tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78104342420416668542024-03-07T21:53:05.056-08:00Democracy Matters at UW-OshkoshDemocracy Matters is a non-profit organization aimed at bringing an end to unfair elections where money rules over issues.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-83899939474012458032009-04-14T09:10:00.000-07:002009-04-14T09:12:01.822-07:00Mandle to speak on campus<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Clean Elections, Clean Environment"</span></span><br /><br />With Dr. Joan Mandle,<br />Executive Director of Democracy Matters<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Tuesday, April 21 at 6 p.m.<br />Reeve Union 307</span><br /><br /><br /></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-62063454932911142532009-04-01T12:41:00.000-07:002009-04-05T12:43:37.240-07:00Fair Elections Now Act Announced<p style="text-align: left;"><strong></strong> <span>Democracy Matters along with our coalition partners cheers today's introduction of the Congressional Fair Elections Now Act.</span><br /></p> Recent revelations that AIG gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to the politicians who approved the company's $170 billion federal bailout is just one reason Congress should pass the sweeping reforms introduced today.<br /><br />A set of bipartisan bills, the Fair Elections Now Act, sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) and House Representatives John Larson (D-CT) and Walter Jones (R-NC) was announced at 3:00 pm in the Senate Press Gallery.<br /><br />Durbin defended the bill: "Today the amount of money spent in top ten competitive Senate races averages $34 million per campaign - double what it was just four years ago. It takes a mountain of money - about $7 million on average - even to lose a Senate campaign. This is not sustainable. People who say the public shouldn't have to pay for elections are missing the point: the American people already pay for elections - in ways that favor incumbents and special interests and in a Congressional agenda spawned too many times by those who finance our campaigns. Public financing will cost us only a fraction of what the current system costs."<br /><br />The Fair Elections Now Act is modeled after state programs in Arizona, Maine and Connecticut. The Congressional bill would provide qualified candidates money to run a viable campaign on small donations and public funds, thus freeing candidates from raising millions in contributions from lobbyists and fundraisers.<br /><br />Public Financing has strong public support. According to a recent bipartisan poll, more than two-thirds of voters (67 percent) support providing qualified congressional candidates a limited amount of public funding if they agree to take no large contributions.<br /><br />Democracy Matters is joined by Common Cause, Brennan Center for Justice, Change Congress, Campus Progress, Public Citizen, Public Campaign, the NAACP, the Sierra Club, Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and many others. The Fair Elections Coalition believes voluntary public financing will allow participating candidates to spend less time fundraising, increase the diversity of candidates, and bring politicians’ focus back to the people and away from special interest groups.<br /><br />Read what people are saying about the Fair Elections Now Act:<br /><br /><em>“This legislation, which is strongly supported by the NAACP, will go a long way in restoring the confidence of the American people in their elected representatives as well as the election process overall.”</em> Hillary Shelton, Washington, DC Bureau Director, NAACP<br /><br /><em>“The Sierra Club has consistently supported reform of the campaign finance system in order to reduce the influence of polluting corporations on elected officials.”</em> Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club<br /><br /><em>“The Fair Elections Now Act opens the electoral process to Latino, African American and Asian American candidates. For too long, candidates and elected officials have been forced to chase campaign contributions, leaving them less time to listen to our communities and their constituents. This bill brings the people closer to their elected leaders.”</em> John Trasviña, President and General Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Defense Fund (MALDEF)UWO DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061188378688908985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-539020242173249592009-03-17T17:21:00.001-07:002009-03-17T17:24:58.445-07:00Supreme Court Forum planned in Green Bay<blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">MONEY IN OUR COURTS: </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Community Forum</span><br /><br />Monday, March 30<br />6:00-7:30 p.m.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Harmony Cafe</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1660 W Mason Street, Green Bay</span><br /></div><br /></blockquote>Featuring panelists from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, UW-Green Bay, Brown County Bar Association, Wisconsin State Legislature.<br /><br />Snacks and refreshments provided!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-62954099089875423562009-03-01T15:40:00.000-08:002009-03-01T15:42:58.286-08:00Newspaper wants non-partisan judgesThe Wausau Daily Herald's editorial today expressed the need for Wisconsin judges to remain non-partisan in their elections. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090301/WDH06/903010310">http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090301/WDH06/903010310</a><br /><br />Officially, Supreme Court candidates are not listed with any party affiliation. However, it would be naive for us to think that their unofficial party affiliation doesn't play a huge role in their campaigns.