Washington, D.C.- Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the following letter to the Los Angeles Times.  

Concerning the allegations made in your August 23^rd article, “Lobbyists Tied to Microsoft Wrote Citizens’ Letters,” about Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW):

CAGW's involvement in technology issues dates to its inception with President Reagan's 1984 Grace Commission, which made dozens of recommendations on government waste and technology issues.  Following that tradition, CAGW has, since the beginning, viewed the government's case against Microsoft with skepticism.  We strongly believe consumer interests are better served by market competition than bureaucratic regulation and lawsuits in all but the rarest of cases.  So far, the government has spent more than $30 million on litigation, with endless months of further legal wrangling ahead.   The states' attorneys general, anxious for headlines and pay dirt, have spent more than $13 million on the case and are aggressively pushing forward.

Your article relies more on innuendo than evidence and accurate accounting of facts.  First, CAGW and Americans For Technology Leadership (ATL) are separate entities and have conducted independent campaigns regarding Microsoft.  The article does not make this distinction and does not specify which quotes are attributable to which organization.  CAGW’s criticism has always been based on wasteful use of government resources and is consistent with our core mission.

Further, CAGW activates its more-than one million members and supporters nationwide with regular mailings on a wide variety of issues, of which Microsoft is one.  Check our website (www.cagw.org) to find letters on waste matters such as military base closures, prescription drug benefits, and dairy subsidies.  We encourage citizens to forward these letters by e-mail to their representatives in government if they wish.  Another technique is to send supporters hardcopy letters for them to sign and forward, again, if they wish.

Contrary to the article's implication, there is nothing insidious or unusual about such practice.  Next time, instead of consulting the ivory tower, ask a direct mail expert or political activist.  You will find this type of grassroots campaign is not only standard in politics but quintessentially American - organizing public participation in the political process as an expression of freedom of speech.  And for what it's worth, the Microsoft issue receives a particularly good response from CAGW's supporters.  These letters reflect real concerns that thousands of our members have with the government's action in the Microsoft case.  In fact, national surveys reveal that two-thirds of Americans believe the case has been a waste of tax dollars. 

CAGW takes exception to the insinuation that the grassroot sentiment on the Microsoft issue was somehow fabricated.  Had the authors called our office for clarification, they would have heard that CAGW mailed 81,000 letters to our supporters in the 19 states persevering in the Microsoft case.  Despite their dismissals, the outcry from so many constituents clearly rattled the state attorneys general.  If they choose to ignore their constituents' views, they do so at their own peril. 

                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                THOMAS A. SCHATZ

                                                                                President

CAGW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government.