Have you met ALEC? The American Legislative Exchange Council? You should meet 'em. ALEC is a little-known but extremely influential organization funded by big business, for its own benefit. In theory, ALEC is a joint operation, where business and state lawmakers "exchange" ideas on legislation. In practice, ALEC is where weenie conservative state reps go to get their marching orders, where they conspire to churn out corporate-friendly "model bills", then take them back to their various states and introduce them as brilliant new ideas they thought of all by their little selves.
If you sense a national pattern, you're right. Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, Alabama, Arizona, et al. There is no coincidence, just an organized, concerted effort. Union-busting? ALEC. Relaxing environmental protections for big oil/gas/coal? ALEC. Voter suppression laws? Anti-Mexican immigration laws? Repeal of health care? Open-carry gun laws? Etc., etc., etc.? ALEC, ALEC, ALEC, and ALEC. The scope and reach of this beast will astound you (or at least it should). Click on the link under "Buster's Links".
Some of the companies on ALEC's Board: AT&T, Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobil, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Koch Industries, Kraft, Pfizer, State Farm, UPS, Wal-Mart.
Other corporate involvement: AEP, BP American, Chevron, ComCast, Conoco Phillips, Dow Chemical, Duke Energy, G.M., McDonald's, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Nevada Energy, RJ Reynolds, Shell Oil, Time Warner, United Healthcare, Verizon, VISA, Wellpoint Healthcare.
Some ALEC "Award Winners": Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Gov. Rick Perry.
Some ALEC "Featured Speakers": George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Dan Quayle, Newt Gingrich.
Some ALEC-affiliated "Alumni" in U.S. Congress: Speaker John Boehner, former Speaker & felon Tom DeLay, Va. Rep. Eric Cantor, SC Rep. Joe "You Lie!" Wilson, former Ga. Rep. & sexual predator Mark Foley, Oh. Rep. Steve Austria, Oh. Rep. Bob Gibbs, Oh. Rep. Jim Jordan, Oh. Rep. Jean Schmidt, Oh. Rep. Steve Stivers, Oh. Rep. Pat Tiberi.
Some ALEC-affiliated "Alumni" Governors: Arizona's Jan Brewer, Wisconsin's Scott Walker, Ohio's John Kasich.
Additional ALEC members include trade groups, lobbyists, and law firms out the ass.
Kinda one-sided, eh? ALEC claims to be non-profit and bipartisan. Does it look it that way to you?
They're the money men and the influence-peddlers; they want to drive the bus, rule the world, do whatever they please, and the rest of us may be damned.
Don't let it happen!
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