True enough, but the less funding and organization they have, the less likely it will be that they can get what they want passed, get reelected, and block better legislation. This war will not be won in a grand battle, but rather in baby steps, inches. Time is not on our side, but comfort in the small victories.
I am currently involved in the climate change movement and am a veteran of the 1980s South Africa divestment movement. After years of study I came to realize that while it was a decent organizing tool it is financially ineffective. Any stock that is artificially undervalued due to divestment will be immediately snapped up in the global marketplace by those without moral restraint, thus instantly negating any supposed gains.
It's not possible to organize around the tactic without misleading folks as to its real world effect. Stock prices and investor profits just aren't going to change as a result.
This is even more true for fossil fuel companies than it was for the relatively limited number of corporations that were very active in South Africa. Enough of the entire world divesting from fossil fuel stocks to make the bosses sweat? C'mon.
At my school we created an uproar, did not achieve divestment, and had exactly the same PR effect on South Africa and its corporate benefactors as those schools that did divest. I eventually wished that we'd pushed the school for shareholder resolutions, product and intellectual boycotts, and other corporate campaign strategies - things we likely would have won and that would have had a more direct impact on the corporations and South Africa.
My two cents worth.
"Imagine if each citizen could use a tax deduction to support the media of their choice like Sweden does, what a vibrant news scene we would have then. "
NO! I wouldn't want to see Koch bros. et al getting tax breaks for supporting Fox News (ahem), the Republican media machine that has created the most disinformation for voters.
ALEC most certainly is not open to honest debate, how do you explain their 'corporate written legislation' being implemented only by Tea Party state legislatures? In case your not real clear on the concept, corporations that write policy using shrouded language designed to weaken workers rights and lowering pay (or) repeal of emmission standards which leads to thousands dying from asthma each year and, getting it passed by like minded and hand picked political pawns is called fascism.
Thanks for the favorable news but until candidates receive a minimal amount (< $20, say) from individuals only, the system will largely remain corrupted.
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