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1 HealthSouth Corp $38,255
2 Pfizer Inc $34,000
3 Qwest Communications $29,000
4 Metabolife $27,250
5 AT&T $25,499
6 Torchmark Corp $25,000
7 AOL Time Warner $24,000
8 GlaxoSmithKline $21,000
9 Novell Inc $20,500
10 SmithKline Beecham $20,499
11 Oracle Corp $19,750
12 Global Crossing $19,500
12 Verizon Communications $19,500
14 Pharmaceutical Rsrch & Mfrs of America $18,775
15 Viacom Inc $18,750
16 Schering-Plough Corp $18,000
17 Bear Stearns $17,750
18 SBC Communications $17,500
19 Merck & Co $17,440
20 Rexall Sundown Inc $17,000
20 Walt Disney Co $17,000

Walt Disney donated $17,000 alone (the corporation, not the man). Interestingly enough, Hatch received $20,500 fron Novell, but I don't see any from SCO.

Just some food for thought.

Rupurt Murdoch (the owner of Fox, DirecTV, SkyNews and too many newspapers) is laudering soft-money, to the tune of $12M, to Demos through Saban Entnmnt. Talk about bribery. Maybe he has the Repbs in his pocket already, now he's gunnin' for the Demos?

Bullshit. In the 2002 election cycle, the RIAA gave more money to Republicans than to Democrats.

Brownback's number one source of campaign cash for 2001-2002 was (drumroll) the Telecommunications Industry--i.e., BellSouth, SBC and a little firm on the East Coast by the name of Verizon (click on communications/electronics then "telephone utilities"). He only received $26k total for those two years, but he's up for reelection now and has likely been pulling down additional funds from his lead suppliers.

Interestingly, Verizon's lead counsel was quoted in a NY Times article as saying "in light of the court's decision, it is time for Congress to become involved and offer a legislative solution" when they agreed to name the names of their four filesharers.

IMHO, the only portion of Brownback's bill to pass will be the part concerning big telecom firms... we'll have to wait for Boucher or whoever to reform the DMCA, but I would have liked to have seen Fritz Hollings' face when his fellow committee member offered up this legislation.

Politicians generally vote in accordance to what the public supports.

THE VOTES ARE COUNTED IN DOLLARS.

From Open Secrets

2 TV/Movies/Music $330,317

That gives Hollings 330,317 reasons to introduce and work for any bills the record / movie industries want.

Here are the number of reasons the EFF, VTW, CDT, Public Knowledge have given Hollings to be on our side, to the nearest dollar. $0

This is what Howard Berman got from the *AA organizations:
TV/Movies/Music $40,500

This gives him 40,500 reasons to work for the movie/music industries.

Here are the number of reasons the EFF, VTW, CDT, Public Knowledge have given Berman to be on our side, to the nearest dollar. $0

These organizations can NOT give money to politicians.

The contributions I mentioned don't count the larger contributions made through law firms and lawyers on behalf of various industries including movie and record companies, I don't know all the players.

The bad guys are spreading money around by the barrel. There aren't any good guy organizations worth mentioning doing this. So who are the politicians going to listen to day in and day out:?

Believe what you want to believe, but your beliefs are completely rooted in total, blissful ignorance.

Good point. I have to put in a plug for my favorite site. Whenever our wonderful elected government makes a decision, it's interesting to check out what sorts of bribes made it happen.

For example, check out what the fat cats in corporate media gave to our beloved government servants in Washington. Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry would be so proud!

Good point. I have to put in a plug for my favorite site. Whenever our wonderful elected government makes a decision, it's interesting to check out what sorts of bribes made it happen.

For example, check out what the fat cats in corporate media gave to our beloved government servants in Washington. Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry would be so proud!

You're right, the FCC doesn't ban anybody from owning a radio station, and I personally don't the FCC should limit how many radio/TV stations a company can own.

BUT!!!

Did you ever bother to ask, "How is it possible with all the available Radio and Television spectrum available, that ONLY 5 companies make up a majority?"

