CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT…IDEA OF THE MONTH…CHICAGO VOTERS ENDORSE PUBLIC FINANCING…MONEY ON MY MIND…QUOTE OF THE MONTH…FACTS YOU CAN USE
CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT: GENESEO – THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NY
The Geneseo Chapter of Democracy Matters has been busy building exciting coalitions with other groups. DM at Geneseo worked with a dozen campus groups to stage protests in solidarity with the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and to show support for Hong Kong protesters. They also joined with the Latino Student Association and others to bring artwork by an environmental art collective to the campus, and they send out weekly “What’s Up?” emails to a long list, urging students to get involved.
And with the community group Little Lakes Sustainability Network, they are organizing a variety show with music, film clips, stories and featuring Josh Fox, Director of the film Gasland and Zephyr Teachout, candidate for NY Governor in 2014.
Check out these articles in Geneseo’s campus newspaper:
Geneseo Students Seek SUNY-Wide Protest to Brown and Garner Deaths
Democracy Matters founder visits campus, stresses importance of political involvement
IDEA OF THE MONTH
In March, we celebrate Women’s History Month. But the sad fact is that women today, as throughout our history, still face special hurdles in our political system. Raising enough money to compete for elective office prevents many women from running and winning.
But the “money barrier” can be broken by the public campaign financing of elections. In states like Connecticut and cities like New York where public funding is available to qualified candidates, more women run and win office than where candidates depend on private money from mega-donors.
Democracy Matters chapters this month are organizing lectures, discussions and events that explore how women can take their rightful place among our political representatives. Public campaign financing represents a critical first step.
Check out the numbers of women in elective office here.
CHICAGO VOTERS ENDORSE PUBLIC FINANCING
Voters in Chicago overwhelmingly passed – by 79% to 21% (340,000 to 90,000) – an advisory ballot question promoting small-donor public financing. The question read: “Should the City of Chicago or the State of Illinois reduce the influence of special interest money in elections by financing campaigns using small contributions from individuals and a limited amount of public money?”
This measure was also endorsed by two dozen organizations, several aldermen, and all five mayoral candidates. The vote demonstrates the wide support among ordinary citizens for public campaign financing systems that get big money out of elections and people back in.
MONEY ON MY MIND
Income inequality is on the mind of Professor Jay Mandle in this month’s column. He reports that although 69% of Americans – in contrast to 13% of the wealthy – want the government to reduce income inequality, Congress does nothing. Who are politicians listening to?
Read the full article and explore other issues of MOMM.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“When money and greed and political hubris and pride and ego and beating your opponent become more important than working to uplift humanity, we’ve got a heart problem.” Rev. William Barber at Valentine’s Day March for “Love and Justice” in Raleigh, NC.
Democracy Matters NC students were proud to march with thousands of others.
FACTS YOU CAN USE: Energy Industry $$ Fuels Senate Environment Committee
The Senate Environment Committee recently held oversight hearings on an EPA proposal to limit carbon dioxide regulations for American power plants. The rules would cut smog pollution by 25 percent, save $55 billion in health care costs, prevent up to 6,600 premature deaths, and cut asthma attacks for children.
Not surprisingly, the affected big carbon-producing industries are not taking the proposed move lightly. They are pouring money into the campaign coffers of committee members, using their financial clout to buy enough influence to block the proposed rules.
The Chair of the committee, Senator James Inhofe, received $556,000 from the oil and gas industry and $278,000 from the electric utilities industry for his campaign and leadership PAC. His biggest donor – at $45,200 – was Koch Industries’ employees and PACs.
Overall, $2.7 million was donated in the 2014 cycle by the oil and gas industry, and $1.7 million by the electric utilities industry, to members of the Energy and Public Works Committee (of which the Environmental Committee is a part.)
To honor our 2015 activists, we list ten Democracy Matters chapters in each E-News:
Harvard University…Humboldt State…Iona College…Mary Washington University…Marygrove College…Massachusetts Institute of Technology…McDaniel College…Northeastern University…Occidental University…Pennsylvania State University…