[CFR-Announce] Loren Parks, Casino Gambling, the National Assoc. of Manufacturers, and You!

[FairElections Oregon]

*A Message from Harry Lonsdale and Dan Meek*

*The Oregon primary again demonstrated that Big Money dominates 
elections in Oregon.*

Corporate executive Loren Parks (medical devices) contributed $713,100 
to Kevin Mannix's campaign -- about 40% of the money Mannix raised.   
Parks also spent $170,000 on radio ads attacking Mannix's main opponent, 
Ron Saxton.  Saxton, no slouch himself in the money-raising department, 
received $100,000 from Rod Wendt of the Jeld-Wen Co. of Klamath Falls 
and another $100,000 from Bill Swindells, former CEO of Willamette 
Industries, among his larger contributors (both from the wood products 
industry).

The Grande Rhonde tribes spent $820,000 in so-called "independent 
expenditures" against Kevin Mannix (R) and Ted Kulongoski (D), because 
they support the proposal of the Warm Springs Tribe to site a new casino 
in Cascade Locks, 35 miles east of Portland area -- much closer than the 
Grande Rhonde's casino 75 miles southwest of Portland.

Even the race for Oregon Supreme Court justice "Smashed Cash Record" 
(/The Oregonian/, May 9), with the biggest spender, Jack Roberts, 
winning into the general election by spending over $400,000 in the 
primary.  He got a $150,000 contribution from political arm of the 
National Association of Manufacturers, the nation's largest corporate 
lobbying group.  He also got $50,000 from Loren Parks and hundreds of 
thousands of dollars from corporate interests.

*All this, and we're still 6 months away from the General Election!*

_With 6 weeks remaining to qualify real campaign finance reform for the 
November ballot, every bit of support at this critical time makes a huge 
difference_.

_Over a thousand citizens across Oregon have taken up the challenge of 
reforming the way political campaigns are run in Oregon—by working to 
put campaign finance reform to a vote this November_.

If you can do a small part (or a little more), right now, to help with 
Campaign Finance Reform Initiatives 8 and 37, we can take back our state 
and local governments from special interest groups, corporations, and 
other Big Money campaign donors.  You can help by gathering some 
signatures or making a donation.__

Join with the Oregon Sierra Club, OSPIRG, Health Care for All Oregon and 
many more, to* get Big Money out of Oregon politics.

www.fairelections.net <http://www.fairelections.net>
* --
Tyrone Reitman
Fair Elections Oregon Outreach Coordinator
outreach at fairelections.net <mailto:outreach at fairelections.net>
541-338-8557

FairElections Oregon
www.fairelections.net <http://www.fairelections.net>

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