Two years ago I wrote my first DK diary and it started out with
I didn’t know about the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) until about 8 weeks ago. Since that time it has basically consumed my life. The fact that our State legislators are sitting at the table with companies such as Koch, WalMart and AT&T drafting, deliberating and approving “model legislation” for our states and our country - makes me sick. The fact that our legislators think this is okay, is revolting to me.
The fact that all the companies that belong to ALEC have the money to lobby our US government and in addition, have the ability to affect the legislation at the State level through ALEC state legislative members, makes me sick. The fact that our legislators at the state and federal government condone this, is revolting to me.
Based on my research I have come to the opinion that ALEC is subverting American democracy and the democratic (small d) process, at all levels of the government, in the name of free markets and federalism (which in this case is a truly horrible thing).
Over the course of the past two months I have spent my nights and weekends trying to find out as much as I could about ALEC. I wanted to know who their members were. I wanted to look at the legislation they were proposing. I wanted to know exactly which of their “model legislation” was passed as law. I wanted to know what their “real” philosophy was. I wanted to know what their “true” purpose was. So I started doing research. Doing research on ALEC is difficult as they “scrub of the web” quite often, now-a-days.
I can now amend that by saying,
Since that time it has basically consumed my life.
Over the course of the past two years I have spent my nights and weekends trying to find out as much as I could about ALEC.
Two years ago - the Kossacks who read that diary and commented in it, started a conversation that resulted in the very FIRST protest against ALEC, at their Cincinnati meeting, two months later. Two years ago at that Cincinnati meeting, an ALEC whistleblower turned over the documents that became the starting point for the ALECExposed webpage at CMD.
Two years of "exposing ALEC" - and yet, probably 99% of the population still do not know what/who ALEC is.
When ALEC first started, in 1973, they were pretty much a bunch of harmless conservatives, that had been losers for so long that they figured they needed their own movement.
It wasn't until the mid 80's, when ALEC brought corporations into their realm, that the real danger started. ALEC went bankrupt twice. Twice the Koch's bailed them out. The first time with a donation, the second time with a loan. This should have been a warning to us all back then - but back then, no one really paid any attention to ALEC or the Kochs.
Starting in the 1980's ALEC vigorously and relentlessly started attending trade association meetings to get more corporate members. They wrote letters to any and all corporations that they could think of, bragging about which corporations had already joined and begging all corporations - sponsor us, give us corporate grants.
That is when the true evil of the current day ALEC started.
Those corporations that joined ALEC got something extremely precious for their money. Something only ALEC was available to give.
Something ALEC was ready and willing to give the corporations.
Something corporations had never had before
- unfettered access to legislators and legislation.
ALEC then sought financial assistance from the corporations to provide "scholarships" for state legislators and their staff to attend ALEC meetings, giving ALEC corporations exclusive and secret access to more and more of our legislators.
Through ALEC, corporations were given unlimited, secret access - at private, closed door ALEC meetings, to our state legislators, our Congressional leaders and past Presidents.
And life as we knew it changed.
ALEC state legislators and congressional members started manipulating the free-market, using legislation written by ALEC corporate members, to directly benefit the bottom line of ALEC corporate members.
Prisons were privatized
Public education was privatized
Government services and goods were privatized
Voter ID
But ALEC legislators didn't stop there.
ALEC state legislators and congressional members used ALEC copy/paste legislation, to enhance corporate revenue and resulting profits; directly benefiting ALEC corporate members.
ALEC tort reform legislation
ALEC de-regulation legislation
ALEC climate change denial legislation
But ALEC legislators didn't stop there.
ALEC state legislators and congressional members went on an all-out assault on the people of the United States, using ALEC copy/paste legislation to provide relief and benefit to ALEC corporations, thereby escalating corporate revenue/profits.
Attacks on labor unions
Attacks on the minimum wage
Condemnation of activists as "terrorists"
Immigration reforms
Voter ID
All of this has been and continues to "be exposed'
And some may say, "And all is good"
Almost.
In April 2011 there was a protest at an ALEC meeting.
In August 2011 there was a protest at an ALEC meeting.
In November 2011 there was a protest at an ALEC meeting.
In May 2012 there was a protest at an ALEC meeting.
In August 2012 there was a protest at an ALEC meeting.
In May 2013 - union representatives and citizen activists loudly and effectively told ALEC that they were not welcome in Oklahoma City
ALEC is Not OK
It is now time for US to join the voices of our brothers and sisters and say:
The USA is Not OK with ALEC
Call it whatever you want to.
Call it whatever you feel the most comfortable with.
Call it corporatocracy
Call is dollarocracy
Call it fascism
Call it what you want - but we need to be able to remove this verbiage from our political discourse.
We must take action to cull the progress of this anti-democratic process, that is overtaking, has overtaken, our country.
Publicly and repeatedly speaking out against ALEC is one way to do this.
Corporations drafting, deliberating and approving “model legislation”.
ALEC
Call it corporatocracy
Call is dollarocracy
Call it fascism
But know - those words probably wouldn't be part of our everyday discourse if it wasn't for the 40 years of focused, determined, on-going corporatization of our government perpetuated by the right-wing, pro-corporate, ultraconservative, extremist American Legislative Exchange Council.
Two years ago
Since that time ALEC has basically consumed my life.
Over the course of the past two years I have spent my nights and weekends learning as much as I could about ALEC.
This year
Please consider saying:
The USA is not OK with ALEC
August 7 - 9
Chicago, IL
ALEC Annual Meeting
ALEC 40th Anniversary
NO ONE has publicized anything about a planned protest or rally yet.
45 days from now.
I will be there.
It may be me and a bunch of black shirts.
But, I will continue to bang the drum until I can no longer beat the drum, trying to get people to listen.
Why?
Because every day - I read about the destruction being caused by ALEC legislators and others, using ALEC corporate written legislation. Wholesale destruction of our accepted way of life - our commons, our institutions, our people - solely for the benefit of corporations.
I REFUSE to give up on our representative democratic government
of, for and by the people
responsible for acting in the interest of the people.
Will you consider joining us in Chicago to say
The USA is not OK with ALEC