I AM BEYOND PISSED - Did you Donate to Dean? Clark? Kerry? READ THIS

[Jack_Dawson]

With regard to this site that was referenced in an earlier post:

http://www.fundrace.org/neighbors.php

This is such a fucking invasion of privacy I'm speechless. Because I made the monumental mistake of donating to a political candidate, my NAME, COMPANY, JOB TITLE and HOME FUCKING ADDRESS are now public knowledge. Not just home address, but EXACT COORDINATES of where I live.

I emailed the site and said I'm disturbed and please take my name off and "Michael Frumin" ([e-mail]) said to me "Well then you shouldn't have donated to a political candidate...we get our information from the FEC"

So I call the FEC and they tell me this "fundrace" site is illegal as hell, that my information should NOT be in the public domain, and that I should file a complaint w/ the FEC so they can shut it down, but I need it to be NOTARIZED (more hoops to jump through) and that I should also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

I've never felt so fucking violated in my life.

:grr:

:argh:

[annagull]

1. Why did the FEC give them the info?

Especially if it is illegal, how did fundrace get it's lists? This is nuts.

[For PaisAn]

7. Exactly.

That's what I'd like to know.

[tom_paine]

98. Because the Busheviks will need that list for their Future Plans

Jesus H. Christ!

:grr: :grr: :mad:

Come and GET me, fuckers!

[ParanoidPat]

153. Google results for ......

......Google search for "Jonah Peretti", Brooklyn, New York :evilgrin:
Google search for "Michael Frumin", Brooklyn, New York

On Edit: Added Mike to the fray! Give them a call and let them know how you feel!
Google is your friend! :)

[ParanoidPat]

165. FEC Privacy Statement

Privacy Statement

The privacy of our customers has always been very important to the Federal Election Commission. We do not require individuals to identify themselves when they come to our offices or contact us by phone. Our concern for your privacy continues in the electronic age. That view underlies our policy, stated below:

* You do not have to give us personal information merely to visit our site.
* We collect detailed information about you (i.e. more than your internet address) like your name, email address, affiliation with a political committee, etc. only if you specifically and knowingly provide it to us.
* When we ask you to identify yourself we explain why at the point of collection (e.g. to download recordkeeping software for electronic filing of campaign finance reports).
* Information is collected for statistical purposes and we sometimes perform analyses of user behavior in order to measure customer interest in the various areas of our site. We will disclose this information to third parties only in aggregate form or as may be required by law.
* We do not sell any personal information to a third party. However, information retained by us may be subject to requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
* We do not enable "cookies." (A "cookie" is a file placed on your hard drive by a Web site that allows it to monitor your use of the site, usually without your knowledge.) Note, however, that when you leave our site through links to other sites they may enable cookies or collect information about you that the FEC does not collect or control.

If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the website, read pages, or download information, we will gather and store certain information about your visit automatically. This information does not necessarily identify you personally. We automatically collect and store only the following information about your visit:

* The Internet domain (such as "xcompany.com" or "yourschool.edu", or "agency.com) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our website;
* The date and time you access our site;
* The pages you visit;
* Whether you successfully received the document or image file you requested;
* The type of browser you are using;
* The site from which you linked to our site;

and

* The size of the document you received.

We use this information to help us make our site more useful to visitors -- to learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use. We do not track or record information about individuals, organizations or their visits.

If you contact us by email we may forward the message to appropriate staff in order to review it and respond if necessary. We may retain messages for a period of time to ensure responses and we may delete them when action has been completed.

If you use an online form to receive filing software or register for a conference or for other purposes, information you provide may be retained so that information about changes, upgrades, etc. may be provided where appropriate.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

185. That statement pertains to people visiting the site and their

ISP info...

[bearfartinthewoods]

218. first, i have never seen the abuse of individual contributions as the main

maybe i'm off board here but i've always felt the contributions by corps and lobbying orgs was the problem.

ok ...corps and orgs could hide their contributions by funneling them through individuals so it's important to have the employers info on record. but putting people's addresses on the internet seems excessive.

the threat to people's livelhood and even safety would seem to call out for some interim level of transparancy. i'm a privacy freak. my name and address appears nowhere on the net, until now. if i had known this before i donated, i would have donated differently, small enough contributions that they could be cash but given to many more
candidates.

i bet, right now, there are freeps and maybe even DUers writing nasty notes or cruising neighborhoods, based on this info...

[question everything]

170. Not illegal

When I lived in California I was the treasurer of a candidate running for local office. Anyone giving more than $99 had to be listed on the campaign statement. (This was why so many gave only $99). And we had to provide occupation and name of employer. This is why many would say self-employed, or retired, or homemaker.

This is actually good for democracy. Especially in California where you have so many measures, you can see who is behind (or against) the ballot measure and see who gives money and how much.

It used to be that one had to go the a county or city office to pour over the statements but recently these statement are scanned and posted online. And you can also see who are the fat cats that give to congress people and to assembly ones.

For over ten years the people of Orange County did not want the Marines base at El Toro to be converted into a commercial 24/7 airport. It took four rounds of ballot measures to finally killed it. While the anti group had donations of thousands of volunteers, across the political spectrum, the pro airport had gazillionaire George Argyros (Bush ambassador to Spain) who gave more that $3 million to finance the battle. Once he went to Spain, his side lost.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

187. No you are correct...what MAY be beyond what is considered

a fair use of this info is whether the company is a non-profit (which they don't appear to be) and the fact that it appears on larger donations they MAY have ADDED more info than was required by the FEC meaning they MAY be posting info on the internet that is NOT required by the FEC FOR PROFIT .

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. May I recommend that you change the title of your post to reflect

the content..only so that others who have donated will see it and join you in filing a complaint. :D

[NewHampshireDem]

3. Blog It, Blog It, Blog It

Gotta get the word out about this to get it shut down.

[nicecakes]

186. Won't happen

We deserve to know where the money is coming from for public office.

Only medical and private transactions are kept from public view...just as it shoud be.

[formernaderite]

236. We do...is there any way to search the donations of....

employees for specific companies? I ask because, friends of mine were told to donate to Liebermans campaign, two thousand a piece....in fact all the directors etc. for this metals group contributed. This sort of thing makes me uncomfortable, this is why I think the info should remain public, but it should allow you to research donations by specific companies...then we'll get an accurate picture of "why" specific manufacturers/corporations support these people.

[For PaisAn]

4. Not too thrilled either

I'm on there and so is my Mom. I love how they always put the burden on us in order to opt out of something. Why isn't the FEC going to investigate this. Since you notified them and they said it was illegal maybe they should just go do their job. Also found out from that site that I'm surrounded by repugs who now know who and where I am. Lovely.

[Jack_Dawson]

8. They said I had to "take action" for them to investigate

even though the FEC woman looked at the site and was like "Oh my God they so can't do that...that's terrible."

[cosmokramer]

190. It is worse than that...what about an employer using this ...

...information to penalize or reward employees based on their personal political affiliation? What about someone seeking a job and not getting it because of their political affiliation?

What about targeting by people in power against those who do not agree with them? What about the IRS agent who decides he should audit/investigate someone on this basis?

In this format, with full address & name with GEO codes and neighborhood searches, it is terrible.

Heck, I am a full $2K dem donor in a neighborhood full of Bush contributors. I don't like this at all.

[peachy]

5. That's ugly

some bozo lawyer in my neighborhood donated 6000 to * - 2000 in his own name another 2000 in his wifes name and another in his kids name. disgusting.

[catzies]

6. Whoa. That's not good.

And here I am, thinking you're pissed as I am that the Kings/Pacers game isn't on TV tonight. x(

The games ESPN are showing suck.

Back to the topic: I looked at that site earlier, found out most of my "friends and neighbors" here behind the Reagan Country Curtain gave the max to GWBush. :grr:

[Semi_subversive]

49. Kings/Pacers is on locally

Sacramento Channel 10 at 4:30.

[Jack_Dawson]

70. Yeah but I'm a Kings fan in San Diego!!!

I have to go to a sports bars and compete for a TV with the bracketology nutcases.

