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Progressive Auto Insurance?? Think again
Posted by Raven on January 12th, 2005
This is a little aged, from late last year, but thought it was worth sharing…
Progressive Auto Insurance Company’s Top Official Thwarts Campaign Finance Laws and Sends Millions to Objectionable Front Groups!
Click below for other insurance options
http://tinyurl.com/387zj
Every month, 11 million Americans pay a company called Progressive Insurance for auto insurance. They are the third largest auto insurer in the country. But thereís something you need to know about what Progressiveís top official is doing with your payments.
Chances are you’ve never heard of Peter B. Lewis. Heís the chairman and former CEO of Progressive. And now, the auto insurance bills those 11 million customers pay every month are being used by Mr. Lewis to fund secretive groups pushing causes we think many of his 11 million customers would find objectionable.
Last year, Congress changed the law to take big, unregulated donations out of politics. Supposedly, labor unions, special interest groups, corporations and wealthy individuals would no longer be able to secretly write the multi-million dollar checks used to sway elections and curry favor with elected leaders. No more so-called ìsoft money,î voters were promised.
But now Progressiveís Peter Lewis and his lawyers have found a loophole that law. And Mr. Lewis plans to use it to give $10 million to $15 million in cash to one of the most hateful political groups in the country. This organization, which falsely claims to be a moderate ìvoter educationî group, is actually a front group. Its real mission is to secretly funnel up to $100 million into the political campaigns of candidates who want to:
* Raise taxes on working families
* Legalize gay marriages
* Increase government red tape on small business
* Send U.S. jobs overseas
* Legalize flag burning
* Take all mentions of God and religion out of society
“Yesterday, ACT reported contributions of $12.5 million. That total includes $5 million from financier George Soros, who has pledged at least $10 million; $3 million from Progressive Corp. Chairman Peter B. Lewis; and $745,000 from RealNetworks Inc. chief executive Rob Glaser.” (Washington Post, 1/31/04).
Mr. Lewis has a long history of funneling money to liberal special interest groups. He is the single largest donor in the history of the ACLU. He gave $15 million to that group, even though have filed dozens of lawsuits to defend flag burners, skinhead Nazi sympathizers, and others who hate what America stands for. And while it is hard to believe that there are groups more out of touch with American values than the ACLU, Mr. Lewis has found one, and now plans to donate at least $10 million to them.
We believe Progressiveís investors, customers, shareholders and employees should not stand by while one wealthy man uses his corporate fortune to support causes that most Americans passionately oppose. As a result, we have launched a grassroots movement. We plan to boycott Progressive insurance as a way to tell Mr. Lewis not to use his corporate fortune to thwart the spirit of campaign finance reform laws. Switching auto insurers if you or someone you know is a Progressive customer will tell Mr. Lewis loud and clear that you oppose his giving millions of dollars to support front groups so far to the left in their extreme views that even many decent liberal Democrats oppose them. Money you send Mr. Lewisí company to insure your car, and eventually paid to him, should not be used to fund a political agenda that you oppose.
Are you a customer of Progressive Auto Insurance, or is a member of your family or someone you know? If so, share this web site with them, and tell them to dump Progressive if they donít want their insurance money used for causes that are 180 degrees away from the values you hold dear as Americans. Call Progressive at 440-461-5000, cancel your policy, and tell them why!
January 13th, 2005 at 6:21 am
No More HFS
Today’s Dose of NIF
December 19th, 2005 at 10:24 pm
December 14, 2005
Via Facsimile — (662) 842-7798
Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
Dear Mr. Wildmon:
Your organization is suggesting to its supporters that they boycott Progressive as a result of personal contributions to the ACLU made by Peter Lewis.
On behalf of the more than 28,000 employees and more than 14.5 million customers of the subsidiaries of The Progressive Corporation and the thousands of Progressive shareholders, I would like to share some facts.
• Peter Lewis is the non-executive Chairman of the Board of The Progressive Corporation; he is not an employee and he is not active in the day-to-day management of the company or its subsidiaries. He has not been involved in a management role since he retired from the position of CEO five years ago.
• The Progressive Corporation does not contribute or provide any financial support to any organizations or causes other than two non-profit organizations working to reduce the human trauma and economic cost of auto accidents. The Progressive Corporation does contribute annually to the Progressive Insurance Foundation which provides matching funds to eligible 501(c)(3) charitable organizations to which our employees contribute their personal funds. Since the Foundation was formed in 2001, the overwhelming majority of all matching funds have gone to religious organizations to which our employees contribute. In 2005, in addition to the traditional support of our employee’s religious organizations, a significant amount of matching funds will go to the hurricane relief effort, as we offered a 200 percent match to all of our employees’ contributions to help hurricane victims. In total, based on the generosity of our employees and the match from the Foundation, we have now raised over $1,350,000 for hurricane relief in 2005.
• Peter Lewis makes contributions to causes in which he believes using his personal funds, just as you and I do. Just as the Corporation cannot dictate the organizations to which I make my personal donations, we cannot dictate the organizations to which Peter contributes. His personal contributions, like mine, in no way reflect beliefs held by The Progressive Corporation.
• Peter Lewis has no involvement or affiliation with the Progressive Insurance Foundation; since he is not an employee of any Progressive company, the Foundation does not match any personal contributions he makes.
I hope this information has helped you to understand better the facts surrounding this issue and I hope you will reconsider your boycott.