News:

"Forbidden Fruit [L-H]"
Congratulations Mellific & Swashbuckler for completing your RP!

Main Menu

The DISCLOSE Act

Started by Oniya, July 17, 2012, 06:36:15 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Oniya

You might have heard that the DISCLOSE Act was supposed to be voted on today.  Well, it got filibustered again.

The DISCLOSE Act is intended to let the American people know who is paying for our candidates' campaigns. In other words, before we put them in office, we should know who they might feel beholden to. (Love that word, 'beholden'.) If you were going in for a doctor's visit, and that doctor was accepting money from a certain pharmaceutical company, it's easy to see where that company's drugs might be high on that doctor's list. Same with politicians. Since Citizens United was upheld by the Supremes, corporations are allowed to make massive contributions to individual candidates. What's going to happen when a bill is introduced that might have an effect on those corporations?

I just got word of an Internet radio show that is going to be talking about the DISCLOSE Act from both sides (liberal and conservative) in about a half an hour.  http://my.coffeepartyusa.com/page/m/b8ea471/7c95c97d/6b909ee2/67505ce5/2280873461/VEsD/  (8:00 PM to 9:30 PM Eastern)

Whether you listen in or not, I wanted to make sure that word got out about this important campaign reform bill (and to give those who want to a chance to call their Congresspeople.)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Hemingway

But then the American public would know which corporation it's voting for in the elections. Politicians can't have that. They have their images to consider.

Ahh, forgive me, but after listening to some talks by Chris Hedges, I've lost all faith in the US electoral system. Even something like this, while a step in the right direction, wouldn't fix anything.

Shjade

Quote from: Hemingway on July 17, 2012, 07:04:38 PM
Ahh, forgive me, but after listening to some talks by Chris Hedges, I've lost all faith in the US electoral system.

Welcome to the club. =D
Theme: Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe
◕/◕'s
Conversation is more useful than conversion.

Callie Del Noire

I support anything that discloses who is spending money on the people I vote for. I would DEFINITELY like to see organizations: corps, superpacs and unions, banned from donating period. Make it so that PEOPLE can donate and ONLY people.

Oniya

Quote from: Callie Del Noire on July 17, 2012, 07:32:00 PM
I support anything that discloses who is spending money on the people I vote for. I would DEFINITELY like to see organizations: corps, superpacs and unions, banned from donating period. Make it so that PEOPLE can donate and ONLY people.

Just to be clear, DISCLOSE doesn't go quite that far - it's not putting a cap on donations, or preventing any group/corp/etc. from donating.  All it does is let the public know who is donating what.  The conservative on the show (who just blasted FOX News *mops up tea*) said that in the absence of DISCLOSE, the public is able to find out that 'some commentator' said something horrible on talk radio, but isn't able to find out what commentator said it.  As a result, the person in the street can't make his/her opinion known (like by calling the sponsors of the show, etc.)
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Callie Del Noire

#5
Quote from: Oniya on July 17, 2012, 07:45:08 PM
Just to be clear, DISCLOSE doesn't go quite that far - it's not putting a cap on donations, or preventing any group/corp/etc. from donating.  All it does is let the public know who is donating what.  The conservative on the show (who just blasted FOX News *mops up tea*) said that in the absence of DISCLOSE, the public is able to find out that 'some commentator' said something horrible on talk radio, but isn't able to find out what commentator said it.  As a result, the person in the street can't make his/her opinion known (like by calling the sponsors of the show, etc.)

Yeah.. i was a bit surprised by that.. but he's not a GOP 'current' conservative but an old style 'Modern' Conservative.. (Goldwater/Eisenhower). Still to hear it said was a surprise.

I do like the fact that he pointed out there is a parallel between the Great Depression and the last crash. The derivatives trades are definitely dangerous.

Well the 'crowdsourcing' comments left out the MASSIVE potential for fraud in it as it's written in the JOBS bill

Oniya

Well, like most user-driven conversations, it went a bit askew from the main topic, but it was still interesting.  They may not have gone into as much depth on crowdsourcing in an attempt to minimize conversational drift.  I imagine they could fill an hour and a half on that alone.

(For those who want it, there's a download link for the episode at the web page.) 
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: Oniya on July 17, 2012, 08:34:09 PM
Well, like most user-driven conversations, it went a bit askew from the main topic, but it was still interesting.  They may not have gone into as much depth on crowdsourcing in an attempt to minimize conversational drift.  I imagine they could fill an hour and a half on that alone.

(For those who want it, there's a download link for the episode at the web page.)

Easily.. and I see both pluses and minuses to crowdsourcing. It could be a very good finance tool, but without proper oversight it's going to be nothing but another tool for fraud. But more regulation is 'Bad' these days...

Oniya

I think that's a bit far afield from the subject of campaign reform.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: AndyZ on July 17, 2012, 11:12:34 PM
For those for the DISCLOSE Act, I'm curious: how do you feel about Internet anonymity?  Should you be allowed to say and do stuff without having it attached to your name and therefore your record, or no?

If this is too far off topic by the judgment of the OP, I'll delete this post.

I am curious to see how you draw a parallel between campaign finance and Internet anonymity.

Do you think that the two are truly equal?  I fail to see what I under an online alias and what a company that spends Milions in a public campaign have in common but am curious to hear you argument.

If I follow the inferred logic, you are saying, I have no right to know who is spending what on a candidate?  Because, history will (and has) show that electoral events with transparency rapidly cease to be either free, fair or democratic.

Chris Brady

Quote from: AndyZ on July 17, 2012, 11:12:34 PM
For those for the DISCLOSE Act, I'm curious: how do you feel about Internet anonymity?  Should you be allowed to say and do stuff without having it attached to your name and therefore your record, or no?

If this is too far off topic by the judgment of the OP, I'll delete this post.

How do you deal with the fact that this doesn't stop anyone outside the U.S?

Ergo, this has no correlation with with the original topic.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming