DeVos’s All Children Matter resembles Howie Rich’s ALG

Last night, as I reported here http://www.dailykos.com/... the Center for Public Integrity pulled back the curtain on Howie Rich’s Americans for Limited Government to reveal that 99 percent of ALG’s funding in 2005 came from only three major donors. A reporter covering CPI’s announcement noted that this fact refuted the well-documented stream of ALG propaganda claiming that "thousands" of supporters across the nation funded Rich’s committee. Of course, I’ve read and written a good deal about how that (and more) funding was used in 2006, bouncing from ALG in New York to handful of paper organizations in the states, to pay for petition circulators and campaigns for Rich’s ballot initiatives. And it hit me –again – that I’ve read about the exact same thing happening in Wisconsin: money from anonymous donors funneled back and forth between states and paper organizations to be used in politics. Only this time, the organization is called All Children Matter.

Now, I’m not as familiar with ACM as I’ve become with ALG – I’ve been Googling the latter for a few months now – but I mentioned this Wisconsin business first here http://www.dailykos.com/... and Google has already helped out a good bit since then. Let’s recap the story.

Reporter Paul Sloth told us here http://www.journaltimes.com/... "A group of residents and local unions... filed a complaint with the State Elections Board claiming the Michigan-based school choice group All Children Matter violated Wisconsin state law. The complaint alleges the group broke state elections law by advocating against a candidate in a local state Senate race without properly registering with the State Elections Board. The complaint stems from a direct mail flier sent to residents in the 21st Senate District urging them to ‘vote against’ Rep. John Lehman in his campaign for the Senate seat against Racine County Executive Bill McReynolds."

So All Children Matter – ACM – is based in Michigan but sent mail to voters in Wisconsin hoping to affect the outcome of a legislative race. And apparently, because they clearly advocated for Rep. John Lehman’s defeat, they were acting as a political action committee and therefore were subject to laws governing PACs in Wisconsin. Okay, clear enough to me so far.

Sloth continued, "Milwaukee attorney Richard Saks, who represents the group filing the complaint, said All Children Matter registered as a non-resident political committee with the Secretary of State, but did not register with the State Elections Board as a political action committee. The group filing the complaint contends that the ad constitutes express advocacy, which triggers all the state's statutory obligations. Once a political group engages in express advocacy, they have to comply with the state's election laws for political committees requiring disclosure of who they are, where they get their money and how they're spending their money."

Aha. So while they dotted one I, they didn’t cross the other T, and the T was just as important under Wisconsin law as the I.

Is anyone else curious about why a Michigan-based organization is playing ball in Wisconsin’s politics? Do they purport to be a national outfit, a la Howie Rich’s Americans for Limited Government?

At any rate, since they didn’t register as a PAC in Wisconsin but sent out political mail in that state, they broke the law there. As I said in December, an eight-year-old could get this.

And Sloth explained further, "Michigan billionaire Dick DeVos formed All Children Matter in 2003. DeVos did so to promote private school voucher programs - commonly known as school choice - like the one in Milwaukee, according to the nonpartisan watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, an advocacy group that tracks spending in state elections. All Children Matter works with the Wisconsin pro-(school) choice group known as the Alliance for Choices in Education, headed by George and Susan Mitchell of Milwaukee."

Is this the same Dick DeVos who ran for governor in Michigan and got waxed by incumbent Gov. Jennifer Granholm? I believe it is. That means this is the same Dick DeVos who’s the heir to the Amway fortune, meaning he’s a gazillionaire. Again, shades of Howie Rich emerge. Rich has term limits, his beloved eminent domain, his judicial recall plots and his TABOR ballot initiatives. DeVos has, it appears, private school vouchers. (Well, it was the only thing left, I suppose, after Rich had taken the good ones.) Rich collects funds from three anonymous donors and funnels it through ALG to various state committees, and DeVos apparently did something similar, at least funneling money from Michigan to Wisconsin.

More from Sloth: "In a prepared statement, George Mitchell, a state representative for All Children Matter, said the complaint is without merit and his group will demonstrate that in a response to the State Elections Board. ‘All Children Matter will continue to engage in the democratic process while doing so in full compliance with the election laws of the state of Wisconsin,’ Mitchell said."

O, I remember that quote. I said it sounded just like Howie Rich, sending a "prepared statement" in writing through a locutor. Still does.

