Paper Inquiry: 548 "Pioneers", "Rangers," who raised up to $2000k for *

[CatWoman]

Often Directly Dictate Admin. Policies...

President Bush's corporate champions see the spoils of his administration in coal. And timber. And credit-card payments, Afghan electric lines, Japanese bank transfers and fake crab.

America's business leaders supplied more than $75 million to return Mr. Bush to the White House last year -- and he has paid dividends.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2005/12/19/paper-investigation-548-_n_12535.html

also see:

Presidential Pipeline: Bush's top fund-raisers see spoils of victory

First of a series

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05352/624259.stm

[havocmom]

1. On the bright side, if he is the best their money can buy...

we still might close down their agenda.

[libodem]

2. Is it illegal or just questionable practice

I'm not condoning it and I don't think it's ethical but I read a story on Bush contributors in Harpers Magazine in the fall of '04, during the elections, called How President Bush Makes A Million Dollars At The Mall...the junior partners all make pledges under a sponsor person and The top guys go get their picture taken with Bush. It was sickening and disheartening. Those business men bought themselves a president. If Democrats don't figure out a way to compete we'll never win another election. They mean to annihilate us. They don't play fair or maybe even legally. They want a one party system, just like communism, they want the democratic party dead! The whole rotten process makes me mentally ill.

[Toots]

3. The only way is Public financing of all elections.

Anytime anyone gives money to a politician they want something. Give enough money and you receive. It works the same on both sides of the aisle. Only by total public financing can we eliminate any temptation to sell their services....

[OneBlueSky]

4. this is how the US government works in 2005 . . .

everyone -- the Executive, the Congress, Republicans, Democrats, everyone -- is in the pocket of some corporate interest or other . . .

that's why I continue to maintain that our next presidential candidate (assuming there's an election, of course) must come from OUTSIDE the world of politics . . . no one in elected office is free enough from the influence of corporate donors to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" . . .

and as long as we, as a nation, keep refusing to face the truth -- about 9/11, about stolen elections, about the illegal war, about depleted uranium, about torture, about global warming, about the true fiscal state of our nation -- we will never be able to realistically address, much less solve, the myriad of critical problems we face as a nation and a planet . . .

[PsN2Wind]

5. Don't blame me

I voted for Ross Perot. Probably the best and almost certainly the last chance to break the grip of the two-party system.