STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Wednesday, 30 March 2016

[Tansy_Gold]

[font size=3]STOCK MARKET WATCH, Wednesday, 30 March 2016[font color=black][/font]

SMW for 29 March 2016

AT THE CLOSING BELL ON 29 March 2016
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Dow Jones 17,633.11 +97.72 (0.56%)
S&P 500 2,055.01 +17.96 (0.88%)
Nasdaq 4,846.62 +79.84 (1.67%)


[font color=green]10 Year 1.80% -0.05 (-2.70%)
30 Year 2.60% -0.02 (-0.76%)[font color=black]


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[font size=2]Market Conditions During Trading Hours[/font]
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(click on link for latest updates)
Market Updates
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[font size=2]Euro, Yen, Loonie, Silver and Gold[center]

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[font color=black][font size=2]Handy Links - Market Data and News:[/font][/font]
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Economic Calendar
Marketwatch Data
Bloomberg Economic News
Yahoo Finance
Google Finance
Bank Tracker
Credit Union Tracker
Daily Job Cuts
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[font color=black][font size=2]Handy Links - Economic Blogs:[/font][/font]
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The Big Picture
Financial Sense
Calculated Risk
Naked Capitalism
Credit Writedowns
Brad DeLong
Bonddad
Atrios
goldmansachs666
The Stand-Up Economist
The Automatic Earth
Wall Street on Parade
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[font color=black][font size=2]Handy Links - Essential Reading:[/font][/font]
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Matt Taibi: Secret and Lies of the Bailout