See, it’s coming back to me now; reporter Jennie Tunkieicz gave her account here http://www.jsonline.com/... informing us that ACM has a state committee in Virginia just like Rich’s ALG does, and that the complaint filed against ACM included its "VA State Political Action Committee."

Does that mean that ACM in Michigan funneled its funds to the state-based ACM in Virginia to be funneled back to Wisconsin for political purposes? I’m not clear on the details, but why else would ACM-VA be included in the complaint? And if that’s the case, why all the funneling? Isn’t Wisconsin next-door-neighbors with Michigan? Why drag the cradle of the Confederacy into it?

DeVos’s locutor, George Mitchell, didn’t answer that question, but he did send Tunkieicz this gem of a quote: "All Children Matter will continue to engage in the democratic process while doing so in full compliance with the election laws of the state of Wisconsin. This will include the filing of any reports necessitated by its activity."

So if the State Board of Elections asks for disclosure of his contributors, he’ll pony up. That’s how I read it, and it’s more than Howie Rich’s paper organizations do. And it’s a good thing, because the State Board of Elections asked for exactly that information, and gave ACM until January to answer the question.

See, as reporter AP reporter Scott Bauer told us, "If it turns out a flier circulated by All Children Matter attacking a Democratic state Senate candidate wasn't paid for by the Wisconsin arm of the group, Elections Board chairman John Savage said Wednesday that criminal charges for making a false filing could be pursued. The flier sent in October had a return label showing that it came from All Children Matter, a national organization based in Michigan that promotes private school voucher programs."

"A complaint was filed with the Elections Board saying that distribution of the flier required the group to register and meet various reporting requirements, which it hadn't done. After the complaint, a Wisconsin political action committee operating under the All Children Matter name submitted the required paperwork. State law requires political groups to meet the various requirements if they are involved in express advocacy for or against a candidate, rather than simply raising issues. The board agreed in a unanimous vote that the flier constituted an express advocacy."

"Kevin St. John, the attorney for All Children Matter, said at Wednesday's Elections Board meeting that the mailing was paid for by the Wisconsin PAC, but original plans for its creation came from the national group. He said he had not seen a canceled check paying for the flier. After the meeting, St. John said he would provide the additional information requested by the board before its Jan. 17 meeting. He declined further comment. As board members tried to unravel the weave of different PACs and groups operating under the All Children Matter name, St. John defended the group."

Well, it’s January. Google hasn’t brought me anything new on THAT point but Scott Bauer did give us some more information here http://www.twincities.com/... He writes, "The complaint... says an All Children Matter political action committee based in Virginia should have registered in Wisconsin before it donated $35,000 in October to its Wisconsin PAC. The complaint also alleges that a $90,000 donation made to the Virginia PAC from a group not registered with Wisconsin election officials — the Milwaukee-based Alliance for Choices in Education — violated a state law barring corporate contributions."

Wow, so there’s a $35,000 contribution from ACM-VA, which is a real-life registered PAC, to ACM-WI, which was not a real-life registered PAC at the time. Plus, there’s now there’s a Wisconsin-based organization, Alliance for Choices in Education, which sent $90,000 to ACM-VA. Did that $35,000 spent against Lehman come from the $90,000 contribution from ACE to ACM-VA? (The alphabet soup is dizzying.) It must have, if it’s being included in the complaint. Anybody know anything about them?

Bauer explains, "The complaint argues the $90,000 wound its way back to Wisconsin through the $35,000 donation spent on ads criticizing three Democratic legislative candidates — John Lehman, Cory Mason and Pat Kreitlow. All went on to win."

Well, there’s your answer.

"The complaint asks the Elections Board to require the Virginia PAC to comply with reporting and disclosure requirements under Wisconsin law, showing who made contributions, and return the $90,000 to the Alliance for Choices in Education," he writes.

"State Elections Board spokesman Kyle Richmond said the complaint likely will be taken up at the board's Jan. 17 meeting. The new complaint is in addition to one the board took up at its November meeting related to All Children Matter's spending in the election. Elections Board Chairman John Savage said at that meeting that the board might pursue criminal charges against All Children Matter for making a false filing if there is evidence showing that someone other than the Wisconsin PAC paid for the ads in question."

