There are several conventional explanations for why so much corporate money has flooded into Washington over the last three or four decades. Large corporations have much more market power, which translates into more political power. Politicians have become more corrupt or rapacious. The Republican Party has been ever more effective at raising money. The increasing size and scope of the federal government have required that corporations spend more in order to protect themselves. Corporations have greater need to confront the countervailing power of unions.
All of these explanations are wrong.
Everyday Corruption by
Robert Reich.
posted by wittgenstein
on Jun 22, 2010 -
25 comments
Taking it public. Ethan Hawke is
looking for investors for his new movie,
"Billy Dead". For $8.75 a share of preferred stock (and only in blocks of 100 - ticker symbol "BILLY"), Hawke hopes to raise about US $7.3 Million through his broker,
Civilian Capital. According to a consultant with Civilian, potential investors will be able to "invest in a film maker, a story or a star."
Is this ushering in a new golden age of public media ownership, or an age of increased corporate hegemony? Also, for what other artforms would you like to see such investment opportunites? Finally, in what directors/actors/storylines etc. would
you like to invest?
posted by SilentSalamander
on Nov 19, 2003 -
29 comments
Terrorist Financing is a new report by the
Council on Foreign Relations on al Qaeda's financial network. It claims that the Bush administration "appears to have made a policy decision not to use the full power of U.S. influence and legal authorities to pressure or compel other governments to combat terrorist financing more effectively." The most important source of al Qaeda's funds are charities and wealthy individuals from
Saudi Arabia. But while the Bush administration may be unwilling to confront the Saudis directly, they are seeking to have their
financial assets in Europe frozen.
posted by homunculus
on Oct 18, 2002 -
2 comments
No VC after the dot-com bust? No problem! Just sign up for eight no-annual-fee credit cards with interest rates as low as 1.7 percent (for a few months, anyway), and shazam: You've got $35,000; you're a start-up! Question: Has this guy read a newspaper in, say, the last 18 months?
posted by nathanstack
on Jan 14, 2002 -
15 comments
Bye bye Webvan. "Although Webvan would be just one of hundreds of dot-com companies to go out of business, its story is somewhat unique. Webvan was one of the most well funded of all the dot-com companies, having raised, and burned through, around $1 billion in financing."
posted by maura
on Jul 9, 2001 -
56 comments
Great, but will it work in larger states? "Maine’s Clean Election Law goes into effect for the 2002 governor’s race, establishing public financing for candidates. Political observers are beginning to realize it may cause a revolution. "
A green governor? I almost feel ... Canadian.
posted by foist
on Mar 13, 2001 -
6 comments
