Wal-Mart is the latest of the high-profiles companies to leave ALEC. Pepsi, Kraft, Wendy’s, Mars, Intuit, the Gates Foundations and others departed earlier this year. But before we celebrate the power of the people and negative press, dear ones, let’s get real.
While Ms. Underpants would love to believe the boycotts, letters to the editor, media attention, and consumer outcry was the primary reason for these high profile defections from the Dark Side, let’s do what we always do when faced with an unexpected GOP change of heart: Follow the Money.
I bet you 8 to 5 the Corporate Attorneys, CFO’s, Risk Managers, and Audit Committees saw the writing on the wall. ALEC is going to lose tax exempt status. As former Congressman Edgar points out today in the Wall Street Journal, ALEC is a lobby not a charity.
http://online.wsj.com/...
As such, those fees and dues will no longer be tax deductible. Their participation in a lobbying group that doesn’t follow lobbying rules would indeed be a substantial risk.
Saints be praised someone just called the 10,000lb pachyderm in the room an ALEC Elephant. Perhaps it should be renamed – the Asshat Lobbying Exchange Council. About damn time.
This isn’t going to stop model legislation. This isn’t going to stop voter suppression laws or abominations like “Stand Your Ground.” Prisons will still be privatized, State-level GOP Legislators will still forget to remove “Model Legislation” wording from actual bills submitted. (Though that may just be in Florida)
The Evil Empire of the remaining firms – and there are still a great many – Right Allstate, State Farm, AT&T, Koch Boys, et al – you folks are on notice. We know who you are and we are not done watching you.
We’re just a little bit glad that more likely than not being a part of the evil empire is going to hit your collective wallets enough to make you flinch – if only for a split second.
Has ALEC’s tax-exempt status officially status? Indeed not – not yet. But when lobbyists begin eating their own – my money is on the lobbyists who have to at least pretend to follow the rules.