While we in Wisconsin have known about Alec for a little while now, they have flown under the radar now for quite sometime. No More: today The New York Times exposed them!
It is no coincidence that so many state legislatures have spent the last year taking the same destructive actions: making it harder for minorities and other groups that support Democrats to vote, obstructing health care reform, weakening environmental regulations and breaking the spines of public- and private-sector unions. All of these efforts are being backed — in some cases, orchestrated — by a little-known conservative organization financed by millions of corporate dollars.
The American Legislative Exchange Council was founded in 1973 by the right-wing activist Paul Weyrich; its big funders include Exxon Mobil, the Olin and Scaife families and foundations tied to Koch Industries. Many of the largest corporations are represented on its board.
Their Modus operandi, is they they hold a "convention' in a very swank hotel, invite hundreds of republican politicians, then send them all home with a political agenda and bills they want passed in various states. Then the politicians who were there come home and introduce those bills many times word for word(yes plagiarism is only bad in college it appears).
As the New York Times points out:
There is nothing illegal or unethical about ALEC’s work, except that it further demonstrates the pervasive influence of corporate money and right-wing groups on the state legislative process. There is no group with any comparable influence on the left. Lawmakers who eagerly do ALEC’s bidding have much to answer for. Voters have a right to know whether the representatives they elect are actually writing the laws, or whether the job has been outsourced to big corporate interests.
How ridiculous is ALEC as an organization? Robin Vos is their statewide chairman!
For more information check out ALECexposed
and in case you are wondering who Paul Weyrich is, he is a Wisconsin native and is best known for this gem:
I wonder where they got the idea for Voter ID laws?
“There is no group with any comparable influence on the left.”
LMFAO!! Unless you include the ones that HAND PICK governors!
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/unions-ask-democrats-in-walker-recall-to-make-veto-pledge-rs44cuo-138957844.html
Did they “handpick the governor” or did the recommend their members look at and vote for Kathleen Falk? Is the election over?
Also you can go to your local school and see every single person who is a member of WEAC, now name me three members ofALEC….
Finally WEAC is made up of 100% Wisconsin citizens…and Alec (well you get the point)…
NYTimes wrote, “There is nothing illegal or unethical about ALEC’s work…” Really?!
It may be legal, but it’s certainly not ethical, when our elected representatives become front men for corporations. Our representatives should do their own work, consult with their constituents and their colleagues, and write their own laws (and put their names on them).
Correct and I agree with you Jen, cant believe I missed that. Good catch.
Everyone is missing the republican’s dirty little secret that everything they have done and are doing is to implement their long desired small government. Their plan started with intentionally running up the deficit. Everything they have done points to that fact. Two wars (one of which was unnecessary as well as unwarranted) unpaid for. Huge tax cuts unpaid for. Expensive prescription drug plan (not a conservative policy) also not paid for. There are only two reasons to more than double the debt: Its either stupidity or intentional. They are not stupid.
This set them up to start cutting after screaming the debt is too large. A debt that was just fine while they were creating it. The tea party was part of the plan being set up to start the ball rolling. While taking the heat for the party they continue to starve the government by refusing any new taxes in order to force more cuts. The Ryan budget was their first attempt to privatize Medicaid/Medicare, and guess what? It would have eliminated the above mentioned drug plan. They now also are complaining the average Joe is not paying enough taxes. So you know that part of the Bush tax cuts was for increasing the deficit.
A shadow group known as ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) was behind all the policies of their newly elected governors. Tax cuts for the wealthy were to further damage the economy and union busting policies were to help their chances at next election. Believe me they are desperate to win the election in order to finish slashing the government. They have also stopped any jobs programs because that would help the economy as well as hurt the Dems at election time. I believe this is something that should be put before the American people for discussion. As far as a shadow group setting policy I don’t care for someone running the government that were not voted to do so. I am not the Jack Wade of the Jack Wade show.
One other thing, water flows downhill, money flows uphill but to circulate them they have to be pumped.