Koch Brothers, ALEC and Their Corporate Allies Plan to Privatize Government

[merrill]

This story is a collaboration between In These Times and the Center for Media and Democracy of Madison, Wis.

With the 2012 legislative season and another episode of the Great American Campaign Circus dawning over the nation, Arizona may find itself the proving grounds for possible reform in the age of “pay-to-play” politics.

In January, Arizona Rep. Steve Farley (D-Tucson) will introduce the “ALEC Accountability Act of 2012,” which is aimed squarely at the less-than-transparent American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a national organization that advances corporate-authored model legislation at the state level through the use of a hidden distribution network of special interest cash.

This network, known as the ALEC “scholarship fund,” holds more than $1 million for state lawmakers to attend various functions (commonly referred to as “junkets”). At these functions, lawmakers are literally wined and dined by lobbyists seeking to advance the legislative agendas of their clients.

To Farley and proponents of the bill, the problem is absolutely clear. In a nutshell: ALEC is a lobbyist organization, but its corporate backers operate out of public view. “If voters knew that [their lawmaker] was receiving a huge donation from BP, for example, then they might be less likely to vote for them,” Farley says.

“They would understand that their best interests were not necessarily being looked after. We should be as transparent as possible. … We can’t pretend that [legislation] was our idea when it came from ALEC and from a multinational corporation that had its own interests in mind.”

con't
Will Arizona Hold ALEC Accountable? -- In These Times

my gawd, you want us to believe the Democrats aren't doing the same thing?
what do you think of the President meeting with Union leaders?

Show us how that is the same....

Are the meetings with president secret? It's usually in the news.

 

[Stephanie]

This story is a collaboration between In These Times and the Center for Media and Democracy of Madison, Wis.

With the 2012 legislative season and another episode of the Great American Campaign Circus dawning over the nation, Arizona may find itself the proving grounds for possible reform in the age of “pay-to-play” politics.

In January, Arizona Rep. Steve Farley (D-Tucson) will introduce the “ALEC Accountability Act of 2012,” which is aimed squarely at the less-than-transparent American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a national organization that advances corporate-authored model legislation at the state level through the use of a hidden distribution network of special interest cash.

This network, known as the ALEC “scholarship fund,” holds more than $1 million for state lawmakers to attend various functions (commonly referred to as “junkets”). At these functions, lawmakers are literally wined and dined by lobbyists seeking to advance the legislative agendas of their clients.

To Farley and proponents of the bill, the problem is absolutely clear. In a nutshell: ALEC is a lobbyist organization, but its corporate backers operate out of public view. “If voters knew that [their lawmaker] was receiving a huge donation from BP, for example, then they might be less likely to vote for them,” Farley says.

“They would understand that their best interests were not necessarily being looked after. We should be as transparent as possible. … We can’t pretend that [legislation] was our idea when it came from ALEC and from a multinational corporation that had its own interests in mind.”

con't
Will Arizona Hold ALEC Accountable? -- In These Times

my gawd, you want us to believe the Democrats aren't doing the same thing?
what do you think of the President meeting with Union leaders?

Show us how that is the same....

Are the meetings with president secret? It's usually in the news.

yeah sure they are.

 

[Stephanie]

my gawd, how many times you going to re post the same stuff?

 

[merrill]

What is ALEC, and why should you care?

If you're uncomfortable with corporations writing our laws then you'll be interested in ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), a group that pairs legislators with corporate heads to pass laws favoring big business.

The Washington, D.C.-based group of conservative state legislators and corporate leaders drafts “model” legislation to be passed as state laws Recently, they've been accused of under-reporting their lobbying activities. They claim to be a nonprofit, non-partisan organization, but their actions belie that description.

Common Cause, a nonprofit government watchdog group, sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on July 14th, alleging ALEC filed false tax returns and is engaged in lobbying despite its claims to the contrary. ALEC's tax-exempt, charitable status is on the line.

One obvious counter to their claim of being “non-partisan” is their membership: they have one Democrat and 103 Republican legislators currently in leadership positions.

So exactly what does ALEC do? Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators changes to the law that directly benefit their bottom line, according to the Center for Media and Democracy.

It isn't just legislators who have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. They have their own corporate governing board which meets jointly with the legislative board.

ALEC says that corporations do not vote on the board. Yeah, right. And Tea Party members believe in compromise.

This partisan stalking horse that calls itself ALEC introduces over 1,000 bills every year through its overwhelmingly conservative legislative members. Consider this:
As It Stands: Meet ALEC: a wolf in sheep's clothing - Times-Standard Online

 

[merrill]

Face it ALEC is anti American and does not represent democracy only corporate America aka Facism.