[catzies]

71. I'm in LA ,and Jack_Dawson's in San Diego. Not on here at all.

You're luckier than both of us. :hi:

[shanti]

166. gotta buy nba league pass

i'm a lakers fan in sacramento and it's WORTH IT!

[Kimber Scott]

9. I just did a search on my name

and found someone with the same name as me donated to Bush. She's a "Homemaker/Student" and she lives in Almo, KY. This is pretty messed up.

[LynzM]

10. Definitely change the title-

I'm going to call the ones near me who are attorneys :) Maybe that'd be a good start?

[Muddleoftheroad]

11. What is illegal? It's public record info

Any one of us could publish it.

[BlueEyedSon]

48. The data MUST be public in order to enforce contribution limits.

Sorry, democracy cannot be both participatory and annonymous.

[Woodstock]

246. Actually, no

Unique ID's could be assigned to each individual (primary key) and only the name and city/state for instance need be disclosed to the general public, if that is necessary at all, which I question (the street address and employer could remain confidential to protect the privacy of individuals.)

Elected officials could have access to check the full records, and an individual could have access to their own full record.

There are a number of reasons why disclosing this information might be detrimental to an individual's livelihood and even their safety.

We have a right to give to political parties but we also have a right to privacy.

Essentially this is giving up the privacy of our vote.

It doesn't have to be as black and white as you paint it.

For instance, our income tax returns are not published on websites - yet. These laws have to be enforced, too. So shouldn't this data be published, by your reasoning?

[Yemp4734]

251. Ohhh what a great idea!

"Elected officials could have access to check the full records"

I'm sure the Bush admin would get right on it. Talk about letting the fox guard the hen house...

[JohnLocke]

12. Hire a good lawyer and get in touch with a privacy advocacy group.

Contact the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

[Keebs]

14. Ok, yeah this isn't cool

But did you look at the map?

http://www.fundrace.org/citymap.php

WE ARE SO SCREWED. *terrified*

[BlueEyedSon]

54. Relax, it's DOLLARS, not individuals.

You DID know that Bush raised more money, right?

[ContinentalOp]

72. The map means nothing

It's similar to the map republicans like to use showing the total land mass that went to bush in 2000 rather than the actual # of people who voted for him. Sure, it looks impressive but it means nothing unless of course Diebold is now counting votes by cows :)

[tridim]

13. That's terrible and very dangerous

although I must admit that looking through the Bush donors near my address, I found some usefull information. For instance, a $2000 donation from the owner of a car dealership that I _had_ done business with in the past.

[w4rma]

15. It's public knowledge. You can look up your name, here, at the FEC website

Individual Search:
Search for contributions made by individuals using contributor name, city, state, zip code, principal place of business, date, and amount.
http://www.fec.gov/finance_reports.html

[bicentennial_baby]

Does the FEC site

also give out complete home addresses?

[w4rma]

24. I think that is noted in my quote from the FEC site. (n/t)

[Jack_Dawson]

19. Does it publish home address? job title? company?

[w4rma]

27. I think that, also, is noted in my quote from the FEC site. (n/t)

[For PaisAn]

44. Street address?

I didn't see street address at the FEC site, did you?

[VOX]

92. I do not see street address or job information at FEC site.

:kick:

[Dookus]

103. I was able to find my own contributions

next to it was a long number which was a link. Clicking on that opened a scanned image of the original paperwork, which contained my home address. I was able to see it for lots of other names I looked up, too.

[russian33]

35. The name and the amount might be public knowledge...

....but these people are nuts, they are posting way too much personal informaion...that has to be illegal!

[For PaisAn]

36. But

This fundrace site lists your street address whereas FEC only lists your town. There is a difference.

[truebrit71]

123. THEN HOW COME THE FEC HAS NO RECORD OF ME BUT THIS SITE DOES??

I will be calling all of the attorneys in my area on this list this weekend that donated to Democratic candidates to inform them of the existence of this list...We'll see where it goes from there...

You can tell them who I donated to and how much, but don't you fucking dare publish my home address!!!! :mad:

[booksenkatz]

16. While I'm not ashamed of my donations

to Clark and Dean and Kerry, in fact I'm damned proud, I nevertheless feel that it's no one's business. In some parts of the country, you could be firebombed for supporting certain candidates! My husband would never let me put a political bumpersticker on our car when we lived in north Florida, that's for sure. Anyway, for some reason, I am not listed at this website, even though my donations have all been done with a credit card. I feel for those of you who are listed, please keep us posted about how to complain about this invasion of privacy.

[BootinUp]

17. I think the same info is available (edited)

at the FEC website, only not quite so neighborhood friendly and no street address.

http://www.fec.gov/finance_reports.html

click on individual search.


OH Yea I live in Bush Country heh.

[LDS Jock]

32. just used that site

searched for Michael Dell.. reads like a whos who of people I hate. I'm glad I have a Compaq.

[Kimber Scott]

18. A firefighter in Glendale, AZ gave Sharpton $200!

I wish I had $200 to give away like that.

[SoDesuKa]

227. Money Well Spent

Al Sharpton says what needs to be said. He says it with wit, wisdom and clarity. Money given to Sharpton's campaign is well spent, even if you have to scrape for it.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. Hey Jack

I just checked my Zip Code and it gave the HOME address of an associate who is a retired superior court judge and now is a private arbitrator.

I called him and not only is HIS HOME INFO in there..OTHER arbitrators info is in there and THEY ARE LIVID...the significance of this is that arbitrators do NOT reveal their home addresses because it may target them for retribution by unhappy litigants.


they have notary publics in their office and are acting on it today...HE IS PISSED..thanks for the head's up. :D

[Jack_Dawson]

22. GOOD!!!

Fuck I love DU

I need a :beer: NOW

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

52. Please check your inbox

I need the name of the person at the FEC..they are acting right now

[bearfartinthewoods]

128. ok...my finders fee for this is that nobody gets to rag me

for peeking at the freeps anymore.

i am really relieved. on the other thread, it seemed everyone thought this was fine and dandy.

[madmax]

79. Wow NSMA and Jack

You guys rock. Talk about kicking ass and taking names.

Gawd I love you guys and DU :grouphug:

I've contributed several times to Clark and Kerry but my name didn't come up. But, the server is a bit overloaded. I found a few neighbor names whose donations surprised me!

[Muddleoftheroad]

23. Then they shouldn't have given money

To expect privacy when you do a public record act is not smart.

[Jack_Dawson]

26. Name Privacy is one thing, Home Address COORDINATES is another

[Muddleoftheroad]

30. Yes, it's another database

And the two have been linked. But anybody who looks up a name in one can just go to mapquest for the other info.

[For PaisAn]

64. Not quite sure about that

I looked up my Mom & my friend on mapquest (both have unlisted phone #'s) and they did NOT come up. My Mom is listed at FEC site but if someone tried to look up her address on mapquest they wouldn't find her street address. With this fundrace site people now can see her street address.

[Muddleoftheroad]

143. All it is doing is combining those two features

So if I look up your mom on the FEC and get her address, I can plug it into mapquest.

[w4rma]

34. All these guys are doing is making the information from the FEC database

easier to read. The information was already available to anyone, now it's just compiled in a graphical manner.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

58. Not in the manner in which they are doing it

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

53. Not accurate...they ADDED info the FEC does NOT publish

[Dookus]

62. NSMA

What information are they adding that the FEC does not publish?

I found my contributions, including my home address and employer on the FEC website.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

82. I'm not an expert on the law in this matter but if a retired judge

has an issue with it then I have to assume there is a problem..>FWIW..his HOME address is NOT published at the FEC site.

[bearfartinthewoods]

221. there is a difference in accessibility

or at least there should be between having a public record of donations and making the record so dam public and accessible.

i doubt an employer would take the time to go to some office and research his employees or that some drunken freep would bother. but last night on fox and this am on cspan, the site was announced for what i believe was waaaay to casual a purpose.

even the way it's marketed...as a way to find out who your neighbors support has nothing to do with campaign finance ABUSE!!!!