This part is especially funny: nobody knows nothin’, and they pass the hot potato to the next fella: "All Children Matter attorney Kevin St. John, of Madison, said he had not seen the latest complaint and had no immediate comment. George Mitchell, director of the Wisconsin arm of the group, referred questions to All Children Matter executive director Greg Brock in Grand Rapids, Mich. Brock did not respond to telephone or e-mail messages seeking comment. The Wisconsin president of ACE, Susan Mitchell, did not immediately return a call seeking comment."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phones. The Wisconsin president of ACE is Susan Mitchell. Meanwhile, the spokesman for Dick DeVos and ACM-WI is George Mitchell. Coincidence? Or are they family? If they’re family, I smell a rat, and it reminds me of another husband-wife arrangement that draws even MORE comparisons to Howie Rich and ALG. If memory serves, ALG’s chairman was Eric O’Keefe when a $1.4 million contribution was given by ALG to ALG’s little state-based partner in Nebraska, who then paid that $1.4 million to Leslie Graves and her Renewal Voter Outreach to run the petition-circulation operation in Nebraska for Rich’s TABOR there. In fact, the arrangement was so peculiarly cute that fellow blogger Hart Williams wondered if O’Keefe delivered the check to Graves across their bed.

I could be completely off-base, but Google hasn’t told me yet whether George Mitchell of ACM and Susan Mitchell of ACE are kindred. I’ll keep asking.

And Bauer wraps up with this context for us: "All Children Matter was formed in 2003 by Michigan billionaire Dick DeVos. The group promotes voucher programs that allow children to attend private schools at taxpayer expense and supports tuition tax credits and charter schools. The group has been active in political races nationwide — including Wisconsin, where it paid for a TV ad this fall attacking incumbent Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. Just who funds the group, and its involvement in campaigns, has been an ongoing question in many of the states where it operates, including Texas and Florida."

Texas and Florida, hmm? Wonder if they played anywhere else?

Editors at the Capitol Times of Madison aren’t mincing words about it here http://www.madison.com/... "Even our overly cautious state Elections Board ought to be able to recognize that something untoward appears to have occurred when the Milwaukee-based Alliance for Choices in Education, a group that wants state money to fund private education, and two political arms of a national group, All Children Matter, shifted huge sums of money around in what looks to have been an attempt to skirt state election laws."

See, editors know how to break it down.

"According to a complaint filed with the Elections Board, the Alliance for Choices in Education sent the Virginia-based All Children Matter political action committee $90,000 in September. This transfer of money is confirmed by Virginia Board of Elections records. Then, in October, the Virginia group shifted $35,000 to a Wisconsin-based All Children Matter political action committee, which turned around and spent roughly that amount on campaign season mailings that encouraged voters to defeat Democratic legislative candidates. Under Wisconsin law, the Virginia-based All Children Matter PAC had to be registered in this state in order to legally transfer the $35,000. By all accounts, it was not so registered."

"The Elections Board should move swiftly, and decisively, to address this issue - and to sanction any and all groups and individuals that may have engaged in efforts to avoid obeying the law."

Mm-hmm. So now I guess we wait for an update... and meanwhile I’ll continue to consult Google for this question, and that one, and that one... and I’ll report what I find. Could it be that Howie Rich and Dick DeVos have the same political consultant?

WISCONSIN
http://www.jsonline.com/...
Reporter Jennie Tunkieicz, "Election flier spurs complaint: State to examine whether school voucher group violated law"

http://www.journaltimes.com/...
Reporter Paul Sloth, "Group files complaint about anti-Lehman flier"

http://www.twincities.com/...
Reporter Scott Bauer, "PACs accused of illegal donations"

http://www.madison.com/...
Editors, "Get to bottom of cash shift"

•  Tips

  by sandlapper on Thu Jan 11, 2007 at 08:43:57 PM PDT

•  also in Colorado

  All Children Matter targeted Colorado candidates who do not support school vouchers.

  More here >>
  HD-29 in the Crosshairs

  by em dash on Thu Jan 11, 2007 at 09:04:29 PM PDT

•  Can we track back and criminally charge

  the people whose money started the whole thing - or who conspired to do it? That'd be the only way to stop or even slow this kind of thing - Howie's got more money than God, but I seriously doubt he would care to associate with acknowledged sinners - that is, convicts. He'd probably be really offended at being indicted - the heavens forfend that there are plebeians who dare to question his acts!

  by mskitty on Thu Jan 11, 2007 at 09:07:45 PM PDT

•  Good work, sandlapper

  This is such an important topic. Thanks for continuing to bring it forward. Have you checked with the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center? I heard their director, Katrina Wilfore, talk about this and they have hounded these guys all across the country. Perhaps you could find/give some help to each other to identify these clowns.