 

[Stephanie]

Face it ALEC is anti American and does not represent democracy only corporate America aka Facism.

Face it. take out ALEC and put in the DemocracyNow and the Progressive party, then you speak the truth about Facism.

 

[lizzie]

Face it ALEC is anti American and does not represent democracy only corporate America aka Facism.

It is not their responsibility to "represent democracy". They are a conservative group who try to influence policy-making- (ever heard of lobbyists?). Their goals revolve around the ideas of free markets, individual liberty, and decentralized government. These aren't fascist ideas- they are Jeffersonian ideas.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

The most reliable source of fraud and corruption is private industry...

How is the government not as reliable?

Because it is private industry that commits fraud against the government.

The government commits fraud against 300 million Americans every single day.

 

[merrill]

How is the government not as reliable?

Because it is private industry that commits fraud against the government.

The government commits fraud against 300 million Americans every single day.

Please explain....

 

[whitehall]

Koch Brothers, ALEC and Their Corporate Allies Plan to Privatize Government

Secretive Corporate-Legislative Group ALEC Holds Annual Meeting to Rewrite State Laws

"Privatize government" what a concept. I wish I thought of it but the Founding Fathers thought of it first when they risked their lives and fortunes to give us the greatest system of government ever seen on the planet. Now the neo-socialists think the private sector has too much power? We have all the power.

 

[Intense]

Yep.... the right only recognizes Tyranny from Gubmint though... so your words are going to fall on deaf ears.... and of course you will be called a Commie.

Or, the intelligent among us will investigate the claims before we agree or disagree. Cuz some of us have a higher standard of 'truth' than accepting a cut and past piece of plagiarism.

Yep. Just a thought, If College ID is not in compliance with Texas State standards, Why? what will it take to correct the problem? Let's approach problems like Grown-Ups.

 

[bripat9643]

I find it hard to believe a student Id if it has their picture on it is not accepted..

so I'll just assume the rest of what they say is crap.

You don't have to be an American citizen to get a student ID.

 

[bripat9643]

Sen. Troy Fraser , R-Horseshoe Bay, author of the bill, noted that it will allow Texans to get a state ID card for free from the Department of Public Safety. The state ID is one of the photo IDs that would establish the voter’s identity for voting purposes.

Last I checked in my home state, it cost about 30 bucks to get a copy of my birth certificate for a photo ID.

So you think no one should have to prove they were born in the USA to vote?

 

[HUGGY]

Just how would you go about prosecuting someone who has impersonated an eligible voter? I would bet that there are hundreds, if not thousands of cases with no way to identify a case of fraud, much less prosecute the offender.

Oh my what a THREAT!!!!! Let's see... 100,000,000 voters... 1,000 fraudulent voters.

I'm no Einstein but I figure that works out to a .001 percent chance to affect an election.

Shocking revelation Sherlock!

 

[Dr.House]

DiaperDude defends fraud because of the numbers....lol

Your low IQ is really showing, fool....

 

[HUGGY]

DiaperDude defends fraud because of the numbers....lol

Your low IQ is really showing, fool....

Stick to corn dogs faggot...

 

[Avatar4321]

Face it ALEC is anti American and does not represent democracy only corporate America aka Facism.

We aren't a democracy

 

[bripat9643]

Because it is private industry that commits fraud against the government.

The government commits fraud against 300 million Americans every single day.

Please explain....

Social Security, Medicare, welfare, Agricultural subsidies, Solyndra, the UAW bailout - those are all cons on a huge scale. Government is just one vast con job.

 

[Harry Dresden]

The most reliable source of fraud and corruption is private industry...

How is the government not as reliable?

Because it is private industry that commits fraud against the government.

how about when the Govt. commits fraud against its citizens?......how about when they fuck people over.....does that matter?.....or does the Govt. get a pass?.....

 

[grunt11b]

Yep.... the right only recognizes Tyranny from Gubmint though... so your words are going to fall on deaf ears.... and of course you will be called a Commie.

It's funny how the left accuses everyone else that of which itself is guilty of.
Voter ID laws protect the integrity of the process. It's funny how noone has an issue with someone having to present an identification to get welfare or to by a plane ticket or to write a check at the store, but somehow everyone on the left has an issue with someone showing identification to cast a vote. Can someone explain this reasoning to me?
It does not disenfranchise anybody, most states with the new laws have already offered FREE identifications to those who need it, so wheres the big issue? The big issue is that it will be much harder for the left to commit voter fraud, and they dont like it one bit. HARDY HAR HAR!!!!!