Radio technology has advanced at a phenominal rate, and the equipment has gotten rediculously cheap, so why don't we see smaller/nimbler radio/TV broadcasters out there, especially with so many people creating so much content on the Internet?

Could the FCC be possibly regulating the industry so that the Barrier to enter the market is so high that it effectively kills smaller/nimbler competition?

Think about it:
1. Radio/TV is sustained with advertisement which are derived from ratings.
2. There are a limited amout of ratings.
3. In order to sustain yourself as a broadcaster, you must capture a big enough slice of the pie to cover this barrier to entry.
4. The bigger the barrier the entry, the more ratings you'll need to sustain yourself.


Maybe that would explain why the National Assocation of Broadcasters gave $2,502,700 dollars to various politicians.

I don't mind corporations owning as many TV, Radio stations as they want, but I want something in return.

*** Short Range TV/Radio Broadcasting ***

Since, I've been talking about Barriers to Entry, then why not lower them?

Here's how you do it:
* The FCC should Offer Inexpensive Short-Range TV/Radio Licenses, so broadcasters could operate a station on a budget of a couple thousand dollars a year rather than hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.


Will it happen? No fucking way. That would give any asshole to opportunity to offer the public cutting edge TV/Radio a lot cheaper than the larger broadcasters, which would SEVERELY eat into thier margins.

Could it be that free enterprise in this country is a sham? Could it be that neither Republicans or Democrats actually give a shit about equal justice and equal economic opportunity?

If you really think this is a free country, I challenge you to try to get your town to build a municipal fiber-optic infrastructure to deliver high-speed internet access and then watch how fast Verison, SBC, or whoever controls your local telecommunications infrastructure slaps so many injunctions on your ass, that it'll make you head spin until you vomit.

Fuck you, I want this country to return to a REAL free market that isn't obstructed by FCC "deregulation" (Give us real deregulation), Corporate Welfare, CEO's CIRCUMVENTING (slap THEM with the DMCA) the entire PROTECTIVE purpose of FILING remotely accurate information to the SEC, and rabid Patent/IP Lawyers litigating entire industries to death (thanks to their $28,000,000 to the democrats).

You may say this country never had a real free market. Fuck you, your socialism, and your little dog too!

Thanks, That felt pretty good.

(Though MS doesn't pay any tax for other reasons)

According to opensecrets Microsoft paid $4.2m to the government this year - it just doesn't do it via the regular tax channels.

Unions give no less money in bribers....errr.. donations, than companies.

According to this list, corporations spent shitloads more than unions did last year. Of the top 10 industries/sectors, only one is a union, and it's #9. In fact, I count only five unions on that list of 50.

Granted, historically, unions in aggregate have spent more than anybody else, but these days the amounts are relatively piddling.

Well, it just says Computer Equipment & Services, but it won't be Kazaa ;)

top industries supporting Adam Smith

Read here

Money contributed from PAC of the corperation.
(From the top contributors page)
Microsoft Corp $32,200

AOL Time Warner $5,000

• Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla.: enemy in favor of RIAA/MPAA hacking your computer
• Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla.: enemy taking money from Disney

• Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla.: enemy in favor of RIAA/MPAA hacking your computer
• Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla.: enemy taking money from Disney

Well... Tauzin is seriously corrupt. So there you go.

The parties need to get their money from somebody, and that "somebody" is definitely not: The People.

Not everyone. The only congressman worth a damn, Ron Paul, gets 96.9% of his contributions from individuals. As a comparison, my congressman only gets 44% from individuals.

In fact, Smith's main single contributor was Microsoft!

Here's information about Wexler's main contributors, and here's information about Smith's. It looks like Smith is the one getting the yacht, since his #1 contributor by industry is the computer industry. Which makes sense since he's the one who wrote the note attacking linux.

Here's information about Wexler's main contributors, and here's information about Smith's. It looks like Smith is the one getting the yacht, since his #1 contributor by industry is the computer industry. Which makes sense since he's the one who wrote the note attacking linux.

• I do, in fact, support the "criminalization" of certain things (ie. drug addicts are criminals).
• I do have my own "pet" issues (ie. affirmative action is discrimination against whites).

