Guest guest Posted August 20, 2008 Report Share Posted August 20, 2008 This still comes to me, because Lori did not have a computer and we are still getting her mail. She still lives on in our lives, but she died in 2004. Love to all of the special ladies...always......Lea ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Is It Time to Party? August 20, 2008 Dear LORI, Soon the national party conventions in Denver and the Twin Cities will be Visit Public Citizen's Action Center to learn about more issues that need your attention.in full swing. As you might imagine, it is quite the jet-set party scene, with well-heeled lobbyists and corporate CEOs schmoozing with our members of Congress and other luminaries. Like you, we're sick of special interests coming before voters - just look at the mess we're in thanks to this pay-to-play system. Big Oil, Big Pharma and other corporate titans have had their way with our government for too long. It's time to change this system and put voters first! A gaping loophole is being exploited by the national parties and those who seek to influence our elected officials. Millions of unregulated dollars are being funneled to the national party conventions through so-called nonpartisan "host committees." These committees claim to be helping Denver and the Twin Cities, but they are really just using the sizable donations for political purposes. A new Public Citizen report reveals the extent to which political access is being bought by the "host committee" sponsors. As an added bonus, this type of influence peddling is also tax-deductible for donors like AT & T! This runs contrary to our campaign finance laws. After Watergate, Congress passed a law that provides the parties with public funds for the conventions to avoid the undue influence of money on the political process. But instead of enforcing the law, the Federal Election Commission has created loopholes in it. Another loophole has been made out of the landmark reforms you helped us pass last year. The new law fundamentally changed the relationship between lobbyists and members of Congress by, among other things, banning lawmakers from lobbyist-funded parties at the conventions where a member of Congress is being feted. Yet this law is being flouted because of the House ethics committee's own interpretation: The committee says the rule applies only to single members of Congress. If lobbyists fete multiple members at the same time, then the House ethics committee says there's no problem. This must change! What can you do? Take action! We make it easy to: - Contact your members of Congress!- Throw a Voter's First Party!- Watch our YouTube video and forward it to your friends! We've got lots of resources for you on www.SayNoToLobbyists.org - including a party toolkit. Are you going to be in Denver or Minneapolis during the conventions? If so, we'll connect you with other people who are similarly concerned about the stranglehold lobbyists and corporations have over government. Contact us at action@.... Most of us aren't invited to the big parties at the conventions. But you can make a difference by throwing your own bash! Invite your friends and family - invite your members of Congress! If you do, we'll make sure people hear about it. We'll post the best Voter's First Party pictures, videos and reports on our blog! Tell lawmakers that it's time to put voters first! If we all act, the media and members of Congress will have to listen. Sincerely,Maureen Backmanfeedback@... This recommended action was sent to DEVANS@... . Manage your subscriptions or if you do not wish to receive any e-mail messages from Public Citizen in the future, please click here. Our Mission | Support Us | Actions & Strategies | Copyright 2008 Public Citizen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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