[Woodstock]

245. No, the thing that was not smart

was expecting the government to handle things right.

We have a right to give to political parties. We also have a right to privacy. There's no reason why one should exclude the other.

[Dookus]

252. wrong

nobody has the right to give campaign contributions anonymously.

This is not a new law. It's been like this for a very long time, and for good reason. I can't believe people are upset about it now.

[Jack_Dawson]

256. Dookus - please get it through your head

Nobody is upset that donating is public record and reported to the FEC.

People are upset that their HOME ADDRESS and PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT are now floating around the Internet without ANY WARNING OR DISCLOSURE at the time of donating.

The FEC site does not list home addresses. This other site does. I'm hardly the only one pissed off about this.

[Dookus]

258. And I have said here repeatedly

that the FEC DOES show home addresses!!!!!! Just click on the transaction # next to the donations!

I have nothing to get "through my head". I understand exactly what you're saying, and I just disagree vehemently.

Your name and address are how you are identified. You must be identified to contribute to a campaign. It's very simple. Donating money to a political campaign is NOT a private transaction. It is a very public one, and all the details SHOULD be public.

I know you're not the only one pissed off, but I'm endlessly bemused by the sudden outcry. As far as I know, this has been the law for over 20 years. Your address and place of employment were available on the internet long before this website appeared... right on the FEC's website. And before it was on the web, anybody could go look it up.

Not a damned thing has changed, except one guy made it an easier database to search.

Personally, I'm THRILLED this information is readily available. It's a great tool against corruption.

[tridim]

33. "target them for retribution by unhappy litigants"

I'm more worried about being targeted for retribution by insane Republinazis.

[blm]

83. YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!!!!

Just in case noone told you yet today.

;)))))))))))))))))))))))

[shanti]

167. i saw several judges

on the list for my city. nope, they will NOT be happy about that!

[Hamlette]

21. Fascinating!

My husband's "boss" (banking lawyer) gave to Dean! I'd have guessed he was a Republican.

I love this list, however I wish I was the only person on earth who had access.

I'm there, but I don't care who knows who I gave money to.

[Muddleoftheroad]

25. Isn't freedom of the press fun?

It is. THIS is the upside and downside of open government and big databases.

[KoKo]

45. The list does help one locate "fellow Dem Sympathizers." Giving them

some of our business isn't a bad thing! Also knowing who your friends are in these tough times when we may need them if Bush wins, is also not a bad thing.

However, I think having this easily available on a website does raise questions for the future. OTOH, we want Contributions Public for Corporations and Special Interests but we don't want to reveal our own secrets.

This is a tough one. Privacy vs. Disclosure. :shrug:

[Lars39]

63. I think the difference is that we could get fired from our job for

contributing to the *wrong* political party/candidate. The danger exists for individual contributors to be harassed at work and home.

[Renew Deal]

28. Your info is always public when you donate.

Search the individual donors at www.fec.gov. You will find the same info. Fundrace made it easier.

[Jack_Dawson]

31. Home address coordinates, company name and job title?

I couldn't find those.

[BlueEyedSon]

29. LMOA!

I'm not in the database, but all my neighbors are (surprising amount of hefty pledges), and they almost all supported DEAN!!!!!

[tridim]

56. LOTS of Dean supporters in my neighborhood too

around 80%.

[Donkeyboy75]

260. Yeah, I hate my neighbor, but

like her a bit more now that she donated to Dean.

BTW, did anyone else notice that the lion's share of $2000 donations are for the idiot-in-chief?

[NashVegas]

37. Just In Case Anyone's Curious

Domain ID:D101904301-LROR
Domain Name:FUNDRACE.ORG
Created On:29-Oct-2003 07:34:33 UTC
Last Updated On:29-Dec-2003 03:58:40 UTC
Expiration Date:29-Oct-2005 07:34:33 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:R91-LROR
Status:OK
Registrant ID:GODA-04374935
Registrant Name:Jonah Peretti
Registrant Organization:Eyebeam R&D
Registrant Street1:540 West 21st St
Registrant Street2:12th Floor
Registrant City:Brooklyn
Registrant State/Province:New York
Registrant Postal Code:11201
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:[phone]
Registrant FAX:[phone]
Registrant Email:[e-mail]
Admin ID:GODA-24374935
Admin Name:Jonah Peretti
Admin Organization:Eyebeam R&D
Admin Street1:540 West 21st St
Admin Street2:12th Floor
Admin City:Brooklyn
Admin State/Province:New York
Admin Postal Code:11201
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:[phone]
Admin Email:[e-mail]
Tech ID:GODA-14374935
Tech Name:Jonah Peretti
Tech Organization:Eyebeam R&D
Tech Street1:540 West 21st St
Tech Street2:12th Floor
Tech City:Brooklyn
Tech State/Province:New York
Tech Postal Code:11201
Tech Country:US
Tech Phone:[phone]
Tech Email:[e-mail]
Name Server:GW.DATAGRAM.COM
Name Server:NS.CONTAGIOUSMEDIA.ORG

[EV1Ltimm]

86. evil! evil!

:)

[VOX]

93. Well done, Crisco!

:kick:

[Melinda]

108. This is very bizarre - look who Jonah Peretti is:

Seemingly a liberal with much NPR, alternet, Nation, and other background:

http://xenia.media.mit.edu/~peretti/

The Poster Boy of Guerilla Media:

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12276

My Nike Media Adventure:

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010409&s=peretti

[John_H]

211. Johnah's proof that just cause you're a lioberal doesn't mean you're

not a dick.

[On the Road]

38. I Don't Show Up for Some Reason

even though I gave to Dean five times through his website.

But seriously, this is a good thing. We WANT transparency in political donations. The same rules that apply to major contributors apply to us. I am glad this is not secret.

[Kimber Scott]

59. What most people are upset about is

the address being listed. Sure, maybe some people did use a business address, but I'm sure a lot of people didn't think about it. These addresses could be used for a lot of bad purposes, the least being nasty letters, the worst having EVERYBODY knowing where someone lives who can afford to give $2000 away. This isn't safe.

[Jack_Dawson]

194. Oh but it's a GOOD thing, KIMBER!

I'm glad people don't give a shit about their own privacy...I guess I'm different that way. OK so I'm a political neophyte and this is the first time I've donated...I would have appreciated there being some kind of "by the way, here's what happens when you donate" warning on Clark's site. I don't think that's too much to ask.

[HFishbine]

220. What a friggin' joke!

Clark supporters who had no problem with Acxiom and CAPPS II screaming about their contributions being part of the public record. One word: "hypocricy."

[On the Road]

237. Yes, But It's the Flip Side of Something that Was Supported

by a lot of progressives and others interested in campaign finance reform. Secrecy is usually not desirable in political donations. Most of us may think of this as affecting rich contributors, but there seem to be a lot of ordinary people who are donating the maximum.

There should be a warning about the precise address being public information, and a way to restrict it to a city or zip code. But a political contribution is, and should be, a public act.

[truebrit71]

39. I just tried the name of the outgoing US Senator from illinois...

I wonder how happy he'll be that his HOME ADDRESS is listed on the web....

I have sent these scumbags a nasty e-mail and will follow up with the FEC....:mad:

[Muddleoftheroad]

43. It's public record information

Don't give Big Brother another excuse to hide information from us.

As an aside, smart folks clearly used their business addresses.

[Qanisqineq]

40. I searched for myself

and was actually disappointed that I wasn't listed. Now that I think about it, all the different info they listed on people was kinda creepy.

I did notice that the vast majority of Dubya supporters in my area were either business owners or attorneys. People that could afford to send $2000.

[Rockholm]

41. It IS Pretty Freaky....

Nice to know that I am MOSTLY surrounded by Dems.

[Mick Knox]

42. Holy crap.. i'm amazed. .. That is total bs..

I 'm in shock...

[milkyway]

46. They don't list me, but I've donated to Dean and Clark.

I live in Manhattan and I did find several Hollywood actors I had no idea were anywhere near me. They all donated to the good guys (damn Hollywood liberals!). I also found that the guy who used to be the Commissioner for my sons' Little League donated $2,000 to bush*. I feel dirty for looking through the list, like some kind of peeping tom.

