by Eric Cochling | Oct 29, 2014
The following is a special report for Georgia Center for Opportunity by Mike Klein. Mike’s other work may be found here.
Video from the Atlanta session may be seen here:
While voters fixate on an election next week that could change Washington’s balance of power, some also are looking ahead to next year’s Federal Election Commission agenda that will include an effort by incoming chair Ann Ravel to overhaul campaign finance disclosure law. Ravel has established her target-of-choice: corporate political action committees and super PAC expenditures after a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court opinion that ended independent spending limits.
Thousands of non-profit groups could become caught in a tidal wave of proposed changes that might impact how local, state and national organizations can advocate for children’s welfare, education, health care and virtually any other policy. The concept of the “anonymous donor” who makes community projects and thinking happen could be derailed without considerable care to protect the rights individuals have to use their personal money as they desire.
“Dark money” is the pejorative term opponents created to talk about corporate political action committee and super PAC spending. Ravel speaks openly about “problems we have with these dark money groups” and her view that “people are getting disgusted about what’s happening.” She says, “Polls have shown that elected officials are primarily serving their large contributors and not their constituents. That view is held equally by Republicans and Democrats.”
The FEC vice chair was at Emory University in Atlanta last week on the final leg of a three-city swing described as a listening tour to gather public input before her 2015 planned initiative. Other stops were Denver in early October and the University of Chicago’s new Institute of Politics that was founded by President Barack Obama’s political operative David Axelrod. Obama appointed Ravel to the six-member Federal Election Commission in October 2013. The FEC has three Republican and three Democratic commissioners. Ravel becomes chair in 2015.
The 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act is the cornerstone of U.S. election law. Perhaps more appropriately, it has become at least a time capsule and perhaps even a tomb as the FECA has not been amended since 1979. Changes to national election finance laws have mainly occurred because of FEC rules and regulations or because federal courts decided various questions brought over three and one-half decades.
In 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court (Citizens United vs. FEC) struck down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions. It opened the door to spending by non-profit groups to support or oppose a candidate without having to disclose donors who could be individuals or other entities including corporations. The Center for Competitive Politics says that spending accounted for $311 million of the $7.3 billion spent in the 2012 election cycle.
Georgia State University law school professor Anne Tucker cited higher numbers when she joined Ravel onstage in Atlanta. Tucker said corporate political action committees spent $360 million in the 2012 election cycle and she said super PAC funds accounted for another $75 million. Tucker said 1,220 super PACs that do not disclose their donors raised over $520 million for the 2014 midterm elections. Tucker like Ravel supports the expansion of disclosure.
Thursday evening’s Emory event was far from a balanced discussion. Twenty-eight speakers approached the microphone and nearly all said the same thing: Someone must stop the inflow of corporate and other big money into politics. “I tell people your vote is your voice but I recently have come to believe that I am wrong. Sadly today your dollar is your voice,” said Robin Collins. “We argue that corporate spending in elections should not be equated to the First Amendment rights of individual citizens,” said Cindy Strickland. Another speaker noted she was “invited to this and also reminded” to attend.
Context is often lost where passion prevails. There was important context from William Loughery who knows of what he speaks. Now living in Georgia, the soft-spoken Loughery is a former chief of staff to United States Senator Arlen Spector, a former FEC staffer and he participated in writing the 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act which as noted above has not been amended in thirty-five years.
“When we wrote the Federal Election Campaign Act there never was any enforcement so why would anyone waste time on independent expenditures,” said Loughery. “The fundamental problem is nobody wants to change the law, nobody wants to make a significant radical change to update it because basically, the whole process would be captive of the current members of Congress and even the members of the Commission are basically captives of Congress. Technology has changed, a lot of other things have changed and there’s nothing being done to update the law.”
Battle plans have specific objectives but battles produce collateral damage. Non-profit groups that focus entirely on policies could become swept up in a federal election campaign law disclosure reform movement. As a young Emory student told the panel, “You have to look for the unintended consequences and protect individual rights, freedom of speech and the legitimacy of our democracy. That’s not an easy task.”
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Oct 28, 2014
GCO is thrilled to have Jeff and Jimmy Kemp join us at our annual fundraiser on December 4, 2014 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Jeff and Jimmy will be with us to share recollections of their father, the late Jack Kemp, and discuss why his legacy matters today. We will also show how GCO is working each and every day to make Georgia a state where ALL have a real chance to prosper. We look forward to you joining us on December 4, 2014. Register to Attend.
