Bad Medicine Report Details Influence of Pharma in DC Budget Failure

Released to the Press September 25, 2013   New Report Analyzes Interest Group Influence in Blocking Proposed Cost Saving Measures in Medicare Report Finds Influence of Pharmaceutical Industry as Major Impasse to Common Sense Budget Fixes Congress has failed to act on a commonsense, good-government approach to controlling health care costs. The significant resources theContinue reading “Bad Medicine Report Details Influence of Pharma in DC Budget Failure”

Will SEC order a dose of sunlight for corporate political spending?

Mary Jo White, the new Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was recently confirmed to a five-year term that secures her position until 2019. With that kind of job security, Ms. White should be able to rise above the partisan pressures of Washington politics and advance a proactive agenda at the SEC thatContinue reading “Will SEC order a dose of sunlight for corporate political spending?”

Political Donations and the Securities Exchange Commission

Over the last year and a half, the Alliance for a Just Society and Main Street Alliance have participated in efforts to mitigate the corrosive effect that secret corporate political donations have on the political process.

Maine Small Business Owners Challenge Political Intervention by U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Members of the Maine Small Business Coalition are challenging the political intervention of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce after it announced a $400,000 attack ad in the race for the open Senate seat in Maine left by the retirement of Olympia Snowe at the end of this year. The 3,400-strong MSBC had a clear messageContinue reading “Maine Small Business Owners Challenge Political Intervention by U.S. Chamber of Commerce”

Does the NFIB represent small business…or big special interests?

Cross-posted from Public Campaign website. Analysis by Public Campaign and Alliance for a Just Society The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), heralded as the “voice” of America’s small businesses, has received renewed scrutiny due to its role as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit to throw out the Affordable Care Act, which awaits aContinue reading “Does the NFIB represent small business…or big special interests?”

When Feeding Your Family Is Illegal

For Native people of the Yukon Flats, feeding your family requires the ability to hunt and fish for their foods. After spending a week in the Flats, assisting the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG) on a campaign to secure traditional food and hunting and fishing practices; I would argue that it is the onlyContinue reading “When Feeding Your Family Is Illegal”

Move to Amend is Moving In Oregon

From the Main Street Alliance Website: Main Street Alliance of Oregon has been surveying business owners throughout Oregon and is finding strong interest in electoral reform. Currently around eight in ten business owners feel the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, freeing corporations to spend unlimited sums of money in elections, is bad for small business.Continue reading “Move to Amend is Moving In Oregon”

We Don’t Have to be United States, Inc.

Photo by ToGa Wanderings   A couple of days ago, the New York Times reported that the super PACs backing President Obama had fallen far behind on fundraising, and it’s not clear they’re going to catch up with their Republican counterparts. According to the Times, “Mr. Obama’s backers on Wall Street are leery of theirContinue reading “We Don’t Have to be United States, Inc.”

Connecticut Citizen Action Group

This is part fifteen in a series of posts that will explore some of the leading organizations from around the country that are engaged in unearthing and combating the influence of money in the political process. Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) has used money in politics dirt to escalate a fight against waste incinerators, whichContinue reading “Connecticut Citizen Action Group”

Democracy North Carolina

This is part fourteen in a series of posts that will explore some of the leading organizations from around the country that are engaged in unearthing and combating the influence of money in the political process. Democracy North Carolina released a series of “Highway Robbery” reports available at