Which German firm has given the most money to the Romney campaign? It turns out that BAYER AG is placing its bets on Romney, in the hopes that a Romney administration will repeal existing regulations pertaining to drug and pesticide safety:
Der Leverkusener BAYER-Konzern gehört traditionell zu den wichtigsten ausländischen Spendern im US-Wahlkampf. Aktuell schlägt sich BAYER - wie in den vergangenen Wahlkämpfen - auf die Seite der Republikaner. Mit Spenden in Höhe von 261.000 Dollar ist das Leverkusener Unternehmen größter deutscher Förderer der Republikaner, gefolgt von der Deutschen Telekom mit 193.500 Dollar und der BASF mit 128.000 Dollar.
(The BAYER corporation in Leverkusen has traditionally been a major foriegn contributor in US elections. This time - as in past elections - BAYER is on the side of the Republicans. With donations reaching $261,000 the Leverkusen corporation is the largest backer of the Republicans, followed by Deutsche Telekom with 193,500 and BASF with 178,000.)
Philipp Mimkes of the Coalition gegen BAYER Gefahren explains why BAYER's intervention in US politics poses a threat:
“American politics are in a stranglehold of lobbyists and powerful donors. This prevents improvements of environmental and consumer protection. The noble ideal of “One Man, One Vote” in the American constitution has turned into a disdainful “One Dollar, One Vote”.” The Coalition demands laws stopping companies from donating to parties, politicians and think tanks.During the mid-term elections in 2010, BAYER, BASF and the German electric provider E.ON specifically backed candidates who deny climate change or block effective climate laws. BAYER is also one of the supporters of the American Heartland Institute, which denies the existence of climate change and was instrumental in the rise of the reactionary ‘Tea Party’. The institute collects donations from the industrial sector and uses them, amongst other things, to finance blogs and pay seemingly neutral organisations – all with the aim of planting doubt about climate change.
Welcome to post-Citizens United America, where we have the best democracy money can buy.
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