I recently donned a conservative blue suit and suppressed my political ideals to attend an American Legislative Exchange Council conference, the nation's most influential conservative policy organization. As a Wisconsin Democratic legislator, I was able to see the ALEC agenda in action.ALEC is mostly funded by large corporations. While most legislators who attended the conference received corporate funded "scholarships" covering their travel, hotel, conference registration and food, I forked over nearly $1,000 out of pocket to become a member of ALEC and attend its 40th anniversary conference in Chicago in August.ALEC is a ménage à trois of wealthy corporations, conservative think tanks and right-wing state legislators. I was simultaneously fascinated and horrified by the degree ALEC policy infests our country, maximizing corporate profits and free reign. One keynote speaker,Wall Street Journal columnist and Club for Growth founder Stephen Moore, summed it up: "What we really need is more rich people."ALEC develops model bills on "free market" topics that legislative members introduce in their states. State legislators, corporations and conservative think tank members comprise task forces that create model bills. Corporate money coughed up in exchange for task force membership greases ALEC's wheels.As a result, private members run the ALEC show. In rare instances where state legislators raised concerns about policy positions, I witnessed think tank representatives and corporate lobbyists shoot them down.The Citizens for Self-Governance, a special-interest group that ALEC promotes, demonstrated how the process works. Legislators were entreated to organize to "save the Republic" by amending the U.S. Constitution to abolish the Supreme Court and otherwise drastically limit the power of the federal government.In exchange, we were promised the support of a grass-roots army of tea party activists and home-school advocates in addition to bundled campaign contributions.
is the right wing running a fifth column AKA Tea-Party in America, why not they have done every other Un-American thing imaginable.
but all is not lost we have beaten them and their money twice in a row, believe me they are coming armed for bear this time, they need more rich people well we have the counter to that more real Americans who don't want their politicians purchased at a right wing closed door , smoke filled room with racial epithets flying around with laughter
is it becoming clear why they have this mad love for all things Nazi?ALEC is well underway to privatizing public education. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, in 2013, 139 ALEC model bills to fund private and religious schools with taxpayer money were introduced throughout the nation. At the education task force meeting, the pro-voucher American Federation for Children boasted 20 states now funding some form of private school K-12 vouchers.Other model bills aim to gut workers' wage protection and benefits, limit collective bargaining rights, limit your rights to sue and curb states' power to regulate certain professions.ALEC advances these policies shrouded in secrecy, with no public list of corporate members. Photo ID, name badges and sign-in sheets at every event rigidly controlled conference participation. I saw only one outside press camera during the entire conference. Although ALEC members insist on accountability and transparency in the public realm, they loathe it when applied to their own influence over legislation.But ALEC has an Achilles heel. An ALEC think tank member solicited my opinion about a constitutional amendment strategy requiring congressional approval of federal regulations. I replied that I didn't think it would inspire people to amend the U.S. Constitution. He explained that with Republican domination in so many states, and guaranteed corporate support, the consent of the people is unnecessary.
are they a Nazi regime the ones at the top with the money, or are they just rich White guys with a God complex
