GoodSearch: a Tool for Internet Advocacy

Here is something relatively new in internet advocacy, the search engine fundraiser. I have come across a few similar cases where simply using a site's search engine would help generate money for a chairty or non-profit. I find this simply amazing and a fantastically simple way for people to help a cause. I think using a search engine site to generate funds is particularly great because it gives people an opportunity to help raise $$ even when they are strapped for cash.

Any registered non-profit can contact GOODSEARCH, this includes schools, charities, hospitals and clinics, political groups, professional associations, volunteer services and so many more...maybe yours!

If your organization is not already listed on the homepage as their Charity of the Day, you can type the cause or charity of your interest in and see if it is has set up an account. Once you discover the cause or charity you are interested in does have an account with GOODSEARCH, you can see how much money they have raised.

Right now, the charity of the day is the Children Affected by Aids Foundation. I discovered GOODSEARCH in a RESULTS Global Weekly Update.

RESULTS is an nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to ending poverty and hunger. An account has been set up on GOODSEARCH that will raise funds for the RESULTS Education Fund.

The following message was included in my Weekly Update, if you would like more information on how you can help get RESULTS in the war on poverty, sign up for the newsletter. I like this group because they give great tips on how to write effective letters to the editor or to political representatives. The new GOODSEARCH fundraiser is another good example of the simple, do-able ideas they have.

Use GoodSearch to Fund RESULTS!
"Now RESULTS can earn a penny every time you search the Internet! GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it’s powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results.

Just go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and enter RESULTS Educational Fund as the charity you want to support. You can also download the GoodSearch toolbar for your browser to make it even easier to use. Just 250 of us searching four times a day will raise about $3600 in a year without anyone spending a dime.

Please broadcast this message to your personal networks, asking them to use GoodSearch and raise money for our work. Just cut and paste this entire message and send it to your contacts — and we will all be taking one more step to make poverty history!"
--RESULTS Global Weekly Update — October 30, 2006

PA House District 66: Sam Smith and Samy Elmasry

The election of Pennsylvania House District 66 is a very simple race. The general assembly

Over the past few month I have seen very little evidence that anyone was paying attention to this race. There were a few signs for Sam Smith and Elmasry sprinkled along heavy traffic areas in Punxsutawney.

If driving along 119, you wil mainly see signs for the gubenatorial race between Rendel and Swan.

Evidence of support for one side or the other in the big races has been scare, although slowly growing. I guess that was why it was so surprising to see the swelling of support for Sam Smith in the PA House of Representatives.

There was a row of houses, each with a sign.

About three years ago Sam Smith opened an office in Punxsy. I am really not sure how long it has been there, but it became very noticable about three years ago. The office is located in an old 1930s storefront. The balcony on the second floor is covered with a sign declaring his name, it is detailed in red and blue.

I think that my wish to have this representative replaced is grounded in my disappointment. My sister started a non-profit to advocate for the Big Run Elementary school which was allowed to fall into disrepair until it was slated for closure--the reason being that it was in disrepair. Many of the small schools in the more rural areas on the outskirts of the school district have been closing. But this one was historic.

Voting Myths and Encouragements

We need to vote for democracy to work. We also probably need to be better informed and in meaningful ways. I would probably be helpful that citizens actually care and feel empowered/informed. It would be important that people leave the polls feeling like they made a good and informed decision.

It is a well propogated fact that citizens of the United States don't turn out to vote as often as citizens in other nations. If that is true, it is not very surprising to me. Based on the causal conversations I have has with people, even the people who go to political meetings/events, we are very poorly informed. Much searching is needed to find the voting histories of Congressmen and women...for state and local levels: I just don't have a clue! I care, and it is hard for me to keep track. But really, are there less people voting? Is the reason we are in this 8 year republican dominated trend because the religious and New right get out the vote better than other groups? Maybe only conservative people vote? Nah....

Another widely held belief is that voter turnout is declining, that the kids just don't get out to vote the same way their parents and grandparents did and still do.