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-58601864102905982932009-02-23T06:47:00.000-08:002009-02-24T06:51:33.451-08:00Democracy Matters teams up with WDCDemocracy Matters Oshkosh will be working closely with the <a href="http://www.wisdc.org/">Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's</a> efforts for judicial independence in the state.<div><br /></div><div>The groups' main focus will be on the state supreme court election April 7. So far, the incumbent has out-raised her challenger about 18 to one. </div><div><br /></div><div>To get involved in Oshkosh or the Fox Valley, contact Steve as uwodemocracymatters@gmail.com.</div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-46162331749182712592009-02-19T10:05:00.000-08:002009-02-19T10:10:50.644-08:00Judge strikes a blow to non-partisan judicial elections<span style="font-family:arial;">A federal judge in Wisconsin has ruled that judges should be allowed to join political parties and solicit campaign donations from special interest groups. </span><br /><em><blockquote><em><span style="font-family:arial;">The decision might accelerate the state’s trend toward nasty, special-interest fueled, nonpartisan-in-name-only judicial campaigns, said Mike McCabe, of the<br />Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.</span></em></blockquote></em><br /><a href="http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2009/02/19/wi/3wi19.txt"><span style="font-family:arial;">Read the entire article here</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Could this lead to the further politicalization of our judicial branch in WI?</span>UWO DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061188378688908985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-25937391539495140942009-02-13T09:20:00.001-08:002009-02-13T09:22:03.588-08:00Hintz Office Hours<span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >State Representative Gordon Hintz will be on campus 9:30-11:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16, in Reeve Union Concourse to serve office hours. Students will have the chance to ask Rep. Hintz about the state of the budget, tuition and any other topic of concern.<br /><br />This would be a great opportunity for questions and comments about campaign finance reform. Let's let Gordon know that we want him to push for clean elections in Wisconsin!</span>UWO DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061188378688908985noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-29663650776882653492009-02-13T07:28:00.000-08:002009-02-13T09:26:02.509-08:00Voter guide available in ReeveOur local election voter guide is now available in the Reeve Union concourse. Please take a couple minutes to read up on your local candidates for county executive and city council<span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><strong>Also, remember to vote in the primary Tuesday, Feb. 17.</strong></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em><strong>County Executive Candidates:</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.harris4exec.com/">Mark Harris (Inc.)</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.schroeder-winforwinnebago.com/"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Jay Schroeder </span></a><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">John Daggett (did not provide contact information)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><em><strong>Oshkosh Common Council Candidates:</strong></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Steve Cummings</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">John Hinz</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Jessica King</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Richard O'Day</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Tony Palmeri</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Bob Poeshl</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Travis Swanson</span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/City_Clerks/Election.htm">Click here to find out where to vote</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-89475310997479488432009-02-11T08:20:00.000-08:002009-02-13T07:28:20.829-08:00Congressional pledge signed by D.C. legislators<span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Every Congressional candidate in 2008 was invited to sign a “Voters First” pledge supporting real change in our “pay-to-play” political system. Over 100 members of the new Congress signed the pledge, committing themselves to making sure that members of congress are accountable to the voters not the funders. The Pledge in part reads:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><i>“If elected, I pledge to make elections fair by supporting a system of public financing for qualified candidates who agree to strict spending limits and take only small donations.”<br /><br /></i><a href="http://www.votersfirstpledge.org/supporters">See the list (find your Rep here!)</a><br /><br /></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >Wisconsin Congress members who support clean elections:</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><br />Sen. Russ Feingold<br />Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Appleton)<br />Rep. Ron Kind (D-LaCrosse)<br />Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison)<br /><br />Notice that our own rep, Tom Petri, is not on that list.