Bonfire of Inanities: How SuperPACs Fuel Climate Collpse

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Produced by: 
KBOO
Program:: 
Air date: 
Fri, 01/11/2013 - 10:00am to 10:15am
Interview with Brandon Fisher @ the Center for Media & Democracy on political money & where it goes

 

Money, Money Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink...

As a nation of consumers, as opposed to citizens of a nation.  (Note how you can take that first phrase, 'Citizens  of a Nation' and plug in the word, 'consumers': 'Consumers of a Nation' - which accurately describes Americans. 

Last year, Americans witnessed an explosion in million-dollar checks from a handful of uber-wealthy people underwriting political campaigns and election ads. In 2012, there were also numerous efforts to make it harder for Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote through restrictive voter ID legislation and limits on voter registration.

 That is why the weekend of January 19, 2013, is so important. That coming weekend marks two dates significant to American democracy. It includes the federal holiday marking the birth of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which commemorates the civil rights leader who worked to secure voting rights for all Americans. It also marks the anniversary of the devastating U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which opened the floodgates for big money and helped make the 2012 elections the most expensive in the history of the world.

 On January 19, activists in more than 60 towns and cities across the country will participate in a national day of action through rallies, teach-ins, and conferences to move closer to taking back our democracy.

 

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 The Bonneville Power Administration ‘s deadline for public comment on massive transmission towers in the Gorge is  March 1.  Activists, property right voices and just about anyone doomed to live beneath the shadow of the behemoth want more time.

  At least 90 days.   The transmission line is part of its I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Plan when BPA hosts the first of six public meetings tonight to discuss the construction.

 BPA is deciding between four proposals to extend power to residents, with its "central alternative" as a 79-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line from Castle Rock to Troutdale across the Columbia River. However, the agency's plans have come under attack from some local residents, as the planned power towers will be within 500 feet of 327 property owners.

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