[Dookus]

47. Sorry

I'm not seeing the problem. I can get all this information from the FEC website, and yes, including home addresses if I click on the transaction number - a scanned copy of the original paperwork is shown, including addresses.

We KNOW when we give that this is public information - and it SHOULD be public information! Does anybody here really think we're better off with anonymous political contributions?

[BootinUp]

50. I agree -eom-

[Jack_Dawson]

51. I don't see how home address, job title and company should be public

And I don't remember any of this shit being stipulated when I donated.

[Dookus]

55. you can't donate

WITHOUT providing that information. That should've been a hint.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

84. You can donate without a home address...and go to opensecrets

They list town and zipcode...

[Dookus]

96. From what I've read

you can't donate more than $50 without providing an address.

It doesn't have to be a HOME address - it can be a mailing address.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

133. I agree with you. Fundrace & Open Secrets perform a service...

...a valuable public service.

My only complaint is that they dont have enough options in their search features so I can drill further or slice & dice the data in different ways.

[ContinentalOp]

57. I can't imagine it's illegal

It looks like you can do the same thing here:
http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/fecimg/advindsea.html
...right from the FEC website.

There is a bunch of different information you can search here:
http://www.fec.gov/finance_reports.html

And it looks like you can download entire databases here:
http://www.fec.gov/finance/newftp1.htm

According to this page
http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/prguide1.htm#PersonalComputer
.. the only restriction on use is that you can't use the information to solicit contributions...

"Any information copied from such reports or statements may not be sold or used by any person for the purpose of soliciting contributions or for commercial purposes, other than using the name and address of any political committee to solicit contributions from such committee. 2 U.S.C. §438(a)(4). "

On Edit: I see other people posted this same information between the time I read the thread and wrote the post!

[BlueEyedSon]

60. Thank God I donated under an assumed name!

Only kidding.

[rtassi]

61. I just completed a search

and found out who many of my neighbors contributed to, what they do for a living, and how much they contributed. Having this information made me aware of the businesses I would not continue to support as a result of there political affiliations. Also, the republicans were out spending democrats by almost ten times the amount. (they seem to have more money) I will join you in writing a complaint to the FEC and the FTC. I will also contact everyone on this search now that I know who they are, and maybe a by product of this for you, would be to transfer some stress to others. (Republicans first!):think:

[EdGy]

80. yes it is very useful

I too have identified a large number of business owners who have donated money to Bush.

They will never again get my business.

I've also found businesses that have donated to Democratic candidates. That's where I'll be spending my money.

How about sending some truth info to the Bush donors in your area?

[milkyway]

65. Must have given $200 to a single campaign by Dec. I just read

the fine print. That's why I didn't show up.

[Cleita]

66. Send a letter to your senators and your Congressman. I know I am.

eom

[rinsd]

67. The Supremes have decided this....

Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) — Campaign spending may not be limited, but contributions may be, and the identity of contributors may be required to be disclosed, and anonymous contributors prohibited.


Article via findlaw.com

http://supreme.usatoday.findlaw.com/supreme_court/briefs/00-1737/00-1737.mer.ami.brennan.pdf

[Skip Intro]

68. Right or wrong, I know where I'll never be buying a car -

thanks to that site.

One of the supporters of the moron who contributed bucks to his "effort" is the owner of a very big auto dealer francise in my area. They'll never get any of my business, and neither will some other local business owners.

[spanone]

69. I just saw that site today by a link here in DU. It is very scary.

I know many people listed. And IT DOES
list you home address. Wow.

[Dookus]

74. It's public information

by law. The FEC itself makes this information available. The only thing this website does is make it a little bit easier to find the info.

wow, I can't believe people are a) surprised by this and b) upset by it.

Public information on campaign contributions is a GOOD thing.

[Qanisqineq]

73. ok, this is weird

I did a search for a certain, very common, last name. Mainly because I have a lot of relatives with this last name. I noticed something with all the Dubya donations... there are literally pages of $2,000 donations to him and very few small donations. And many, many, many from homemakers/retired/students. How do all of these people afford this? It just seems fishy to me.

[Bushknew]

111. $2,000 Repug donations from homemakers and the retired, WTF!!

I noticed this too Tolania, boy this is fascinating.

Bankers are going to hell.

[FlaGranny]

137. That's how they give MORE than $2,000 -

$2,000 for hubby, $2,000 for wifey, $2,000 for each kid. That way they can give $10,000 or so and stay under the $2000 limit.

[Tennessee_tarheel]

250. Not just GOP - Dems too

Both parties pull that line of family members donating. Perfectly legal. And you can do it each cycle (including promaries). If we want real shame how about the fact the GOP riase more in small donations than Dems? or that Dems only outraise GOP in the big million dollar and up accounts. Maybe Dean's short but influential campaign has started to address that?

[Lefta Dissenter]

75. Would you all get the heck off the site???

You're really slowing it down, and I have a few more names I want to check out! ;)

My name is not there, nor are several other people who have given money to Clark (I know, because I handled their checks).

Despite the entertainment value, I'm glad that you have brought this to people's attention - it's clear from the posts before mine that this will be addressed proto. edit: that would be pronto (damn, I always have typos!!!)

[BootinUp]

77. info just hasn't been processed yet

give a month or two.

[Qanisqineq]

113. *Clark donor that wasn't there*

[BootinUp]

76. Seems the site has gone down its been DU'd heh

Warning: Too many connections in /vol/extra/sites/site26/web/neighbors.php on line 134

Warning: MySQL Connection Failed: Too many connections in /vol/extra/sites/site26/web/neighbors.php on line 134
We are terribly sorry.
So many people are coming to the site that our database cannot handle it for the moment.
Please try again soon (like very soon. how about right now?).

[NJCher]

78. Right after 2000

I did some research at the FEC site, trying to find addresses of people who donated in Florida. I was interested in Florida for obvious reasons. At that time there wasn't a way to get the person's address so I had to track it down by other means. I came up with so many dead ends. I was convinced something wasn't right down there at that time and I still am.


Cher

[galadrium]

81. First off,

all of this info is already public knowledge. It is a good idea for the FEC to keep track of all this, otherwise the GOP would be even more funded by every big-ass corporation.

[Cleita]

88. I don't think specific information like addresses or places of

employment should be made public. It could put some people in danger. I mean if I had children I would be worried now if my name had been published because I live in a Repbulican majority community. If someone didn't like that I contributed to the Democratic candidate, and they were mentally off center, I certainly don't want them knowing where I live or work. As a matter-of-fact they don't need to know my name. I think assigning numbers to donors in a given zipcode should be sufficient for compiling stats.

[VOX]

94. Agreed. Street address and job info are off limits!

:kick:

[tobius]

144. no job info- great idea. bundling will be so much easier! nt

[Cleita]

174. Now I get you after reading a few of your posts

and I agree that a lot needs to be transparent, but there are some things that have to be balanced. Imagine if you had to strip down naked in the airport before you are allowed to board a plane. It surely would guarantee safe flights, but I doubt if the airlines will be getting much business except from exhibitionists. Right now I don't think I will donate anything until I feel that I won't have someone arriving at my door to proselytize or worse.

[tobius]

177. fair, and that is something everyone, including businesses need to weigh.

Notice how many people won't give their business to a company/individual that donates to the "enemy"? It is definately not something everyone should expose themselves to, but to my knowledge the retributions have overall been minimal, this public disclosure has been around for quite awhile. I have not heard of violence being directed at someone because of their contribution, I could be wrong and would like to learn more.

[bearfartinthewoods]

222. it's one thing for the FEC to keep track of all of this.

it's another thing to have the info presented in a way that any drunken freep can amuse himself on a boring saturday night or for an employer to use it as he decides who gets promoted or laid off.

[KoKo]

85. Heads Up! That site doesn't list all donations! I gave, I looked up

others I KNOW gave to Dean and Kucinich. I'm not listed and neither are the people I know! Yet, I'm listed on the FEC site, for my donations and not on this new web site? Uh Oh...doesn't sound like this is legit.

