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Where did the money go?

Last year Congress and President Bush gave Wall Street an unprecedented $700 billion taxpayer bailout to stabilize the economy. The first $350 billion has been spent with nothing to show for it. Not only is the economy getting worse, but the government has no idea what the banks did with the money.

Please sign our petition urging your Representative to help us Secure America’s Financial Future.

PETITION TEXT

Dear Member of Congress,

I’m urging you to fix the Wall Street bailout and take steps to guarantee that it never happens again. Financial reform legislation must include:

• Accountability: Hold both banks and their regulators accountable. Require greater disclosure and oversight for all the taxpayer money they’re spending.

• Consumer Protection: Establish a Consumer Credit Safety Commission to ensure that credit cards, bank loans and mortgages are safe for consumers and homeowners.

• Comprehensive Regulation: Close the loopholes that have allowed investment banks, hedge funds, insurance companies and others that sell risky, unregulated products to take advantage of the federal safety net and taxpayer bailouts without accountability.

Sincerely,

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What would you ask the Wall Street bankers?

wall street bankers (Photos: REUTERS/Larry Downing)

Congress has finally started grilling the Wall Street bankers on Capitol Hill. Now here's your chance to ask them a question. We'll compile the best submissions, then work one-on-one with supportive members of Congress to make sure your questions get asked when Wall Street CEOs return to Capitol Hill for hearings later this month.

Your Question	Type your question here.
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Stop AIG Bonuses

AIG, which has received more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout money, has just awarded $165 million in bonuses to its top management.

Please sign our petition to AIG, demanding that they withhold any more bonuses until taxpayer money has been repaid. We will also forward a copy of the petition and signatures to President Obama, letting him know the public supports his effort to block the bonuses.

Petition Text:

We demand that AIG withhold management bonuses until taxpayer money has been paid back in full.

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Tell Your Legislators to Support a Consumer Financial Protection Agency

Photo by Jim Wallace (Smithsonian Institution)

We can't let the CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (pictured at right) call new financial rules a "populist overreaction."

Urge your representative and senators to co-sponsor legislation to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

Please sign our petition below to your members of Congress.

Petition Text

I urge you to co-sponsor legislation to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

Americans deserve to know that our financial institutions are playing by the rules.

Stop the Ticketmaster merger

Ticketmaster wants to merge with Live Nation (Ticketmaster's leading competitor), meaning that most of the tickets we could buy would be coming from the new mega-ticket conglomerate.

Ticketmaster already adds around 30% to the cost of a ticket in junk fees. And from past experience we know that the less competition, the worse these guys get with their handling, processes and other nonsense fees.

Help us stand up to the merger. Please use the form below to send a message to Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney, head of the anti-trust division of the Department of Justice. If you can, please add any personal experience you have had with over-priced tickets, or an inability to purchase tickets from alternative vendors.

Letter

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Stop The Ticketmaster Merger

Ticketmaster wants to merge with Live Nation (Ticketmaster's leading competitor), meaning that most of the tickets we could buy would be coming from the new mega-ticket conglomerate.

Ticketmaster already adds around 30% to the cost of a ticket in junk fees. And from past experience we know that the less competition, the worse these guys get with their handling, processing and other nonsense fees.

Help us stand up to the merger.

Letter

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Stop the corporate takeover of democracy

The Supreme Court ruled to lift a 60-year-old ban that kept corporations from influencing federal elections — rights specifically granted to people.

Already, moneyed institutions have too much power over government. I shudder to think of a situation in which Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil and Big Pharma have even more control.

Tell your members of Congress to protect our democracy.

Letter

Dear Member of Congress,

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC would allow corporations to spend money directly on attack ads supporting or opposing Congressional candidates.

This decision was made under the pretext that because a corporation is a “person,” they should be allowed to spend their massive aggregated wealth to influence elections.

A corporation is not a person with voting rights. Giving corporations the rights of people would fundamentally change our democracy.

Rep. Van Hollen, Sen. Schumer and the White House are working protect our democracy from the implications of this decision.

I urge you to take swift action in support of this effort.

Sincerely,

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Wall Street Banks: Pay Us Back

Just six banks are giving out enough in bonuses to nearly cover every state's estimated budget shortfall this year.

How can the banks reward themselves like it was some sort of banner year? The least they can do is pay us back before they lavish all that money on themselves.

