CEOs to Congress: Use taxpayer money for campaigns

[struggle4progress]

More than 40 current and former corporate executives on Friday urged Congress to pass taxpayer funding for congressional campaigns -- and stop asking busy business leaders for political cash.

The letters sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were signed by executives with Ben & Jerry's, Playboy Enterprises, Hasbro and others.

It's part of a major push by watchdog groups to jump-start legislation that would bring public funding to congressional campaigns -- and comes a day after the Supreme Court issued a sweeping decision that allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on ads to elect or defeat federal candidates. (The legislation has more than 120 sponsors in the House, and six in the Senate, but has not moved beyond the level of committees. Public funding is already available in presidential campaigns.) ...

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/01/ceos-tell-congress-use-taxpayer-money-for-campaigns/1

[niyad]

1. this is a joke, yes? from the Onion? ceo's don't want to fork out cash to buy their pols? and we

are supposed to believe this? uh huh....

[struggle4progress]

3. To win political fights, one must ultimately pay close attention to details. Broad

generalizations may help one imagine potentially useful strategies -- but the actual landscape varies, and it is important to be able to see that landscape in a detailed way, rather than as a blurry smear

[icnorth]

4. Well you see its kinda like the Harlem Globetrotters

and Washington Wizards...we want to put our money on the Globetrotters, the little guy on the street can put his money on the Wizards

[PATRICK]

2. Corporate money is also

taxpayer's money from many sources, both direct and indirect. Who gets the bill for corporate campaign contributions, idiotic Monopoly prize contests, false advertising, corporate media takeovers that lose money, investments,outsourcing expenses, infrastructure usage, etc.? You guessed it, the voice disenfranchised single human being American citizen. The citizen cannot contribute without raising a further cost(tax) on himself in opposing corporate interests levied by the stranglehold on the economy. If we win we get to raise corporate taxes but they are still free to raise prices to neutralize us once more. Some type of leveling is barely to be hoped for or we bleed money and freedom at every turn.

Nor do the worst offenders need to produce anything at all in return for receiving any of the money from any source other than a little cheap graft here and there for a few privileged stooges. But we get higher prices somewhere to pay for that too.