RE: damning information on our local senator

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Richmond, Rick (rrichmon@uwec.edu)
Tue, 16 Aug 2005 18:05:05 -0500



Subject: RE: damning information on our local senator
Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2005 18:05:05 -0500
Message-ID: <BDD0A3EABE40F04A8C7200805EDE5A6A02DE97C1@PEPSI.uwec.edu>
From: "Richmond, Rick" <rrichmon@uwec.edu>

We might want to check this further - the information differs from what's given by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign (http://www.wisdc.org). A $1000 WalMart contribution is listed, 'tho not from WalMart heirs. Disappointingly, there are a fair number of contributions from district residents. The WDC report covers Brown's 2003-2004 contributions, and totals $16381 from individuals ($7550 in-district) and $8700 from PACs.
 
 

________________________________

From: sfpj-request@listserve.uwec.edu on behalf of Drumm, Daniel L. Sent: Tue 8/16/2005 3:51 PM To: sfpj@listserve.uwec.edu Subject: damning information on our local senator

Good to see Sen. Brown is working so hard to help WI subsidize Wal-Mart through health benefits...

In his most recent campaign finance report, Republican Senator Ron Brown could not find one person in his district to support his campaign. But he did find Wal-Mart heirs in other states to write him a check. Who is Ron Brown working for?

See below for information regarding this finance report. Please consider writing a letter to the editor today. Call a radio call-in show. Talk to your friends and neighbors and help get the message out.

To send a letter to the editor.....

  Eau Claire Leader Telegram 701 South Farwell Street, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 Fax: (715) 833-9244 http://www.cvol.net/contacteditor.htm#editorform < http://rm.resultsmail.com/route.cfm?mid=dd873104-f6fb-4b7b-9445-d98f311d 70ae&uid=02803afe-5dd2-48dc-adbb-8740f18196b4&route=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ec vol%2Enet%2Fcontacteditor%2Ehtm%23editorform
<http://rm.resultsmail.com/route.cfm?mid=dd873104-f6fb-4b7b-9445-d98f311 d70ae&uid=02803afe-5dd2-48dc-adbb-8740f18196b4&route=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2E cvol%2Enet%2Fcontacteditor%2Ehtm%23editorform> >

  The Numbers During the budget and 2005 Spring Session Ron Brown took in $11,000. That $11,000 came from three sources: The Walton family, a conduit of out-of district, out-of-state supporters of alternative choice schools, and PAC's.
  By the numbers:
  Walton money: 41% School Voucher conduit money: 63.6% (Fund for Choices in Education, based in Milwaukee) Out-of state money 83% Milwaukee money 17% In-district money 0% Contributions of over $250 100% Average contribution $475
  The Walton Case:
 

Jim Walton $500 1/16/05 Arkansas Lynne Walton $500 1/16/05 Arkansas Christy Walton $250 5/2/05 Wyoming John Walton $250 5/2/05 Wyoming Christy Walton $600 6/24/05 Wyoming Jim Walton $600 6/24/05 Arkansas John Walton $600 ($100 returned) 6/24/05 Wyoming Lynne Walton $600 ($100 returned) 6/24/05 Arkansas
  Total Amount $3900
 
  Other Brown contributions from out of district:
  Laura Fisher $500 1/16/05 California Jerry Hume $500 1/16/05 California Susan Oberndorf $500 1/16/05 California Howard Fuller $250 5/2/05 Milwaukee
-Deborah McGriff $250 5/2/05 Milwaukee Betsy DeVos $300 6/24/05 Michigan Dick DeVos $300 6/24/05 Michigan Howard Fuller $600 6/24/04 Milwaukee Deborah McGriff $600 6/24/05 Milwaukee Bill Oberndorf $600 6/24/05 California Susan Oberndorf $600 ($100 returned) 6/24/05 California Rick Sharp $600 6/24/05 Virginia
  Total Amount $5,600

What others have to say:

Ron Brown (R), Arkansas? 100% of money to Eau Claire area state Senator, not from Eau Claire area
  Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke is asking Ron Brown to explain why all of the money he has raised over the past six months has come from either wealthy out-of-state donors or from Milwaukee School Choice leaders.
 
"A politician from Eau Claire who raises 100% of his money in huge chunks from out-of -state corporate interests and wads from out-of-district conduit checks owes his constituents an explanation," said Wineke. "Why would the Waltons in Arkansas and Wyoming give the Senator from Eau Claire $3900?"
  During the budget and 2005 Spring Session, Ron Brown took in $9500. That $9500 came from two sources: heirs to the Walmart fortune, and a conduit of out-of district, out-of state supporters of Milwaukee Choice Schools.
  All of Brown's contributions were $250 or greater with the average contribution being $475. Further troubling news is that 83% of Ron Brown's campaign cash comes from Arkansas, Wyoming, California, Michigan, and Virginia. The other 17% comes straight from Milwaukee School Choice leaders.
 
