Our Resource of the month is Money and Politics: Illuminating the Connection,
MAPLight.org, a groundbreaking public database that illuminates the connection between campaign donations and legislative votes in unprecedented ways. Elected officials collect large sums of money to run their campaigns, and they often pay back campaign contributors with special access and favorable laws.
This common practice is contrary to the public interest, yet legal – even more in light of the 1/21/10 Supreme Court decision that removed all limitations of corporate contributions to candidates for election.
MAPLight.org makes money/vote connections transparent, to help citizens hold their legislators accountable.
Among the useful data it provides,
MAPLight.org tracks the Money Received Near Votes, recording which interest groups or supporting or opposing a bill gave these contributions to a selected Representative or Senator also recording the lapse in days between the contribution and a vote on that bill.
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--ICJPE Resource Committee
Tags: Democracy/Activism Government Accountability Legislation/Legal
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Comments
Bottom-up democracy is a way to get rid of special interest money and eventually the Republicrats too. Check it out at:nmichaeldorsey.org
