A Field Guide to the Koch O’ Nuts Behind the Near Government Default
Here's a field guide to some of the Koch-O'-Nuts and what is known about their funding from the Koch family fortune.
Democracy
Officials in Arizona and Kansas Rig Ballots to Implement ALEC Voter Suppression Scheme
State officials in Arizona and Kansas are developing a new scheme to implement an American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-approved bill requiring proof of citizenship at the polls.
Did Scalia Really Say That? "Citizens United" Lurks Behind Supreme Court's Latest Money-in-Politics Case
The McCutcheon case provides a good example of how advocates and the court's "conservative" Justices have methodically laid the groundwork for dismantling campaign finance laws.
Dear WWII Vets, Forget About the Monument, They Are Gunning for Your Social Security
Apparently the only thing both Democrats and Republicans can agree on in Washington, DC, is that they can't deal with bad press involving Honor Flight vets.
This led to absurd images of Republicans -- who had shut down the federal government, including all monuments and museums -- rushing to "aid" veterans shut out by monument closures. In the most revolting display, Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) publicly berated a National Park Service Ranger for a situation created entirely by Congress.
Case Study on Alpine Steel: Prison Industry Subsidized by Taxpayers to Compete with Local Businesses Fails Spectacularly
"The taxpayers have been left holding the bag.... As a result of this I think there is going to be a lot more oversight." Those were statements made by Nevada Assemblyman James Ohrenschall in an interview on Vegas Inc. September 21.
Profiting from the Poor: Outsourcing Social Services Puts Most Vulnerable at Risk
In a story most in the media missed, protestors gathered under the dome at the Mississippi state capitol earlier this year to oppose a bill that would allow the state Department of Human Services (DHS) to privatize everything from child protective services to nutrition programs for the elderly.
Will Supreme Court Expand "Money as Speech" Ruse and Strike Donation Limits?
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could further expand the reach of its controversial ruling that political spending is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment -- and which could give the one percent even more influence over politics.
Texas Attorney General Rebuffs ALEC's Effort to Declare Itself Immune from Open Records Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2013
CONTACT: Brendan Fischer, brendan@prwatch.org
MADISON -- Texas Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott has issued an Open Records Letter Ruling rejecting an effort by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to declare itself immune from the state's public records law, after the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas filed briefs in the matter.
Koch Bros Retainer to PRWatch: “Bring It!”
Some interesting emails were released as part of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's ongoing investigation of a $500,000 taxpayer grant awarded to the Koch-tied United Sportsmen's group. The grant was tailor-made for United Sportsmen and slipped into the budget by State Representative Scott Suder as one of his last acts as a state legislator. (Suder, who also served as ALEC's Wisconsin State Chair, was given a new job at the Public Utilities Commission and a $45,000 pay raise by Governor Scott Walker.)
Violence, Abuse, and Death at For-Profit Prisons: A GEO Group Rap Sheet
This week CMD launched a new web resource, OutsourcingAmericaExposed, where we will detail the privatizers and profiteers selling out our democracy. The website will be populated with "rap sheets" or corporate profiles of America's top outsourcing companies.
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