April 10, 2012

It’s Not Just Ozzie Guillen: How The Cuba Lobby Paralyzes U.S. Policy

This morning it was abruptly announced that Ozzie Guillen, the  first-year manager of the Miami Marlins, would be suspended for five games following comments he made where he offered some mild praise for former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Guillen was forced to take the unpaid suspension after he came under intense verbal attack from area interest groups.
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April 10, 2012

Five Ways The Pink Slime Industry Is Buying Influence In Government

Pink slime, the ammonia-treated filler substance made with beef scraps, was once reserved for dog food before corrupted regulators changed the rules. But a recent media firestorm has reignited the controversy, leaving many people asking why the U.S.D.A. does not require groceries, school cafeterias, or restaurants to disclose which products contain the mystery meat. Now
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April 9, 2012

Corruption Responsible for 80% of Your Cell Phone Bill

Last year, a new company called Lightsquared promised an innovative business model that would dramatically lower cell phone costs and improve the quality of service, threatening the incumbent phone operators like AT&T and Verizon.  Lightsquared used a new technology involving satellites and spectrum, and was a textbook example of how markets can benefit the public through competition. 
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April 9, 2012

Corruption Watch: Congressmen Awarding Big Defense Contracts to Companies in Which They Own Stock

Congressmen Michael McCaul and Kenny Marchant of Texas and Richard Hanna of New York all have two things in common. One, according to their personal financial disclosures, they own stock in defense contractor Pratt and Whitney. Two, they are all members of the F-35 Caucus, a group of Congressmen dedicated to awarding more contracts to
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April 9, 2012

For-Profit Colleges: Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old

Since former Congressman Steve Gunderson (R-WI) was named in January as the new head of the largest for-profit college association, APSCU, there has been talk that he might take a “kinder, gentler” approach to leading the troubled industry, which has pursued a take-no-prisoners lobbying approach in Washington. But having read Gunderson’s pronouncements in recent months, and
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April 6, 2012

Who Pays Ed Gillespie? Mitt Romney Signs Up Yet Another (Unregistered) Lobbyist As A Senior Advisor

Mitt Romney announced yesterday that Ed Gillespie, a corporate lobbyist and former Republican Party chair, will become his senior advisor. Gillespie joins a kitchen cabinet of other “senior advisors” to the Romney campaign who double as influence peddlers. But in Gillespie’s case, he no longer discloses the names of his clients, which raises the question:
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April 6, 2012

Lobbying Groups Fight To Stop FDA From Regulating Chemical Linked To Erectile Dysfunction And Miscarriages

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly rejected a petition to ban bisphenol-A (BPA) in food packaging, four years after the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) asked the agency to outlaw the toxin. The agency said that “there is not compelling scientific evidence to justify new restrictions” on the chemical, which is used
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April 5, 2012

Coal Lobbying Group Airs New Ad Mocking Occupy Wall Street

The coal lobby just kicked off a $40 million campaign to manipulate the election cycle. In 2008, the industry planted questions in town hall events to coerce candidates like John McCain, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama to support coal-friendly policies. This year, the effort seems quite similar — but the first ad of
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