DEMAND FULL DISCLOSURE OF ELECTION FUNDING -- Force Congress To Show You The Money (H.R. 5157)

Take 30 seconds and sign the Demand for Transparency from the Sunlight Foundation.  Make your voice heard and pass it on.  We are reprinting the email as we received it this morning from Sunlight.

Video and links are inside.  Background is here:

• H.R. 5175 -- The Disclose Act

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• Update:  H.R. 5157 passed today in a very close vote

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Watch a short explanation in this video from Sunlight.

We are reprinting the email below as we received it this morning from Sunlight.

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We need your help.
 
A few months ago, a decision by the Supreme Court called Citizens United made it possible for there to be more money in our elections than ever before - permitting unlimited spending by unions, corporations or shadow groups on things like political advertisements.
 
Whether or not you agree with this decision, that's the way it is.
 
At the very least, this influx of money going to influence our government needs to be fully disclosed, which means we need disclosure ONLINE and in REAL-TIME.
 
Right now you can help make that happen.
 
The DISCLOSE Act is coming up for a vote this afternoon in the House and we need your help to make sure it passes. This bill will help to make sure we know who is paying for political ads that are influencing the way citizens decide in this year's elections.
 
Now the bill needs to pass, and we need your help doing three things ASAP:
 
1)  Call your representative right now to tell them to support the DISCLOSE Act, and ask your friends to do the same.  Tell your rep that you want all political money disclosed online and in real-time.

• Call Now (phone numbers included)
  

2)  Let us know that you've made that call in the simple form provided in the link above and whether you received any feedback from your Rep.

3)  Make sure Congress understands that we'll be expecting them to be open and transparent when we go to the ballot boxes this November.

• Take the Pledge (it's easy)

4)  Share the pledge with friends.

• Invite your friends to sign (with just one click)

No matter what you think about the flow of money in politics it's important to know who's spending it and where.
 
Thank you for helping to make the disclosure of money in politics an online, real-time reality!
 
Ellen Miller

Sunlight Foundation

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Sunlight worked hard to successfully amend the DISCLOSE Act so that information about corporate and union spending on elections would be online, in real time.

You can read more about the amendment in Lisa Rosenberg's blog post.

Update on Jun 24, 2010 at 10:52 PM by DailyBail

UPDATE -- It passed in a close vote this afternoon.  Links above.

Comments

[DailyBail]

http://cha.house.gov/

H.R. 5175 - THE DISCLOSE ACT

[DailyBail]

Former government officials hired to lobby as Congress looks to rewrite telecom law

http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/06/20/former-government-officials-hired-to-lobby-as-congress-looks-to-rewrite-telecom-law/

[DailyBail]

MINNEAPOLIS – The mothers of three American hikers held in Iran on suspicion of espionage said Thursday they hope a report that their children were arrested on the Iraqi side of the border will help lead to their release.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_iran_us_hikers;_ylt=ApJa.mU2sM7gE2IRiRvjMu39xg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTM2Z3E1dWwxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNjI0L3VzX2lyYW5fdXNfaGlrZXJzBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDNgRwb3MDNgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2hpa2VybW9tc3Nobw--

[DailyBail]

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea threatened Thursday to increase punishment for an American who was sentenced to hard labor for illegally entering the country, citing what it called a hostile U.S. policy toward it.

Aijalon Mahli Gomes, from Boston, was sentenced in April to eight years of hard labor and fined $700,000 for entering the country illegally and for an unspecified "hostile act."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_nkorea_american_detained;_ylt=Av.ZjkbptD7VDv4Rqfj7hkH9xg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNnMnFqNHNpBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNjI0L2FzX25rb3JlYV9hbWVyaWNhbl9kZXRhaW5lZARjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNub3J0aGtvcmVhdGg-

[DailyBail]

Youths attack Jewish dance group in Germany

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100624/ap_on_re_eu/eu_germany_jewish_attack

radical islam now on the rise in Germany...

[DailyBail]

The French are socialist pussies...

PARIS – Trains stood still and children played instead of studied as workers around France went on strike Thursday to protest President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to raise the retirement age to 62.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_france_retirement_strike;_ylt=AqOimykhGGKwoabm4w6jy0n9xg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNnMjZxanMxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNjI0L2V1X2ZyYW5jZV9yZXRpcmVtZW50X3N0cmlrZQRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzQEcG9zAzQEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNmcmVuY2hzdHJpa2U-

[DailyBail]

DENVER – A Colorado man who traveled to Pakistan to hunt down Osama bin Laden said he'll "absolutely" try again, despite his arrest in the woods of northern Pakistan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_pakistan_bin_laden_hunter;_ylt=AhipXp5wd3TRrKGn6Wzh48P9xg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNobG1jdG9jBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNjI0L2FzX3Bha2lzdGFuX2Jpbl9sYWRlbl9odW50ZXIEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM1BHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDYmlubGFkZW5odW50

[DailyBail]

Federal Reserve Statement In English

http://market-ticker.denninger.net/archives/2444-Federal-Reserve-Statement-In-English.html

Very entertaining from Karl Denninger...

[DailyBail]

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow Thursday to the federal government's high-profile convictions of Enron's Jeffrey Skilling and former media mogul Conrad Black, sending the cases back to lower courts for possible reversal on at least some charges.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704911704575326644174012942.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

[DailyBail]

NEW ORLEANS – A cap was back in place on BP's broken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico after a deep-sea blunder forced crews to temporarily remove what has been the most effective method so far for containing some of the massive spill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100624/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill;_ylt=AmcoQGGaMtkUvS2ydDW4Cjj9xg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTM2N2NnNjBtBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNjI0L3VzX2d1bGZfb2lsX3NwaWxsBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMgRwb3MDMgRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2NhcGJhY2thZnRlcg--

[LP]

Bad bill. Not sure why you are pushing this. It will apply to you.

[DailyBail]

Your statement could mean many things, LP...and the only way it applies to me is if i make a political donation...which i never have and never will...unless we have a public system to pay for campaigns that COMPLETELY excludes giving from lobbyists and other special interests...then i would be happy to contribute tax dollars...

[LP]

I would be careful what you wish for. Political donations are not the only criteria. Mailings are included, and if you are determined to be taking a side for a candidate, and you pay for this website,... for example that is an indirect monetary contribution. There was $10,000 limit which I would imagine you are not reaching, but if somebody decided they didn't like your message, they could probably throw some trouble your way..... Maybe not, but this bill has already been mangled. A few small tweaks could put you, and other political bloggers (political donations or not) right in the line of fire.

Regardless of all the legal mumbo jumbo, this bill has too many back room deals and, and all-to-typical political handouts to those who whined loud enough. If this truly is about transparency and not a political move, why exclude anyone? Some groups shouldn't have constitutional rights revoked but others should?

I guess I am disillusioned with the whole process. I find it harder and harder to get behind something that I don't believe in 100%. I am getting tired of having to compromise. Lesser of two evils... i will vote for this if you vote for that....

[DailyBail]

lp...i have similar thoughts this morning regarding the wall street reform process...more later...

[Zarathustra]

Hey boss. I need to add this to the financial statements, what should I call the account?

N Korea seeks $75 trillion in compensation

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2936414.htm

I don't want the statements to show that this has priority over our other $99 trillion worth of debts.

[DailyBail]

If i were going to publish the story zara, i would use your write-up...well done...made me laugh...