What gives? I donated online, not by check. Does this website just have the check info? Something is very strange there. Also, when you hit on the site does it have "Spyware" that takes your name and keys it into the FEC site so that the next time you go on it CAN Have your info?

Just beware of it. Might be another Bush/Freep place spreading disinformation, or they don't have their "act together" or it's "Spyware." :shrug:

[MissB]

87. I wasn't listed there either

I donated online as well.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

89. It's all donations over 200 through 12/03

[VOX]

95. Not so -- it shows my piddling $25 to Howard Dean!

I'm the *last* donor listed in my zip code, but there I am -- name, home address, place of employment, etc.

[Cleita]

90. They only list donations up to December 2003.

If you gave after then you wouldn't be on the list.

[mouse7]

91. Bizarre... I'm in a nest of Edwards supporters (in the PAC NW)?

There's as many Edwards contributors here as Dean contributors in my little part of the PAC NW.

Very strange. I figured I was going to see Dean, Kucinich, and Nader.

[Fleshdancer]

97. I'll do it.

I donated too so my info is there and my mother's a notary so I can get the paperwork done this weekend and ship it to the FEC and FTC first thing Monday morning.

[VOX]

99. Thanks so much, GS!!!

:hug:

[Jack_Dawson]

105. Second That

:toast:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

100. Email the link of Fundrace 2004 to your local television stations...

...and to your local Democratic Party HQ...I bet that will get some attention rather quickly.

[SendTheGOPPacking]

101. OMG, this is outrageous!

And I'm sick to punch in my zip code and find so many Bush supporters in my area as well, but the home address thing is TOO MUCH!

[President Jesus]

102. use newsmeat.com instead

We don't publish addresses.

I understand you might be surprised that this data is public, but it really is a good thing. It's been public since the 70s, and is at the heart of the McCain Feingold act.

I think you'll agree we need to know how people like Ken Lay and Charles Schwab are trying to influence politics with their money, but we as citizens can't be selective about it. If they are going to be exposed, that means we need to be as well.

Here is the #1 tip if you want to donate, but not be listed: give up to $199. $200 donations and above get publicly listed.

If you are ashamed in the least about donations you've made, then that is a good indicator that you shouldn't be donating.

[Lars39]

104. Ashamed doesn't even enter the equation. Safety is what matters.

Some of us are surrounded by republicans who can be pretty nasty to deal with. Getting fired for your political views via contributions is possible, too.

[Jack_Dawson]

106. Yup

I'm not ashamed, but I'd rather leave politics out of my personal and work information. My right-wing company doesn't need to know my politics.

[Dookus]

109. And Ken Lay

could say the public has no right to know about HIS politics.

I disagree. Openness in campaign finance is essential.

[Catfight]

115. Injustice Scalia?

Wouldn't you just love to know his affiliations?

[President Jesus]

121. I agree addresses and coordinates should NOT be published...

...but honestly, anyone with the slightest curiosity can find ALL of this data in a multitude of formats on fec.gov. You have to hunt and peck a little, and you have to know how to make a db out of it, but it is all there. All fundrace.org has done is present it in a somewhat creative way.

My beef is with the FEC for making the exact addresses so easily available. I think the way newsmeat does it is much more appropriate, and is in-line with the way the fec.gov search is displayed.

I also have a serious problem with all the candidates that don't tell you shit about this. I think they have an obligation to tell citizens that their contribution data will be made public.

I realize you may not want to be a guinea pig, but if you got fired as a result of a campaign donation, there are thousands of lawyers who would LOVE to represent you, and millions of us who would like to see bastard bosses like that go down.

newsmeat.com currently has data going back to '98...fundrace.org is only this year.

[Jack_Dawson]

124. "You're fired for being a Dem" - not likely

But I agree with you that the candidates didn't say SHIT about how public the info would be. Fuck 'em all that'll teach me to get involved with politics. Back to sports. Wake me in November.

[Dookus]

126. Jack

Who would be better served by allowing anonymous contributions - Dems or Repubs?

These open campaign finance laws are GOOD for progressives.

If you really fear retaliation for a political contribution, then you shouldn't contribute. However, I've never heard of a single case of that occurring.

We are ALL better off when the money trail into campaigns is open and transparent.

[Jack_Dawson]

127. I get that in theory - but home addresses are off limits

There is a reason I'm unlisted. Now any telemarketing/mass mailing schlub can get my address.

List my name? Fine. List my city? Fine. List where I LIVE? Fuck off.

[Dookus]

129. then your beef is with the law

not with that website.

[Lars39]

125. From what I understand, personally held political views are not

legally protected when it comes to your job. IOW you can be fired legally for your political views.

[Qanisqineq]

117. I saw a number of donations

for small amounts ($25 and above) that were listed, all personal info included.

[Mixxster]

135. Here is the #1 tip if you want to donate, but not be listed:

give up to $199. $200 donations and above get publicly listed.

Not so. I just saw $100 and $150 donations listed at the fundrace site.

[joeyb]

107. i didnt know that nyc

was such a bush supporter

[Lisa0825]

110. Neato.... Barbara Streisand donated $1000 each to Edwards and Kerry.

I wonder if that's her real address!?

Karl Malone donated $2K to BUSH?! Blech!

[Catfight]

112. Larry David is a...

deanie/edwards AND gephardt

[scottcsmith]

114. That sucks

I hope the FEC does shut them down. I'm lucky in that I haven't been able to donate much to any one candidate or cause, maybe $20 at a time, so I'm not in the database. But lots of my neighbors are.

[hippiegranny]

116. my god, how sickening

to read the endless list of people who gave $2000 to bush. mofo idiots. i am glad this list exists - there are quite a few businesses i will no longer support after reading it.

[arewethereyet]

118. people sure enjoyed looking up contributors during the campaign

turnabout is not fair play ?

[Ksec]

119. My name wasnt on there

I donated to Clark. Most were big donators . Thats really an invasion of privacy though.

[Lisa0825]

120. $150 of my $225 is showing up, along with address and employer's name

Oh well.... My info is easy to find on the web anyway, and I make no secret of my politics, so I'm not upset. But I can totally understand why others are.

[Dookus]

122. I'm sorry, but it's not.

There is no right to privately give money to candidates for office. And that's a really good thing.

[truebrit71]

206. There is NO reason to publish ADDRESSES....

I had no problem donating to Wesley Clarks' campaign. I had no problem with his campaign submitting that info to the FEC..I have a HUGE FUCKING PROBLEM when someone else, NOT affiliated with the campaign OR the FEC publishes my HOME FUCKING ADDRESS!!!

[bigwillq]

130. Now I'm glad that I'm a cheap bastard

Sorry this happened to all of you. This is beyond wrong.

[Muddleoftheroad]

145. Freedom is messy

But this is the only way to keep our freedoms by having open records like this.

[InvisibleTouch]

131. Not Listed Either

I guess I wasn't able to scrape together enough. That's the only thing I'd be embarassed over, not about having given in the first place. And I agree it's an outrage to provide so much personal info in one place about donors. It's true that one can find this info about almost anyone with a bit of web searching, but this puts it right at people's fingertips. They don't even have to try.

The name, amount, and job title/place of business, I think are good. You can bet that if and when I ever need any services in my local area, I'm going to plug the name into this site to see who does and doesn't deserve my business. Listing the home address too, is going way too far.

I was surprised and disappointed to see how many $2000 contributions in my zip code went to George W. Bush, but equally surprised to see how many hefty donations there were to Lieberman. Better than sending the money to Dubya, needless to say. A number of Dean and Kucinich contributions caught my notice, some from grad students who, I remember all too well, make practically nothing. My respect to them!

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

132. fundrace is great...this is on Open Secrets, too...my name is on it

....& I have no problem with that. I dont feel violated one bit. This is a great public service...it provides transparency to the campaign finance.

No problem whatsover.

Maybe I should contact the FEC to say that I support this.

[Eurobabe]

134. FEC site and opensecrets do not give home addresses

how did these people get my home address? :mad:

[Yemp4734]

139. FEC site does

just look at little harder.