  Have you checked with any of the Madison dKos regulars to see if they can find out more about Mitchell?

  by carolita on Thu Jan 11, 2007 at 10:09:28 PM PDT

•  See here.

  You said

  I could be completely off-base, but Google hasn’t told me yet whether George Mitchell of ACM and Susan Mitchell of ACE are kindred. I’ll keep asking.

  But you quoted further up

  "...All Children Matter works with the Wisconsin pro-(school) choice group known as the Alliance for Choices in Education, headed by George and Susan Mitchell of Milwaukee."

  Are those George Mitchells the same George Mitchell? Is your question answered if they are?

  by count on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 01:01:14 AM PDT

  •  grammar police

    Before anyone complains, I cop to the fact that I probably should have written "farther up."

    by count on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 01:12:37 AM PDT

  •  D'oh!

    That's what happens when the cuttin' and pastin' gets ahead of the close reading.

    Thanks for the eagle eye.

    by sandlapper on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 08:01:36 AM PDT

    •  Great job -- got more for you

      Thanks very much; although Granholm kicked DeVos' butt here in MI, I had wished for this kind of research because he stank.  Reeked.  The entire family must be watched, including brother-in-law Eric Prince of Blackwater.

      Have a little something for you as a thank-you.  The following is a list of contributions pulled from OpenSecrets.org, for the 2002 and 2004 election year cycles.  I looked for 'Mitchell, George' and 'Mitchell, Susan', didn't specify the state.  The following information came up, along with a bunch of other Georges and Susans from across the country.  But these two are from the same zip code and city, with two exceptions noted.

      2002, 2004 elections
      Contributor Occupation Date Amount Recipient
      MITCHELL, SUSAN WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 AERC/EXECUTIVE 03/12/04 $750.00 Hoze, Corey Robert

      MITCHELL, SUSAN A WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217
      MITCHELL CO 12/31/03 $500.00 Welch, Bob

      MITCHELL, SUSAN A WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 THE MITCHELL CO 08/25/04 $250.00 Welch, Bob

      MITCHELL, SUSAN MRS WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 MITCHELL CO 09/13/03 $500.00 Welch, Bob

      =========

      MITCHELL, GEORGE WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 MITCHELLCOMPANY/CONSULTANT 02/11/04 $5,000.00 Club for Growth

      MITCHELL, GEORGE WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 MITCHELL COMPANY 09/30/04 $1,000.00 Michels, Tim J

      MITCHELL, GEORGE MILWAUKEE,WI 53217 CONSULTANT 03/03/04 $1,000.00 Pro-Growth Action Team <zip code for Whitefish Bay -?</p>

      MITCHELL, GEORGE WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 MITCHELL COMPANY/CONSULTANT 03/12/04 $750.00 Hoze, Corey Robert

      MITCHELL, GEORGE WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 SCHOOL CHOICE WISCONSIN/EXECUTIVE 09/01/04 $500.00 Schultz, Dale W

      MITCHELL, GEORGE MILWAUKEE,WI 53217 MITCHELL COMPANY/CONSULTANT 12/12/01 $300.00 Petri, Tom

      MITCHELL, GEORGE MILWAUKEE,WI 53217 MITCHELL COMPANY/CONSULTANT 10/17/02 $250.00 Petri, Tom

      MITCHELL, GEORGE MILWAUKEE,WI 53202 SELF EMPLOYED/CONSULTANT 09/30/03 $250.00 Green, Mark <zip code different – same person?</p>

      MITCHELL, GEORGE WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 THE MITCHELL CO 08/25/04 $250.00 Welch, Bob

      MITCHELL, GEORGE MR WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 MITCHELL CO 09/13/03 $500.00 Welch, Bob

      MITCHELL, GEORGE MR WHITEFISH BAY,WI 53217 MITCHELL CO 12/31/03 $500.00 Welch, Bob

      Sorry, didn't pull up data for other years, but you get the gist of this.  Certainly looks like they're a couple.  Might be worth calling and asking for the County Clerk's office in Whitefish Bay, don't you think, eh?

