Brazen Corporate Capture of sold out “progressive” organizations
How does a so called “Citizen’s group”, with an avowed mission of promoting democracy, give a “public service” award to a corporate CEO? (an award named after a corporate CEO)
Via email from Harry Pozycki, Chairman of NJ’s “No blame, Only Solutions” “Citizen’s Campaign”:
Dear Bill —
It is with great pleasure that we announce that Bernie Flynn, President & CEO of the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company, will receive the first ever Koeppe Award for Exemplary Public Service at our gala dinner on April 17th. Ann Koeppe will present the award after remarks by Sharon Taylor, Senior Vice President, Corporate Human Resources, Prudential Financial and Chair, The Prudential Foundation.
Should I be mollified by the fact that tickets for a Table start at only $1,500 – or that individual tickets are a bargain at $150?
But the “Citizen’s Campaign” isn’t the only so called “public advocacy” group captured by corporate cash and corporate oriented elite Foundation grants, as I’ve written here numerous times – NJ Audubon, Sustainable NJ, NJ Future, and Mike Catania and the Duke Foundation are just as bad or worse than Citizen’s Campaign and are full bore sold out corporate whores.
Other NJ groups are headed in that sold out direction, with corporate, Foundation, and fundraising stunt money driving priorities, programs, and tactics, e.g. the Highlands Coalition, NY/NJ Baykeeper, Ironbound Community Corp, ALS, Clean Ocean Action, NJ LCV, et al. – (readers: shoot me a note if I missed someone).
Other reputable groups like PPA, NJCF and Stonybrook Watershed are on the bubble due to sham, destructive, diversionary, and/or compromised weenie initiatives like the Keep It Green Coalition, Rethink Energy NJ, and the Penn Foundation’s Delaware Watershed scam.
It is a disgusting display, particularly in light of the national emergency exacerbated by the the Trump circus. Resistance to that demands unity, which is made far more difficult by the corporate whoring.
Full disclosure: I’ve purchased NJ Manufacturers home and car insurance for over 30 years. During that time, I filed exactly one claim for a minor car accident in my own driveway (slid on ice).
I have been satisfied with the NJM service, until very recently, when they raised my car insurance rates dramatically – by over 25% – based exclusively on my economic situation and downgraded credit rating!
So, NJM discriminates against people based on low income –
Maybe Mr. Democracy Harry Pozycki might ask the NJM CEO about the “public service” justification for that.