You know, you really might want to look at which party actually gets the vast majority of the loot from the entertainment industry before starting in with your knee-jerk political crapola.

The Republicans have their own set of problems, but on THIS ISSUE it's the Dems who are selling your ass down the river.

Don't believe me?

Read this.

How did things get this bad?

Some synopses:

• REDUCE: Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Professor Lawrence Lessig's plan to set a bounty for citizens catching spammers
• CAN-SPAM: Sen. Conrad Burns et al, requires valid headers and working opt-out, but doesn't allow private lawsuits
• Do-Not-Spam: Sen. Chuck Schumer's proposal covers everything from CAN-SPAM plus has a national do-not-email registry and bans address harvesting.

Hint: Ashcroft (asshat though he is) and the Republicans aren't behind this.

MPAA/RIAA money overwhelmingly goes to Democrats.

But hey, let's not clutter up our partisan crapola with facts, right?

you mean the Dem's right, 82% of the RIAA/MPAA's money went to democrats in 2002 election cycle

Go to Open Secrets and look up the offending polly wanna dollar politition's political donations.

Each representative has a declaration of financial interest in his page. ANyone knows where I can find that for US senators/congressmen?

you basically can find that information at opensecrets.org

Gore, who is also a corporate stooge, received a similar bribe, so I'm not saying he would have been any better. But I'm just wondering if Republicans are happy about Bush based on this outright bribery that he received. It certainly doesn't reflect well on his honesty and character.

(By the way, the RIAA gave a similar bribe to the Democrats, so Gore would most likely have sided with them just like Bush did.)

Look, I'm sick of this shit. I'm not a Bush supporter by any means, but Bush and other Republicans have no loyalty to the entertainment industry. And why would they? The Democrats are the entertainment bitches. It's the Democrats who get all the entertainment money, it's the Dems who push laws like the DMCA and Mickey Mouse Copyright Extention Act. Its the Dems who want the CBDTPA. It is doubtful that protecting entertainment intrests is the "Bush clan's cause." They are simply holding up their interpretation of an already existing law.

I understand that it's hip to hate Republicans, but get your facts straight.

after all, the Bush administration is known for such brilliant ironic humor, like when they appointed a lawyer for a lead paint manufacturer to be secretary of the interior or when they picked a dude with close ties to Philip Morris and no particular health knowledge to be Health Secretary.

after all, the Bush administration is known for such brilliant ironic humor, like when they appointed a lawyer for a lead paint manufacturer to be secretary of the interior or when they picked a dude with close ties to Philip Morris and no particular health knowledge to be Health Secretary.

This link kinda speaks for itself on this issue.

Fortunately, you are mistaken; the truth, however, is scarcely better.

I didn't see Senator Fritz Hollings on your list. He is owned by News Corp and other media giants...

Dude, those Republicans are so big money influenced it's insane! Good to see the Democrats sticking up for the small guy.

1) Qualcomm is based near his home district in southern California.

2) Qualcomm's PAC was the sixth largest campaign contributor to his last election campaign.

3)He served on the board of Directed Electronics, a company that makes automobile telematics based on CDMA; the products were originally a project for Wingcast, Ford and Qualcomm's now-defunct joint venture.

Gee, I wonder if he'll make any money off this deal.

1) Qualcomm is based near his home district in southern California.

2) Qualcomm's PAC was the sixth largest campaign contributor to his last election campaign.

3)He served on the board of Directed Electronics, a company that makes automobile telematics based on CDMA; the products were originally a project for Wingcast, Ford and Qualcomm's now-defunct joint venture.

Gee, I wonder if he'll make any money off this deal.

Some people might argue that it is his job to promote a local company.

In my opinion, this whole ordeal were supposed to be a liberation of Iraq. While it is very obvious to everybody who are not blinded by jingoism, that the US is in this "liberation" for economical gain, not many are ready to say that quite as openly as Issa.

Some might even consider it to be in poor taste to bring this up before there's even an end in sight to the conflict.

Anyway, the business of USA is business, and some lame europeans aren't going to stop that. I suggest y'all educate yourself a bit with the info from the nice guys over at Open Secrets.