According to research published by Dr. Michael McDonald at the Department of Public and International Public Policy at George Mason University, American voter turn out has not declined since 1972.

There is a very interesting entry on Wikipedia that explores the many factors that may explain variation in voter turnout between nations--cultural, socioeconomic, institutional.

Wikipedia cited that about 54% of Americans turn out to vote; which seems pretty sad for a developing nation and one of the earliest, modern democratic nations.
The Wiki article also cited a decrease in turnout for presidential elections, which may be very telling, if it is true.

According to McDonald's research the myth of a decline in voter turnout is a result of poor calculations. I am not sure the extent that his findings invalidate the claim that only 54 % of registered Americans have turned out to vote in the last nine presidential elections.

Whereas other nations, like Austrailia, manage to get 95%, we Americans look pretty disinterested and apparently have been consistenly disinterested in voting since 1972.


When was the last time you voted? Voted in something other than a presidential election. This may surprise you, but there are other elections. This year, in particular, it is very important that we get out to vote and put more new faces (hopefully democratic, independent, and green faces) into Congress!

Take inventory of your friends, family, and neighbors and encourage them to vote.

For more on Voter Turnout Check out International IDEA

Herding Cats

Trent Lott was on the Daily Show
promoting his book Herding Cats.

It was a simple discussion, one that is getting more and more common...
and it got me thinking.

He and Jon Stewart discussed the sense that there is just no one in charge of Congress...and Lott pointed out that really, no one is: there is a series of committees.

I am almost sad about how much the Foley content took over their dialogue, but I guess something like that is the issue: how do immoral people end up in charge? Do Republicans really deserve to have the majority?

What makes it alarming is that some news organizations knew about it before it happened and a member of Congress who were allegedly told about similar incidents, Hastert, denies all knowledge! Sure, some things raised a red flag...but no follow up, no questioning.

I expect my representatives to question each other, no matter what side of the political fence they are on.

Lott has it right, we need to have more of a vision of where we want to go in the future and how we can avoid the same mistakes!

It is certainly creepy that a man interested in sexual relations with minors was drafting legislation to address issues of missing and exploited children...but in the scheme of things might not be that strange...and may be no more alarming than men with interests in oil and industry spearheading a war that would secure both oil and large scale contracts for rebuilding and providing meals to military men.

I imagine that a man who wrestles with his own inner pervert really knows how much of an issue missing and exploited children can be...and I do believe there is reform for people like Foley, who when well and considerate of appropriate boundaries can work on the efforts to promote safety and well-being of children.

Scandalous behavior like Foley's will likely lengthen the shadow that has been falling across republicans. Hopefully, they will lose their dominance in Congress. Unfortunately, I would feel even better about the issue of who has dominance if I felt like democrats were more active across the board.

It may be that no matter what group holds dominance in Congress, the issue of herding cats will still be present.

As citizens and voters we can only hope that the people we vote into office will not turn a blind eye to any sort of inappropriate behavior or wrong doing! And, it is not just on the national level: we need all our representatives at any level to be up to the challenge of calling people to the floor when they are misbehaving or inappropriate.

I wonder what it is that makes any kind of social movement a lot like herding cats...a bunsh of people who are demanding to be heard are promoting their pet causes and who expect to be able to do what they want when they want it and to hell with all the people who are not willing to lick their fur.

I hope people vote, more people than usual...politics may be a lot like herding cats...committees can be slow machines, but this does not mean that nothing will happen.

There are ways to move past the feeling of a lack of leadership...part of it will come from the grassroots up.

Show your enthusiasm: vote, write representatives; go to community mettings; run for office; write letters to the editor; draft policy agendas; donate to politicans and causes; watch the news; read the paper; talk politics with your friends, family, and neighbors--and not just national politics"

And when you do talk politics and issues: actually try to come up with a solution.


Please try to do all of this and pick candidates that have a vision and who are willing to listen and question as well as lead.