[tobius]

148. does everyone post without reading the thread?

you---gave---them---your---address . this---has---been---the---law---for---a---long---time.

what are you mad at, yourself or the disclosure laws?


by the way there is a link at the FEC site that will display every contributors address. ( click on the transaction number ) :boring:

[alittlelark]

136. Not an accurate list at all!!!

I donated to 3 candidates - my name is no where on the 94024 list.

This reeks of propaganda - notice how many 'reds' are on their map?

[Yemp4734]

138. Please read this - I can NOT believe

that people on a politcal web site (of all places) were not aware politcal contributions are public record. Have you been living under a rock for a decade or two? (I believe all contributions have been public record from the 70s onwards) I don't mean to be rude, but this is like getting up tomorrow and saying "Wow, the sky is blue. Never noticed that before"

Seriously - when you are told how much Time Warner gave to a republican where do you think that info comes from? Were you just naive and thought they volunteered that info?

Guess what? Are you registered to vote? If so I can look EVERYTHING up about you address, and if you are in a state that you register party in, even your politcal party. THIS IS PUBLIC RECORD. (I will tell you that SOME states allow you to write and request your info is NOT put on the internet, BUT it will STILL be available to anyone who wants a physical record)

Before you get any movement going to conceal who gave what and EXACTLY who gave what (this info MUST be available in order to prosecute the EXACT person/company that violated finance law) remember this - big donations generally go to the repubs. If you think they are corrupt now you haven't seen ANYTHING yet. Go ahead, let them have anonymous "contributions". When they then have the money to run ad after ad that costs outrageous amounts of money don't bother asking where that money came from.

Hey you know what? Since most of this info is also available to anyone regarding people registered to vote let's go ahead and conceal who is registered to vote as well. After all - the dead should be able to vote, and vote republican. Get the point? This is a GOOD thing.

Oh - and if you want to complain to someone, go write your candidate. Sharpton, Edwards, Kerry, Kucinich, Bush campaigns ALL provide this info. That's where this info orginally came from. Your candidate HAS to provide it under law.

Also - this has been record since AT LEAST the 80s. How many people have been fired/killed/beaten etc because someone looked up how much money they gave to who? Please provide me ONE CASE of this happening. If it hasn't happened in the last 20 years, what makes you think it will happen now?

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

146. Thanks, good post.

When I made my campaign contributions I was fully aware that contributions have to be reported (I think there is some sort of cutoff for amount?), ...putting your money where your mouth is is a form of political speech, I think.

This was the whole point of campaign finance reform, to make campaign contributions transparent. This means ALL contributions , not just those of lobbyists and wealthy individuals.

So, I too am suprised at the naivete here. What the site in question does jputs info thats in the public domain in an easy-to-find and read mode.

And voting registration info is also public record..its posted outside of every polling place in both Ohio & Kentucky, and you can see the party registration of your neighbors (D,, R, I), and what elections they voted in (not HOW they voted tho..thats not recorded).

[Lars39]

150. You think people aren't or haven't been fired because of their views?

There's some professors in Mississippi right now that would probably say differently.

[Dookus]

154. They were fired

for their political contributions? Link?

[Lars39]

158. I believe it was their views.

If a person only gives to the Dem candidate, is that not a good indicator of their views, generally speaking? The contributions list could and probably will be used against people.

[Yemp4734]

160. The contributions list

"could and probably will be used against people."

Ok, got any evidence supporting this claim in the last 20 years?

[Lars39]

162. I can take you back to the '30's.....in Germany.

But that couldn't happen here, right?

[Yemp4734]

164. I can take you back to the 30's in germany

when vote fraud helped get Nazis in to power. But that couldn't happen here right?

Hate to tell you - the Nazis didn't get in to power because donation lists were available, but because proper laws designed to prevent election fraud didn't exist. (among other things)

I note you still can't provide any evidence over the last 20 years to support your claims. That speaks volumes alone.

[Lars39]

168. You are the one harping about 20 yrs of claims.

All the while not admitting that the potential for abuse exists when people's personal information is accumulated in this fashion.

[Yemp4734]

169. I agree with you

potential for abuse exists. However, my point is it has not been a large problem.

I ask you this - cost benefit analysis - which has the greater potential for abuse? Letting the repubs have secret "donations", or revealing personal info so that is not the case? To me the answer is clear.

[Lars39]

171. Dangerous cusp.

Edging towards better to have info about the contributors out there, but all it would take for widespread pandamonium is for Dems to be actively targeted. :shrug:

[Yemp4734]

172. Hmmm...

I think you're getting a little out there with the civil war talk, which is essentially what would be the case in your suggestion. :) Yea, if civil war ever started it might be bad for an enemy to have that info. Of course I don't think we have to worry about that in any real situation.

[Lars39]

173. No, not civil war. Distraction.

Wrap enough of the politically active Dems up in a defensive mode (having to defend themselves legally, being on no-fly lists, suddenly unemployed, etc., and the momentum against Bush can be slowed.

[Yemp4734]

175. If this was truly an intent

they are little slow with implementation. Bush only has a short time longer before Kerry is elected in office. Bush had better get on it if this is the plan. (which I seriously doubt, as it would be obvious even to the most radical repub) This conspiracy theory holds little weight. It would require the secret cooperation of so many people it's not even funny.

[Lars39]

176. Really? Stranger things have happened.

Cooperating people isn't necessarily a problem. The repubs are organized. They've started trying to interrupt meetings already(Hastert's staff in IL, for instance).

[Yemp4734]

156. Show me the evidence

if you want to make a claim that people being fired for campaign donations has been a serious problem in the last 20 years this info has been available then put up the evidence. I say there is none.

What would you like more? MAYBE a few people an election year being fired for donations, or another decade or two of Bush family rule because they suddenly have special campaign "donations". And people yell at greens for princples over reality...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

183. In my free time I am a lawyer

The fact that information exists in the public domain does not necessarily give anyone the right to use it for personal profit.

While I am too lazy to look up the applicable laws and this is not my chosen field, I do believe that the MANNER in which public information is used as on this site with directionals to people's homes and giving information in the data base that is NOT on the FEC's site is ALSO relevent.

In the case of the judge that I contacted, the FEC says RETIRED JUDGE..this site gives his current business contact name and his home address...neither of which is listed at the FEC's site so issues MAY exist.

As I said, the judge I contacted was a retired superior court judge, so I have every reason to believe there MAY be an issue....we will find out soon enough.

There are DATA bases on criminals as well that are information considered in the public domain but the manner in which people USE that DATA can be an issue.

So if you're done lecturing.....

On edit: the judge's info is ALSO listed a OPENSECRETS.org but likewise gives a city, an occupation, a zip code and the candidate's name so I think this company took it a step further and that may be an issue


but I was happy the judge contributed the maximum to "my" candidate :D

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

140. Meg Ryan donated $2K to Clark...this is fun! Norman Lear:

2K each to Gephardt, Dean, & Clark.

Neat!

[Vickers]

141. Awwwww, that's so sweet! Mom and dad Bush gave Georgie $2000 each

*sniff*

That's beautiful, man.

Love,

Sean "Puffy" Hannity

[BootinUp]

189. :puke: -eom-

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

142. Vic Fazio gave $2K to Gephardt.

...he used to be a Congressman in California

[Earth_First]

147. I tend to have to agree...

with the supporters of campaign contribution transparency. If that makes me any less progressive or not a "true" Dennis kucinich supporter, well then, Ive been called worse. sure, this seems to be an intrusive invasion of privacy, however directly on the FEC website, the title for the button to query:

"Individual Search: Search for contributions made by individuals using contributor name, city, state, zip code, principal place of business, date, and amount."

This is all readily available information, as stated previously if you are registered to vote, this type of information is just as accessible.

[Yemp4734]

149. Don't worry

it makes you a progressive. Only the repubs and other fascists don't want this info available. That way the CEO of a repub loving corporation can turn his $2000 bush donation in to a $20 million bush donation.

[K8-EEE]

151. They Should Not Have The Street Address!

Cripes how do you know those scary GWB college brownshirts won't storm my house or something.

