This morning I ventured into the Tea Party’s den at Fox National News to talk about our Times Square Superscreen advertisement, which calls the question: "Are You Mad As Hell But Think The Tea Party Is Insane?"

Fox viewers have been following up with emails and calls about the anchor’s inquiries regarding Consumer Watchdog’s funding, which I discuss here.

First, the intervenor funding we receive — when our lawyers and experts block  insurance company-proposed rate hikes — has resulted in nearly $2 billion in savings for insurance policyholders in California in recent years alone. The chart below lists the savings by company.

For many of these cases, Consumer Watchdog received compensation for its costs and time spent challenging the rate hikes; those costs are paid by the companies forced to lower rates.  These interventions have resulted in about $1.7 million in fees to Consumer Watchdog in recent years. 

For specific education projects, Consumer Watchog also receives foundation grants from major public charities. During the last year these included the ARCA Foundation, Rose Foundation, the Streisand Foundation, and The Tides Foundation.

We also appreciate the many small and large private donors who support us through our website, the mail and our Rage For Justice Awards Dinner. 

Donations to Consumer Watchdog are tax deductible and can be made here. 

You can read more about my new book The Progressive’s Guide To Raising Hell: How To Win Grassroots Campaigns, Pass Ballot Box Laws & Get The Change We Voted For (Chelsea Green) at www.RaisingHellGuide.com