Tag Archives: Democracy Matters

EVENT
United States of ALEC Film Screening

A solid double bill, coming at you from Alicia Gansley ’15:

Wesleyan Democracy Matters is teaming up with Common Cause CT for a film and lecture with Common Cause CT senior organizer, Kim Hynes.

Join us for a screening of The United States of ALEC, a documentary narrated by Bill Moyers that examines how corporations and state legislators are colluding to write laws and remake America. Common Cause Connecticut senior organizer Kim Hynes will be introducing the film. Learn about how corporations are affecting the American political process on even the state level!

Date: Monday, April 15th, 2013
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Judd 113
Cost: Free!

EVENT
Prison-Based Gerrymandering: A Discussion

Alicia Gansley ’15 reminds us how awesome the word “gerrymandering” is:

How does the prison industrial complex steal your vote?

Peter Wagner, Executive Director of the Prison Policy Initiative, is leading a national movement to protect our democracy from the prison industrial complex. His pioneering work at the intersection of criminal justice and electoral representation has permanently changed how legislative districts are being drawn in 4 states, and has inspired pending legislation in 9 states including Connecticut. Wagner, the nation’s leading expert on “prison gerrymandering”, will be in Middletown to explain how legislators who have prisons in their districts get to claim incarcerated people as their constituents, deny them the vote, and then turn around to push for harsher sentencing laws. And Wagner will explain what you can do about it.

Co-sponsored by Wesleyan Democracy Matters and the WesACLU

Date: Wednesday, March 27
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: PAC001
Cost: Free

EVENT
United States of ALEC Film Screening

United States of Alec

Alicia Gansley ’15 invites you to join Democracy Matters for a film screening:

Founded almost 40 years ago, American Legislative Exchange Council brings together nearly 2,000 state legislators with hundreds of corporate leaders and lobbyists from many of the world’s most powerful corporations to secretly draft model legislation that is then introduced in our states, usually without our knowledge.

Join Democracy Matters for a screening of The United States of ALEC, a documentary narrated by Bill Moyers that examines how corporations and state legislators are colluding to write laws and remake America. Common Cause Connecticut senior organizer Kim Hynes will be introducing the film.

Date: Wednesday, March 6th
Time: 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: PAC 001
Cost: Free

Discussion on Money in Politics

From Alicia Gansley ’15:

Money in Politics: A Discussion with the Roosevelt Institute and Democracy Matters

This week the Roosevelt Institute will be partnering with Democracy Matters for a discussion on campaign finance reform. Most Americans believe that the influence of big corporate money on American elections and public policy is a problem, but what is to be done about it? Is it, in fact, a problem? How do we make American elections more just, and how do we make our democracy more “by the people”?

You can learn more about the influence of money on politics at Democracy Matters

For more information, email aedavis@wes (Amy Davis from the Roosevelt Institute) and/or agansley@wes (Alicia Gansley from Democracy Matters).

Date: Wednesday, February 20
Time: 7-8 pm
Place: Usdan couches

EVENT
Democracy Matters First Meeting (Rescheduled!)

Alicia Gansley ’15 and Democracy Matters managed to dig themselves out of that corporate snow pile:

Democracy Matters is a nationwide student movement focusing on eliminating the effect of big corporate money on the American political process and putting power back in the hands of the people.

Come join us to discuss plans for this semester including speakers, film screenings, and demonstrations. We are very open to collaborative events and new ideas!

Please note that this event was rescheduled to Tuesday afternoon due to snow-based complications on Monday evening. Email agansley(at)wes with any questions or comments.

Date: Tomorrow, February 12th
Time: 5pm
Place: Albritton 004
Cost: No cost – only the benefits of a free democracy!

EVENT
Money and the 2012 Election: Professors Panel and Discussion

To all the political peeps out there, Alyssa Bonneau ’14 has a message for you:

Join Democracy Matters this Thursday, October 11th at 5pm in PAC 004 to discuss how money is influencing the 2012 Presidential Election. American Government professors Dancey, Lim, and Fowler will present on the Citizen’s United decision, and how our democracy is faring billions in campaign contributions later.

Also featuring visiting speaker Democracy Matters Executive Director and Colgate Professor Joan Mandle!

Date: Thursday, October 11
Time: 5pm
Place: PAC 004

EVENT
First Presidential Debate of 2012

As some of you may know, there’s a small event coming up in November called the Presidential Election. If you fancy flaunting your political know-how, then Amy Davis ’13 has something that may interest you:

Looking for a good fight? Come join the Roosevelt Institute, WesDems,
and Democracy Matters to watch the First Presidential Debate live in
PAC 001 9-10:30pm on Wednesday evening. Bring your friends–or better,
your enemies!–to catch the action and have a recap discussion of our
own.

Date: Wednesday, October 3
Time: 9:00 pm – 10:30 pm
Place: PAC 001
Cost: Free

EVENT
Democracy Matters’ Almost-First Meeting Tonight

Not about that…[SuperPAC] life? Interested in people interested in campaign finance reform? Haven’t heard about Democracy Matters yet? Well, with graphic design like that, there’s no way you can’t be interested now. Alyssa “Blurb Minimally Edited for Clarity” Bonneau ’14 wants to bring you up to speed on money in politics:

There’ll be a meeting at 8pm in Allbritton 113. For this one ,I thought we could take a closer look at some of the most influential superPACs; seeing who they’re run by, who’s donating, and what campaigns the money’s going to. Also if my youtube searching is successful we could watch some superPAC tv ads. They’re exceptionally terrible and full of lies. hooray!

Just in case things aren’t clear, DM’s first meeting was last week, but since it didn’t make it the Wesleying Argus News Blog last week/it’s still pretty early on, our unpaid interns determined it was worth a post. Come on through, friends.

Date: Today’s date
Time: Current ti–er, 8 PM
Place: Allbritton 113
$: Not in my government, am I right?!

Continue reading →

EVENT
Tu[es]day: Election Reform Panel at 6:30pm in PAC 002!

I wish I was going places, like Olivia Horton ’14. Then maybe I wouldn’t still be awake:

Concerned with the massive influence of PACs and corporations on the election process? Interested in local and nationwide reform efforts?

Come hear from Senior Organizer for Common Cause in CT Kimberly Hynes about local and statewide issues. Regional Field Organizer for Democracy Matters Anita Kinney will talk about the problems and work being done to fix them at the nationwide level.

Light snacks/refreshments will be provided. Facebook event [under the date time place thing where it often goes, duh].

Date: Today, Tuesday, but like, later today
Time: 6:30pm
Place: PAC002
Facebook: See, just where it was supposed to be.

EVENT
Move To Amend Barnstorming Tour with David Cobb, ’04 Green Party Presidential Nominee

From Ross Levin ’15:

David Cobb was the Green Party’s 2004 nominee for President of the United States. He will be visiting Wesleyan on October 29 as part of a speaking tour with the organization Move To Amend, which was formed in the aftermath of “Citizens United” to promote a more democratic society, including a constitutional amendment ending corporate personhood and a voters’ bill of rights.

Cobb will be speaking about corporate personhood, Occupy Wall Street, voting in America, money in politics, and related issues. The title of the talk is “Creating Democracy and Challenging Corporate Rule.”

Cosponsored by the Wesleyan College Greens and Democracy Matters.

Also, Facebook.

Date: Oct. 29
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Place: PAC 001
Cost: Freedom is not free! But this is.


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