SEATTLE (AP) — Two railroad companies want to prevent the public from getting ahold of details about oil shipments through Washington state, a disclosure the federal government ordered be given to state emergency managers in the wake of several oil train accidents.
At a recent workshop entitled “Toxins in Everyday Products,” Hood River pediatrician Rich Martin introduced a tough subject to his audience of 15 adults gathered in the basement conference room of the Hood River Library. Martin, as a pediatrician, is used to employing his calming voice to sooth. Lucky for the audience — because the information he shared, alongside presenters from the Oregon Environmental Council, was none too reassuring.
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have delivered on their promise to propose legislation that requires fuller disclosure of campaign contributions — the sole recourse for those seeking campaign finance sanity in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money in elections.
The Bulletin, April 28, on Sen. Wyden’s political donation disclosure bill: The U.S. Supreme Court has been consistent over the years: Americans have a right to contribute what they wish to the political candidates and causes of their choice. And the court’s ruling in the Citizens United case in 2010 made clear that, where political contributions are concerned, businesses and unions are “people,” too.
