"Video Competition" BIll's Supporters Coincidentally Get AT&T's ...
Posted by ~Ray @ 2008-11-19 12:18:07
The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has come upwith of the primary explanation for the endorsement by thestate Senate of a rewrite of cable television regulations thatharms consumers and communities while benefitting out-of-statetelecommunications corporations.
The 23 senators who voted in favor of thelegislation accepted a total of $1.2 million in campaigncontributions from special interests that support the proposal,according to the Democracy Campaign.
In contrast the nine senators who opposedthe bill had accepted less than $100,000 in total contributionsfrom the special interests.
Reduced to raw numbers: The average senatorwho supported the controversial measure -- which was crafted tobenefit its chief proponent. AT&T -- collected $52,297 frominterests associated with AT&T and its allies.
The average senator who opposed the bill hadcontributions from the same interests of around $11,000.
The Madison Democrat is still incensed thatthe group pushing for cable deregulation misrepresented hisposition on the bill and he wants to put a stop to thepractice.
Parisi and Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts,D-Middleton -- who also opposed the cable bill but was categorizedas a supporter in documents submitted by TV4US to state lawmakers-- started seeking co-sponsors Wednesday on legislation that wouldprohibit special-interest groups from misrepresenting constituents'views to lawmakers.
Sen. Fred Risser. D-Madison will alsointroduce a Senate version of the bill.
The legislation according to an analysis bythe Legislative Reference Bureau would require anyone submitting acommunication to lawmakers with the names of constituents to firstobtain "a written or electronic document which proves that thenamed constituent has taken a position in support of or inopposition to the proposal identified in the communication."
"The onus would be on the interest group tohave some kind of documentation," Parisi said in an interview.
Meanwhile tried to pin Senator Russ Decker down as whether or not the "video competition" bill was his priority and apparently struck a nerve. A very defensive comment from a "sallyjones" reads very much like it came from Barb Worcester a senior staffer of Decker's and Chuck Chvala's wife:
Russ Decker never said it was a priority. JohnNichols never interviewed him on the topic and has no quote to fromDecker saying it is a priority. Go ahead and ask him. Decker was askedif we would schedule the bill everyone took that to mean it was apriority. This bill has been out there for months and the only reasonpeople had some to build support for amendments to make it better isbecause Decker insisted it go to the Joint Finance Committee. Sen. Robson and others wanted the bill passed in the spring and there aredirect quotes for that.
He also didn't put in the liquor provision. Some folks upset aboutthe change in leadership are spreading rumors that just aren't true.
And as a woman I'm a little disappointed that other women wouldcount a woman working in Decker's office as being in "cahoots." Have alittle more respect for your own gender than letting people talk youinto believing that a professional woman still gets her orders from herhusband on what to do. (bold emphasis Waxing America's)[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://www.waxingamerica.com/2007/11/video-competi-1.html
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