Soros to Spend Hundreds of Millions on Politics in Undisclosed, Tax-Deductible Dollars Even under Grassroots Legislation, Says GrassrootsFreedom.com.

MANASSAS, Va., March 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Mark Fitzgibbons and GrassrootsFreedom.com, regarding grassroots legislation currently being considered by Congress as part of lobbying reform:

"George Soros-financed Open Society Institute, a 501(c)(3) 'private operating foundation,' spent nearly $65 million financing mostly left-leaning 501(c)(3)s that engage in lobbying and/or public policy advocacy in just 2005 alone according to its tax return, IRS Form 990 available at Guidestar.com.

"The attached partial list of recipients of this 'largesse' shows the distinct political, lobbying and public policy purposes of these expenditures, including (1) influencing judicial nominations, (2) advocating for gay marriage, looser immigration and social security legislation, (3) taxpayer-financed elections and (4) gaining more ideological control of the news media.

"None of these lobbying and grassroots expenditures would be disclosed under the grassroots legislation written by lobbyists and being considered by Congress, even though the organizations that receive Soros' financing clearly 'influence' the general public and Congress to take action on policy, legislation and judicial nominations. Yet other citizen-supported grassroots causes communicating on the same issues would be required to track their expenditures, report them quarterly to Congress, and would be subject to civil and potential criminal penalties based simply on the exercise of their First Amendment rights, such as the right of citizens to petition the government.

"Also, this shows how billionaire donors get an indirect deduction for the actual lobbying conducted by certain nonprofit organizations, such as many that receive Soros' financing through his tax-exempt foundation.

"Open Society Institute had $859 million in assets, and generated nearly $13 million just in capital gains net income in that one year alone. It reported spending $624,046 just in legal fees. It is one of several foundations whose financing of the political agenda of Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party would not be disclosed under the grassroots legislation.

"Foundation-financed, Washington-based lobbyists are the principal proponents of the unconstitutional grassroots legislation. They have engaged in deception after deception to fool the general public about their real purposes. Those with vested political and financial interests seek to abridge the First Amendment rights of citizens so that Washington insiders can control more of the public debate. To justify their unconstitutional legislation, proponents claim the grassroots legislation would 'disclose' who funds grassroots communications to and between the general public. The legislation is unconstitutional, and the proponents' justifications are false. We prove that at GrassrootsFreedom.com.

"Opponents have shown that the grassroots legislation would regulate and even censor citizen-supported policy communications, but would exempt corporations, labor unions, and large, wealthy entities for grassroots policy communications to 'shareholders, officers, employees and members.'

"We've all heard the term 'limousine liberals.' Proponents of the grassroots legislation now want to create a 'country club' First Amendment, one for wealthy 'Members Only.'"

NOTE TO EDITORS: GrassrootsFreedom.com was created to expose the truth about the grassroots legislation being considered as part of the lobbying reform bill before Congress.

 
  Attachment: 

  ORGANIZATION:  PURPOSE: 

  ADC Research Institute 
 - to support advocacy and policy work 
   related to the rights of Arab 
   Americans and to provide legal assistance 

  Alliance for Justice, Inc. 
 - to provide core support for a public 
   education campaign to preserve the 
   judicial filibuster 

  American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education 
 - to provide support for the work of the 
   Standing Committee on Judicial 
   Independence 

  American Forum 
 - to renew support for the Working Group on 
   Judicial Integrity 

  American Institute for Social Justice 
 - to support the Social Security Education 
   Project, a campaign aimed at educating 
   members of the low and moderate income 
   public about the currency debate on the 
   future of Social Security 

  American Prospect, Inc. 
 - to support an investigative reporting 
   project, including the hiring of a new 
   investigative editor, fees for authors, 
   legal expenses, and other production 
   costs associated with publishing articles 

  Amnesty International USA, Inc. 
 - to support a one-day strategy session to 
   develop a long-term coordinated and 
   concerted approach for U.S. ratification 
   of the UN Convention on the Elimination 
   of All Forms of Discrimination Against 
   Women (CEDAW) 

  Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice 
 - to support a re-granting program for LGBT 
   organizations in the U.S. 

