The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #87744 Message #1641387
Posted By: Bobert
04-Jan-06 - 07:05 PM
Thread Name: BS: The House that Jack {Abramoff} Built
Subject: RE: BS: The House that Jack {Abramoff} Built
Actually, this isn't as much about Jack Abramoff but a systematic problem that contronts our nation with so much money going to influence policy...
On another thread I was discsussing that way the Republicans have used good 'ol 501(c)'s as their vehicle to deliver unregulated tens yupon muillions to Repubs thru advertisments and mail outs... The donors names are not made public so industries as the the pharmaeutical industry can funnels tens of millions to attack Dems withoth the Dems actually knowing it...
The largest Repub leaning 501(c) is Americans for Job Security (AJS) and it annually funnels 95 percent of the money it recieves dirctly into attack ads and grassroot oragnizing against Dems...
Oh, sure the Dems have their 527's but the 527's are chump change compared to the unregulated cash going thru the various Repub 501(c)'s...
Theres also the "rangers and pioneeers" that strong arm folks for cash and then bundle it to be given directly to the Repub. Party... The pioneers have to extort $100,000 and each and the rangers $200,000...
Yes, John Kerry has oraginized something very similar but the co-chairs have to raise $50,000 and the chairs $100,000... Kerry has less than half the number of chairs and co-chairs as Bush has rangers and pioneers so for every $1 Kerry can raise, Bush can raise $5...
I hope that all this stuff is better understood from this Abramoff scandal becuase I think if the American people had any idea about just how much cash, especially by corporate interests, that it would expect more of elected officails...
So, yeah, this may not be much fun but a necessary step if this country is survive it's own very corrupt governemnt...