Montana Without Senator Max Baucus

  How do we want to handle his replacement?   Max Baucus assumed the position of US Senator from Montana on December 15th 1978. For 35 years he has been making decisions that affect the lives of not only people from Montana, not only people from the United States, but people from around the world. Continue reading “Montana Without Senator Max Baucus”

Take These Chains Off My CPI (Consumer Price Index)

 The deficit crowd cheered when the President included a concept called “Chained CPI” in his 2014 Budget. This is a proposal to change the way the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is calculated. This change is about as wonky as wonk-dome can get, but here’s a try. Currently the CPI grows based on overall increases inContinue reading “Take These Chains Off My CPI (Consumer Price Index)”

Has Budget Crisis du Jour Got You Down?

The debate about the national economy seems to have slipped into the shadows. You may be breathing a sigh of relief. Shadows on the budget are inevitable with the Congress focusing on immigration and the press focusing on the attack in Boston.

For Family Unity and a Path to Citizenship– the Time is Now!

  As I stood on the West Lawn of the Capitol this afternoon listening to Dolores Huerta, an idol of mine, I felt like I was experiencing the making of history. In the midst of her powerful speech I took a moment to observe those around me. I looked around at the thousands of facesContinue reading “For Family Unity and a Path to Citizenship– the Time is Now!”

The Distasteful Politics of Food

How, what, and where we eat everyday is strongly influenced by the federal government, in partnership with major food corporations, through a piece of legislation called the Farm Bill. Many of the social determinates of health that impact our communities find their roots in the Farm Bill a massive piece of legislation up for renewalContinue reading “The Distasteful Politics of Food”

Corporate Interests Dominate List of Top Super Committee Donors

Four banks, two large corporations, a conservative political action committee (PAC), and a law firm serving corporate, industrial, and financial institutions dominate the list of top 10 campaign donors that contributed to members of the bipartisan congressional “Super Committee,” setting the stage for a historic revenue showdown. These entities contributed a total of $4.5 million,Continue reading “Corporate Interests Dominate List of Top Super Committee Donors”

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

Hitting the Jackpot

This is part thirteen 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. In a state known for excess and wealth that does not extend to most of its residents, the ProgressiveContinue reading “Hitting the Jackpot”

Project Vote Smart

Role in the Landscape This is part twelve 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. Project Vote Smart (PVS) is a transparency/data organization with a vast collection of data onContinue reading “Project Vote Smart”