Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)  Governor Jerry Brown has touted Prop 30 as a way to fund the state's schools, but the prop has been secretly challenged by unknown outsiders. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - An intense court battle was resolved yesterday with an Arizona group, Americans for Responsible Leadership, being ordered to disclose its donors in a fight against Jerry Brown's Prop 30, a proposal to raise taxes to close a budget shortfall for the state. When the list was disclosed, the donors were found to be other non-profits, not individuals. Several wealthy and powerful donors, many with strong conservative ties, have funded activities in California designed to keep taxes low and to diminish union influence in politics by limiting employee contributions to political causes. Several are crying foul over the measure, pointing out that unions will be shut out of the political process while corporations and others will still be permitted to spend. Meanwhile, Governor Jerry Brown is personally promoting Prop 30 which would increase sales taxes and taxes on those earning more than $250,000 per year. But the unexpected outside resistance to Prop 30 had the Governor fuming as the measure lost support in the weeks prior to today. The revelation that non-profits donated money to Americans for Responsible Leadership has the state Attorney General vowing to pursue the matter further, to get at the names of the people behind the scheme. Opponents of Super Pacs, special organizations that can accumulate unlimited secret donations for political purposes say they're being abused by large money donors who use them to shuttle money around the country and essentially drown out competing political speech, leaving citizens without a fair voice in government. © 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM. - - - Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013 General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him. Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance. |
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