Summer Reading

[EJ]

Just a quick note to recommend the following web site. It correlates interest groups, money, and votes.

This is America at its best. You will not find a site like this in China.

[doharra]

Re: Summer Reading

EJ and all,

Here's a similar site focused on state-level politics:

www.followthemoney.org.

I know the executive director, and he's a true believer in the old-fashioned journalistic goals of disclosure and an educated public. Damn good dry fly fisherman too.

[EJ]

Re: Summer Reading

EJ and all,

Here's a similar site focused on state-level politics:

www.followthemoney.org.

I know the executive director, and he's a true believer in the old-fashioned journalistic goals of disclosure and an educated public. Damn good dry fly fisherman too.

Thank you for the pointer to the competing web site. The more the merrier.

Your not so damn good dry fly fisherman, like my friend Mols,

Eric

[seanm123]

Re: Summer Reading

Just a quick note to recommend the following web site. It correlates interest groups, money, and votes.

This is America at its best. You will not find a site like this in China.

I usually reference another great site for the latest on the US Government Legislation at Open Congress http://www.opencongress.org

[EJ]

Re: Summer Reading

I usually reference another great site for the latest on the US Government Legislation at Open Congress http://www.opencongress.org

Each of these sites has its strengths and weaknesses. We support them all.

[seanm123]

Re: Summer Reading

Add Muckety www.muckety.com to your bookmarks EJ.

"Exploring the paths of power and influence"

Not considering a run for a seat along with Peter Schiff now are you?

[jimmygu3]

Re: Summer Reading

Just a quick note to recommend the following web site. It correlates interest groups, money, and votes.

This is America at its best. You will not find a site like this in China.

I like the combined category "Finance/Insur/RealEst". Great site!

Jimmy

[EJ]

Re: Summer Reading

I like the combined category "Finance/Insur/RealEst". Great site!

Jimmy

Yes, indeed. Add it up. Compare FIRE to other interests. Get the picture?

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Summer Reading

Yes, indeed. Add it up. Compare FIRE to other interests. Get the picture?

Here are the totals for each interest.

Agribusiness	$ 98,074,948
Communic_Electronics	$166,253,808
Construction	$106,296,859
Defense	$ 45,748,433
Education	$ 55,931,173
Energy_Nat_Resource	$103,269,589
Finance_Insur_RealEst	$505,619,336
Health	$234,598,993
Ideology_Single_Issue	$274,013,580
Labor	$158,104,561
Lawyers_Lobbyists	$347,415,870
Misc_Business	$297,782,219
Other	$294,974,944
Transportation	$ 88,453,751

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: Summer Reading

Here are the totals for each interest.

Agribusiness	$ 98,074,948
Communic_Electronics	$166,253,808
Construction	$106,296,859
Defense	$ 45,748,433
Education	$ 55,931,173
Energy_Nat_Resource	$103,269,589
Finance_Insur_RealEst	$505,619,336
Health	$234,598,993
Ideology_Single_Issue	$274,013,580
Labor	$158,104,561
Lawyers_Lobbyists	$347,415,870
Misc_Business	$297,782,219
Other	$294,974,944
Transportation	$ 88,453,751

I think those numbers approach about 2.7B$ representing free speech to influence legislative votes that will be favorable to some special interests. Edit: and 2/7B$ is just the amount that can be identified I expect.

What can average people, of which I am one, do as a group that would overcome the financial control by the "oligarchs" (people and corporations)?

I do not think an anwer is to write your congressperson.

[metalman]

Re: Summer Reading

I think those numbers approach about 2.7B$ representing free speech to influence legislative votes that will be favorable to some special interests. Edit: and 2/7B$ is just the amount that can be identified I expect.

What can average people, of which I am one, do as a group that would overcome the financial control by the "oligarchs" (people and corporations)?

I do not think an anwer is to write your congressperson.

fire econ is 2x more than any other... duh.

wonder why we had a housing bubble... duh.

in 2010 vote against anyone who voted in line with a fire econ interest.

end of story.

