Author Archive

June9

Target CEO “embattled and annoyed” by critics

By: Rick Claypool

A protester carrying a sign that says "Corporate $$ [not equal sign] Free Speech"

Public Citizen online organizer Rick Claypool at the Target protest (via Eric Russell/USW)

 

Opponents of corporate money’s corrupting influence in politics made their presence known loud and clear during Target Corporation’s annual shareholder meeting yesterday in Pittsburgh.

More than 100 protesters bearing signs with messages such as “Hands Off our Elections,” “Corporations are not people,” and “No Mouth, No Soul, No $peech” rallied outside of the not-yet-opened Target store in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Several of the demonstrators – acting as proxies on behalf of Target shareholders – entered the shareholder meeting to interrogate CEO Gregg Steinhafel about the corporation’s expenditure of $150,000 to support an extreme right-wing candidate during the 2010 elections.

Questions about corporate money in politics in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission dominated the shareholder question and answer session.

Clearly, this was something CEO Steinhafel did not want to talk about. After several questions on different aspects of the corporate donation, he pleaded with the audience for somebody to ask a question about something else.

I then approached the microphone, explained my role at the shareholder meeting speaking as a proxy for the Sisters of Notre Dame, and asked yet another question – specifically, querying how the corporate spending is accounted for and pressing Steinhafel on the difference between Target’s lobbying money and its campaign expenditures, something the CEO had conflated in his explanations.

Several more questions followed about corporate money in politics followed. A fashion publication reported Steinhafel was “embattled and annoyed” by the question and answer session.

Disappointingly (but unsurprisingly), Target still refuses to cease or even commit to full disclosure of its political activities.

Nevertheless, the demonstration and shareholder question and answer session sent a strong message to corporations that they will be held accountable for meddling in the people’s elections.

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June2

Activists to tell Target: Cease corporate political spending

By: Rick Claypool

A photograph of a Target store logo.Target Corporation would rather everyone forget that it joined Karl Rove and the Koch brothers in 2010’s frenzy of corporate political spending.

But Public Citizen and a diverse coalition of groups committed to standing up to corporate influence in elections have other plans.

During Target’s June 8 shareholder meeting in Pittsburgh, the groups, including Common Cause, Delta Foundation, Keystone Progress and We Are One coalition members, will rally to demand that Target keep its money out of politics.

Here are the details:

What: Target Shareholder Protest

When: Wednesday, June 8, noon to 2 p.m.

Where: 6231 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa., 15206 (the not-yet-opened Target store in East Liberty, near Bakery Square)

Why target Target? Last year, the big box behemoth provided a case study of why it’s so outrageous that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, under the First Amendment, corporations and people are the same. As a result of this ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, corporations like Target can spend as much as they want to influence elections.

And boy did Target want to influence an election. It gave $150,000 to MN Forward, a front group backing Tom Emmer, an extreme right-wing candidate in Minnesota’s 2010 gubernatorial race.

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Posted in: Activism, Campaign Finance, Social Justice0 comments

May19

A way to rein in Wall Street greed

By: Rick Claypool

Wall Street’s greed crashed our economy and caused the Great Recession we’re struggling through today.

Yet the bankers on Wall Street continue to reward themselves with astronomical bonuses for engaging in the same high-risk financial gimmicks that crashed our economy back in 2008. Firms, big banks and hedge funds on Wall Street spent more than $135 billion on record-breaking payouts in 2010; the top 25 hedge fund managers raked in $22 billion by themselves.

It’s an absurd situation. It has to stop. And you can help stop it.

Congress passed the Wall Street reform bill last year, and now federal agencies are seeking comments from the public on how they should implement the section of the law about Wall Street pay practices.

That’s right – they want to hear from you.

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Posted in: Activism, Financial Reform, Regulation0 comments

April4

One of the most dangerous things you’ll ever do

By: Rick Claypool

Chances are, one of the most dangerous things you will ever do is stay overnight at a hospital.

If that sounds alarmist, it’s because the numbers are truly alarming: A recent study of Medicare participants found that, in a single month, one of every 17 hospital patients was injured or killed by a preventable medical error. Many more Americans are hurt by unsafe drugs and medical devices.

Given the staggering injury and death rate, it’s shocking that some members of Congress want to shield from accountability those in the medical field who are responsible for harm.

They’re pushing H.R. 5, and overreaching bill that would immunize practically the entire medical industry from responsibility when their defective products or services hurt people. If it passes, the costs of medical mistakes would shift from the negligent actors to injured patients, their families, and taxpayer-funded health and disability programs.

Only an extremely small number of doctors are responsible for most medical errors. Just 5 percent are responsible for more than half of all medical errors. Those doctors should be held responsible for their actions – not given a free pass. The same goes for drug companies and medical device manufacturers.

Instead of attacking patients’ rights, Congress should focus on improving patient safety and reducing deaths and injuries. H.R. 5 does neither. But Public Citizen’s research has shown that 10 basic safety measures would save, conservatively, $35 billion and 85,000 lives a year.

Urge your representative to oppose H.R. 5.

Posted in: Activism, Consumer Protection, Health, Social Justice0 comments

March9

The cuts Wall Street wants

By: Rick Claypool

Today, the Senate is scheduled to vote on competing budgets — one proposed by Republicans, one proposed by Democrats.

Among the numerous nonsensical cuts in the GOP budget are draconian cuts to federal agencies charged with preventing Wall Street from crashing our economy again.

Do they think Wall Street is going to regulate itself?

The cuts to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission will increase America’s vulnerability to another financial crisis and make the marketplace less safe for consumers.

Less regulation is just fine with Wall Street. As awful as this recession has been for most of us, 2010 was the best year ever for the banks, firms and hedge funds that gave $135 billion in record-breaking payouts.

Take a moment to send a message to your senators telling them they need to fully fund the agencies with the authority to crack down on Wall Street’s activities that bankrupt our states, our communities and small businesses. To send a message to your senators, follow the link below:

www.citizen.org/do-not-cut-consumer-protections

The most irresponsible response to these circumstances would be to cut critical public protections when they are needed the most.

Flickr photo by pamhule.

Posted in: Activism, Congress, Consumer Protection, Financial Reform, Regulation0 comments

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