MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!

Money! Money! Money!

This month's topic for Enterbeing's Spiritual Gathering has proven very interesting! First, we heard from a peace activist war tax resister who has funneled taxes away from war toward health care and schools in cat and mouse with the IRS. An artist shared her struggle and joy in pursuing art as a profession through up and down financial times. Last week we heard a story of video gambling and recovery. All these stories were told with great personal passion and integrity. All these stories have public dimensions!

The cost of the war in Iraq continues to escalate, now estimated at over $500 Billion!
Meanwhile artists, musicians, hands on educators and health care providers limp along.
Legalized, state run gambling in Oregon is approaching 1 Billion in income for the state.

And this morning's Oregonian carried a story of a legislative convention held in Maui in December which was attended by legislators from Oregon:
"Eleven Oregon legislators joined others West Coast lawmakers in Maui in December that included
seminars, speakers and social functions."
"Twenty-one corporations and business groups ranging from an Oregon grocers group to pharmaceutical companies each paid $5000 to stage the Pacific Conference, helping to foot all but one legislator's costs."
"But you'd never know that from the annual disclosure reports legislators had to file with Oregon's ethics
commission this month. The lawmakers said only that the Pacific Conference paid up to $1,583 apiece
for their food and lodging." The Oregonian Monday, April 25, 2005

This kind of detail in reporting is not required by Oregon Law, so, for example, the location, Maui, did not appear on the legislator's required reports. Only the name and date of the event and the name and address of the sponsoring group and the amount spent is required. In this case, the Pacific Conference sponsors each of whom contributed $5000 for the privilege of having a representative at the conference and sponsoring 3 legislators to attend. Sponsors included the chemical industry's national association, the parent company of cigarette maker Philip Morris, General Motors, Federal Express, BP, ConocoPhilips and Tesero, Georgia Pacific and the Washington Forest Protection Association.

Janice Thompson, executive director of the Money in Politics Research Action Project (MiPRAP), raised questions not about the appropriateness of such conferences, but about how the money lines are hidden and difficult to trace. The real sponsors are hidden behind the shield of the non-profit Pacific Conference name.
See website: www.oregonfollowthemoney.org

Hm...Seems like a ethical issue to me--it's hard for the average Jill and Joe to compete with uninterrupted access to legislators on a Hawaii beach all expenses paid. It's only money--true, but it must be worth the investment otherwise companies wouldn't do it. So what are they getting for their buck? And what happens to our interests at their expense?

P Moe April 25, 2005