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[font color=black][font size=2]Handy Links - Government Issues:[/font][/font]
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LegitGov
Open Government
Earmark Database
USA spending.gov
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[font color=black][font size=2]Handy Links - Videos:[/font][/font]
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Charlie Rose talks with Roubini
Charlie Rose talks with Krugman
William Black: This Economic Disaster
Bill Moyers with Kevin Drum and David Corn
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[font color=red]Partial List of Financial Sector Officials Convicted since 1/20/09 [/font][font color=red]
2/2/12 David Higgs and Salmaan Siddiqui, Credit Suisse, plead guilty to conspiracy involving valuation of MBS
3/6/12 Allen Stanford, former Caribbean billionaire and general schmuck, convicted on 13 of 14 counts in $2.2B Ponzi scheme, faces 20+ years in prison
6/4/12 Matthew Kluger, lawyer, sentenced to 12 years in prison, along with co-conspirator stock trader Garrett Bauer (9 years) and co-conspirator Kenneth Robinson (not yet sentenced) for 17 year insider trading scheme.
6/14/12 Allen Stanford sentenced to 110 years without parole.
6/15/12 Rajat Gupta, former Goldman Sachs director, found guilty of insider trading. Could face a decade in prison when sentenced later this year.
6/22/12 Timothy S. Durham, 49, former CEO of Fair Financial Company, convicted of one count conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, and one count of securities fraud.
6/22/12 James F. Cochran, 56, former chairman of the board of Fair, convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud, one count of securities fraud, and six counts of wire fraud.
6/22/12 Rick D. Snow, 48, former CFO of Fair, convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud, one count of securities fraud, and three counts of wire fraud.
7/13/12 Russell Wassendorf Sr., CEO of collapsed brokerage firm Peregrine Financial Group Inc. arrested and charged with lying to regulators after admitting to authorities he embezzled "millions of dollars" and forged bank statements for "nearly twenty years."
8/22/12 Doug Whitman, Whitman Capital LLC hedge fund founder, convicted of insider trading following a trial in which he spent more than two days on the stand telling jurors he was innocent
10/26/12 UPDATE: Former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta sentenced to two years in federal prison. He will, of course, appeal. . .
11/20/12 Hedge fund manager Matthew Martoma charged with insider trading at SAC Capital Advisors, and prosecutors are looking at Martoma's boss, Steven Cohen, for possible involvement.
02/14/13 Gilbert Lopez, former chief accounting officer of Stanford Financial Group, and former controller Mark Kuhrt sentenced to 20 yrs in prison for their roles in Allen Sanford's $7.2 billion Ponzi scheme.
03/29/13 Michael Sternberg, portfolio mgr at SAC Capital, arrested in NYC, charged with conspiracy and securities fraud. Pled not guilty and freed on $3m bail.
04/04/13 Matthew Marshall Taylor,fmr Goldman Sachs trader arrested, charged by CFTC w/defrauding his employer on $8BN futures bet "by intentionally concealing the true huge size, as well as the risk and potential profits or losses associated."
04/04/13 Matthew Taylor admits guilt, makes plea bargain. Sentencing set for 26 June; faces up to 20 years in prison but will likely only see 3-4 years. Says, "I am truly sorry."
04/11/13 Ex-KPMG LLP partner Scott London charged by federal prosecutors w/passing inside tips to a friend in exchange for cash, jewelry, and concert tickets; expected to plead guilty in May.
08/01/13 Fabrice Tourré convicted on six counts of security fraud, including "aiding and abetting" his former employer, Goldman Sachs
08/14/13 Javier Martin-Artajo and Julien Grout charged with wire fraud, falsifying records, and conspiracy in connection with JP Morgan's "London Whale" trade.
08/19/13 Phillip A. Falcone, manager of hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners, agrees to admit to "wrongdoing" in market manipulation. Will banned from securities industry for 5 years and pay $18MM in disgorgement and fines.
09/16/13 Javier Martin-Artajo and Julien Grout officially indicted on charges associated with "London Whale" trade.
02/06/14 Matthew Martoma convicted of insider trading while at hedge fund SAC (Stephen A. Cohen) Capital Advisors. Expected sentence 7-10 years.
03/24/14 Annette Bongiorno, Bernard Madoff's secretary; Daniel Bonventre, director of operations for investments; JoAnn Crupi, an account manager; and Jerome O'Hara and George Perez, both computer programmers convicted of conspiracy to defraud clients, securities fraud, and falsifying the books and records.
05/19/14 Credit Suisse, which has an investment bank branch in NYC, agrees to plead guilty and pay appx. $2.6 billion penalties for helping wealthy Americans hide wealth and avoid taxes.
09/08/14 Matthew Martoma, convicted SAC trader, sentenced to 9 years in prison plus forfeiture of $9.3 million, including home and bank accounts
08/03/15 Former City (London) trader Tom Hayes found guilty of rigging global Libor interest rates. Each fo eight counts carries up to 10 yr. sentence.
08/21/15 Charles Antonucci Sr, former pres. Park Ave. Bank sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for bribery, fraud, embezzlement, and attempt to steal $11MM in TARP bailout funds, as well as $37.5MM fraud on OK insurance company. To pay $54MM in restitution and give up additional $11MM.
09/21/15 Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn apologizes for VW cheating on air quality standards with emission testing avoidance device. Stock drops 20%, fines may total $18B.
09/22/15 Stewart Parnell, CEO Peanut Corp. of America, sentenced to 28 years in prison for selling salmonella-tainted peanut butter that killed nine.
12/17/15 Martin Shkreli, former CEO Turing Pharmaceuticals and notorious price gouger, arrested on securities fraud charges. Posted $5M bail, resigned as CEO.
2/25/16 Jason Keryc sentenced to 9 years in prison, 3 years supervised release and to pay back $180MM to investors he bilked in a Ponzi scheme while an acct. mgr at Agape World.
03/24/16 Three TierOne Bank (Omaha) execs sentenced on criminal charges related to covering up losses on mortgages. CEO Gilbert Lundstrom -- 11 years federal prison, $1.2 million fine; James Laphen, 34 months; Don Langford, 21 months. SO FAR THE ONLY CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS OBTAINED BY DOJ related to 2008 financial collapse.



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[font size=3][font color=red]This thread contains opinions and observations. Individuals may post their experiences, inferences and opinions on this thread. However, it should not be construed as advice. It is unethical (and probably illegal) for financial recommendations to be given here.[/font][/font][/font color=red][font color=black]

[Gungnir]

1. Uncertainty can cause more stress than inevitable pain

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-03-uncertainty-stress-inevitable-pain.html

Knowing that there is a small chance of getting a painful electric shock can lead to significantly more stress than knowing that you will definitely be shocked, finds a new UCL study funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

The study, published in Nature Communications, found that situations in which subjects had a 50% chance of receiving a shock were the most stressful while 0% and 100% chances were the least stressful. People whose stress levels tracked uncertainty more closely were better at guessing whether or not they would receive a shock, suggesting that stress may inform judgements of risk.