"That's a lot of money coming in from people who seemingly have no ties to Eau Claire, Buffalo, Trempealeau or Jackson Counties," said Wineke.
"I'm sure he has an explanation as to why these folks are so interested in him, and I'm sure his constituents would love to hear it."
 

##

Sample Letter to the editor on this subject:

To the editor: Can Senator Ron Brown not find anyone in his own district to support his campaign? I was amazed to see on his most recent campaign finance report filing (http://elections.state.wi.us < http://rm.resultsmail.com/route.cfm?mid=dd873104-f6fb-4b7b-9445-d98f311d 70ae&uid=02803afe-5dd2-48dc-adbb-8740f18196b4&route=http%3A%2F%2Felectio ns%2Estate%2Ewi%2Eus
<http://rm.resultsmail.com/route.cfm?mid=dd873104-f6fb-4b7b-9445-d98f311 d70ae&uid=02803afe-5dd2-48dc-adbb-8740f18196b4&route=http%3A%2F%2Felecti ons%2Estate%2Ewi%2Eus> > ) that he took 100% of his money from out of the district, including a whopping $3,900 from Wal-Mart heirs from places like Arkansas and Wyoming. Why is a Senator from Eau Claire recieving the bulk of his support from one of the richest families in the world, owners of a company who's employee's in Wisconsin have been using the state's Badgercare program for health care because of the substandard benefits provided. The rest of Brown's money came from places like California and Virginia. Fully 83% of his individual contributions were from out of state. What happened to Ron Brown? While he is voting to send our public school tax dollars to Milwaukee private schools, he took $7,000 from special interest conduits designed to support such measures. Let's remind Ron Brown who he represents...the hard working families of the 31st Senate District and Not Wal-Mart heirs or narrow special interests. - signed Jan Smith 715-555-1234

Letter to the editor tips: When done right, an op-ed is persuasive writing at its best. It has the power to appeal on a real level with peers in your community, and is therefore a worthwhile yet simple way to fight for Democratic issues. Here are some tips for writing an op-ed piece:

* Always sign letters with your name and a daytime telephone number.
* Try to limit the article to 250 words. Shorter is even better. Newspapers have limited space to offer, and editors generally won't take the time to cut a long article down to size so make sure yours is already short and to the point for them.
* Concisely make a single point. You cannot solve all of the world's problems in 250 words. Be satisfied with making a single point clearly and persuasively.
* State your main point early. You have no more than 10 seconds to hook a busy reader, and so get to the point and convince the reader that it's worth his or her valuable time to continue.
* Tell readers why they should care. Put yourself in the place of the busy person looking at your article. At the end of every few paragraphs, ask out loud: "So what? Who cares?" Make sure that your piece answers these questions.
* Offer specific recommendations. An op-ed is not a news story that simply describes a situation; it is your opinion about how to improve matters. Don't be satisfied with mere analysis. Offer recommendations, and try to be original yet maintain practicality.
* Showing is better than discussing. You may remember the Pentagon's overpriced toilet seat that became a symbol of profligate federal spending. You probably don't recall the total Pentagon budget for that year. That's because we remember colorful details better than dry facts. When writing an op-ed article, therefore, look for great examples that will bring your argument to life.
* Use short sentences and paragraphs. Use a style that relies mainly on simple declarative sentences. Cut long paragraphs into two or more shorter ones.
* Don't be afraid of the personal voice. When it comes to op-eds, it's good to use the personal voice whenever possible. If you are a physician, describe the troubles of one of your patients. If you've volunteered throughout the community, tell stories to help argue your point.
* Avoid jargon. If a technical detail is not essential to your argument, don't use it. When in doubt, leave it out. Simple language doesn't mean simple thinking; it means you are being considerate of readers who lack your expertise and are sitting half-awake at their breakfast table.
* Avoid tedious rebuttals. If you've written your article in response to an earlier piece that made your blood boil, avoid the temptation to prepare a point-by-point rebuttal. It makes you look petty. It's likely that readers didn't see the earlier article and, if they did, they've probably forgotten it. So, just take a deep breath, mention the earlier article once and argue your own case.
* Make your ending a winner. You're probably familiar with the importance of a strong opening paragraph, or "lead," that hooks readers. But when writing for the op-ed page, it's also important to summarize your argument in a strong final paragraph.

 



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