Senator Lisa Murkowski – one way of Stealing an Election is revealed
Thank you very much, Senator...
"I didn't promise anything in return" (wink, nod...)
January 14, 2011 — In an earlier article on this website, Groundswell revealed its reasons why Alaskan voters should not vote for Lisa Murkowski as U.S. Senator. We noted her desire to do special legislation to grant the for-profit subsidiaries of Community Development Quota non-profits an exemption from federal income taxes. Since the certification of Murkowski to the Senate, again, she has — along with Alaska’s Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Mark Begich and two Washington State Democratic U.S. Senators (Maria Cantwell and Patti Murray), forwarded a Ted Stevens like end-run legislation on fisheries law, S.1609, to establish a Cooperative for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Cod Longliner Catcher Processors. Talk about a payback system working quick! With a little sleight of hand — no thanks to Maria Cantwell for sponsoring S.1609 — the direct kickback nature got washed a little. But anyone on the ground in Alaska prior to the general election is fully aware of the role played by the Native organizations and Seattle and Tokyo-owned fish companies in providing Murkowski with the money to wage an all out write-in campaign.
“Alaskans Standing Together” — Native organizations gave $895,000 to Murkowski campaign.
In our earlier article, we linked you to the website for the campaign contributions received by Murkowski. Media across the nation noted the role of the Supreme Court’s decision to allow corporate money to be spent lavishly and largely unrestricted for such campaigns, and Murkowski’s run as a write-in candidate was noted as one of the first major outcomes of that decision. We’d like to update readers in a simple way, today. Just take a look at the following table of which “contributors” gave to Alaskans Standing Together, and then ask yourself if it is really fair to steal an election by funneling monies from groups who are large recipients of government no-bid contracts and other special deals, where that very Senator has a lot of pull in Congress.
SEC Complaint on Catch Shares revealed by Groundswell
Sometimes, I feel like a Ratz...
Many true harvesters and participants (not the mailbox fishermen) in the fishing industry have expressed their concerns about the ‘asset commoditization’ of fish species, or Catch Share programs that create tradeable quota shares, owned by private individuals or institutions.
Lisa Murkowski’s elitism keeps Alaska from self-sufficiency – vote for a real Alaskan.
Plea Bargaining with the Voters ... Lisa Murkowski
Tomorrow is shaping up to be the most interesting voting day in Alaska — one so dominated by a U.S. Senate race that it seems nothing else is on the voters’ minds, at least over the coffee table. I can’t vote for Lisa Murkowski for at least four important reasons. She’s an elitist who supports low value resource extraction from Alaska, who willingly plunged toward real estate sweetheart profits hoping to gain personal advantage from taxpayer funds, while protecting foreign corporations who practice global tax evasion that greatly harms the state and nation. She also leads legislation for Community Development Quota non-profit firms to make only their for-profit subsidiaries free from federal taxes, and is blind to how that will eventually decimate the fishing industry economy. Murkowski’s right up there leading the GOP goons who are crushing the middle class and more than just dabbling in poverty creation. It’s her kind of politician that keeps Alaska under the knuckles of a Resource Curse global beast and held back by the jackboots of its limited corporate membership. She isn’t a Marxist, just one of those who supports and helps set up all the conditions of disenfranchisement, disillusionment and peonage that ensures anarchy will soon arise because the People tire of living debt flattened lives so a few elitists can live the money fattened life.
What kind of Outside money buys an election?
Nov. 2 UPDATE: I McVoted today, have you? The polls close soon… drive carefully.
Nov. 3 UPDATE: 0130 hrs. - write-ins strong enough to force a recount or a hand count? Wonder how many in the US Senate and Justice Department will be interested in fact that Alaska Native Corporations spent $1.2 million backing Murkowski, when so much of their profits derived from government funded programs? But the yet-to-be-contested ballot counts are not even going to be tallied up until possibly November 21st!
UPDATE: Nov. 3rd, 0845 hrs. AST – Write-ins in total have pulled ahead of Joe Miller by 7%. Amazing, Lisa’s backers disingenously complained that outside money (Tea Party) caused her to lose the primary, but it is now clear that Outside money may help her squeeze out a win. It’s been nothing but a business transaction for the Seattle fish companies and beneficiaries of privatization in federal fisheries, the K-streeters whose cut comes from running legislative sales through Murkowski’s office, and the major oil companies who want to continue to ripoff Alaskan crude cheaply. Then add in the circular laundering of pay-to-play no-bid contractors who cling to federal purse strings and one thing becomes clear:
The final Public Integrity crackdown on Alaska’s remaining political dung is going to be tougher than the Fifth Labour of Hercules - Cleaning up the Augean Stables.