I believe the ultimate imperative for growth and opportunity is to advance human dignity. – Jack Kemp
JEFF KEMP
Jeff Kemp is a quarterback for the family. He is an Ivy League graduate who played eleven seasons as a Quarterback in the National Football League with the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco Forty-Niners, Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles. Today he is more passionate than ever about strengthening marriages and families and bringing groups and teams together for exciting results.
In 2012, Jeff joined FamilyLife as a Vice President and Catalyst for helping others strengthen families. FamilyLife, based in Little Rock, AR. is a national ministry leader in resources to build and enrich marriages and families along with radio outreach, marriage conferences and other resources to heal and strengthen families. Prior to joining FamilyLife, Jeff founded and led a dynamic organization, named Stronger Families, in the Pacific Northwest from 1993-2010.
JIMMY KEMP
James Kemp (Jimmy) is President of the Jack Kemp Foundation. He is responsible for the creation of the Foundation and secured the donation of his father’s papers to the Library of Congress.
Jimmy serves as a Director of Strategic Business Initiatives at Squire Patton Boggs LLP. He co-founded Kemp Partners, a strategic consulting firm based in Washington, DC, assisting Fortune 500 companies as well as burgeoning firms before Congress, the White House and several federal agencies. He is also an Executive Vice President at Group 47.
Jimmy spent eight seasons as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League, finishing his career in 2001 with the Toronto Argonauts. He also serves as Chairman of the Board for the Hope Community Charter School located in northeast Washington, DC. The school serves 735 pre-K through 8th grade students and has been operating since September 2005.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Oct 28, 2014
Visit Duke and UNC Chapel Hill on 11/23/14 – 11/24/14 with Breakthrough Ambassadors. The tour is open to parents and 10th – 12th grade high school students.
Check out this fantastic opportunity through Breakthrough Ambassadors to visit UNC Chapel Hill and Duke for an overnight stay! 10th, 11th, and 12th graders from any high school and parents are all invited – Come and join us. This is a chance that comes to very few, so take advantage of viewing two of the South’s best schools.
COST: $75/person (includes transportation & hotel)
WHEN: Sunday, November 23rd – Depart 7 a.m.
through Monday, November 24th (college visits & return home – around 10:00 p.m.)
HOW: 55 passenger Charter Bus
COLLEGES: Duke University & the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill
Space is limited. First come, first served.
Any questions? Contact prhsbreakthrough@gmail.com
Register Now
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Oct 14, 2014
Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia has created an interactive, marketplace environment where children’s dreams about future careers actually come to life. Set in the fictitious community of JA BizTown, students have the opportunity to experience a day-in-the-life of a working professional.
A Microcosm of Atlanta
Located in the Georgia World Congress Center, BizTown is an interactive community that serves as a microcosm of the Atlanta business community. Representing such businesses as Chick-Fil-A, AT&T, UPS, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Delta, RockTenn Recycling, and the Atlanta Falcons, the space is masterfully designed with authentic store fronts, a central, artificial lawn, and a stage for the mayor and CEOs to give town speeches. The realistic design of the space and the energy of the students make the town feel like it has come to life.
Interactive Learning Environment
The purpose of BizTown is to create a learning environment where students have the opportunity to experience what it is like to be an employee, tax-payer, and consumer. Within their respective companies, students are given the responsibility of carrying out their job assignments for such positions as CEO, CFO, sales manager, and marketing director. They are expected to quickly learn these job responsibilities, become acclimated to their unique business environment, and contribute to the day-to-day operations of their company, effectively simulating a “first-day-on-the-job” experience.
However, students’ experience at BizTown is not the only time where they have had a chance to discuss what it is like being a part of the global economy. In fact, prior to arriving in this community, students complete three weeks of JA-provided coursework which interweaves concepts of practical economics, career awareness, and entrepreneurship.
Their time in BizTown serves as a culmination of their learning experience where they have a chance to put into practice what they have learned in a fun and interactive way.
In addition to teaching students to balance the demands of job assignments, this hands-on model makes learning basic financial literacy concepts fun. Within the span of four hours, students learn how to develop a personal budget, deposit a paycheck at the bank, and make purchasing decisions. Many of the middle school students for which BizTown is geared have likely never written a check or balanced a checkbook before participating in this program. Participating in this simulation gives them the chance to practice these skills among their classmates and see how they are necessary for becoming a responsible consumer.
Bridging the Business and Education Community
Business and community volunteers play a key role in making BizTown a success. They are responsible for overseeing the students in each of the businesses, ensuring that they know their work responsibilities and are able to carry them out.
While the students work, volunteers are able to share practical tips and life lessons which serve to make the learning experience even more powerful.
This interaction gives the volunteers a chance to give back to their community by preparing the next generation for both professional and personal success.