      Sometimes following the chain a bit further helps; who is Bob Welch?  What is Pro-Growth Action - who else gave them money, to whom did they make donations and when?  Must say from experience that following money around PAC's on the other side of the aisle sure gives one the impression there's money laundering going on...good luck!

      by Rayne on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 10:17:16 PM PDT

      •  Welsh:

        State Senator, lost in the R primary for Feingold's Senate seat.

        by ben masel on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 05:19:18 AM PDT

        •  Thanks, ben

          I'm in neighboring MI; Welch could be a household name in WI, but I might not know.

          Now the question becomes Mr. Welch's donors in the primary: who are they?

          Wanna' bet there are some familiar names? ;-)

          by Rayne on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 06:09:36 AM PDT

      •  You're beautiful and this is gorgeous.

        Thanks for the tips.

        by sandlapper on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 09:51:33 AM PDT

        •  Oh no, thank YOU!!

          Too bad we didn't compare notes earlier in the MI governor's election; we could have saved ourselves a lot of stress and improved the odds of a ballot initiative passing.

          Here's something to keep a sharp eye for, while digging around.  We had a ballot initiative here sponsored by Ward Connerly out of California, which unfortunately passed and undid Affirmative Action programs in this state.  Have a suspicion that this initiative was used to "cage" a certain group of bigoted voters and get them to the polls.

          The ALG effort is a similar caging initiative; I'm guessing that the 'wingers poll states to see which initiatives will work best and then pull one out of their back pocket as necessary.

          by Rayne on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 10:06:55 AM PDT

•  A diary involving voucher advocacy

  written without mentioning the Bradley Foundation. Is that possible? I thought the Bradley Foundation bought the Wisconsin legislature all by themselves, but obviously not. I didn't know about DeVos. Thanks for that info.

  Could the Bradley Foundation be an "anonymous donor"? They could if there were advantage to doing so, I guess. Does anyone know enough about this stuff to know what any such advantage might be?

  by count on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 01:10:23 AM PDT

  •  I'll follow your lead and check them out too.

    by sandlapper on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 08:02:35 AM PDT

•  Excellent bit of research here.

  You might attract a wider audience if the formatting were a little clearer: I highly recommend blockquoting when you're taking chunks of text from other articles.  For one thing, it'll help delineate your writing from theirs, and it'll show graphically that you're pulling from a lot of sources.  For another, it won't make your diary look like one long piece of text.

  Still, great digging and I'm glad you put it all together.  Kudos!

  by pico on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 11:12:49 AM PDT

•  Cough stopdevos.com Cough

  Ya know, I always assumed I'd retire www.stopdevos.com after the election, but maybe I should continue... :)

  by cartwrightdale on Fri Jan 12, 2007 at 10:08:52 PM PDT

  •  Absolutely keep it up.

    Never know when an eager researcher out in the hinterlands will need to know what you know...

    by sandlapper on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 09:45:20 AM PDT

•  Another lead

  I found more, however the link is an old, broken one and I don't know how to get the full thing back. But you can extract a key document, a paper written by Charles J. Sykes, The Wisconsin Inquisition. This is likely written for a Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, which is, I'm guessing, a conservative "think tank".

  The article clearly shows George and Susan Mitchell to be husband and wife, I believe. It also points to further cross connections among political support and so-called advocacy organizations.

  To get the pdf article, enter George Susan Mitchell Wisconsin in your Google search. You'll get several choices that put the pair together. However, the paper I'm referring to will be the first inset choice about 8 choices down the page. It's hierarchic link is dead, but can be examined in the cache.  

  by Kidspeak on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 01:16:33 AM PDT

  •  Thanks for the head's-up. nt

    by sandlapper on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 09:46:02 AM PDT

•  Another Amway Scamway

  Every day I'm happier Amway Guy lost the election--soundly. In the debates, BTW, he said he was no longer for charter schools and as governor would not pursue them...then you learn that's where a big hunk of money came from. His constant barrage of high end ads all summer in Northern Michigan cost a fortune, and prior to Labor Day he was leading Granholm significantly. It is nice to know that a few Michigan people have the brains to see through glitzy ads and find a small, mean wizard hiding in the back room.

  by MrMichaelMT on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 02:19:41 AM PDT

  •  Check out my posts on Howie Rich

    to find another wizard behind another curtain!

    by sandlapper on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 09:47:03 AM PDT

•  Motivation is simple.

