Wisconsin native.
"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."--GKC
"Liberalism is the modern and morbid habit of always sacrificing the normal to the abnormal" --G K Chesterton
"The only objective of Liberty is Life" --G K Chesterton
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
Friday, July 01, 2011
Just So You Understand "Special Interest" Correctly
It only took a few clicks to see a better picture. Open Secrets does have a wider view. Open Secret's summary paragraphs say "Whatever slice you look at, business interests dominate, with an overall advantage over organized labor of about 15-to-1. Even among PACs - the favored means of delivering funds by labor unions - business has a more than 3-to-1 fundraising advantage. In soft money, the ratio is nearly 17-to-1."
Questions to ask: Why were all unions lumped together, but other contributions separated by industry? What is a "long tail" and how does the sum of all contributions compare to what is claimed for "unions"?
An important caveat must be added to these figures: "business" contributions from individuals are based on the donor's occupation/employer. Since nearly everyone works for someone, and since union affiliation is not listed on FEC reports, totals for business are somewhat overstated, while labor is understated.
That left-most column?
It only took a few clicks to see a better picture. Open Secrets does have a wider view. Open Secret's summary paragraphs say "Whatever slice you look at, business interests dominate, with an overall advantage over organized labor of about 15-to-1. Even among PACs - the favored means of delivering funds by labor unions - business has a more than 3-to-1 fundraising advantage. In soft money, the ratio is nearly 17-to-1."
ReplyDeleteQuestions to ask: Why were all unions lumped together, but other contributions separated by industry? What is a "long tail" and how does the sum of all contributions compare to what is claimed for "unions"?
An important caveat must be added to these figures: "business" contributions from individuals are based on the donor's occupation/employer. Since nearly everyone works for someone, and since union affiliation is not listed on FEC reports, totals for business are somewhat overstated, while labor is understated.
ReplyDeleteSame click, rest of the article.