[Yemp4734]

152. Are you registered to vote?

Give me your name and city and I will give you your street address, and possible telephone number and party affiliation. If you object to me being able to pull this information on you maybe you would like Mr. Abraham Lincoln to cast a vote for Bush in november?

You MUST have a street number in order to get a positive identity on a person who broke donation law. Otherwise how do I know you are bob smith of Austin that lives at 34 Tel Street or bob smith of Austin that lives at 55 Walmart Fascist street?

[serryjw]

155. You should be pissed!

I have NOW found the addresses of famous people.Transparancy is good...but name and zip code should be enough.This country is so polorized that crack pot could be violent to one of us.

[TheWebHead]

157. Ben Affleck and Madonna Ciccone Ritchie gave $2,000 to Wes Clark

the $200 minimum leaves me out.. though I see others with less than $200, maybe it's because I donated just a few days ago. It's probably a good idea to not donate more than that because it goes on the public record -- and this website took advantage of that.

more...
NBA commish David Stern
Dick Gephardt
$2,000

George M Steinbrenner
Bob Graham
$2,000

[bearfartinthewoods]

219. there is no 200 minimum. i found donations for 70 dollars listed.

if your name isn't listed, give it time. they only have the donations up to december of last year listed at this time.

[FlaGranny]

159. I found a really strange one!

Don King, the boxing promoter - he have $2000 each to Carol Mosley Braun, Dick Gephart, and George Bush. What an odd combination. Covering all his bases?

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

161. Barry Diller, $2K, Dick Gephardt...Soros....yeah, THAT Soros:

George Soros
Investor, Soros Funds Management.....(also Buisiness Executive)

Kerry $2K
Graham. $2K
Clark $2K
Dean $1K

..interesting!

[jeanmarc]

200. Donald Trump did the same [nt]

[RapidCreek]

163. So what's the big deal?

Are you embarrassed or something? Who cares? I'd be happy to have my name on the list. Heck I might even donate now.

RC

[bearfartinthewoods]

178. fox just announced the site during insannity's show's newsbreak

[linazelle]

181. That proves they lurk here n/t

[bearfartinthewoods]

188. or at freepville which is where i saw the site in the first place

or maybe the media alert??

[linazelle]

179. No Hannitys or Limbaughs....cheap asses n/t

[brokensymmetry]

180. They aren't the only source.

You can also go to http://www.publicdata.com

They're a fee based service, but they have the same information. Also, for many states, the driver's license information. And the voter registration. And who lives at the same address.

Then there's http://www.knowx.com that also provides information.

It's all quite legal...

If you enter a county name and the words "appraisal district" in google, you can often find the value of a person's house, and even view an outline drawing of it. That's free.

Privacy? What privacy?

[President Jesus]

204. or newsmeat.com

http://www.newmeat.com/

no fee, data from '98-'04

[wyldwolf]

182. site is being flooded... almost like a DOS attack

...good...

They'll be offline from expired bandwidth very soon.

[nicecakes]

184. All political donations are public. What's the big deal?

Nothing has changed here. You can keep your vote secret but not your money...just as it SHOULD be.

[Jack_Dawson]

192. The big deal is nobody should know the longitude/latitude coordinates of

where I sleep. If you don't care, fine.

I do.

[nicecakes]

198. Then don't spend your money on a public figure

You can't hide from a public transaction. I don't see why it's even an issue here. Do you expect all money spent on a candidate to be hidden?

Get real.

[Name removed]

201. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cosmokramer]

191. What about employers using this...

...information to penalize or reward employees based on their personal political affiliation? What about someone seeking a job and not getting it because of their political affiliation?

What about targeting by people in power against those who do not agree with them? What about the IRS agent who decides he should audit/investigate someone on this basis?

In this format, with full address & name with GEO codes and neighborhood searches, it is terrible.

Heck, I am a full $2K dem donor in a neighborhood full of Bush contributors. I don't like this at all.

[Jack_Dawson]

193. Exactly

I can almost guarantee you my company would not have hired me had they known my political affiliation. Being G.W. Bush fans is a big part of who they are.

[cosmokramer]

197. The neocons are much more likely to use this against dems...

...than the dems are to use it against neocons.

It is very creepy. I bet John Asscraft is pleased...

[TheWebHead]

195. I'm in love...

Jennifer Garner
actress
vandalia films, inc.

Dick Gephardt
$2,000

John Edwards
$1,000

Wesley Clark
$1,000

:D

[Jack_Dawson]

196. Does it list her home address?

She must be smarter than me. Dumbass I am, filling out the form the way it tells me to.

[TheWebHead]

202. yeah it does

I just didn't want to post it. It could be a professional address with her management co. or something though.

[jeanmarc]

199. Well, whaddayaknow, Mr. Perot, Mr. Deficit

2 Large to the Bushies. That's pretty funny!

[jeanmarc]

209. Can we get H. Ross to run again?

He seems to be more cynical than anyone I've seen in awhile. He campaigns and campaigns about how the deficit will destroy us, and then he donates 2 large to Dummya? What a freak!

[Tinoire]

203. !!!! CA Activists - Contact this person and watch the fireworks !!!!

Senator Jackie Speier

http://democrats.sen.ca.gov/senator/speier/

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=California+%22senator+speier%22+privacy&spell=1

A BIG THANK YOU to one of the Director's in my group who was LIVID to see her name, city, occupation, workplace, and amount donated to Howard Dean floating around on the internet!

:loveya:

[AlFrankenFan]

205. Oh fudge....

Why'd I buy their stuff? WHY? Now Ashcroft has my whereabouts! :grr:

[Catherine Vincent]

207. Well George and Barbara donated to their boy...

Barbara P. Bush
Retired
George W. Bush
$2,000 10000 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77024 13.43 miles
George H.W. Bush
Retired
George W. Bush
$2,000 10000 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77024

[truebrit71]

208. Now why would Martin Sheen endorse Dean and donate to Gephardt??

Huh??

[cosmokramer]

244. Martin donates to a lot of democrats.

[John_H]

210. Just notified a local elected and two lawyers who are on the list

If every DUer checks for a couple of prominent people they know, this won't be up very long I'd guess.

[DS1]

212. Then stop sitting there fuming and get it notarized

Shit, it's not that hard. If you're the one to shut the place down then more power to ya.

[JCMach1]

213. The information is public domain.... sorry but that's the way

it has to be in a Democracy.

No such thing as an anonymous donation.

These types of databases have been around for years.

And yes, I am talking about street addresses.

Best advice... GET A PO Box.

[shoopnyc123]

214. This is screwed up...

[Jack_Dawson]

215. Ya think?

:freak:

[Nobody]

216. I checked out this page and my thoughts are....

The FEC does require having the info on record to enforce contribution limits. All campaigns have to make a solid effort to get the info for all contributions over $250. I saw people listed for contributions way below that. People contributing less than $250 should be able to remain anonymous if they want to. The FEC isn't going to worry about them.

Due to the number of stalkers and the amount of bad blood in politics these days, I have a real problem with publishing the home addresses of people.

Though I was never cautioned against it while doing data entry, I treated the information I saw as confidential and never announced to my friends "Hey, guess who just donated!"

On the other hand, they are also publishing the same info for supporters of the Bush Regime. If it was one sided, I'd have a serious problem with it.

Information may be gathered for legal purposes, but that doesn't mean it should be this easy to get at.

[napi21]

217. Why are you ashamed of your contribution?

I contributed as much as I could to Dean, but it was in a number of small $25 donations that didn't make the list.

I wouldn't care if my contributions were made public. I was proud to support him.

Why are all of you so upset that this list exists? Isn't that the reason for tracking donations....so everyone can know who is supporting which candidate?

[Jack_Dawson]

232. It's not about being ASHAMED, it's about PRIVACY

I'm not ashamed I supported Clark. I'm fucking pissed off that Clark didn't inform me that by supporting him I can kiss my unlisted address goodbye. I'm fucking pissed that any junkmailer can now freely access my name, rank and serial number and put me on any list he wants.