Abusive Transfer Pricing – 1 – Groundswell in the 1990′s
Shipping Profits Offshore in Products
A Transfer Price is a controlled price between related firms that is charged for a product or service. When the transaction fails to follow acceptable “arm’s length pricing” principles, and varies from a “comparable, uncontrolled price” to such an extent that it violates established tax codes, it can be termed an “Abusive Transfer Price” (ATP). The PDF file below contains pages from Groundswell’s earliest efforts to resolve problems of such profit-shifting across international borders between “host nation” U.S. subsidiaries of foreign-controlled corporations (FCC) whose parent firms are domiciled in Japan or Korea, their home nation.
TRANSFER PRICING basic diagrams & articles – for you to read in support of the primary discussion below:
ATP_Binder_1 …And… ATP_Binder_2
Groundswell quiet … gone fishing (yeah sure, ya betcha)
Groundswell goes quiet when the real work of dealing with federal law enforcement takes priority, or to put it another way, when we simply are “gone fishing.” As in for sealord sharks. Would that we’d be on our favorite Canadian lake fishing for trophy sized trout, instead. But it’s been quite the summer, and we’ve been watching and working behind the scenes. Don’t mistake the quiet for hesitation or disillusion. - Marion Pritchard
Community Development Quota (CDQ) groups unveiled by Journal of Commerce
Friday, August 6, 2010 — Andrew Jensen of the Alaska Journal of Commerce wrote two revealing articles about how some CDQ entities excessively reward certain managers and employ Washington DC lobbyists. For now, here’s the link to the articles, the CDQ’s January 2009 request letter to Alaska delegates in Congress, and a copy of the latest draft of the legislation.
1. “CDQ execs reel in nearly $4 million since 2006″
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/080610/fis_cdq.shtml
2. “CDQ groups pursue tax break even as some say they don’t need it”
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/080610/fis_cdqg.shtml
January 2009 – 6 CDQs write Congressional delegates requesting special tax-break legislation: CDQ_tax_ltr_Jan09
Nome Nugget article on congressional scoring of the proposed tax break: CDQ Tax Break – NomeNugget
Latest Draft of the Tax Break Legislation (available to Groundswell): CDQ MAT10481 Extenders Amdt
An Antidote to Unaccountable Corporate Lies – DISCLOSE Act – by Paul Rogat Loeb
The Congressional DISCLOSE Act would require organizations involved in electoral campaigning to reveal the identities of their major donors in their political ads.
You might enjoy these 2 articles by Groundswell’s friend … but be sure to also research the Fair Elections Now Act that would limit a person’s contributions to $100 for any candidate…
Congressmen call for replacement of NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco
July 8 – 2010 – Breaking News from today’s WBSM’s Saving Seafood hour radio broadcast.
Congressmen Barney Frank & John Tierney called for Dr. Jane Lubchenco to be replaced as Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Rep. Frank even termed Luchenco as being “hostile” to the industry’s needs, as he outlined problems of agency interference with an economic activity, corruption and related issues. He briefly noted concerns with how NOAA has dealt with the flounder allowable catch limits, as well as Catch Shares and other concerns. Read more at the blogroll for Saving Seafoods!
And they didn’t even mention NOAA’s poor handling of the Gulf Oil Spill volume assessments.
Antitrust Federal Class Action Allegations filed against Pacific Seafood Group
http://www.cartels.net
June 22, 2010 – A major fisheries Antitrust complaint was filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Case No. 10-3057-PA, Lloyd D. Whaley v. Pacific Seafood Group involving 54 defendant entities owned by [Frank] Dulcich, Inc. The complaint alleges violations of 15 U.S.C. §§ 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and pursuant to Sections 4 and 16 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 15 and 26 and 28 regarding four major seafood product markets: Dungeness Crab, Groundfish, Pacific Onshore Whiting (hake), and Pacific Coldwater Shrimp.
Haglund ANTITRUST Whaley Complaint filed 6 22 10
PDF of PowerPoint slides: Antitrust & Restraint of Trade
Ten Suggestions for Effective Activism – Paul Rogat Loeb
Groundswell’s good friend summarizes key aspects of effective activism …
By Paul Rogat Loeb – June 17, 2010
Effective activism’s a long-haul process, not “save the earth in 30 days, ask me how.” But there are some principles that seem to reoccur for people addressing every kind of challenge from the Gulf Oil spill to inadequate funding for urban schools to how to deal with Afghanistan and Iraq.