Read about this past week's efforts by Common Cause. We have another occasion to celebrate: Common Cause is relaunched in the state of Hawaii.

Federal Elections Commission (FEC): Time to Rethink It

CC President Bob Edgar sent a letter on May 21 to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration Chair, Senator Dianne Feinstein, to coincide with their meeting to consider the nominations of three candidates to the FEC. He stated that it is time to rethink the FEC. He urged them to take advantage of the opportunity their meeting affords by embarking on a plan to create a new and better designed federal election agency that could enforce the campaign finance laws Congress passes and that would avoid the politicization that has made the current FEC an ineffective and failed agency. CC believes there are models for an FEC that Congress can adopt that will put upholding the nation’s campaign finance laws above party loyalty. One model of other more effective law enforcement agencies, for example, are those agencies headed by a single administrator who is appointed for a fixed term by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

Last night, I attended the FCC hearing on media ownership and diversity at the Rainbow PUSH headquarters in Chicago to give testimony on behalf of Common Cause.

Overall the industry presence there last night was virtually non-existent, at least for the first four hours, after which I left. After the FCC chair and commissioners spoke - 4 of them did - a panel of 14 was allowed 5 minutes of testimony each. The IL Association of Broadcasters had three there, all of them pretty lost in an overwhelming tide of concerns and passion. What struck me is the difference between many broadcasters and the rest of us as to what constitutes public/community involvement/ interest.

For example - promoting the local Lions Club pancake breakfast is wonderful - yet fundamentally different than airing/promoting/covering/initiating regular forums to discuss a broad range of community concerns such as zoning, school funding, long-term transportation planning, or programming featuring a variety of views on what is happening in local government and investing resources in serious investigative journalism.

Hundreds of average citizens who share our concerns about media ownership and diversity gave their testimony last night. Hopefully the FCC listens.

--Todd Dietterle is chair of Common Cause Illinois.

Should citizens in the capital of the United States be represented in Congress?  Should we be able to confirm that votes are counted correctly?  If you thought those were easy questions, well, you haven't been paying close enough attention to the inner workings of our Congress.  Common Cause is pushing for a "yes" on both of those counts and holding elected officials accountable, in Washington and around the country....

• Common Cause New York report triggers lively media discussion about pay-to-play
• Newly-created Connecticut "Clean Elections" system kicks off with special election next month
• Milwaukee Rep. joins Common Cause Wisconsin's call for hold on campaign contributions
• Media consolidation hearing in Chicago this week; Common Cause on the scene
• Voting and election bills on the cusp in Congress

This Thursday, September 20th, the FCC will hold an official hearing on the issue of media ownership in Chicago. It will take place at Operation PUSH National Headquarters at 930 East 50th Street (on the corner of South Drexel Blvd.) in Chicago.

You can read more about why we are so concerned with media consolidation and localism by going to http://www.commoncause.org/MediaAndDemocracy.

People who live in greater "Chicagoland" are encouraged to go to this hearing because it's a rare opportunity to have the FCC hear your concerns directly. But, due to the actions of the broadcasters, if you want to testify, should should go as early as you can. The sign-up period will begin at 3:00, but often, the broadcasters send paid staff to wait in line as early as noon.

The FCC is coming to Chicago to hear what the PUBLIC thinks about media ownership, not what the media think. They already know what the media think. So, it's really rude for the media to try to dominate the hearing and prevent regular people from having their voices heard. Most people have to stay at work until 5:00 or so, but the media pay their staff to go sign up early.

This just reinforces why we need alternatives to the mainstream media. Media is the way we get our information to make informed decisions in our democracy. We need to ensure the internet remains neutral so we can access many sources of information easily. We need to retain and expand access to community media like Public Access TV and Low Power FM stations.

And of course, we need to ensure that the media do not become yet further consolidated into the hands of a few corporations that can control the majority of what we see and hear.

A healthy, diverse independent media is essential to our democracy functioning properly. Let's do what we can to make that a reality.

We just passed the summer solstice--the longest day of the year--so here's hoping that you're staying out late, enjoying the sunshine, and then ending your day with this, the latest Common Cause news from around the country...

• State organizations hold broadcasters accountable for inadequate election coverage
• Clean Elections on table in Madison, winning early support
• Common Cause Maine to hold training workshop for FCC hearing
• One step closer to voting rights in D.C.
• Impeach Gonzales!

Historically, when you think of Chicago politics, you think of the quintessential political machine.  Chicago party politics have been criticized for decades over this, and now finally they've been dealt a legal blow.  Robert Sorich, the former patronage chief for Mayor Richard Daley (D), has been convicted of rewarding campaign workers with jobs over more qualified applicants.

Where else would public officials try to play off blatant political favoritism as "business as usual"?  Yeesh.

What exactly this means for Mayor Daley is still in question, but one can hardly say it looks good.  Whether or not the mayor himself becomes involved in the scandal, his administration has been trampled by US Attorneys looking to teach these guys a new way of business as usual.

Here's your weekly round-up of what happened in the states; this was a busier week than usual for the states:

• California Congressional candidates attended an ethics reform panel discussion.
  
• Rachel Leon, the Executive Director of Common Cause/New York, shared with us her bi-weekly radio address for the northeastern states.
  
• Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's controversial Secretary of State, angered a lot of people by implementing voter registration rules stricter than the law calls for, including the New York Times.
  
• David Hamilton, the Maryland lawyer accused of being an unregistered lobbyist, has raised more eyebrows with emails that cast doubt on his claims.
  
• Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates have turned down public financing, meaning this will be one of the most expensive governor's races in state history.
  
• A candidate for county executive in Maryland is raising over $300,000, mostly from private fundraisers that are shadowed from the public eye.
  
• The Albuquerque city council failed to pass ethics reform legislation, but local advocates are planning to bring it back in the form of a public referendum.
  
• Some dude in Utah wants his local town council to vote to repeal the 17th Amendment, which made Senators popularly-elected officials, instead of political appointees.
  
• Pennsylvania may finally get a lobbyist disclosure law - it's the only state in the nation without one.
  
• A small town Illinois mayor was busted for decades of corruption.
  
• Everyone's curious to see what a pay-to-play trial getting underway in Wisconsin will reveal about the operations of state government.

This makes me very sad:

You may be wondering why I'm bringing you news of a corrupt mayor in small-town Illinois.  Well, it's just one more reminder of the work we reformers have in front of us - corruption isn't just limited to the DeLays, Abramoffs, and Neys of the world.  It can happen at every level of government, and even with politicians whom the public has trusted for decades.  This is why Common Cause is active not only on the national level, but on the state and local levels, as well.

If you want to help stamp out corruption in your own backyard, contact your state's Common Cause chapter and tell them you want to volunteer.  It's only with the help of people like you that we can make a difference.