  Better World Fund 
 - to support "The People Speak" 
   2004 campaign 

  Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence 
 - to provide general support 

  Brookings Institution 
 - to provide general support 

  Campaign Legal Center Inc. 
 - to support public education efforts to 
   reform the presidential campaign finance 
   system 

  CASA of Maryland, Inc. 
 - to assist day and temporary laborers from 
   Baltimore's growing Latino community 
   through community law, advocacy and 
   organizing activities 

  Cause Communications 
 - to support research, printing, outreach 
   and distribution of a free publication 
   designed to improve the quality and 
   effectiveness of presentations made by 
   representatives of nonprofits and 
   foundations across the United States 

  Center for American Progress 
 - to support a public education campaign by 
   Campus Progress 

  Center for Constitutional Rights Inc. 
 - to provide funding for the Civil 
   Liberties Defense and Education Project 

  Center for Investigative Reporting, Inc. 
 - to support the Courting Influence 
   investigative journalism project 

  Center for New Community 
 - to provide support for "Building 
   Democratic and Open Society: Countering 
   the Anti-Immigrant Movement in the 
   United States" 

  Center for Political Accountability 
 - to support a monitoring and 
   accountability project on the role of 
   business in funding the drive to 
   ideologically reshape the judiciary 

  Center for Public Interest Research Inc. 
 - to support the Student Empowerment 
   Training's State Student Association 
   Organizing Project 

  Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 
 - to support research and analysis of the 
   proposals to privatize social security 

  Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington DC, Inc. 
 - to provide general support 

  Committee for Economic Development 
 - to support its project on judicial 
   selection reform and judicial 
   independence 

  Committee to Protect Journalists, Inc. 
 - to provide general support 

  Communications Consortium Media Center 
 - to support communications assistance and 
   advice related to judicial nominations 
   issues 

  Community Rights Counsel 
 - to support projects on judicial 
   nominations, judicial ethics, and 
   federalism 

  Consumer Federation of America 
 - to support Mark Cooper's research and 
   analysis on media ownership rules 

  Consumers Union of United States, Inc. 
 - to support efforts to offer grassroots 
   organizations and the public in-depth 
   technical expertise and research on media 
   consolidation and community Internet 

  Drug Policy Alliance 
 - to support the Drug Policy Alliance 
   Advocates Grants Program 

  Economic Policy Institute 
 - to support research and dissemination on 
   the current debate and the future of 
   Social Security 

  Equal Justice Society 
 - to support the Judicial Nominations 
   Project, which coordinates the 
   Californians for Fair and Independent 
   Judges coalition 

  Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues Inc. 
 - to support a technical assistance project 
   that explores opportunities to support 
   and promote faith-based organizing and 
   institutions that are affirming and 
   inclusive of LGBT people, and to retain a 
   consultant to recommend potential funding 
   strategies 

  Generation Engage 
 - to support network-building activities in 
   Virginia 

  Global Action Project, Inc. 
 - to publish and market the Youth Media 
   Handbook 

  Grassroots Leadership Inc 
 - to provide general support 

  Human Rights Campaign Foundation 
 - to support the Federal Judiciary Public 
   Education Project 

  Human Rights First 
 - to provide continued support to promote 
   human rights and civil liberties in the 
   United States post 9/11 

  Human Rights Watch, Inc. 
 - to galvanize public attention to human 
   rights abuses committed within the United 
   States, principally in the field of 
   criminal justice 
 - to support the U.S. Program's criminal 
   justice work, including research and 
   advocacy on sentencing policies, prison 
   conditions, and barriers to reentry, 
   including excessive and arbitrary 
   punishment for sex offenses 

  Illinois Campaign for Political Reform 
 - to provide renewal support for the 
   Illinois Judicial Reform Project 

  Immigration Equality 
 - to provide general support 

  Institute for America's Future Inc. 
 - to support an education campaign on 
   Social Security 

  Institute for Womens Policy Research 
 - to support a public education and 
   outreach campaign to keep women's 
   concerns at the center of the Social 
   Security debate 

  Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law 
 - to support an organizing campaign around 
   the federal judiciary in collaboration 
   with the American Association of People 
   with Disabilities 

  Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. 
 - to support "Judging Discrimination: A 
   Campaign to Support an Independent 
   Judiciary" 

  Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law 
 - to support the printing and dissemination 
   of the report of hearing on diversity and 
   state judicial selection methods 

  Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, Inc. 
 - to provide support for the emergency 
   campaign to preserve the filibuster 

  League of Women Voters Education Fund 
 - to support a project to promote judicial 
   independence and defend constitutional 
   democracy in the United States 

  Let's Breakthrough, Inc. 
 - to hire a fundraising consultant to 
   identify new sources of support, develop 
   proposals, and help build internal 
   capacity to ensure ongoing funding for 
   programming 

  Make the Road by Walking Inc. 
 - to hire Community Resource Exchange to 
   carry out a capacity-building project to 
   help with fundraising in order to support 
   organizational expansion 

