On May 26, 11:31*am, " wrote:
On May 26, 10:39*am, "MNMikeW" wrote:http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64420A20100505

Thanks for the info. *BTW, today's NYTimes has an artcilehttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/us/politics/26energy.html?hpwon how
BP donated US$500M to LBNL and UC during Steven Chu's tenure there,
and how he hired Steven Koonin from BP to be his deputy at DOE.

Thank you to both for these good articles. From the Reuters:

"Make no mistake: BP ranks among the most powerful corporate forces in
U.S. politics," said Dave Levinthal, spokesman for the Center for
Responsive Politics. "It donates hundreds of thousands of dollars
every election cycle through its employees and political action
committee and is routinely a seven- or eight-figure federal lobbying
powerhouse each year."

In 2008 alone, BP gave $37,000 to members of the House Energy
Committee and $106,501 to members of the Senate Homeland Security
Committee, which deals with security issues facing the nation's oil
supply.

BP has also evolved in its corporate giving over the past decade,
shifting more money to Democrats. In 2000, the company gave almost 39
percent more to Republicans than to Democrats. But by 2008, Democrats
had nearly pulled even with Republicans on BP donations.

Moreover, the company has nearly tripled the amount of money it has
spent on lobbying, from about $5.7 million in 1999 to $15.9 million
last year, according to lobbying disclosures."

Recall that the Supreme Court, less than a year ago, also eliminated
the limits on how much a wealthy company, oops, I mean, an individual
person, can use for purposes related to politics. Now, whatever
measly limits there may have been have been utterly dashed, and BP and
their fellow "individual persons" will be able to win all the
elections their money can buy.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=122805666

Bruce Jensen