Amazon vs. Democracy: Foreign Influence In The Seattle City Council Elections Posted on November 1, 2019 (June 12, 2020) Challenging Foreign Influence As of last week, Amazon has poured over $1.5 million into Seattle’s upcoming city council election through the local Chamber of Commerce’s super PAC, The Civil Alliance for a Sound Economy. That total represents more than the combined total raised by candidates without Amazon’s backing. As Rachel Lauter, executive director of the Working Washington advocacy group, saidRead More
Washington State PDC Issues Letter To Support Seattle’s Defend Our Democracy Ordinance Posted on September 10, 2019 (June 18, 2020) Defending Key Reforms SEATTLE, WA (September 10, 2019) — The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission has issued a letter to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission to support the goals of the Defend our Democracy ordinance that would abolish super PACs and prohibit spending by foreign-influenced corporations in local elections. The proposed legislation, presented last month to theRead More
Crony capitalism alive with Ex-Im Bank Posted on August 14, 2014 (August 27, 2014) Ron Fein and Tom Bacon of Free Speech For People take on “crony capitalism” in a new op-ed published today in The Hill. In Congress, a fight continues over whether to renew the charter of the Export/Import Bank, which Fein describes as, “an obscure government agency that supports the purchase of American products overseas with taxpayer-backedRead More