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Bought and Paid For
Nov 04, 2010
If you think things changed on November 2, pick up a copy of today's Politico.
Which I just did.
And it sinks it just a little bit deeper.
Fundamentals still in tact.
Before November 2.
Big corporations firmly in charge.
And after November 2.
Big corporations firmly in charge.
From Congress.
To the White House.
To the press - down to your local Politico.
The November 4, 2010 issue of Politico carries about 25 articles.
Not one of which deals head on with the question of corporate crime or corporate power.
The same issue carries about 13 full page ads - at about $10,000 a page - from big corporations and lobbying groups.
Bought and paid for.
Let us count the ways:
Chevron: Big Oil Should Support Small Business. (Two page color spread.)
Altria: A company is only as strong as the people behind it.
Siemens: What can a century-old factory teach us about the future?
Boeing: Real Facts, Real Americans.
AT&T: One is the loneliest number.
Shell: Let's keep delivering heat to our cities. Let's Go.
CTIA The Wireless Association: With a 92% Approval Rating, You'd Think We'd be Satisfied.
Lockheed Martin: Meads - It's All About Ability: Capability. Interoperability. Affordability.
JP Morgan Chase: There are many ways forward for small business.
Ford: For every 52 cars Korea Ships Here, The U.S. Can Only Export One There.
Finmeccanica: The Symbol of Commitment.
BlueCross Blue Shield: From Annual Eye Exams to Free Glasses.
Goldman Sachs: Meet a Small Business Leader with a Recipe for Success.
Politico runs a couple of full page ads for itself, including one about a Politico conference titled "What's Next for Technology - How Washington will Act on Key Policy Issues in 2011."
Sponsored by Qualcomm.
WTOP, the local hyper corporate news radio channel, runs a full page ad, touting itself as "the fastest way to reach the corridors of power."
Perversely, the only direct attack on the Washington corporate power structure comes from a full page ad from the libertarian Cato Institute, admonishing President Obama for not eliminating federal programs we don't need.
It then runs a list of ten which Cato says "we don't need," including "military overreach."
"The Constitution envisions a U.S. military that 'provides for the common defense' of the United States, not one that serves as the world's policeman and nation-builder. By withdrawing our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, we could save at least $125 billion next year. Eliminating other unnecessary, overseas missions would allow for a leaner force structure and defense budget, saving at least $100 billion a year without undermining U.S. security."
And another one titled "Drug War."
"Since the start of the federal War on Drugs in 1970, we've spent hundreds of billions on a futile crusade that's done little to curb drug use and much to impair our civil liberties. In fact, a Cato study showed that Portugal's decriminalization of drugs actually lowered drug-related problems. Returning drug policy to the states - where it belongs - would save at least $15 billion annually."
So, the sun did come up after November 2.
And it snuck on through the crevices of a corporate funded Cato ad.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Russell Mokhiber
Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. He is also founder of singlepayeraction.org, and editor of the website Morgan County USA.
If you think things changed on November 2, pick up a copy of today's Politico.
Which I just did.
And it sinks it just a little bit deeper.
Fundamentals still in tact.
Before November 2.
Big corporations firmly in charge.
And after November 2.
Big corporations firmly in charge.
From Congress.
To the White House.
To the press - down to your local Politico.
The November 4, 2010 issue of Politico carries about 25 articles.
Not one of which deals head on with the question of corporate crime or corporate power.
The same issue carries about 13 full page ads - at about $10,000 a page - from big corporations and lobbying groups.
Bought and paid for.
Let us count the ways:
Chevron: Big Oil Should Support Small Business. (Two page color spread.)
Altria: A company is only as strong as the people behind it.
Siemens: What can a century-old factory teach us about the future?
Boeing: Real Facts, Real Americans.
AT&T: One is the loneliest number.
Shell: Let's keep delivering heat to our cities. Let's Go.
CTIA The Wireless Association: With a 92% Approval Rating, You'd Think We'd be Satisfied.
Lockheed Martin: Meads - It's All About Ability: Capability. Interoperability. Affordability.
JP Morgan Chase: There are many ways forward for small business.
Ford: For every 52 cars Korea Ships Here, The U.S. Can Only Export One There.
Finmeccanica: The Symbol of Commitment.
BlueCross Blue Shield: From Annual Eye Exams to Free Glasses.