  The proponents of privatization of all kinds are motivated by a desire for private gain at public cost.  This desire is further amplified by the desire to avoid the accountability that now adheres to public enterprise.
  There's actually a specific point in time when these complementary desires commenced.  Prior to the passage of the Federal Tort Claims Act in 1949 and subsequent judicial interpretations through the late '60s, public officials were exempt from liability for the mistakes they made in carrying out their duties under the doctrine of "sovereign immunity."  In other words, public service was doubly attractive because it allowed people to play with other people's money without having to be personally accountable if the risks they took led to failure.  (We are not talking criminal or fraudulent behavior here.  Just negligence.)
  One of the consequences of the civil and consumer rights movements of the late '60s seems to have been an erosion of this privileged status and a flight into the world of the private corporation where individuals and their personal assets still enjoy protection  (the purpose of organizing a corporation, after all).
  We're dealing with an old pattern of behavior and new wrinkles.  Just so you know.

  BTW, according to Justice Anthony Kennedy, the concept of "limited government" refers to the reality that government and its agents are restricted or bound by the law as to the actions they can and must undertake.  That is, the law is created by the people and applied to restrain the government.  It isn't meant to minimize its obligations.  Which, presumably, the latter-day proponents of limited government would seem to prefer.

  by hannah on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 06:32:37 AM PDT

•  Great Diary!

  The hard right has gotten a disproportionate voice through a shell game of money shuffling and targeted activism which makes them appear stronger to politicos than they actually are.  There is a smallish list of names at the top of this pyramid that enhance their own wealth and status for not a lot of money, and in exchange, they hand out podiums for speaking gigs, presses for book deals and the occasional resume-enhancing position in the government offices of pet politicians.

  The whole thing is really damn incestuous, and they're playing with all of us.

  by high bitrate on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 06:44:02 AM PDT

•  good work sandlapper

  Saw this diary in the rescue area. Anything with the DeVos name catches my eye since I am in Michigan.
  Needless to say I was thrilled Jennifer kicked his ass in Nov. I was very concerned though but it proved in one instance that money cant buy an election. Whew.
  DeVos is a slime ball and never worked an honest day in his life. He isnt quite a gazillionaire, his daddy's estate is worth 3.5 billion.
  I have been following his bro in laws company Blackwater. The DeVos's want to privitize anything they can, and then form the company to fill that need. I hope the families that lost loved ones in Falluja get a monsterous settlement from Blackwater.
  I would take a bet that Dicky has a charter school corporation all set up, so when he wins on this he can reap the profits.

  by Carpe Brewski on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 06:46:49 AM PDT

•  Sandlapper - ACM is MUCH bigger than that

  it has state affiliates - one is AMC-Colorado. It has been a big player in faith based education and voucher plans in Colorado Springs. The former registered agent of ACM-Colorado just dedeated a progressive candidate - Anna Lord who I blogged about this election. AMD has also been tied through their candidates to The Alliance for Separation of School and State (advocating abolition of public schools).

  The Colorado Springs Independent has done a good deal of investigative reporting on ACM's Colorado Springs activity - their latest, on the last election, is here. It is about a case of illegal coordination of candidates and the Colorado ACM and the ruling that such violations occured. ACM is one we watch out here.

  by tjlord on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 08:55:01 AM PDT

  •  I'm learning more and more about it this weekend,

    thanks to the links and leads from you and others. Thanks.

    by sandlapper on Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 09:49:43 AM PDT

•  Dick DeVos is the source of dirty money all over

  the nation. (I just read this as a result of the posting on Michigan Liberal's site) His wife Betsey has said that here in Michigan "we have the best elections that money can buy." Their fooling around in the Wisconsin campaigns, using slick last minute mailings filled with half truths and outright lies, and in other states clearly demonstrates that we need national campaign laws that limit the amount that a single individual may donate to 527s in total and requiring 527s report to the Federal Elections Commission any donors who contributed over $1k. It is not a restriction of the freedom of speech for an individual or a privately held corporation not to be allowed to use their economic power to make themselves the only voice in the public forum. This family is one of the richest in the US and they act as if they are the rightful rulers of the nation and that the rest of us need to bow down to them and follow their fundamentalist belief system.

  by Ken the Troll on Sun Jan 14, 2007 at 06:08:27 PM PDT