Link-of-the-Day – Page 29 – Democracy North Carolina

LOD: Mike Easley’s Money

For those of you fascinated by the strange behavior of former Gov. Mike Easley, Don Carrington of the Carolina Journal has a new piece that examines Easley’s finances after his felony conviction, with an appropriate question: How can he move hundreds of thousands of dollars around and still not pay a dime toward the $90,000-plus [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:30-05:00 January 23rd, 2012|Ethics, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics|0 Comments

LOD: Small Biz Opposes CU Decision

A trio of small business federations today released a survey showing that two thirds of small business owners across the nation believe the Citizens United decision gives big corporations an unfair advantage over them. The Supreme Court decision from January 2010 allows businesses to spend unlimited amounts from their treasury to tell people how to [...]

By Bob Hall| 2012-01-18T15:40:02-05:00 January 18th, 2012|Citizens United Case, Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play|0 Comments

LOD: Corporations Are Not People

The landmark Citizens United v. FEC decision, which gave corporations the political speech rights of people, will celebrate its second anniversary on January 21; its impact only grows worse each day. Jeff Clements has written a great book titled Corporations Are Not People that traces the shocking history of how business interests gained the rights [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:30-05:00 January 17th, 2012|Citizens United Case, Link-of-the-Day, Pay to Play|0 Comments

LOD: Pope v. PopeExposed On the Air

Art Pope is going on the radio this Sunday for a two-hour faceoff with Chris Kromm, director of the Institute for Southern Studies and creator of ArtPopeExposed.com. Pope wants to answer his critics and respond to questions from the listening audience. The call-in show is on Raleigh’s Rush Radio 106.1 FM from 3 to 5 PM, but [...]

By Bob Hall| 2012-01-14T08:37:23-05:00 January 14th, 2012|Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: Green Votes in Raleigh, 2011

How did your state legislator perform in 2011? What effect did Art Pope’s money machine have on state policy? Here’s an answer to both questions: A scorecard of key votes to protect NC’s environmental resources reveals that the current crop of lawmakers in Raleigh achieved the worst grades in decades. The new majority killed bills [...]

By Bob Hall| 2012-01-12T20:54:19-05:00 January 12th, 2012|Environmental Issues, Link-of-the-Day, Pay to Play|0 Comments

LOD: Election Officials Nix New Maps

A press release today from Democracy North Carolina begins: Statements from election officials across the state provide new reasons for concern about the controversial district lines that zigzag through and split up hundreds of precincts to create the new district boundaries for state legislators and North Carolina’s 13 members of Congress. The election professionals are [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:30-05:00 January 11th, 2012|Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Redistricting, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: Big Apple Shines

New York is stepping up to challenge corporate control of elections. New York City already has a pioneering public financing program for its municipal elections. On Wednesday, it joined a growing list of cities by adopting a resolution calling on Congress to start the process for amending the U.S. Constitution to say corporations don’t have the [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:30-05:00 January 6th, 2012|Citizens United Case, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Voter-Owned Elections|0 Comments

LOD: Veto Override Votes

Gov. Perdue called the General Assembly back to town yesterday to give the legislature its constitutional opportunity to override her veto of the bill killing the Racial Justice Act. The state House couldn’t muster the votes to do that (at least 60% of those voting must approve), but rather than go home as promised in [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:30-05:00 January 5th, 2012|Civic Engagement, Link-of-the-Day, Voting Rights|0 Comments

LOD: MT Judges Slam US Supremes

As the second anniversary of Citizens United approaches (Jan. 21), the corruption flowing from that decision is becoming more apparent. The Supreme Court declared that independent groups can not corrupt the political process, but the dominant role of Super PACs in the Republican primary is just the latest evidence that their decision was based on [...]

By Bob Hall| 2017-01-03T12:05:30-05:00 January 3rd, 2012|Citizens United Case, Disclosure, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play|1 Comment

LOD: Dominatrix of the Year

Two commentaries close out the year, each describing a way big money shapes our lives. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, reviews the year with a focus on why Congressional decisions are so out of touch with real needs. Jesse Jackson looks at what’s getting covered over by big money in the presidential campaign.

By Bob Hall| 2011-12-31T06:38:59-05:00 December 31st, 2011|Citizens United Case, Link-of-the-Day, Money in Politics, Pay to Play|0 Comments