Corporations

Who Are the 1%? You Decide

by Anne Landman — November 7, 2011 - 4:44pm

A new project by filmmaker Robert Greenwald's Brave New Foundation aims to shine a spotlight on the 1%, the wealthiest Americans who manipulate our democracy for their own private benefit. According to Greenwald: "We will highlight the villains in America's economic story, drawing a straight line between their actions and the broken economy we're now stuck with." The fun part is that you get a vote on who the filmaker should profile. The project, "Who are the 1%? We Film. You Decide," asks people to go to the Brave New Foundation's website and nominate their favorite one percenters. The Foundation will then make videos about the selected nominees. Center for Media and Democracy is a partner in the project, which was inspired by the Occupy  Wall Street movement. Other partners include AlterNet, TruthOut, The Nation, PoliticsUSA, Care2 Make a Difference, Free Speech TV, the Thom Hartmann program, The Young Turks and the Campaign for America's Future. Whom to choose? Jamie Dimon, David Koch, Lloyd Blankfein? There is no shortage of candidates. Nominate your favorite here.

Main Source: 
Brave New Foundation, November 7, 2011
News

New Investigative Report Highlights Koch Brothers' Reach in Influencing Democracy

by Sara Jerving — November 7, 2011 - 9:00am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations

    • Charles and David Koch, each worth about $25 billion, could be the most influential duo in the United States. These brothers have accumulated their fortune through Koch industries -- an oil refining, chemical, paper products and financial services company with revenues of some $100 billion per year. A new documentary by Bob Abeshouse on the Kochs illustrates how these brothers use their billions to manipulate some in the public into voting for their right-wing agenda and to push policies that strip protections for people's health.

    Op-Ed

    Insurers Want Obama to Defy Law So They Can Continue Keeping You In The Dark

    by Wendell Potter — October 31, 2011 - 9:50am
  • Topics: Corporations, Ethics, Health

    • If you have no idea what you're paying good money for when you enroll in a health insurance plan, there's a good reason for that: insurers profit from your ignorance. And they're waging an intense, behind-the-scenes campaign to keep you in the dark.

    In my first appearance before Congress after leaving the insurance industry, I told members of the Senate Commerce Committee that insurers intentionally make it all but impossible for consumers to find out in advance of buying a policy exactly what is covered and what isn't, and how much they'll be on the hook for if they get sick or injured. Insurers are quite willing to provide you with slick marketing materials about their policies, but those materials are notoriously skimpy when it comes to useful information. And the documents they provide after you enroll are so dense that few of us can understand them.

    News

    Frac Sand Mining Companies Could Benefit From "Polluters Over People Bill"

    by Sara Jerving — October 28, 2011 - 10:00am
  • Topics: Corporations, Environment

    • Wisconsin's environment and the health of its population might be on the chopping block as state Republicans push for mining deregulation in the name of "jobs."

    A few bills are floating around in the Wisconsin legislature that could jeopardize the state's natural resources in order to make the state more attractive to mining companies. An official mining bill is currently being drafted, led by assembly Republicans, to expedite mining permits in the state. Another bill introduced last week in both the Senate and Assembly has been dubbed the "Polluters Over People Bill," and aims to overhaul the state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) permitting process.

    Opponents to those bills argue they could lay the groundwork for a massive iron mine, violate Wisconsin's "public trust doctrine" for publicly-owned waters, and otherwise benefit polluters by selling off the state's natural resources.

    News

    At OWS, Cenk Uygur Announces Effort to Amend Constitution, Get Money Out of Politics

    by Brendan Fischer — October 28, 2011 - 8:04am
  • Topics: Activism, BanksterUSA, Corporations, Democracy, Election Protection, Media, Politics

    • The "Occupy" movement has been inspired in part by the increasingly outsized political power of the top 1%, which has made elected officials more responsive to deep-pocket donors than those they were elected to represent. In response to the other 99% being left politically and economically disempowered, former MSNBC host Cenk Uygur has announced plans to work toward amending the U.S. Constitution to get big money out of politics and restore representative democracy.

    Op-Ed

    Don't Buy Insurers' Junk -- Or Let Them Keep Selling It

    by Wendell Potter — October 24, 2011 - 3:24pm
  • Topics: Corporations, Ethics, Health

    • Members of Congress and the Obama administration have assured us that on January 1, 2014, junk health insurance plans -- which offer only the illusion of adequate coverage to the millions of Americans enrolled in them -- will become a thing of the past.

    Among those who clearly don't believe those plans are headed for extinction are the insurance companies that market these highly profitable plans, and the employers that buy them -- primarily restaurant chains and retailers with high employee turnover.

    If I were President Obama, I would send one of my aides to the Chicago suburbs later this week to see first-hand just how determined these companies are to continue selling these plans -- which are euphemistically called "mini-med" and "limited-benefit policies" -- long past 2014.

    News

    Wisconsin Voter ID Law Challenged by League of Women Voters

    by Brendan Fischer — October 21, 2011 - 8:51am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Election 2012, Corporations, Election Protection, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • Wisconsin's American Legislative Exchange Council-inspired voter ID law, which will make it harder for students and people of color to vote, is being challenged under the state constitution by the League of Women Voters.

    The law requires potential voters to show a valid state-issued driver's license or identification card before they can cast a ballot, rendering many state residents ineligible to vote. Wisconsin, like thirteen other states, passed the law earlier this year based on the ALEC "model" voter ID bill.

    News

    Flu with that Burger? ALEC Wants Sick People Serving You Food

    by Rebekah Wilce — October 19, 2011 - 7:00am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Labor, Politics

    • Last week, the city of Philadelphia mandated paid sick days for "workers whose employers have contracts with the city or apply for city subsidies." Last month, Seattle also passed a paid sick leave ordinance. Connecticut passed a bill in June that will make it the first state in the nation to mandate paid sick leave for service workers. Food service workers are a special concern of such laws.

    Workers in these locations will no longer have to come to work with the flu or other infectious illness, endangering the health of their coworkers and customers and exacerbating their own health.

    News

    CMD Demands Investigation of Facebook's Impact on Privacy

    by Patrick Moran — October 18, 2011 - 10:27am
  • Topics: Internet, Corporations, Democracy

    • CMD has signed onto a letter with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and seven other pro-privacy groups requesting that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigate changes Facebook has made to user accounts that undermine the privacy rights of millions of users.

    The letter focuses on two recent policies implemented by Facebook called "frictionless sharing" and "post-log-out tracking." According to the letter, "frictionless sharing and post-log-out tracking harms consumers throughout the United States by invading their privacy and allowing for disclosure and use of information in ways and for purposes other than those to which users have consent and relied upon."

    Frictionless sharing is "Facebook's term for allowing applications to automatically share users' activity rather than having users initiate each instance of sharing themselves." Facebook developed two new features called "Ticker" and "Timeline" to promote this concept.

    News

    ALEC Ties Bring Down British Defense Secretary, Threaten Prime Minister David Cameron

    by Brendan Fischer — October 18, 2011 - 9:12am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Ethics, International, Lobbying, Politics

    • British Defense Secretary Liam Fox has stepped down in the midst of an escalating scandal tied to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The ALEC connections have led opposition party leaders and the British press to question whether British Prime Minister David Cameron has been "allowing a secret rightwing agenda to flourish at the heart of the Conservative party."

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