MapLight has launched its personal financial disclosures database, a new tool that brings to light the fiscal relationships shared between legislators and private companies.
Each year, members of Congress file ‘personal financial disclosures’ regarding their various assets and sources of income. In these documents, legislators provide detailed lists of their investments in anything from real estate to mutual funds and company stock.
MapLight has compiled and organized this information into a single dataset searchable by politician, company, year, or Congressional session, with results categorized by income type (dividends, capital gains, etc.) and personal or spousal ownership. This data is made freely available to the public through a simple web interface and may also be downloaded as a CSV spreadsheet for deeper scrutiny.
Below is a MapLight analysis of the 2013 personal financial disclosures of members of the 113th Congress to identify the ‘top 15’ most popular company stock holdings and total amounts held*. The 113th Congress was composed of 53 Democrats, 2 Independents, and 45 Republicans in the Senate and 234 Republicans and 201 Democrats in the House of Representatives. The 114th Congress, which convenes on January 3, 2015, will be comprised of 53 Republicans, 44 Democrats, 2 Independents, and one race TBD in the Senate and 244 Republicans, 186 Democrats, and 5 races TBD in the House.
* Exact amounts are usually unknown; personal financial disclosure forms provide a fixed range of values with which to record the amount of an asset held.
See below table for U.S. Congresspersons’ AAPL ownership. Lawmakers are not required to disclose the exact value of the assets they hold, but rather are required to list a minimum and maximum value for each asset. The “Minimum Value” and “Maximum Value” columns reflect these disclosures.
Source: MapLight.org
[Attribution: Fortune. Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Grand Nan is a poor woman. How dare anybody say she owns $5 million of ONE stock. That’s just to anti-ant-capitalist.
How dare you disparage the idealism of Ms. “We gotta pass this bill, so we can see what’s in it”. True representative government, at its finest.
If Nancy’s make-up ever fell off, we’d see a statue of Pazuzu with lightning bolts flashing behind it, screaming, “The sow is mine!”
This country would be far better off with independent news organizations that are as free of bias as possible. As it is today, the deck is stacked against the parties that believe in a federal government resembling the size and scope intended by the founding fathers. Government is not your nanny and “news” organizations should not be in the business of selling statism or any kind of “ism” to the hoi polloi. “News” organizations shouldn’t be selling anything beyond straight unbiased, just the facts, news. JUST REPORT THE FSCKING NEWS! DO YOUR JOBS FOR A CHANGE!!!
“I’m not someone who goes around crying ‘bias’ in a crowded theater,” Howard Kurtz later tells Melissa Francis, “but there really is no other explanation here.” Francis and Kurtz are discussing the stunning lack of coverage from most other news organizations — especially the broadcast networks — of the remarks made by ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber about the deception, lies, and trickery used to sell the bill four years ago. Francis, who worked for NBC News subsidiary CNBC during the initial ObamaCare debate in Congress, revealed yesterday that her reports about the math not adding up in the ACA resulted in a dressing-down by her bosses, who claimed that her criticisms amounted to “disrespecting the office of the President.”
Kurtz responded by saying that scrutinizing the office of the President is supposed to be their job, even though the networks and the New York Times still haven’t bothered to do it by Day 5 of Gruberama.
Francis brings on another former CNBC reporter, Charlie Gasparino, who tells a couple of stories about having seen thumbs on the scales while working at the network, and at Newsweek:
News orgs love to talk about the “firewall” between ownership and editorial content, and between editorial content and news reporting. That’s not so much the issue in the Newsweek anecdote, but it’s certainly the case in Gasparino’s recollection of CNBC. This wasn’t the head of CNBC or of NBC News making an intervention, but of General Electric pressuring the news staff on editorial direction. That’s not just an example of media bias, but of crony corporatism at work.
Also, it’s rather amusing that the reporters at Newsweek didn’t understand what exit polls actually mean or how they work, but that’s a topic for a different day.
Source
I just recently saw an interview of Sharyl Attkisson in which they were talking about her new book “Stonewalled”. I hadn’t realized she had left CBS, but I can understand why due to the liberal bias of the network and that incompetent piece of crap Scott Pelley. I’m sure the Obama administration was glad to see that.
I miss CBS Evening News with Damn Blather…for fun, I used to monitor his LPM*. Scott Pelley is a lightweight, Damn is the master.
*Lies Per Minute
Here is Damn’s first big time lie (pre-1975 public exposure of the Zapruder film), in fact, was the catapult for his national infamy..er, career:
“…his head moved violently forward.”
…and in all these years only one man has outscored Damn’s immortal LPM rate, a record that I thought would be held for the Ages…
The Amazing Obola Messiah, The Human Lie Machine.
Unless he types very slowly, I suspect that Fwhatever deserves the LPM crown.
Believe it or not, botvinnik, my opinion of you is somewhat higher than my opinion of Fwhatever. You are much more likely to post about actual Apple, Mac, and iOS issues. And you are rather funny at times…some rather clever, dry humor. But don’t let that go to your head.
Frankly, I don’t give a flying fsck in a rolling doughnut what you “think” about anything or anybody…so, don’t go flattering yourself again.
At no point did KingMel flatter himself. Insults are the response of the weak minded to perceived challenges. But Mel wasn’t even trying to challenge you.
Why post drivel when you are capable of better. Post more of the good stuff.
Please do not overlook the rampant bias from the right wing media organizations.
Fwhatever always focuses on attacking the left wing. If asked, I would bet good money that Fwhatever would respond that Fox News is truly “fair and balanced” and that any perceived bias is just a skewed left wing viewpoint. If pressed, he might admit that Fox News is biased, but in a good way because it is more “truthful” and it helps to balance out the left wing bias from the “lame stream media.”
