Archive for the ‘Activism’ Category

May17

New U.S. Chamber attacks on corporate political spending disclosure are a good sign

By: Jake Parent

How can you tell that momentum is building for change?

Well, one good sign is that the opposition starts getting nervous about your progress.

That’s why we took it as a positive sign that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently stepped up attacks on shareholders who attempt to make companies disclose political spending.

Earlier this month, I attended an almost comical presentation at the U.S. Chamber headquarters where speakers spent most of a four hour event attacking political spending disclosure resolutions as being bad for business.

I say ‘almost’ comical because, while much of the information is laughably wrong, the subject matter is far too important to joke about.

There are a number of things wrong with what I heard at this event, but I’d like to focus on two disturbing claims in particular.

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Posted in: Activism, Campaign Finance, Consumer Protection, Regulation, Social Justice0 comments

May16

Justice Stevens: A rock star at Public Citizen gala

By: Angela Bradbery

 

Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, at Public Citizen’s 2013 Gala honoring the lifetime achievements of Stevens. Photo by Brendan Hoffman.

“What can you say in three minutes about someone who has dispensed justice for 35 years on the Supreme Court?”

So asked Alan Morrison, founder of the Public Citizen Litigation Group, as he introduced retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens tonight at Public Citizen’s annual gala in downtown Washington, D.C. Stevens was there to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his “gentleness, decency, searing intellect and passion for what is right” – from which all Americans have benefited, in the words of Public Citizen President Robert Weissman, who presented the award to Stevens.

While on the bench, Stevens, the third longest-serving justice in American history, displayed a deep concern with ensuring the fair treatment of all. He wrote a blistering dissent to the now infamous Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, which gave corporations the green light to spend unlimited sums of money to influence elections.

Tonight, Stevens sat on the stage with Linda Greenhouse, former Supreme Court reporter for The New York Times, for a chat before a crowd of just under 400 Public Citizen supporters. The former justice received a standing ovation before he even began speaking.

“Obviously, Justice Stevens is a rock star in this crowd,” Greenhouse remarked.

Their conversation touched on everything from sovereign immunity and Stevens’ confirmation hearing to the Bush v. Gore decision (Stevens said he often reflects about how treating hanging chads differently from dimpled chads was hard to accept). Stevens answered questions with alacrity and humor.

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Posted in: Activism, Campaign Finance, Litigation, Social Justice1 comments

May2

Did Citizens United thwart the effort to overturn “Citizens United” in Washington state?

By: Aquene Freechild

Party politics and big money interests often work in the shadows to defeat good public policy. An intersection of these two challenges in Washington state may have played a role in the failure of an erstwhile popular resolution to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.

Public Citizen is a key part of the nationwide movement to pass state resolutions calling for an amendment to overturn Citizens United and related cases. The 2010 Citizens United ruling allows corporations to spend unlimited sums in elections independent of parties or candidates. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia already have called for an amendment to overturn the unpopular decision.

Poll after poll shows that large majorities of Republicans, Independents and Democrats alike disapprove of Citizens United and want to see limits on election spending by corporations, unions and individuals. Yet too often, party labels block passage of popular and desperately needed laws.

Earlier this year, the Washington Legislature was moving a resolution calling for an amendment to overturn Citizens United. Thousands of Washingtonians called, emailed and visited their legislators to ask them to support the resolution. More than 15 Washington towns passed resolutions calling for an amendment, from the conservative Walla Walla to the more liberal Seattle.

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Posted in: Activism, Campaign Finance, Ethics, Open Government0 comments

April25

This Workers’ Memorial Day, “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living” (Mother Jones, 1925)

By: Keith Wrightson

Each year, thousands of working men and women die on the job. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4,609 workers in 2011 did not return home from a day’s work (2012 data will be available later this year). On April 28, we observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew our efforts for safe workplaces. This year, the struggle continues as members of Congress have jeopardized Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) funding with the so-called “sequester” budget cuts.

The resources that have been appropriated to OSHA are not only to enforce rules and regulations, but also to provide training for workers and returning military personnel, fund research and create new regulations. Sadly, OSHA’s tight budget inhibits its ability to carry out its mission.

The latest economic reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that more than 143 million workers are employed in the United States. Yet, OSHA’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012 was $583 million — a paltry 4 dollars per American worker to ensure safety and health on the job.

What’s even more shocking is OSHA’s inability to levy significant fines on employers who have broken the law. The Occupational Safety and Health Act limits the fines that OSHA can charge negligent employers to a maximum of $7,000 per safety violation deemed “serious,” even if the violations resulted in a worker death. The threshold for fines is in dire need of modernization.

It’s time for our country to fulfill the promise of safe jobs for all and to hold employers accountable for their actions.

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Posted in: Activism, Workplace Health & Safety2 comments

April24

Charles Schwab Corporation responds to Public Citizen petition

By: Rick Claypool

Nobody should have to sacrifice their rights in order to save for retirement.

On Tuesday, Public Citizen launched its “Stand Up to Chuck” campaign calling on Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., a well-known investment advisor holding more than $2 trillion in assets for millions of investors, to drop the class-action ban and forced arbitration clause from its terms.

On Twitter, Schwab responded:

Charles Schwab twitter response to Public Citizen petition

The link that @CharlesSchwab shared was to a boilerplate statement on how it’s legal for the corporation to ban class actions because of the Supreme Court’s horrendous ruling (almost exactly two years ago) in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion.

The statement also references Schwab’s dispute with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). FINRA, a banking industry self-regulatory body, has rules to prevent brokerage firms like Schwab from banning class actions. By inserting a class-action ban into its terms, Schwab violated those rules.

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Posted in: Activism, Congress Watch Column, Social Justice10 comments

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