Kossacks know that the Republican Party is the "Pay to Pay Party" and not the "Family Values Party", but I thought some detailed information to share with confused voters would be helpful for all of us. In that spirit, I would like to introduce the American Legislative Exchange Council, or
ALEC, an organization that funds and writes legislation for the "Family Values Republicans".
Funded by some of the most conservative foundations, organizations and corporations, including the Scaife Foundation, Tobacco Institute, Sprint / United Telephone Company of Texas, the Church of Scientology, and the National Rifle Association, the organization generates and promotes hundreds of model bills, resolutions, and policy statements every year. ALEC claims that its member legislators introduced more than 3,100 pieces of legislation based on its model bills and resolutions and that more than 450 of them were enacted..
ALEC National Task Forces
ALEC's nine National Task Forces serve as public policy laboratories where legislators develop model policies to use across the country. Task Forces also commission research, publish issue papers, convene workshops and issue briefings, and serve as clearinghouses of information on free market policies in the states.
That's part of the publicity on the public webpage. Lest anyone be confused, I offer a remark by one of the founders for clearer elucidation.
"Our members join for the purpose of having a seat at the table. That's just what we do, that's the service we offer. The organization is supported by money from the corporate sector, and, by paying to be members, corporations are allowed the opportunity to sit down at the table and discuss the issues that they have an interest in." --Dennis Bartlett, American Legislative Exchange Council, 1997
Contrary to their advertising, ALEC isn't really a membership association of state legislators; the dues paid by state lawmakers (or paid by state legislatures on their behalf) constitute only a negligible portion of its total revenues. Consistantly, almost all of ALEC's revenues come from corporations and their affiliate foundations, trade and professional associations, and a relative handful of ultraconservative foundations.
The famed 7 sisters foundations are well represented here. Over the years, ALEC has taken in more than $1.3 million from foundations controlled by ultraconservative philanthropist Richard Scaife. The Coors-related Castle Rock Foundation, the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and the John M. Olin Foundation have also definitely chipped in. These names ought to send up flares for folks watching the Religious Right.
Corporate sponsors pay annual membership fees ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to be part of the action, plus additional fees of $1,500 to $5,000 a year to participate in ALEC's various task forces. And here are their "pay to play" task forces that are writing legislation for us.
Civil Justice ($2,500)
Commerce and Economic Development ($2,500)
Criminal Justice ($2,000)
Education ($1,500)
Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, and
Agriculture ($2,000)
Health and Human Services ($2,000)
Tax and Fiscal Policy ($2,500)
Telecommunications and Information
Technology ($5,000)
Trade and Transportation ($1,500)
According to ALEC WATCH, "On each task force, the private-sector representatives have an equal vote with the state legislators, and veto power over the task force's legislative recommendations. Nothing can move out of the task force without agreement from its private-sector representatives."
And do we have a testimonial from a satisfied participant. OH YES WE DO!
"Having been a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council, I know how important a role this organization plays in helping states be what Thomas Jefferson envisioned: democracy's grand laboratories for testing new ideas, new initiatives, and creative policies."
-- Senator George Allen (R-Va.), Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award Recipient
84% of the congressional membership of ALEC is Republican and the rest are ..... I want their names.