The experiment involved 45 volunteers who played a computer game in which they turned over rocks that might have snakes under them. They had to guess whether or not there would be a snake, and when there was they received a mildly painful electric shock on the hand. Over time they learned which rocks were most likely to harbour snakes, but those odds changed throughout the experiment, generating fluctuating levels of uncertainty.
...
"From an evolutionary perspective, our finding that stress responses are tuned to environmental uncertainty suggests that it may have offered some survival benefit," explains senior author Dr Sven Bestmann (UCL Institute of Neurology). "Appropriate stress responses might be useful for learning about uncertain, dangerous things in the environment. Modern life comes with many potential sources of uncertainty and stress, but it has also introduced ways of addressing them. For example, taxi apps that show where a car is can offer peace of mind by reducing the uncertainty about when it will arrive. Real-time information boards at bus stops and train platforms perform a similar role, although this can be undermined by unspecified delays which cause stress for passengers and staff alike."

Perfect for knowing how to keep the Peasants stressed. Can the Peasants learn to use it to their advantage?

[Gungnir]

2. "Made Out Of Sand" - A Dramatic Look Inside A Newly Built Chinese Apartment

Speaking of uncertainty- will my apartment building collapse on me? Lets see if hollow out this pillar if it will come down... How do you stand there and film that???

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-03-29/made-out-sand-dramatic-look-inside-newly-built-chinese-apartment

While real estate is all about "location, location, location," it appears there are sometimes more prescient factors that any prospective buyer should pay attention to. Amid yet another government-fueled housing bubble, it seems in their haste to fulfil a rapacious demand for property in which to gamble their hard-grafted assets, Chinese construction companies have cut a few corners. As the following stunning video shows, a "newly constructed apartment" crumbles before the owners' eyes as the 'concrete' walls turn to sand...

LiveLeak exposes, in the following video, just how poor the standards can be of so-called “new” properties. LiveLeak footage shows two men in a supposedly “new apartment building” in China where the concrete walls crumble like sand.

And the country is full of “ghost cities” and new apartment blocks waiting to be filled. Which is no surprise considering that China used about 6.4 gigatons of cement during their construction boom between 2011 and 2013, which is more than what the US used during the entire 20th century. However, those housing properties in China are frequently not built to stand the test of time: In 2010, officials revealed that many homes had a lifespan of just 20 years.

Just like buying worthless companies in the stock market bubble ended very badly, it appears buying 'worthless' homes is set for the same outcome...

[Gungnir]

3. How to (seriously) read a scientific paper

http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2016/03/how-seriously-read-scientific-paper

Adam Ruben’s tongue-in-cheek column about the common difficulties and frustrations of reading a scientific paper broadly resonated among Science Careers readers. Many of you have come to us asking for more (and more serious) advice on how to make sense of the scientific literature, so we’ve asked a dozen scientists at different career stages and in a broad range of fields to tell us how they do it. Although it is clear that reading scientific papers becomes easier with experience, the stumbling blocks are real, and it is up to each scientist to identify and apply the techniques that work best for them. The responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Do you have your own tips or other questions you’d like answered? Leave them in the comments section.

see link for responses

[Gungnir]

4. Canadian scientists smile as Liberals deliver a déjà vu budget

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/canadian-scientists-smile-liberals-deliver-d-j-vu-budget?et_rid=17101630&et_cid=361731

What a difference a government makes. After spending nearly a decade in the darkness of the former Conservative government’s so-called “war on science,” Canada’s research community finds itself stepping into the sunshine after the nation’s new Liberal government today unveiled a fiscal blueprint for 2015–16 that provides an immediate $72.79 million per year injection into the budgets of the nation’s research granting councils. The new money comes after years of static or declining budgets.

And in a bit of déjà vu, today’s spending plan also resurrects several initiatives from the last budget a Liberal government presented, in 2005, before the Conservatives swept to power.

Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised “sunny days” for the nation after winning a general election last October, and today Finance Minister Bill Morneau laid out a host of scientific goodies. And Morneau vowed that more will follow in the months to come, as the Liberals “put forward a new Innovation agenda which will outline a new vision for Canada’s economy as a center of global innovation, renowned for its science, technology, resourceful citizens, and globally competitive companies.” Morneau also fired a parting shot across the bow of ex–Prime Minister Stephen Harper by declaring that the Liberals will promote “evidence-based policies.”
Back from the dead

To those ends, the Trudeau government will resurrect two initiatives killed by the Conservatives. The first, a “Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund,” will provide $1.53 billion over 3 years for universities and colleges to “modernize research labs, retrofit buildings used for advance training, and expand on-campus incubators that support start-ups as they grow their businesses.” Former Liberal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale had promised in 2005 to provide $766.22 million for institutions to renovate everything from libraries to access ramps for disabled students and electronic learning networks. The current Morneau plan proposes to cover 50% of the costs of retrofitting labs and research facilities.

