provisions specifically targeting immigrant children – that had surfaced in previousContinue reading “CHIP’s Two-Year Reprieve”

Surprise: Aetna Funneled Millions to Chamber of Commerce

It looks like insurance giant Aetna made more than $4M in political donations to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last year (and another $3M to conservative advocacy group American Action Network). This news emerged in an accidental — and later amended — disclosure. Aetna says it handed over the dollars for educational purposes and notContinue reading “Surprise: Aetna Funneled Millions to Chamber of Commerce”

Shareholders Should Have a Say in Corporate Political Spending

This spring, the Alliance for a Just Society participated in Shareholder Spring, in which grassroots leaders descended on shareholder meetings to demand an end to corporate dominance of our politics and our increasingly unequal economy.

Is this what “secret ballot” means?

In the United States, the secret ballot is a long-standing tradition. But that refers to our choices as voters remaining secret – not to the idea that we don’t know who we’re voting for. But now we’re living in the world of Citizens United, in which outside groups can pool rich people’s millions with corporations’Continue reading “Is this what “secret ballot” means?”

99% Red Balloons for Economic Equity

While Fortune 500 corporations duck out of state taxes, legislators continue to put public services on the chopping block, but still the 1% isn’t being told that they need to do their part when it comes to balancing state budgets. Last week, the Washington Community Action Network fought back at a special session of theContinue reading “99% Red Balloons for Economic Equity”

No Deal Is Better than a Bad Deal

Yesterday morning in Washington D.C., the Alliance for a Just Society helped crash a swanky fundraising event where Senator John Kyl was trawling for cash from corporate bigwigs. Kyl sits on the congressional joint committee tasked with reducing the federal deficit. While Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security hang in the balance, corporations and the oneContinue reading “No Deal Is Better than a Bad Deal”