We need to know who funds these thinktank lobbyists

[RickFromMN]

"We need to know who funds these thinktank lobbyists"
is an opinion piece in the Guardian Newspaper.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/20/who-funds-thinktank-lobbyists

It is written by George Monbiot.

Some quotes,

"The battle for democracy is becoming a fight against backroom billionaires seeking to shape politics to suit their own interests"

"Shocking, fascinating, entirely unsurprising: the leaked documents, if authentic, confirm what we suspected but could not prove. The Heartland Institute, which has helped lead the war against climate science in the United States, is funded among others by tobacco firms, fossil fuel companies and one of the billionaire Koch brothers."

"The profits of polluting or reckless companies and banks and the vast personal fortunes of their beneficiaries are largely dependent on the regulations set by governments. This is why the "thinktanks" campaign for small government. If regulations robustly defend the public interest, the profits decline. If they are weak, the profits rise. "

"The use of so-called thinktanks on both sides of the Atlantic seems to me to mirror the use of super-political action committees (superPACs) in the US."

"The money wins. This is why Republicans swept up so many seats in the mid-term elections, and why the surviving Democrats were scarcely distinguishable from their rivals."

Sadly, he does take a swipe at Obama, saying Obama can't govern in the public interest because Obama has no choice but to be beholden to the moneyed interests.

I considered posting this in the general discussion because the latter half of the opinion piece seems more general than a discussion solely on climate change.

This is my first attempt to post a general thread. If I am doing something wrong, I would ask the moderators to please make the necessary corrections.

[OKIsItJustMe]

1. See also…

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11277391

BTW: You may want to check out the original, with references, here:
http://www.monbiot.com/2012/02/20/plutocracy-pure-and-simple/

[RickFromMN]

2. Thank you.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. You’re welcome!

[The Croquist]

3. Here is an example

Aquacraft 42,517
Agency for International Development 13,512
Bureau for Reclamation 14,670
California Public Utilities Commission 25,808
Community Water Center 8,453
Department of Water Resources (DWR) 73,716
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) 81,753
Hydrologics, Inc 26,857
Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (NOAA) 30,487
Island Press 9,762
United Nation Global Compact Foundation 98,145
United Nation Water Mandate 11,198
United Nation Environment Program 32,782
University of California - Berkley 19,137
State of California - Environmental Protection Agency (Cal EPA) 18,107
Walton Laguna 5,000
Walton Limitriophe 11,850
Water Reuse 38,811

Total 562,565