[napi21]

Oh for goodness sake, get over it.

Any junk mailer already has your address form a lot more sources than this one. Who cares, just throw the stuff away or use it for scrap paper like I do.

You run a greater risk of someone getting your email address from this sight to send you junk email that makes a mess and is more aggravating than silly stuff that might appear in your mailbox.

[Jack_Dawson]

235. "Get over" Privacy?

LOL - uhhh...to each his own I guess.

[Nobody]

240. Are you ashamed to have a credit card?

Then give me the number and expiration date.

Actually, please don't. There's reporting and then there's privacy.

People with $50 dollar donations are on this page. I checked. Donations don't even have to be reported to the FEC as coming from a specific individual until it's $250 or more total.

Financial information is and should be considered to be confidential information.

I might be displaying a lawn sign or bumpersticker with my candidate's name on it, but I have no desire to broadcast to the world how much money I spend on my candidate. Once I hit the magic number 250, then I do have to have it reported to the FEC. The campaigns report this quarterly and there is a list of the most compliant campaigns.

[Hotler]

223. Use this to our advantage....

look up the names of business owners and managers in your area and write them letters saying that because of their support for shrub you will be boycotting them and passing the word to everybody you meet.

[Renew Deal]

224. Also I have noticed a lot of strange double contributions to Bush.

I wonder how these are reported to the FEC.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

230. Ive noticed husband/wife contributions

Mr Businessman. occupation CEO: $2K Bush
Jane, His Wife, occupation homemaker: $2K Bush

[JNelson6563]

225. My take on this

(I wrote this in another thread on this same topic here at DU)


The site that the link for is floating around here isn't even accurate. I won't go into detail re: the errors but it's true.

The outcry we see here confirms all that I suspected. See back in the primary season we were heavily infiltrated by a lot of new posters who were obviously very new to politics. If you disagreed with them civil discussion was impossible. They were as green as could be.

The cluelessness re: political donations screams this fact loudly.

Another thing I find very amusing about this unintended exposure of green-ness (politically speaking) is how those who claim DU has changed are met with curt dismissals and scorn. Yet now the board is heavily populated by folks who have no clue about politics. A year ago I don't think you'd be seeing this. I suspect many of the grizzled vets of the political world have moved on, the primary season having been instrumental in that decision no doubt.

Very interesting.

Julie

[Jack_Dawson]

233. Condescending posts don't really help

Tell us again how "hopelessly naive" we all are. That should bring around a lot of people to politics.

EVERYBODY knows donating is public record.

NOT EVERYBODY knows that by donating, home address, job titles and places of employment are now "fair game"

There is a difference. Perhaps you live in a blue state, or work for a liberal company, or don't care that any junk mailer can now put you on a list. But a lot of other people are in different situations, and DO care, and your flippant "ahhh the neophytes are now getting their comeuppance" thread is nauseating.

JD

[JNelson6563]

238. Your defensiveness is revealing

but understandable.

My point was more to the side of "DU has changed and here's proof". Sorry to have tangled you knickers.

:toast:

Julie

[Jack_Dawson]

239. Your condescension is nauseating

but apparently unavoidable. Apology Accepted.

:toast:

[SoDesuKa]

226. Ann Coulter and Rudy Giuliani

Ann Coulter is not listed. Neither is Rudy Giuliani. With all the millions he's made from September 11th, he's not giving anything back.

Michael Bloomberg, current Mayor of New York, gave $2,000 to George Bush. He's a billionaire four times over. That's $4,000,000,000.

[question everything]

228. And it is now a news story

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=562&u=/ap/20040319/ap_on_hi_te/neighborly_politics_1&printer=1

I posted on the Breaking News thread

[AVID]

229. proud - proud enough to up my contribution to $100

I just donated $100, my last two were for $35. But if my fucking car dealer, petroleum boss, banker, anesthesiologist, orthopedic surgeon, and yes - there were a few teachers on my zip code list (puke) bible thumping neighbors can get there names on that list under the Shrub's name - I am proud to show my $$$ support for Kerry.

[Jack_Dawson]

234. Boycotting republicans is stupid

All this site does is sow dissension and hostility. I don't really WANT to know WTF someone's politics are. Politics, to me, is very personal. I might really like the mechanic who fixes my car, or the barber who cuts my hair. The height of pettiness would be for me to now boycott them based on their ideological beliefs. Do you want your client to fire YOU because you're a Democrat? How stupid is this?

[West Coast Democrat]

231. The site is too slow for me to look anything up.....

but are PAC or State Party donations listed?

[Dover]

241. So our votes are anonymous at the polls/voting booth,

but then exposed for all to see?

What's the point?

[Woodstock]

243. Exactly - & there should have been a disclosure on the site

when we gave.

It should have said:

"Your name, street address, and employer, and the amounts of your donations and the candidate you support, will be published on the internet."

I finally made it through this whole thread, and it touches on some important issues. One, the need for privacy issues to be addressed in a way that protects individuals. Two, the fact that even people like us, who are pretty savvy in the ways of the world, didn't realize how much of the cat is already out of the bag.

Disclosing the street address and employer are violations of privacy for a number of reasons - and disclosing this information can be potentially dangerous in some cases. There are hundreds of ways the government could have the checks and balances in place without revealing this data to the general public. What's next, a site with our income tax returns?

And there's something decidedly creepy about the whole thing - neighbor search. This reminds me of Nazi Germany for some reason... I'm not going to look up my neighbors - their vote is their business.

[Dookus]

253. Huh?

how are your votes revealed?

[Jack_Dawson]

254. Well...generally speaking...if you donate to Dean

you'll probably vote for Dean. Call it a hunch.

[Dookus]

well it's likely

but one doesn't necessariy follow from the other.

Look - voting is private. Giving money to campaigns is public.

That is how it should be on both issues.

[Dookus]

255. well it's likely

but one doesn't necessariy follow from the other.

Look - voting is private. Giving money to campaigns is public.

That is how it should be on both issues.

[TheWebHead]

242. add Lynn Swann to the shill list

George W. Bush
$2,000

that one got him a mention in Florida earlier today.

[Dover]

247. Why does a search under my neighborhood address show the nearest

person to me to be 11 miles away? Not one person is listed on my very long road. In fact the first person on the list is in the next town!

[Kathleen04]

248. Crazy..I see lots of last names I recognize giving big $$ to W

from my school. Scary amount of $2000 checks to W in my area, but many of my neighbors giving $$ to Howard Dean..my family didn't make the list though.

This is pretty insane...you'd think they'd at least edit this a little for privacy's sake!

[Tennessee_tarheel]

249. I am under the impressions it IS very legal

A contribution to a political candidate? I thought they HAVE to list (above $200.00) that data & I assumed it would be public knowledge- if you wanted it.

I volunteered for a Tenn Senate candidate last year (independent who got creamed!) and I got all the donor lists & info on the incumbent from the courthouse. It was all perfectly legal.

I also got the party registration records & voting outcomes by district from the courthouses and made a database so we could analyze where our likely voters were going to be located and which districts we should put our mail & door to door resources in.

At the time I didn't know you could go to the courthouse and get those records but was told that is absolutely legal and used by all the campaigns & media.'

So this just sounds like "really big public version of that". I kinda' like the transparency of the $$ trail myself. Who's gettin' the money from whom? I'd put updated donor lists on the web every Friday.

[pinkpops]

257. there's bill gates

[Donkeyboy75]

259. Hmm...

I wonder where they get their info. I'm pissed, too, and my name doesn't even show up. I suspect they DON'T get their names from the FEC.

[bhunt70]

261. the real issue is the fact that there are multiple donators

and what seemingly looks like families of donators. I am willing to bet there are a lot of repeat offenders in there.

for example all these people work at the same place...

http://www.fundrace.org/neighbors.php?search=1&type=name&lname=Wyly

[susanna]

262. Might as well take everyone into the voting booth with me.

Never mind.

edited to say "Never mind."

I don't give a crap at this point, except it should be mandatory that donations are flagged for donators w/ the "so, ya want your specific address made public?" question. That would be nice.