July 31, 2012

LOL Campaign Finance

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are out with a new movie that looks like it will be a hilarious skewer of the modern political campaign. The Campaign, out on August 10, gets one thing a bit too right — campaign finance. Watch this clip…so funny because it’s so true.

July 31, 2012

LINKS: Destroy Campaign Finance Regulation?

The Atlantic: The Only Way to Fix Campaign-Finance Regulation Is to Destroy It Over the last four decades, the campaign finance system has become a Rube Goldberg-esque contraption of complex, senseless, and indecipherable regulations. To fix it, new “reforms” (a.k.a. regulations) are routinely proposed, and some are even passed — such as the McCain-Feingold Bill
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July 31, 2012

For-Profit College Recruiter: Goal Was To “Demoralize Potential Applicants” And Get “Asses In Classes”

Yesterday at Sen. Tom Harkin’s press conference on the release of his new report on the predatory nature of the for-profit college industry, one of the most illuminating testimonies came not from the senator or his colleagues, but from a former active and knowing participant in the abusive system. Laura Brozek worked for ITT Technical
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July 30, 2012

Harkin, Colleagues Say For-Profit Colleges Squander Billions and Destroy Dreams

At a Capitol Hill press conference today, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released a blockbuster four-volume report based on his two-year investigation of the for-profit college industry. I’ve already discussed the findings of the report, which details how many of the big for-profit schools engage in fraudulent conduct, offer high-priced, low-quality programs, and leave many students
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July 30, 2012

LINKS: FEC Says It Will Enforce New Disclosure Rules For Nonprofits

Huff Post: ‘Dark Money’ Hits $172 Million in 2012 Election, Half of Independent Group Spending Through July 26, politically involved groups that do not disclose their donors have spent at least $172 million on campaigns that include television, radio and Internet advertising, according to a Huffington Post review of FEC reports, advertising buys, press releases
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July 30, 2012

John McCain Says He’s ‘Proud’ Of Ex-Lockheed Martin Lobbyist He Hired As Defense Staffer

Earlier this year, we reported that Northrop Grumman gave one of its lobbyists an effective $500,000 bonus when he joined the House Armed Services Committee to make defense policy. It now appears that this isn’t the only pay-out from the industry to a future staffer. Last week, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) noted that
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July 30, 2012

Utah State Senate President Falsely Claims His Legislature Doesn’t Follow ALEC’s ‘Line’

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a very powerful corporate front group that works with corporations to get bills passed in state legislatures — without the general public ever knowing that these bills are ALEC’s. It has worked to do everything from pass “Shoot First” laws to suppress votes to give special tax favors
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July 29, 2012

Sen. Harkin’s Report: For-Profit Colleges Leave Students With Debt But No Degree

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and his Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee staff released Sunday a report based on a comprehensive investigation of  30 of the biggest for-profit college companies. It’s full of stark revelations about this controversial, troubled industry. I’ve been saying for a couple of years that, no matter how cynical one’s view of
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