THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL

by **Paul** Sat 30 Dec 2023, 2:53 pm

In the coming year, the American people will face wave after wave of attacks on our democracy and basic rights, as well as what may go down as the most consequential election in our nation’s history.

Public Citizen must be at maximum strength throughout the entirety of 2024 — stronger than we’ve ever been before — to continue standing as a bulwark against the corporate plutocrats and their political pawns.

That’s why it is beyond critical to close out 2023 as strongly as we possibly can, even with tomorrow’s midnight deadline roaring down upon us.

But three developments have formed a “perfect storm” that is hitting at the worst possible moment:

FIRST

From neo-fascist attacks on the very foundations of our democracy to the lasting trauma of the pandemic, from the right-wing dismantling of fundamental rights here at home to violence and war in many parts of the world, from fears of millions being put out of work by artificial intelligence to potentially catastrophic climate chaos — along with a host of other threats to justice, progress, and civilization — people justifiably feel overwhelmed.

SECOND

Big Business exploited the pandemic to jack up prices — on everything from potato chips to pick-up trucks to insurance premiums — beyond all reason. And corporations have kept those artificially inflated prices in place even as their costs have gone back down and their profits have gone through the roof.

So, while there are many signs the economy is doing well, a lot of folks are still feeling tapped out by all that flagrant corporate profiteering. In turn, some are scaling back their financial support of nonprofits like Public Citizen, no matter how much they value our work.

THIRD

Over the years, more and more organizations and politicians have adopted abusive email tactics that were once confined to spammers. Email is still one of the best ways for a budget-conscious nonprofit like Public Citizen to connect with our 500,000 supporters, but the reality is that we do need to email more than we once did.

By the way, this is a peek “behind the curtain” that many of the groups filling up your inbox won’t show you.

Unlike the billionaires and Big Business tycoons Public Citizen routinely goes up against, we don’t have a superyacht. We can’t outrace the maelstrom. We can’t flee to some private island paradise (and tax haven).

And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

But we do need a baseline level of financial resources to keep the good ship Public Citizen afloat. (Sorry for all the nautical terminology. Don’t know where that came from — I haven’t even set foot on a boat in years.)

So I’m asking:

If you can, please make a year-end donation today and help give Public Citizen the real-world resources it takes to do our part in fighting for progress.

A board member will match anything you contribute right now dollar-for-dollar.

DOLLAR-FOR-DOLLAR MATCH — DONATE NOW

Or sign up as a Monthly Donor today and your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar each and every month for a full year!

If donating is not a good fit, I understand. I hope you’ll accept that I need to ask now and again — especially at this time of year — so that we have the resources to carry out all the essential work you and Public Citizen are doing together.

Thank you for reading this note and for being part of this shared project called Public Citizen.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. I recently co-authored a book, The Corporate Sabotage of America’s Future and What We Can Do About It. The book is designed to educate, to provoke outrage, and to build hope — by demonstrating the public consensus around controlling corporate power; by showing what can be done; and by underscoring how the great progress in our nation’s history has always been driven by people joining together, building power, and winning victories that seemed impossible. If you contribute $100 or more today, we’ll send you a copy of the book as thanks.

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