Communication/Electronics is the sector that contributed most text to the Issa for congress 2002-campaign.

I guess it was time to pay back..

Communication/Electronics is the sector that contributed most text to the Issa for congress 2002-campaign.

I guess it was time to pay back..

Communication/Electronics is the sector that contributed most text to the Issa for congress 2002-campaign.

I guess it was time to pay back..

There doesn't seem to be any smoking gun as far as contributions from the RIAA based on his list of contributors or the list of contributing industries. It is clear that the National Beer Wholesalers Association is his top contributor, so...maybe he was just drunk.

There doesn't seem to be any smoking gun as far as contributions from the RIAA based on his list of contributors or the list of contributing industries. It is clear that the National Beer Wholesalers Association is his top contributor, so...maybe he was just drunk.

They tried diplomatic pressure and other means with America alongside. It didn't work.

But it did work, in the end there were results and that's why a lot of countries wanted the weapons inspectors to go on with their work. If there is proof, that the Iraq has a significant number of B- or C-weapons the USA never presented it. In the end the Iraq was complying (though grudgingly) with the demands layed down by the UN. In the meantime north Korea more or less publicly announced their intention to produce nuclear bombs, so shouldn't Bush et al. strike at north Korea before going for the Iraq?

So when Bush couldn't convince the world that Iraq was threatening the world with weapons of mass destruction he switched rhetorics and talked about having to free the Iraq of that evil dictator Saddam. Now Saddam Hussein is an evil dictator, but that's none of the USAs business, as it hasn't been for the past 20 years (like when the USA even supported the current Iraqi regime). The last demand that Saddam now leave the country within 48 hours is not an ultimatum, it's a joke. Everyone can imagine that that'd be suicide for Saddam.

This war isn't about terrorism either, it's easier to construct a link from Osama bin Laden to Bush than to Saddam Hussein, and war isn't a means to get at terrorists who're probably not even in the attacked country. As a result of the war even more terrorist attacks are expected in the US and the threat level is raised.

So the war isn't about chemical weapons or terrorists, neither is it an idealistic mission to free the Iraq people from their evil dictator (or do the USA now intend to attack any country where the government isn't to their liking?). Many people (even inside the US) see it that way and that's how they arrive at the conclusion that the war isn't justified but is just about oil and distracting the american people from their problems at home.

This war is also a very bad precedent, as it shows that the USAs government doesn't care what the UN have to say on the issue, they do what they damn well please anyway. So now whenever any country wants to start a war all they need are some unsupportable and made up reasons and then they can go ahead? Or is that only right for the USA but noone else?

Also the arrogant way the USA dealt with the UN and other nations (and also opposition at home) has weakened the UN and hurt diplomatic relationships worldwide. More and more the USA is percieved

Forgot to link it:

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.asp ?CID=N00025095&cycle=2002

Storm Clouds Rise Over H-1B



"Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, introduced a bill this week to lift all limits on foreign workers "

She deleted this press release, but it's in the Google cache ...

She was among 26 House members (14 Democrats and 12 Republicans) who achieved perfect scores for their votes in the 105th Congress on encryption, securities litigation, patent reform, fast track, MFN, export controls, H1-B visas, and Y2K issues.

and she takes money from Microsoft!
(click on expand all).

Dump this wench!

Just imagine if special interest groups could pay politicians to do what they want. Scary.

Funny, it seems to me that there was assault and battery AND murder in congress; where is the big crackdown? Amazing how when laws start affecting congresswhores, laws (and interns) seem to dissapear. I thought goverment was by, for, and all about the goddamn people - when did it turn into a service to the highest bidder? Where is equal protection and justice under the law?

"While I'm sympathetic to the young people, they're breaking the law," warned Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. "Until the university or this committee is going to do something about it, we're wasting everyone's time."

First of all Maxine, we don't care if you're 'sympathetic to the young people'. That's crap. If you were, you would work to change the law, rather than pursue a unpopular law.

Maxine, you are sympathetic to the money ($12,500) you recieved from the Entertainment industry, much like your pal. meh.