Personal Reflections
Several Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) team members recently had the privilege of spending a day volunteering at BizTown. Here’s what a few of them wrote in reflecting about their experience:
Aundrea Gregg – “I was not only impressed with the overall setup of Junior Achievement’s Biz Town, I was also blown away by the hard work and business sense of the students I had the pleasure of working with on my volunteer day. As I helped out at the Delta shop, it was endearing to watch students develop pricing and marketing strategies, practice customer service skills, and for the students who acted as the CEO and CFO, get a taste of managing employees and running a company.
Chris Elder – “The immersiveness of the JA BizTown environment combined with the fast-paced tasks really kept the kids focused on the simulation. The students I helped thoroughly embraced their roles and often found themselves needing to prioritize and make tradeoffs in how they should spend their time.
“It was great exposure to some very important non-academic skills.”
Michael Schulte – “Overseeing the students assigned to RockTenn Recycling, I observed the challenges of running the day-to-day operations of a business. Not only can the accounting become a nightmare if you don’t stay on top of it, but making sure the employees are doing their tasks (and are equipped for their job) is a major challenge…This program wonderfully simulates a ‘real work’ experience.”
Katherine Greene – “I had the pleasure of coaching a group of sixth graders as they ran the operations of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant…In the real world, these students may not have been old enough to work, vote, or be the boss, but they were learning how to manage a restaurant, write checks, deposit checks, have staff meetings, pay bills, earn money, purchase goods, and even vote for a mayor. I commend JA Biztown for helping the students to experience the hustle and bustle of a real community.”
A Shared Vision
The investment that JA is making in students’ lives to prepare them for future success is commendable. Its strategy of involving local business and community volunteers to achieve this goal aligns well with the work GCO is doing within our Breakthrough Norcross Initiative. Both JA and GCO desire to see students dream big and reach their full potential, and we know that this is only possible as members in the community see it as their responsibility to help make this happen.
In addition, Aundrea Gregg found a common thread between the work she is doing with GCO and the work JA is doing with students at BizTown. Listen to her words as she describes the potential that this program has in continuing to shape future leaders in our state:
“After the first business period, one of the flight attendants said, ‘Is this what your day is like? Being an adult is so much work!’ By the second business period, however, everyone seemed to have found their groove and the same young lady said ‘Eh, it’s not so bad after all!’
“The ‘light bulb moments’ that I witnessed were exactly what made the day so special.”
“Thinking on my work for the College and Career Pathways initiative, it is also those light bulb moments that drive home the importance of bridging in-classroom learning with hands-on practice in real-life scenarios. I am excited for all the knowledge the students gained at BizTown, and that this program may soon reach many more students across the state.”
A BizTown program is slated to open up in Gwinnett sometime soon.
Image Credit: Atlanta Public Schools (featured image) and Junior Achievement of Georgia
by Kimberly Sawatka | Oct 10, 2014
Walking into a polling booth and thinking, “Who is this guy??” could be the scariest thing you do this fall. With major state and national seats on the line, thoroughly researching candidates and their platform is a vital first step in selecting effective leadership this November. As Midterm Elections are almost upon us, now is the time to get to know the people who will potentially represent you, your family, and your community.
Why be an informed voter?
For starters, unaware citizens make for a good laugh on Jimmy Kimmel skits. Seriously though, ill informed voters do little to change the conversation on topics that matter the most in local communities. For education, in particular, the upcoming election–by way of the Governor’s and State School Superintendent race–will determine who rolls out new reform strategies to improve outcomes for students across the state. Likewise, Georgia’s US Senate race will have a tremendous impact on which party controls the House and Senate.
Investigating beyond sponsored television ads and news clippings can boost the power of your vote this election day.
3 Ways to Get to Know Midterm Election Candidates
- Visit candidate websites: Starting with a visit to candidates’ campaign website is a quick and easy way to familiarize oneself with the respective platforms. Creating a checklist of issues that matter to you will expedite the process of comparing and prioritizing candidates according to their stance.
- Check voting records: Beyond what candidates say, it is important to research how they support the issues you care about. Particularly for incumbents, checking sites such as Govtrack.us will clarify candidates’ legislative voting record. Additionally, it may be beneficial to search for initiatives that candidates are leading independently.
- Attend local debates/community events: Engaging political hopefuls directly and in-person is an invaluable opportunity for informed voters. If possible, make it a priority attend community events where candidates will be in attendance. Also, be sure to attend or watch upcoming debates.
Whether turningout for issues impacting local communities, the state, or the nation, taking the time to know the candidates and where they stand is the responsibility of each voter. With the use of the tips above, make your vote count on November 4th.
