(If you don't know what ALEC is - please read the links at the end of this diary - thanks.)
In a “whiny” press release by ALEC on March 30th of this year about the diarists/bloggers “picking on them” ALEC stated:
Unfortunately, due to little or no fact-checking, ALEC’s positions and activities have been misreported. ALEC is setting the record straight.
ALEC legislators and ALEC employees are proud of our positions and policies. ALEC is for effective and efficient use of taxpayer dollars with transparency in budgeting and collective bargaining. ALEC is for public employees having flexible, manageable and sustainable pension and health plans.
Well, we all know that as diarists we do check our facts and we do know what ALEC’s positions are and we have been reporting those positions with gusto and with accuracy.
That press release showed that we have caught their attention and we are making them cry.
Your state ALEC legislators can be very proud of the next step that ALEC has taken –
it is an in your face ------- we have won,
ALEC webpage promoting privatization of government services.
In a recent press release from ALEC on June 7th they state:
ALEC is proud to announce the launch of its newest initiative – Publicopoly – which provides states with a host of viable and sustainable solutions for a more efficient government and true economic stimulus.
On the Publicolopy web page are the following statements (with my emphasis added):
Growing the economy, reducing government costs, achieving higher performance, and saving taxpayer dollars are at the top of nearly every state’s legislative goals. Privatization, or shifting aspects of industry or business from government to private-sector providers, can help realize these objectives. Over the years, numerous services have been successfully privatized by government agencies to provide better community service, strengthen competition in the marketplace and create jobs.
To help legislators win for their state, ALEC is introducing “Publicopoly” - an initiative to provide solutions for a more effective, efficient government and a thriving economy.
ALEC forgot to put this statement on their "Publicopoly" web page -
Your state legislators comes to our ALEC meetings to sit down with 300 representatives of private coporations to develop legislation that benefits ALEC corporate members and allows for privatiziation of government services.
Woo-hoo for our corporate members -
what schmucks you have for state legislators.
Under the Education “game piece" of Publicopoly you will find this:
ALEC Policy on Education
Educators can spend an enormous amount of time and money on operating ancillary services in school districts. Support services, or “ancillary services” not directly related to educating students, (i.e. cafeteria, custodial, facilities maintenance and management, transportation, and technology) can often be provided by public-private partnerships to improve operational efficiencies.
Competition to win and retain contracts spurs innovation, cost-effectiveness, and the need to continually look for ways to improve and best meet the needs of school districts.
This is an expansion of ALEC's "Make or Buy" legislation that they handed out to state legislators in 2002. The report that the "Make or Buy" legislation was included in, suggested that on a yearly basis the state should look at every government function and decide to keep it in house (make) or privatize (buy) the government service.
If you think ALEC and your state legislator are going to stop after they have privatized janitorial service at your schools, you need to put your head back in the sand after you put your rose colored sunglasses on.
ALEC corporate members want to privatize every area of government and they are letting us know by this web page that they are going to take it all with the help of your state legislator.
Other segments of government ALEC has included in the “Publicopoly” government privatization game include:
Government Operations
Transportation and Infrastructure
Public Safety
Environment
Health
Telecommunications
They want it all - privatization of every piece of government and your ALEC legislator is going to hand it over to them. Just look at Wisconsin and see your fate.
Remember, ALEC's "free-market" philosophy believes that
Government run products and services create an unfair advantage in the marketplace for ALEC's corporate sector members. So government and government services must be privatized so their corporate members are prosperous.
By putting “Publicopoly” on the front page of their web page (IMO) ALEC is giving the finger to every blogger/diarist that has worked so diligently to expose the government privatization scheme that ALEC hs been working on for the past two decades.
By putting their privatization of government plan on the front page - the front page - of their website
ALEC is basically saying –
"You may have found out about the ALEC plan –
hah! - it’s too late,
screw you,
we’ve won."
STOP
They have not won.
One stupid thing I taught my graduate level students was that the two people in the building that you are the nicest to are the janitor and your bosses admin - without the cooperation of those two people, you're screwed.
Well, ALEC - you should never under-estimate the power of the working (blogging) person. You don't "rub our noses in it" using the front page - the front page - of your website. We are going to skewer you and your legislators before this battle is over.
It is our responsibility to show ALEC that you don’t screw with the American diarist.
As the voice for the citizens of this country, we must let ALEC and the ALEC legisaltors know that they have won nothing and this is how we can do it.
First, you could sign the petition in Kossack Sloan's diary. The petition goes out to YOUR state officials (even though the sample draft shows only Indiana). This will take you 40 seconds to complete.
Then, become actively involved in the removal of ALL ALEC members from our state and federal governments. We will do everything we can to make sure that every ALEC member at the State and Federal Level is not re-elected in the next two elections. Many diarists have spent hours researching ALEC members and a partial list of past and present members is located here (ALEC claims over 2,700 members).
Without legislators, ALEC can not introduce legislation
and ALEC will IMPLODE.
(If the member list from your state looks incomplete (there should be about 40% of your legislators on it – Yes, that’s how of your legislators belong to ALEC), use this letter developed by Kossack OhioDem1 for an earlier diary (edited as you wish) to confront your members of the legislature about their involvement with ALEC. And when you find more ALEC members send a message to the Exposing ALEC group – so we can keep the list up-to-date.)
Please plan to attend the ALEC protest in New Orleans on August 5th – to show ALEC that they have not won and we are not going to go away quietly. If you cannot attend, please support the protest by making a donation to the cause.
Every article you find online, in diaries or editorials or articles that refers to privatization of government products or services - stop, take 40 seconds and write a comment and note that this is because of ALEC and their focus to privatize all government services and products. Write a comment template and keep it in your word file so you can just cut and paste - who cares if it's the same statement over and over again - just make it really good!.
Bring ALEC out into the light - let the sunshine of exposure wither their hopes for a future in these United States.
We are the boots on the ground at the local level to eliminate ALEC.
Reading blogs/diaries is only one step of destroying ALEC, we must take action.
We must destroy ALEC, if we want our democracy and representation for the people to continue to exist.
If you don’t know what ALEC is – it’s time you did
Please read this and thisand keep current with the Exposing ALEC Group here on DKos.