| OCR Text |
Show ___The Salt Lake Tribune NATION Sunday, August 3, 1997 Changing Role Of Think Tanks Spurs Questions From Previous Page ‘and International Studies, as was ambassador to Israel, Martin In- yk at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Indeed, Clinton and Vice Presi dent Al Gore profited polit from their close connections to the middle-of-the-road Democrat- i¢ Leadership Council. Think tanks experienced great expansion in the 1960s and ‘70s. The advent of the presidential primary system led to the collapse ofpolitical parties as idea-generators, relegating party organizations almost solely to roies as money-raisers and convention-or- anizers. On any given day, think tankers still dominate the witnesslists at €apitol Hill hearings, despite an explosion of experts on the staffs Gf the House and Senate in the past two decades. Big Bucks ForBig Ideas Ronald Reagan’s presidency, as well as the rise of the environ- Thesearethe biggest givers to advocacy groupsand think tanks* Company Exxon Genera! Motors ATaT Meriill Lynch Chevron Procter & Gamble WMX Technologies Ford Motor Co. Amoco Aetna Amount $2,452,641 1,771,919 1,692,500 1,489,958 1,324,250 1,220,000 1,209,942 1,143,000 895,500 748,750 “1994 figures, incomplete because some firms provided incomplete data Source: Capital Research Center GNS Congress has its own think tanks, most notably the Congressional Budget Office, the Congressional Research Service and the General Accounting Office, whose work often produces the most objective and dispassionate reports in the capital. Think-tank experts provide yards of quotes or soundbites dai- ly to feed to a media always hungry for educated opinions. mental and women’s movements, brought a newkind of aggressive, combative think tank willing — even eager — to dukeit out in the political arena They publish slick magazines, the limits on political activity by think tanks DENIM DECISIONS in the Men’s, Women’s and Childrens Denim Departments Let us help you with your denim decisions. Go back to f schooloutfitted withthelatest styles and colors of denim. onthe think tanks, psclaim- think tanks will survive the new wave cf ideology, vanity and money, said Weiss. ports analyzing breaking news. “There's a cacophonyof voices actly what to whom. Butit is a lot of money — proba- deep pockets of corporations for financial support. ‘Theyfill a vacuum. Thepolitical parties arebereftofideas; dis- bly hundreds of millions pouring into policy research groups annually from U.S. corporations and more widespread; andthereis the Smith, author of the 1991 book vative Heritage or a libertarian Cato Institute, says the research center, $4.07 goes to liberal and left-of-center advocacy groups and someturn out immediate renow— lotofnoise,” said James The Idea Brokers: Think Tanks and the Rise of the NewPolicy Elite. Smith also partly blames think tanksfor the paucity of public debate, saying “over the long term, their increasing specialization has helped to fragment the public discourse and make it arcaneandintimidating.” Weaver also questions whether there is really any evidence of think-tank influence, calling it “limited and largely anecdotal.” lic interest’ have looked to the Despite the successof a conser- trust of government is growing feeling that federal agencies are too old fogey-ish to be effective. Thereis a need for ideas. ee Ct Banister-Shoe Sn EDENcs Meeecians Yet, think tanks continue to changeas politicians are discovering the advantagesof operating their own think tanks. Weaver, who labels operations like the NPF as‘vanity tanks,” calls them “potential mechanisms to avoid spending limits on contributions to presidential campaigns & COLLECTORS’ Join us for Increasingly,” says a report by the Capital Research Center which tracks money's influence ing to speak ‘to and fromthe pub- erste ae : Corning Revere e IU) Pires sre Summer Fashion Place Mail for every $1 that goes to those on the right Though changing, the best foundations. Think tanks are covered by tax laws governing nonprofit charitable corporations, which don't make it easy to get an exact dollar figure on who is contributing ex- RETOEE August 3-9 All and limitations on corporate political donations, while stretching SHow Te lel Reteara Ho q AUG. 8 -9 Fri, 1-7, Sat., 10-6 McKAY EVENTS CENTER UtahValleyState College, Orem ADMISSION$3.50 (with this ad $3.00) Early Birds: $5, Fri. 10-11 a.m. "Psa breezes past the I-15 construction to @ of at Factory Stores of.America for Back-to-School" (CHILE OuTh facie ae T witht a erozen on iceo orink | DOWNTOWN ! 45 £, 200 $0. | 537-7707 Give yourself an A+ in Shopping Savvy! Meeae aeOESce MOINESMola Trolley Stop] eenaa Wales Breeneosin ol Pe Meas With any $50 or more denim purchase, youwill receive a special sitting with L.N.V.U. Portraits (a $100value). Learn the meaning of convenienceand great savings when you shop at Factory Stores of America in Draper. Bring the kids andload ‘em up with everything they need...hip fashions, cool sportswear, and the necessary school supplies...all at 20-70% off original retail prices, Locatedsouth of the construction I-15, Exit 294 Draper, UT Open Monday-Friday: 10-9 a Pig a VE Factory Outlet Saturday: 10-8 * Sunday: 11-5 RODE INTO TOWN. SANDY | No more waiting for somebody to crank up the barbecue to get that better-than-anything charbroiled tastelikeour legendary Western Bacon Cheeseburger*. Because now it's here at the new Carl's Jr* right in your neighborhood. For thegreatest burgers, charbroiled chicken sand wiches, salads, or breakfasts, just ride on over to your new Carl's jr Restaurant Carfsdr. NOW OPENin Sandy 10475 South State Street (Infront of WalMartin South TowneEast) Serving Big Juicy Charbroiled Burgers & Chicken Sandwiches, Crisp Salads, Breakfast, and much, much more! Coming Soon 582 North Main Street in Clearfield 1390 North Main Street in Logan 2100 South 300 Westin South Salt Lake City 925 West Antelope Drive in Layton i v |