Goldman Sachs: Meet a Small Business Leader with a Recipe for Success.
Politico runs a couple of full page ads for itself, including one about a Politico conference titled "What's Next for Technology - How Washington will Act on Key Policy Issues in 2011."
Sponsored by Qualcomm.
WTOP, the local hyper corporate news radio channel, runs a full page ad, touting itself as "the fastest way to reach the corridors of power."
Perversely, the only direct attack on the Washington corporate power structure comes from a full page ad from the libertarian Cato Institute, admonishing President Obama for not eliminating federal programs we don't need.
It then runs a list of ten which Cato says "we don't need," including "military overreach."
"The Constitution envisions a U.S. military that 'provides for the common defense' of the United States, not one that serves as the world's policeman and nation-builder. By withdrawing our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, we could save at least $125 billion next year. Eliminating other unnecessary, overseas missions would allow for a leaner force structure and defense budget, saving at least $100 billion a year without undermining U.S. security."
And another one titled "Drug War."
"Since the start of the federal War on Drugs in 1970, we've spent hundreds of billions on a futile crusade that's done little to curb drug use and much to impair our civil liberties. In fact, a Cato study showed that Portugal's decriminalization of drugs actually lowered drug-related problems. Returning drug policy to the states - where it belongs - would save at least $15 billion annually."
So, the sun did come up after November 2.
And it snuck on through the crevices of a corporate funded Cato ad.
Russell Mokhiber
Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. He is also founder of singlepayeraction.org, and editor of the website Morgan County USA.
If you think things changed on November 2, pick up a copy of today's Politico.
Which I just did.
And it sinks it just a little bit deeper.
Fundamentals still in tact.
Before November 2.
Big corporations firmly in charge.
And after November 2.
Big corporations firmly in charge.
From Congress.
To the White House.
To the press - down to your local Politico.
The November 4, 2010 issue of Politico carries about 25 articles.
Not one of which deals head on with the question of corporate crime or corporate power.
The same issue carries about 13 full page ads - at about $10,000 a page - from big corporations and lobbying groups.
Bought and paid for.
Let us count the ways:
Chevron: Big Oil Should Support Small Business. (Two page color spread.)
Altria: A company is only as strong as the people behind it.
Siemens: What can a century-old factory teach us about the future?
Boeing: Real Facts, Real Americans.
AT&T: One is the loneliest number.
Shell: Let's keep delivering heat to our cities. Let's Go.
CTIA The Wireless Association: With a 92% Approval Rating, You'd Think We'd be Satisfied.
Lockheed Martin: Meads - It's All About Ability: Capability. Interoperability. Affordability.
JP Morgan Chase: There are many ways forward for small business.
Ford: For every 52 cars Korea Ships Here, The U.S. Can Only Export One There.
Finmeccanica: The Symbol of Commitment.
BlueCross Blue Shield: From Annual Eye Exams to Free Glasses.
Goldman Sachs: Meet a Small Business Leader with a Recipe for Success.
Politico runs a couple of full page ads for itself, including one about a Politico conference titled "What's Next for Technology - How Washington will Act on Key Policy Issues in 2011."
Sponsored by Qualcomm.
WTOP, the local hyper corporate news radio channel, runs a full page ad, touting itself as "the fastest way to reach the corridors of power."
Perversely, the only direct attack on the Washington corporate power structure comes from a full page ad from the libertarian Cato Institute, admonishing President Obama for not eliminating federal programs we don't need.
It then runs a list of ten which Cato says "we don't need," including "military overreach."
"The Constitution envisions a U.S. military that 'provides for the common defense' of the United States, not one that serves as the world's policeman and nation-builder. By withdrawing our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, we could save at least $125 billion next year. Eliminating other unnecessary, overseas missions would allow for a leaner force structure and defense budget, saving at least $100 billion a year without undermining U.S. security."
And another one titled "Drug War."
"Since the start of the federal War on Drugs in 1970, we've spent hundreds of billions on a futile crusade that's done little to curb drug use and much to impair our civil liberties. In fact, a Cato study showed that Portugal's decriminalization of drugs actually lowered drug-related problems. Returning drug policy to the states - where it belongs - would save at least $15 billion annually."
So, the sun did come up after November 2.
And it snuck on through the crevices of a corporate funded Cato ad.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.