Much more sunshine for Canadians at link

[Gungnir]

5. Contrast with: House budget plan would rearrange and restrict federal research portfolio

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/house-budget-plan-would-rearrange-and-restrict-federal-research-portfolio

If an influential congressional budget committee has its way, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) could be eliminated, and many research programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) would be sharply curtailed.

Those startling changes in federal research policy are part of a blueprint for spending that was released yesterday by the budget committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. A faction of House Republicans has blocked approval of the so-called annual budget resolution—which does not have the force of law but is symbolically potent—because they think it calls for too much spending. Specifically, they have objected to a $1.07 trillion ceiling for discretionary spending in 2017, part of a December 2015 budget agreement between Congress and the White House.

So it’s not clear whether Republican leaders in the House will be able to gain enough support to pass any budget resolution. In addition, the Republican-controlled Senate has put an indefinite hold on its work on a budget resolution.
...
The language affecting DOE science is, frankly, harder to parse. The report hews to conventional wisdom, embraced by both Republicans and Democrats, that “the proper role of the federal government is to support basic research.” But it then declares that “several high-risk projects,” a phrase that is usually synonymous with basic research, “should be embarked on by the private sector instead” of by DOE’s Office of Science.

ROFLMFAO! So these Republicans actually think that the private sector should and will fund "high-risk projects", (aka career, company and profit killers)? Maybe some business types might want to go have "talkies" with these Republican Representatives.

More at link

[Gungnir]

6. Do elections matter? Discuss (Sarcasm) n/t

[Gungnir]

7. ‘Ideal’ management could restore the world’s fisheries in 10 years

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/sifter/ideal-management-could-restore-world-s-fisheries-10-years

If all countries adopted ideal fishing management practices, the world’s plummeting fish populations might recover in just 10 years, National Geographic reports. Rising fish populations could improve food security for seafood-eating societies and boost global fishing profits by $53 billion per year, creating a “triple win” scenario, the researchers predict. Their study, published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a massive fisheries database representing more than three-quarters of global fishing activity to model the effects of different management systems. Many fisheries are already adopting sound management strategies by creating incentives to care for the resource, such as setting sustainable fishing quotas and assigning percentages of the quotas to individual fishermen.

[Gungnir]

8. Regean era flashback: Marcos jewels used to tackle Philippines corruption

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35914554

A "virtual exhibit" of jewellery once owned by former first lady Imelda Marcos is being used as an anti-corruption campaign in the Philippines.

The jewels were seized by US Customs in 1986 when she and her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, fled to Hawaii after the military leader was overthrown.

The government said the campaign would "remind the present generation of the excesses" of the Marcos era.

The Marcoses, and Imelda in particular, were known for their love of luxury.

Much more details at link. A good, quick read for those unfamiliar with the 80's

[Gungnir]

9. Bill Would Authorize Release of CRS Reports (Bipartisan support)

Fascinating that there is bipartisan support.

http://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2016/03/crs-bill/

A bill to make Congressional Research Service reports available to the public through authorized rather than unauthorized channels was introduced in Congress yesterday.

The bill was sponsored in the Senate (S. 2639) by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and in the House (H.R. 4702) by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL).

While the support of these congressional sponsors of both parties is promising, the proposal to provide authorized public access to non-confidential CRS publications is not assured of passage.

A press release from Sen. Leahy’s office yesterday noted gamely that “McCain and Leahy have partnered for more than a decade in pressing for this change.”

Still, conditions for approval of the measure seem more favorable today than for many years past, thanks largely to a broad coalition of support mobilized by Daniel Schuman of Demand Progress and Kevin Kosar of the R Street Institute, themselves former CRS employees.

In the meantime, the latest reports from CRS that are not yet subject to authorized public disclosure include the following.