[bpr]

Re: Summer Reading

Publicly funded elections would be a major step in the right direction. I don't think I have ever cast a vote that mattered.

[GRG55]

Re: Summer Reading

Here are the totals for each interest.

Agribusiness	$ 98,074,948
Communic_Electronics	$166,253,808
Construction	$106,296,859
Defense	$ 45,748,433
Education	$ 55,931,173
Energy_Nat_Resource	$103,269,589
Finance_Insur_RealEst	$505,619,336
Health	$234,598,993
Ideology_Single_Issue	$274,013,580
Labor	$158,104,561
Lawyers_Lobbyists	$347,415,870
Misc_Business	$297,782,219
Other	$294,974,944
Transportation	$ 88,453,751

Note to Rex Tillerson: No wonder Congress likes to regularly beat on you, O'Reilly, Mulva and the others. Wake up!

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: Summer Reading

fire econ is 2x more than any other... duh.

wonder why we had a housing bubble... duh.

in 2010 vote against anyone who voted in line with a fire econ interest.

end of story.

I'm afraid that would not be the end of the story.

Try this story as surely only more example of the ubiquitous bullshit in DC.

WASHINGTON -- A controversial House proposal to double a Pentagon request to buy executive jets for use by government officials died in chorus of opposition that started with the press, spread to the public and ultimately included President Barack Obama.

The episode, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, offers some insight into the way members of Congress use the budget process to get things they want -- usually in the absence of public uproar.

The Air Force had first proposed replacing of its aging fleet of passenger jets, which are used to ferry government officials and members of Congress around the globe.
Associated Press Rep. John Murtha made no attempt to hide the funding for the planes.



The Air Force has roughly two dozen of the planes based at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. Their original request was for $220 million to purchase four planes: one new Gulfstream V and three larger military versions of Boeing Co.'s 737.

The request was buried as a relatively small line item in a nearly $640 billion funding request for the Department of Defense for the coming fiscal year.

But as the Journal reported last week, the House more than doubled the request to $550 million for a total of eight new passenger planes for use by government VIPs.

The origins of the big order stretch back to early April. Lawmakers from Georgia asked Congress to increase the number of passenger jets to include an additional Gulfstream plane. Their reasoning: The Gulfstream V has "transcontinental range, exceptional performance capabilities" and would best support the Air Force, said Democratic Rep. John Barrow, in a statement requesting the extra funds.

The Gulfstream planes also are built in Mr. Barrow's district at a Savannah, Ga., plant that employs about 5,000 people.

Georgia Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop posted a similar statement on his Web site, to satisfy a new House rule governing disclosure of earmarks.

Continued at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1250...googlenews_wsj

I thought teleconferencing was a time, energy, and money savings technological advance, must not be so.

[tsetsefly]

Re: Summer Reading

There was a similar website, where you could track your local congressmen/senator, it even had embedded video of cspan (if I remember correctly) I think it was called government watch or something like that. But the site shut down for some reason...

BTW, you can click on each special interest group to see who they contributed the most to...

two I liked is charlie rangel: http://maplight.org/map/us/legislator/426 , covered nicely by lawyers and FIRE.

And Christopher Dodd, who is on the senate committee on banking. If he does not lose his job next year... wtf... http://maplight.org/map/us/legislator/559 as you can see his top 3 contributors are: Securities and Investment, lawyers and insurance...

The site is great just needs to include what bills have been sponsored/voted by the representatives.

Here is the top 10 recepients of contributions from commercial banks and bank holding companies, the security brokers and investment companies has the same top 4...:

Barack Obama	$2,933,830
John McCain	$1,731,378
John Kerry	$1,083,230
Christopher Dodd	$808,094
Spencer Bachus	$448,048
Richard Shelby	$366,997
John Cornyn	$325,842
John Boehner	$301,095
Jeb Hensarling	$296,512
Mitch McConnell	$294,800

They have both sides covered...

forgot to add that a great book on the subject is The Big Rip Off: http://www.amazon.com/Big-Ripoff-Bus...0080778&sr=8-8