If they won't pay it back, we need to take it back. Sign our letter to your members of Congress, calling for a fee on the banks to recoup our bailout money.

Petition Text
Dear Members of Congress:

We are outraged that many of the banks who received billions of dollars directly from the TARP, AIG and Federal Reserve bailouts, have now declared billions of dollars in bonuses without fully paying back taxpayers.

It's time to put Main Street first. Please support President Obama's new fee on the big banks who took taxpayer funds and used them to make massive profits and declare massive bonuses without getting the economy moving again.

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They're raising your taxes by $381

Did you know that more than 80 percent of America's biggest banks and corporations, including some of those we bailed out, don't pay their taxes?

Instead, they park their money in offshore tax havens like the Cayman Islands. As a result, the average Oregonian household, a.k.a. you and me, is paying $381 a year to cover for $100 billion they don't pay.

Why should we have to pick up the tab for tax dodgers? Sign our Tax Day Declaration and tell Congress to close the corporate tax loopholes.

Petition Text

TAX DAY DECLARATION

Dear Member of Congress:

When large corporations skip out on their taxes by moving their “headquarters” to tax havens like the Cayman Islands or shifting profits overseas, we the taxpayers are the ones who pick up the tab.

Why should we have to cover the tax burden of tax-dodging banks and corporations?

Your colleagues, Sen. Carl Levin and Rep. Lloyd Doggett, have introduced the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act -- S. 506 and H.R. 1265 -- to crack down on corporations that use tax havens. We call upon you to support this measure. The time for reform is now!

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Register for the Activist Workshop

OSPIRG in conjunction with the Public Interest Network is organizing an Activist Workshop on Saturday, July 10th. Show up ready for action. We will spend the day moving between large group overviews and small groups to give people an opportunity to learn and internalize skills.

Apply to attend for free using the form below.

The skills we are focused on are skills passionate activists need to know how to do.

Here's the agenda:
1:00 – 1:15 Welcome/Introductions
1:15 – 1:30 Overview of Volunteer Recruitment
1:30 – 2:10 Small Groups: Volunteer Recruitment
2:10 – 2:30 Overview of Building a Coalition
2:30 – 3:00 Small Groups: Building a Paper Tiger Coalition
3:00 – 3:20 Break, Meet fellow area activists
3:20 – 3:45 Overview of Planning a News Conference
3:45 – 4:25 Small Groups: Planning a News Conference
4:25 – 4:30 Wrap-up

The trainers will be experienced staff from OSPIRG and the Public Interest Network. It's a chance to meet some of the people behind the email addresses. This event is open to the public, feel free to spread the word to other activists.

Apply below to attend for free, or RSVP and submit a $10 donation to defray the cost of the workshop.

The training will be held at the Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, located at 2828 Southeast Stephens Street in Portland. After you RSVP, Megan Severson, the training facilitator, will be in touch with directions and more details about the training. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email mseverson@publicinterestnetwork.org.

Why do you want to attend?

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Register for the Activist Workshop

OSPIRG in conjunction with the Public Interest Network is organizing an Activist Workshop on Wednesday, July 7th. Show up ready for action. We will spend the day moving between large group overviews and small groups to give people an opportunity to learn and internalize skills.

Apply to attend for free using the form below.

The skills we are focused on are skills passionate activists need to know how to do.

Here's the agenda:
6:00 – 6:15 Welcome/Introductions
6:15 – 6:30 Overview of Volunteer Recruitment
6:30 – 7:00 Small Groups: Volunteer Recruitment
7:00 – 7:20 Overview of Building a Coalition
7:20 – 7:50 Small Groups: Building a Paper Tiger Coalition
7:50 – 8:05 Break, Meet fellow area activists
8:05 – 8:25 Overview of Planning a News Conference
8:25 – 8:55 Small Groups: Planning a News Conference
8:55 – 9:00 Wrap-up

The trainers will be experienced staff from OSPIRG and the Public Interest Network. It's a chance to meet some of the people behind the email addresses. This event is open to the public, feel free to spread the word to other activists.

Apply below to attend for free, or RSVP and submit a $10 donation to defray the cost of the workshop.

The training will be held at Lane Community College in Eugene. After you RSVP, Megan Severson, the training facilitator, will be in touch with directions and more details about the training. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email mseverson@publicinterestnetwork.org.

Why do you want to attend?

First Name

Last Name

Phone Number