Lead in Flint, Michigan’s Drinking Water: Federal Regulatory Role, CRS Insight, updated March 2, 2016

Authorizing New Additions to Memorials in the District of Columbia: Issues for Consideration, CRS Insight, March 2, 2016

Cybersecurity: Education, Training, and R&D Authoritative Reports and Resources, March 3, 2016

Cybersecurity: Overview Reports and Links to Government, News, and Related Resources, March 2, 2016

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues, March 2, 2016

Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients, March 1, 2016

The Proposed U.S. Foreign Assistance Initiative “Peace Colombia”, CRS Insight, March 3, 2016

Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections, March 1, 2016

Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress, February 26, 2016

International Trade and Finance: Key Policy Issues for the 114th Congress, 2nd Session, February 29, 2016

[Gungnir]

10. R Street Institute ("a free-market think tank with a pragmatic approach to public policy challenge")

Appears to be idea opponents one can work with.

http://www.rstreet.org/about/why-r-street/

About R Street

Who we are

The R Street Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan, public policy research organization (“think tank”). Our mission is to engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government.

In addition to our D.C. headquarters, we have offices in Florida, Texas, California (covering the West), Alabama (covering the South), and Ohio (covering the Midwest).

newmap

We work extensively on both state and national policy, focusing on issues that other groups tend to neglect. Our specialty is in tackling issues that are complex, but don’t necessarily grab major headlines. These are the areas where we think we can have a real impact.

We believe free markets work better than the alternatives. At the same time, we recognize the legislative process calls out for practical responses to current problems. Toward that end, our motto is “Free markets. Real solutions.”

We also differ from other groups on the political right in our dedication to building broad coalitions, working with a wide array of groups who share specific policy goals. This makes us uniquely capable of building support for pragmatic free-market proposals that can earn bipartisan consensus.

The R Street Institute’s original headquarters was located steps from the actual R Street in Washington, D.C.

How to label us

R Street is a free-market think tank with a pragmatic approach to public policy challenges. We draw inspiration from such thinkers as Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Ronald A. Coase, James M. Buchanan, and Arthur C. Pigou. We favor consumer choice; low, flat taxes; regulation that is transparent and applied equitably; and systems that rely on price signals rather than central planning. Thus, it’s fair to say that we’re on the political right.

At the same time, we recognize that public goods, natural monopolies and externalities are real concerns that governments must sometimes address. We also understand that life in a democratic society often means reaching a compromise that doesn’t necessarily represent a first, best solution.

We see our role as offering research and analysis that advance the goals of a more market-oriented society and more effective, efficient governments, with the full realization that progress on the ground tends to be made one inch at a time. In other words, we look for free-market victories on the margin.

Our work

R Street’s major accomplishments to date include spearheading the SmarterSafer.org coalition, whose proposals were incorporated into the 2012 Biggert-Waters flood insurance reform bill signed by President Obama; building a conservative movement-wide coalition to oppose misguided Internet sales tax legislation; developing a proposal to forbid subsidized development in environmentally sensitive coastal areas that was incorporated into Florida law; leading the charge to make crop insurance subsidies more accountable, a proposal that was included in the 2014 farm bill; and publishing research that led to the proliferation of dozens of state-level laws that offer commonsense minimum standards for liability insurance in the ridesharing market.

Some ongoing R Street projects include ongoing efforts to hold Gulf Coast states accountable for spending RESTORE Act funds wisely and transparently; a public-education campaign on tobacco harm reduction and encouraging cities, states and the Food and Drug Administration to avoid crushing alternatives to tobacco cigarettes; crafting market-based alternatives to Internet sales tax legislation, anti-poverty programs and EPA greenhouse-gas emissions caps; a project to promote a balanced approach to intellectual property; and coalitions to promote more open and transparent congressional data and to ensure law enforcement and intelligence agencies do not trample digital privacy. R Street also is an active member of a number of other standing coalitions (see the list here).

How R Street is funded

For information about R Street’s funding and expenditures, please click here.

[Gungnir]

11. R Street's reasons on why CRS reports should be available to the public (good bitartisan reasoning)

http://www.rstreet.org/2016/03/04/new-bill-would-open-crs/

It is a change long overdue. Other legislative branch agencies, like the Government Accountability Office and Congressional Budget Office, make their studies for Congress publicly available. So too does the Library of Congress’ Law Library, which issues reports on sensitive matters, such as immigration and gun control. The current policy also creates a gross disparity in information access. Beltway insiders purchase pricy subscriptions to the reports or wrangle them from Capitol Hill staff. The rest of America, meanwhile, hardly knows the reports exist, let alone where to get them. This is unfair.