</span><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i></i></span></span></span></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-79744091972108672632009-02-09T11:27:00.000-08:002009-02-09T11:29:00.960-08:00Next DM Meeting<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The next meeting for Democracy Matters will be Wednesday (Feb 11) at 4:30 pm in Reeve Union 213. Hope to see you there!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With some important local elections and the state Supreme Court race coming up, we'll be talking about how money in politics affect different issues. </span></span>UWO DMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061188378688908985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-50367450781737889832009-02-06T11:55:00.001-08:002009-02-06T11:58:46.605-08:00DM Prez's Letter to the Editor Published<span style="font-family:arial;">My letter to the editor has been published in the Oshkosh Northwestern! The letter was in response to an editorial (found on the post below) about the issue of campaign finance reform.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090206/OSH0603/902060404"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090206/OSH0603/902060404</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As of right now, there have been no comments on the online version by readers, which could mean one of two things:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1) No one is reading it</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2) People are reading it, but they agree (they only usually post if they're angry at the content)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Let's hope it's #2!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">- Steve</span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-5732075164868250272009-02-05T13:38:00.000-08:002009-02-05T13:41:33.461-08:00Local newspaper endorses public financingThe Oshkosh Northwestern ran an editorial last week advocating for a change in the way we run our elections in Wisconsin.<br /><a href="http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090129/OSH0602/901290371"><br />http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090129/OSH0602/901290371</a><br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">We wholeheartedly support the efforts of Common Cause and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign to push for campaign finance reform and encourage our legislators to likewise support clean government measures in Wisconsin. (1/31/09)<br /></blockquote>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-91549864346154032092009-02-05T06:55:00.000-08:002009-02-05T13:43:35.225-08:00Meeting Summary -- Feb. 4<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yesterday’s kick-off meeting was a success. <span style=""> </span>We had several people there interested in our cause and have a few more that are willing to help out who couldn’t make it. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For a review, here are some of the things that were discussed at the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Feb. 4</span> meeting:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- The problem of money in politics and how it has an effect on every other political issue we consider important today</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- The upcoming Wisconsin State Supreme Court elections – money and fundraising will play a major role in a branch of government that’s supposed to be distanced from politics</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- How public financing would work in an election with many candidates</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- How can we make the issue of money in politics into the main stream?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">We’ll be making voter guides for the upcoming local elections. <span style=""> </span>Lisa will be sending out a survey to the county executive candidates, while Steve will be doing the city council candidates.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The next meeting will be <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wed, Feb. 11 @ 4:30 p.m. in Reeve 213.</span></span></span></p>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-10713601563839227132009-01-23T12:04:00.000-08:002009-01-23T12:06:14.949-08:00First Meeting of the SemesterThe first meeting of the spring semester for Democracy Matters will be <strong>Wednesday, Feb. 4th at 4:30 p.m. in Reeve Union 213.</strong><br /><br />Please join us as we kick of the first official semester of D.M.!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-60636783698384048542009-01-15T21:36:00.000-08:002009-01-24T15:37:54.603-08:00Ben & Jerry's YES Pecan!To celebrate Americans coming together for positive change, ice cream maker Ben and Jerry’s will be highlighting their butter pecan ice cream flavor under the new name, “Yes PeCAN!” The flavor will be sold in scoop shops throughout the month of January across the country.<br /><br />Democracy Matters' partner, Common Cause, has been selected as the beneficiary of the some of the proceeds from the sale of this flavor! So eat lots of ice cream and join the Facebook page to support this campaign!<br /><br /><a href="http://apps.facebook.com/causes/28343">Click here</a> to sign up!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7810434242041666854.post-12300329474944403592009-01-12T19:40:00.000-08:002009-01-22T19:42:26.495-08:00WelcomeWelcome to the UW-Oshkosh Democracy Matters blog! Here you will find group updates, events, and news on clean elections. Please join us as we fight to take big money out of politics and put people back in!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18354989712326365378noreply@blogger.com0