  Management Assistance Group 
 - to provide support to advance technical 
   assistance efforts to leading national 
   advocacy organizations and disseminate 
   best practices within the non-profit 
   sector 

  Maryland Association of Non-Profit Organizations, Inc. 
 - to support the Advocacy Leaders Program 

  Medical and Health Research Association of New York City, Inc. 
 - to support the creation of a 
   policy/advocacy position 

  Migration Policy Institute 
 - to provide continued support for policy 
   research and analysis, task force group 
   and consensus building and dissemination 
   of recommendations on comprehensive 
   immigration reform 

  National Center for Fair and Open Testing, Inc. 
 - to hire two development consultants to 
   help develop a long-term, diversified 
   fundraising plan 

  National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy 
 - to build organizational capacity that 
   will allow the implementation of a 
   comprehensive development plan 

  National Democratic Institute for Internal Affairs 
 - to provide general support 

  National Institute on Money in State Politics 
 - to support comprehensive research on 
   campaign finance patterns in state 
   judicial election campaigns 

  National Partnership for Women & Families, Inc. 
 - to support a high-profile communications 
   and outreach strategy to ensure that 
   women's voices are heard in the debate 
   around Social Security 
 - to support the Supreme Court and Federal 
   Judicial Initiative 

  National Women's Law Center 
 - to support its Reproductive Rights and 
   Health Program 
 - to provide renewed support for the Tax 
   Policy Analysis and Communication Project 
   in the Grantee's role as co-chair of the 
   Fair Taxes for All coalition 
 - to provide support for a project on 
   Federal Courts and Administration of 
   Justice 

  New America Foundation 
 - to support a senior fellowship on 
   political reform and domestic policy in 
   2005 

  New World Foundation 
 - to support the Alston/Bannerman 
   Fellowship Program to provide sabbaticals 
   and technical assistance opportunities to 
   long-time activists of color working on 
   progressive social justice issues 

  Pacific News Service 
 - to provide a one-year seed grant to 
   establish a New America Media presence in 
   Washington, DC 

  Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts 
 - to provide renewal support for a public 
   education and organizing campaign in 
   support of ment selection reforms in 
   Pennsylvania 

  People for the American Way Foundation 
 - to provide support for an emergency 
   campaign to protect the filibuster 
 - to provide $350,000 in core support for 
   the judicial nominations project and to 
   provide $150,000 in support for the 
   media/communications campaign to protect 
   the filibuster 
 - to provide support to identify, engage, 
   and empower young progressive leaders and 
   activists as part of the Young People For 
   (YP4) Initiative 

  Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. 
 - to support Public Policy, Litigation and 
   Law Program 
 - to support an organizing campaign around 
   the federal judiciary 

  Progressive Legislative Analysis Network 
 - to provide general support 

  Progressive Populist Education Fund 
 - to recruit, train and mentor diverse, new 
   leaders to launch lifelong careers in 
   political action 

  Proteus Fund Inc. 
 - to provide funding for the Civil Marriage 
   Collaboration Fund 
 - to support the Voter Engagement 
   Evaluation Project 

  Public Action Foundation 
 - to provide renewal support for the 
   Illinois Justice at Stake Campaign, A 
   statewide public education and reform 
   campaign 

  Public Campaign 
 - to provide general support 

  Public Knowledge 
 - to support advocacy and education 
   promoting the growth of open access 
   publishing 

  Rock the Vote Education Fund 
 - to support a public education campaign to 
   educate and galvanize the youth 
   constituency in the fight to protect 
   social security 

  The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy 
 - to support an ACS 'teach-in' project on 
   the importance of judicial appointments 

  The Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights 
 - to identify and advocate for changes to 
   Philadelphia and Pennsylvania policies 
   which create and perpetuate health 
   disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual 
   and transgender individuals 

  The Center for Reproductive Rights, Inc. 
 - to support the domestic program 

  The Reproductive Health Technologies Project, Inc. 
 - to support public education and outreach 
   surrounding the resignation of Dr. Susan 
   Wood as Director of the FDA's Office of 
   Women's Health 

  The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York 
 - to support the second year of the second 
   round of the Soros Reproductive Rights 
   and Health Fellowship at the Heilbrunn 
   Center for Population and Family Health 

  Transgender Law Center 
 - to use direct legal services, education, 
   community organizing, and policy and 
   media advocacy to improve the ability of 
   the transgender community to express 
   diverse gender identities in a 
   discrimination-free environment 
 - to provide technical assistance and 
   capacity building in individual donor 
   fundraising, website development and 
   Spanish-language website content