Citizens for a Sound Economy
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Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) is a conservative political group operating in the United States, whose self-described mission is "to fight for less government, lower taxes, and less regulation."
The group produces more than 100 policy papers each year, delivering them to many congressional offices, sending out thousands of pieces of mail, and getting coverage of its viewpoints in thousands of news articles around the nation. The group's representatives have appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows and published hundreds op-ed articles arguing that "environmental conservation requires a commonsense approach that limits the scope of government," acid rain is a "so-called threat [that] is largely nonexistent," and global warming is "a verdict in search of evidence."
CSE is a member organization of the Cooler Heads Coalition which asserts that the theory of global warming is a myth.
In 2004, Citizens for a Sound Economy split into two separate organizations, FreedomWorks, and Americans for Prosperity.
On July 23, 2006 the Washington Post reported on the organization's tactics in signing up as members people who did not even know about the organization, by enrolling them as members during unrelated transactions in order to boost membership numbers. The group obtained over $638,000 and about 16,000 members through the sale of insurance policies in this way.[1]
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[edit] Funding
The CSE has a related funding arm, the Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation (CSEF). According to internal documents leaked to the Washington Post, 85 percent of CSE's 1998 revenues of CSE's $16.2 million came not from its 250,000 members, but from contributions of $250,000 and up from large corporations.
Between 1985 and 2001, CSE received $15,993,712 in 104 separate grants from only twelve foundations:
- Castle Rock Foundation
- Earhart Foundation
- JM Foundation
- Koch Family Foundations (David H. Koch Foundation, Charles G. Koch Foundation, Claude R. Lambe Foundation)
- John M. Olin Foundation
- Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
- Philip M. McKenna Foundation, Inc.
- Scaife Foundations (Scaife Family, Sarah Mellon Scaife, Carthage)
Other CSE funders (not included in above funding total) have included:
- Archer Daniels Midland
- DaimlerChrysler
- Enron
- General Electric
- F.M. Kirby Foundation
- Philip Morris
- US West
[edit] Unconventional fundraising and member recruitment
Citizens for a Sound Economy had earned over $638,000 and about 16,000 members through the sale of insurance policies. When someone signed up for insurance through "Medical Savings Insurance Company", they were also automatically signed up for FCitizens for a Sound Economy without their knowledge. Their information is subject to be rented out as Medical Savings Insurance Company feels fit, which is not uncommon for many groups who obtain client contact information. The dues they paid also paid for Citizens for a Sound Economy projects.
Critics suggested the effort as a way for this group to inflate their membership rosters, and more exactly, by taking dues from people with no interest in the groups' politics.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ With Insurance Policy Comes Membership - washingtonpost.com
- ^ Weisman, Jonathan. "With Insurance Policy Comes Membership", Washington Post, July 23, 2006, p. A05. Retrieved on 2007-05-15.
[edit] External links
- Citizens for a Sound Economy
- CSE entry on sourcewatch.
- Washington Post article on CSE
- Washington Post Washington Post article on CSE signing up unwitting new members through unrelated transactions.