When the definition of “bias” is anything with which you do not agree, then this country is in trouble. You profess fervent belief in freedom of speech. But that the value of that freedom is greatl lessened when people have closed their ears and their minds.
Fox News is not as right wing as you like to think. Yes, their opinion shows openly slant right, although they have plenty of leftist guests present opposing views herein.
However, if you listen to their actual ‘news’ broadcasts and pay attention, the coverage favors the left, clearly. Their main guy Shep the missing stooge Smith hammers the rigt on his show. Their radio broadcasts are even more leftist in coverage.
So quit throwing Obama’s koolaid brigade propaganda around without actually using the inconvenient truth, ‘mkay?
Oh, please. Fox News has liberal “guests” on sometimes, and then put them in a “debate” with 4 or 5 of their own loudmouth stooges who all constantly interrupt as don’t let the “guest” get a word in edgewise.
You might as well praise the KKK for inviting black people to their meetings sometimes…while failing to mention that they gang up and beat the sh*t out of them while they’re there.
Yes, the vacuum of Guberless coverage is stunning, but not a surprise from the PRO OBAMA MEDIA.
All of them should turn in their press cards violating terms of an independent media.
The media is a NATIONAL DISGRACE!
Did I miss a anything?
So correct. And just think in 30 to 60 days the Republicans will deliver a wonderful America to us all. They promised. Any day now, I will get that wonderful job and make all that money and be rich like the other republician politicians.
Yep, in only 30 to 60 days the world will be wonderful. We all know how Obama never makes any good laws (House) or approves them (senate), he just waits there for them to appear. And they he does those Presidential mandates (like Bush did). Really, who does he think he is, a king??? Shame on him. /s
Just saying.
Republicans have promised to deliver us *from* Obama. That’s good enough for me. Demorats won’t do it.
They better damn well do it. Obama is guilty of a lot of things that merit impeachment. And before someone gets all pissy for me saying that, read the Constitution first, and then tell me how Obama has the authority to go around Congress. He has become a lawless president, and he must be stopped.
Would that be like how the Republicans got a massive majority in Kansas and then – with ideologically driven policies – have been driving the economy of the state further and further into the toilet?
didn’t seem to hurt them on Election Day.
Indeed. The Democrat, Davis, was way in the lead, supported even by numerous Republicans, horrified at the actual results of the ultra-right stupidity. All fine until the “party of freedom” leaked that Davis had partaken of a ‘lap dance’ when he was young. HORRORS! The Kansas sheep went running back into the arms of Brownback to continue circling further and further down the sewer.
The Republicans gave us Obama by screwing things up before he came along. Of course they will tell you now that they will save you from him.
They will say anything that gets your vote, its not the same thing as doing anything.
Show me a party committed to a balanced budget amendment, and then I’ll believe they are really trying to be responsible and make the country stronger instead of profiting from the messes they create.
You would think the Republican party would be for that, given all their rhetoric about a balanced budget. But that’s only the noise they make when a Democrat is in office. They don’t balance the budget when they are in office.
Don’t worry, Norm. Here’s how it will work.
Step 1: We give more and more money to the ultrarich.
Step 2: Money and other benefits will “trickle down” to you.
Don’t ask me why it has to go through their pockets first, instead of going directly to you in great wages. I have no idea. The rich have to get it first. But you’ll be better off — honest!
Correction on Step1: the middle class will be taxed more than they can afford and the money will NOT TRICKLE down. It will be given out DIRECTLY to all those not contributing to society. And we know which way they vote.
Nice sarcasm!!
“So correct.”
Well, thanks for agreeing with me regarding the BIASED media overwhelmingly staffed by Democrats and favoring Democrats 24/7/365.
As to the rest of your off topic sarcastic post, hey, whatever floats your empty DEM boat.
Only time will tell …
Amen, brother.
Please turn your analytical powers on Fox News. The “gut feel” that passes as “truth” and “fact” on that channel is astounding. It is a talk show masquerading as news. But if it feels right, it must be true!
One cable network against all others, yet you focus on it and not on the leftist dreck that soils newsprint and airwaves everywhere. Typical delusional Lib.
That’s just way to much to write (or read) about a story about Congress.
Incompetent as incompetent can be.. “Let’s just get it passed and then we’ll see what’s in it”.
This isn’t surprising. Why must the story be spoiled by mentioning Nancy (stretch) Pelosi? That woman is a moron.
Sure wish the Democrats had some really intelligent people like Bachmann and previous VP candidate Palin.
Intelligent people do not join the Democrat party. Only articulate academia morons that wave degrees and can’t tie their own shoelaces absent common sense. You would qualify.
Bachman and Palin have more smarts than the articulate absent minded Billary. They fish, hunt, gut a moose, paddle and kick ass. While Billary stands in front of a paid plywood podium posting politician platitudes. Give me a break! The media loves Billary and not Bachman or Palin. That is is your confusion. Both would kick Billary’s arse in a heartbeat!
Bachmann and Palin are both category 5 morons who are politicians in the same sense that Kim Kardashian is a star.
And the next LIBERAL LIE is Billiary can independently think for herself, represent ALL the people and renounce her FAR LEFT BELIEFS, right?
And pigs fly.
Correct, sir.
I read somewhere she displays the stupidity that can only be achieved at the highest levels of Academia.
a) who cares?
b) the numbers are complete BS. I do not personally own the equivalent of 2.6% of Congress’ Apple holdings.
c) in a room of 648 wealthy investors you are going to tell me only 7.4% own AAPL. I DON’T BELIEVE IT
I’m OK with them owning a lot of stock — as long as they paid for it themselves.
Traffic must be real slow for MDN that they have resort to mentioning Nancy Pelosi just to get a raise out of people.