Home

What's New

Report | WISPIRG Foundation, People for the American Way Foundation | Democracy

Outside Spending, Outsized Influence

Super PACs dominated the 2012 Senate election between Tammy Baldwin and Tommy Thompson, providing an avenue for floods of out-of-state money to fill WIsconsin's airwaves with negative ads. Outside groups (not the candidates or party committees) spent almost $32 million and virtually all of that money (99.2%) came from out of state groups. Super PACs allowed big money special interests to flood the Wisconsin elections, blocking regular WI voter out of the political discourse.

> Keep Reading
Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Center for Media and Democracy | Democracy

Elections Confidential

Elections Confidential reveals, to the extent possible, the dark side of the post-Citizens United election landscape. Secret donors used "dark money" groups that don't have to disclose their donors, because before Citizens United they weren't allowed to spend on elections in order to hide their identity.

> Keep Reading
Report | WISPIRG FOundation and Demos | Democracy

Billion Dollar Democracy

Billion Dollar Democracy is the final edition in our series of reports analyzing the role of money in the 2012 elections. The first presidential election since Citizens United lived up to the hype, with outside groups blowing away previous records for spending. Our discourse got more negative than ever before, with secret organizations allowing anonymous donors to bankroll nasty attack ads. Regular people's voices were drowned out of the process, with big time mega-donors spending millions in their attempt to buy our democracy.

> Keep Reading
News Release | WISPIRG Foundation | Budget, Tax

Congresswoman Gwen Moore joins WISPIRG's call for closing offshore tax loopholes to avert fiscal cliff

As we work to push for closure of offshore tax loopholes as part of any fiscal cliff deal, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, co-sponsor of the Stop Tax Havens Abuse Act in the House, joins our call for Congressional leadership to act on this vital issue of public interest.

> Keep Reading

Pages

News Release | WISPIRG Foundation | Food

Ag Subsidies Pay for 21 Twinkies per Taxpayer, But Only Half of an Apple Apiece

Federal subsidies for commodity crops are subsidizing junk food additives like high fructose corn syrup, enough to pay for 21 Twinkies per taxpayer every year, according to WISPIRG’s new report, Apples to Twinkies 2012. Meanwhile, limited subsidies for fresh fruits and vegetables would buy one half of an apple per taxpayer.

> Keep Reading
News Release | WISPIRG | Consumer Protection

Poll Shows Voters Favor Strong Oversight of Wall Street and Back New CFPB

Financial reforms enacted in response to the financial meltdown remain popular with those likely to vote in 2012, a new opinion poll by Lake Research Partners shows. The poll was commissioned by AARP, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and Americans for Financial Reform (AFR). Saturday July 21 will mark the two year anniversary of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new agency with a strong record of successes for consumers despite facing constant unfounded political attacks in its first year of work.

> Keep Reading
Media Hit | Health Care

Parts of Affordable Health Care Law Already in Effect

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule Thursday whether all or parts of the Affordable Health Care Act the Obama Administration designed are constitutional. Several facets of the act have already been enacted, according to Bruce Speight, director of WISPIRG - the Wisconsin Public Interest Group or WISPIRG. Listen here: http://www.wuwm.com/news/wuwm_news.php?articleid=10683. 

> Keep Reading
News Release | WISPIRG | Democracy

Groups Call for Leg Hearings in Wake of Recall Elections

Twenty organizations have submitted a letter to state legislative leaders urging them to hold hearings this summer to give the public opportunities to provide them feedback on the recall elections we've had in Wisconsin and the need for improved transparency and accountability in all our elections, to set the stage for a special legislative session on reform later this year.

> Keep Reading
News Release | WISPIRG | Health Care

At Stake: What’s on the Line for Wisconsin Health Care Consumers in the Pending Supreme Court Case

The outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will have far reaching impacts on consumers. The law is already working to improve the quality of care and reduce costs, with millions of Americans experiencing concrete improvements in their coverage. Further improvements are slated to go into effect in 2014 – including a long-awaited ban on insurance companies denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, and the opening of competitive state health insurance marketplaces called “exchanges” aimed at giving consumers better choices for coverage.

> Keep Reading

Pages

Report | WISPIRG Foundation | Budget

Tax-Increment Financing

A new research report released today outlines problems with the growing trend among cities to borrow against future growth and divert tax revenues as a way to attract economic development.

> Keep Reading
Report | WISPIRG Foundation | Health Care

Making the Grade: A Scorecard for State Health Insurance Exchanges

Many states are creating health exchanges to deliver better value for consumers, and Wisconsin should follow their lead, according to Making the Grade, a new report by WISPIRG.

> Keep Reading
Report | WISPIRG Foundation | Health Care

Making the Grade

States have an important opportunity to improve their health care marketplaces through the creation of an exchange. And the health reform law gives the states substantial leeway to define critical aspects of the exchange, including who is eligible to buy coverage through it, how aggressively it will set standards and negotiate with insurers, and who will run it. A weak exchange could wind up taking its cues from the insurance industry, not consumers, and do little to shift the fundamental problems in most states’ health care markets.

> Keep Reading
Report | WISPIRG Foundation | Food

Apples to Twinkies

Federal subsidies for commodity crops are also subsidizing junk food additives like high fructose corn syrup, enough to pay for 19 Twinkies per taxpayer every year, according to Apples to Twinkies, a new report by WISPIRG.   Meanwhile, limited subsidies for fresh fruits and vegetables would buy less than a quarter of an apple per taxpayer.

> Keep Reading
Report | WISPIRG | Transportation

Fixing It First

With President Obama calling for robust investments in repairing America's crumbling roads and bridges today, WISPIRG released data today documenting the number of "structurally deficient" bridges in Wisconsin.

> Keep Reading

Pages

Tools & Resources

  • Reclaim Democracy
    The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision ushered in an era of unprecedented spending by big money in our elections, but we're working to return our democracy back to the principle of "one person, one vote."
    Learn more
    ADD YOUR VOICE
  • END SECRET MONEY GIVEAWAYS
    Wisconsin recently lost track of $50 million in taxpayer loans to private companies. We're working for new rules and oversight to protect taxpayers from waste, fraud and abuse.
    Learn More
  • How Many Tax Dollars In A Twinkie?
    Every year, more than a billion taxpayer dollars subsidize high-fructose corn syrup and other key ingredients in junk food at a time when 1 in 3 kids is overweight or obese.
    Take Action
  • STOP TAX DODGERS
    Corporate tax avoidance cost Wisconsinites $1.6 billion last year. WISPIRG is working to close the loopholes that allow companies to avoid paying the taxes they owe.
    Learn more
    Sign the petition

You Can Help

We have a chance to curb the unprecedented spending by big money in our elections. Your support will help us do the research, advocacy and grassroots organizing to convince our elected officials to act.

Donate Today

JOIN THE CALL

Already 300-plus communities and seven states have gone on record calling for a constitutional amendment. Make sure you town has joined the call to stanch the flow of special interest money in our elections.

ADD YOUR VOICE

Consumer Alerts

Join our network and stay up to date on our campaigns, get important consumer updates and take action on critical issues.