CRS reports are highly regarded among policymakers. They provide nonpartisan descriptions and assessments of government agencies and programs. Many journalists use them to bone up on complex topics. Recent CRS reports have considered issues that might arise with an eight-member Supreme Court, a Department of Defense proposal to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and senators’ official personnel and office-expense accounts, according to Secrecy News, which long has shared the agencies’ reports with the public.

Whether Congress will get the bill enacted before it departs for summer break is unclear. But the odds may be good. In a politically polarized time, making CRS reports public is the rare policy on which the left and right are in agreement. Letters of support for expanded access have been signed by conservative, free-market and taxpayer-watchdog organizations, as well as liberal groups, along with government-transparency advocates and librarians. Retired CRS employees also have voiced their support. Former Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., a longtime advocate for the change, has put it succinctly: making CRS reports more available to the public “is motherhood and apple pie…Just do it.”

much more at link

[Gungnir]

12. About Demand Progress

https://demandprogress.org/about/

Our Mission

Demand Progress is 501(c)4 entity, with 501(c)3 sponsorship from the Citizen Engagement Lab Education Fund. Demand Progress is a national grassroots group with two million affiliated activists who fight for basic rights and freedoms needed for a modern democracy.

We work to win progressive policy changes for ordinary people through organizing and grassroots lobbying. We focus on issues of civil liberties, civil rights, and government reform.

We run online campaigns to rally people to take action on the news that affects them — by contacting Congress and other leaders, funding pressure tactics, and spreading the word in their own communities.

We work in Washington to provide an advocate for the public in all the decisions that affect our lives.

About Us

Our deep grassroots membership and expertise allow us to quickly and effectively bring the voice of the people to Washington to influence national policy debates.

By organizing grassroots campaigns driven by smart policy insight and strategy, Demand Progress works to achieve the most change and best outcomes possible for ordinary people.

We bring together large and diverse coalitions that transcend political lines and embrace shared values around civil liberties, civil rights, and government reform.

We focus on:

Internet freedom
From free expression and privacy to the ability to connect and organize, Internet freedom is where some of the most consequential civil liberties developments of the day are unfolding.

Open government
An open and accountable government is essential for a well-functioning democracy, and smart use of technology is key to making our modern democracy work.

Money-in-politics and financial reform
Through Rootstrikers.org, we work to eliminate the corrupting influence of big money in politics and reform the financial system in order to ensure our democracy is for everyone, not a tool for wealthy interests to rig the game.

History

Demand Progress was born in late 2010 with an online petition and alliance-building campaign that eventually helped defeat the infamous Internet censorship bill known as the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA.

In the aftermath of the historic campaign against SOPA, Demand Progress helped lead efforts to successfully block online surveillance bills such as the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). Demand Progress has also helped lead the public push for reform of surveillance practices at the hands of the National Security Agency — in 2013, Demand Progress was the lead organizer of The Day We Fight Back, and in 2015, Demand Progress organized SunsetThePatriotAct.com. Through these and other efforts Demand Progress drove more than 130,000 phone calls and 1.8 million emails to Congress, and organized dozens of meetings across the country between constituents and their lawmakers in support of surveillance reform.

All the while, Demand Progress has contended with the fallout from the unjust prosecution of its cofounder Aaron Swartz, and with the aftermath of Aaron’s tragic suicide. Demand Progress has fought for a modicum of justice for Aaron by seeking to reform the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the law under which Aaron was prosecuted. Through its advocacy, Demand Progress has prevented the expansion of the CFAA.

Demand Progress has also been a leader in the campaign for Net Neutrality. Over the course of a year, Demand Progress members took more than four million actions in support of Net Neutrality, and Demand Progress helped organize the Internet Slowdown Day in the fall of 2014, which drove over 700,000 comments to the FCC and nearly 300,000 calls, and two million emails to Congress in a single day.

[Gungnir]

13. Note to Demand Progress, put a search function on your home page. n/t

[Gungnir]

14. Big thanks to Steven Aftergood of Federation of American Scientists (FAS) for providing CRS reports

Note: I have used CRS reports extensively, they are excellent tools.

Here's the FAS link to many CRS reports. Enjoy!

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/