Look at the difference in funding for the WA state charter initiative. We're doomed. [View all]
Major donors for and against Initiative 1240
The top five donors to each campaign:
FOR THE INITIATIVE:
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, $3.1 million
Alice Walton, Wal-Mart heiress, $1.7 million
Nick Hanauer, Second Avenue Partners in Seattle, $1 million
Jackie and Mike Bezos, parents of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, $1 million
Connie Ballmer, wife of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, $500,000
Top five's share of total donations: 78 percent of $9.3 million
AGAINST IT:
National Education Association, $250,000
Washington Education Association, $236,047
SEIU Washington State Council, $50,000
International Union of Operating Engineers, $20,000
Matt Loschen, retired Microsoft employee, $12,000
Top five's share of total donations: 86 percent of $658,616
$9 million v. < 3/4 of $1 million.
Saw two polls today showing charters as a win. That is kind of my gut feeling after talking to people -- most people don't have a clue beyond the sloganeering of 'choice' & 'bad teachers' & 'spending too much money'. I converted a couple votes by talking about the bigger picture, but that's farts in a money hurricane overall.
I hate bill gates. He's ruined this joint.
There is no way to win on anything political by playing the money game if you're not allied with big money. Which means there's no way to win on anything that matters to the *people* by playing the standard political game. The most important issue these days is figuring out how to fight that effectively. But from where I sit, it sure seems like most people will sell their souls in the end.
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