States around the country, including Texas, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina are poised to cut back on government support for clean energy jobs using model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC, which brings companies together with state lawmakers to forge a wish list of corporate state laws behind closed doors, is coordinating this year’s assault on state laws that require a gradual increase of electricity generated by clean energy sources.
ALEC and a hoard of other Koch-funded interests operating under the umbrella of the State Policy Network have hit Kansas legislators hard with junk economic studies, junk science and a junk vision of more polluting energy in Kansas’ future. Koch Industries lobbyist Jonathan Small has added direct pressure on Kansas lawmakers to rollback support for clean energy.
Wal-Mart & ALEC Scandal: Company Subjects Female Prison Laborers to 'Slave-Like' Conditions
Several states are in on the act.
We’ve learned that Wal-Mart and ALEC have been involved in trying to weaken federal laws prohibiting acts of bribery of foreign officials, while Wal-Mart actively tried to cover-up a bribery scandal in Mexico.
I believe that when an unfavorable or potentially public pattern of harm emerges, regardless of excuses or public denials, the culprit needs to be publicly exposed.
The first time I saw this graphic, I thought it was satire. It turns out that I was wrong:
Well-funded advocates of privatizing the nation’s education system are employing a new strategy this fall to enlist support for the cause. The emotionally engaging Hollywood film “Won’t Back Down” — set for release September 28 — portrays so-called “Parent Trigger” laws as an effective mechanism for transforming underperforming public schools. But the film’s distortion of the facts prompts a closer examination of its funders and backers and a closer look at those promoting Parent Trigger as a cure for what ails the American education system.
South Carolina passes bill against municipal broadband
May Gawd forbid that South Carolinians get access to information that they don’t have to pay for.
More Corporations Abandon Right-Wing Group Under Pressure from Progressives
Wal-Mart and Medtronic have dropped out. I think it means that you can stick a fork in ALEC now, if not soon, because it is done. But I think that this is only a battle that has been won.
It may be that ALEC alone, is done because there are similar groups that work the same way (#$@#&% it! I read an article about two within the last month that I didn’t bookmark or add to Delicious). Either the original 2 will get the business or this model/method of function sneaking boilerplate legislation through the back door of the statehouse is done.
But motivated, smart and unethical people will figure out another way to get boilerplate legislation in to place because it’s not illegal.
American Legislative Exchange Council Members list from Common Cause
The following corporations are members of ALEC’s task forces. This list is current as of July 2011, except for the Tax and Fiscal Policy task force, correct as of March 2011.
ALEC Says It Plans To Craft Legislation To Take Down State Renewable Energy Targets
ALEC has already attempted to write legislation preventing targets for renewable energy on the federal level. As nothing substantive has happened nationally, it seems ALEC is now preparing to take its corporate-influenced legislation to the 29 states that actually have targets in place.
Along with promoting legislation to kill climate policies and renewable energy targets, ALEC also provided the framework for legislation currently moving through the U.S. House of Representatives that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating toxic coal ash.
According to the Center for Media and Democracy, Peabody Energy — the largest private coal company in the world — is a major underwriter for ALEC and sits on the organization’s Private Enterprise Board.
Americans for Tax Reform, the infamous anti-tax organization run by Grover Norquist, also says it is taking a more aggressive approach to opposing renewable energy targets. According to Bloomberg News, the group is urging its members to “speak out” against renewable energy promotion policies.
ALEC & Criminal "Justice"
In the wake of the most recent economic collapse, one of the leading gurus of the free market, Alan Greenspan, was forced to admit that he may have been mistaken, even though he remains faithful to the idea of a free market (Clark and Treanor, 2008). Many of the causes of the most recent collapse of the economic system have been laid on the doorstep of staunch free market supporters. (Clark and Treanor, 2008). Yet ALEC and other conservative think tanks (e.g., American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation) continue to center every proposal for societal reform around the use of the free market. This includes the criminal justice system; as so many conservatives support free market solutions such as private prisons (Selman and Leighton, 2010) and commercial bail.
In the final analysis, ALEC is like most lobbying organizations: they provide expertise on free market solutions to social problems. Instead of targeting members of Congress however, they target state legislators. In this sense they may have even more influence when it comes to crime control policies since most policies are found at the state level.
How good is the news coverage of what is going on in your state capital? Ever turn on the local news and hear about what is going on in Pierre, St. Paul or Tallahassee? I have to dig to find out what is going on Sacramento. That’s another reason why you never hear about ALEC.
ALEC Sharpens Focus on Jobs, Free Markets and Growth — Announces the End of the Task Force that Dealt with Non-Economic Issues | ALEC – American Legislative Exchange Council
And how would that be any different than schemes they’ve had in the past meant to accumulate more wealth for people who can’t spend it all in this life time?
Activism is only meaningful if there are results, and no amount of petition drives, votes, or rallies will ever affect an organization that is answerable to shareholders. As long as money flows into an organization without the risk of disruption, it is never going to change, but the slightest indication that their profits or reputation are in jeopardy will engender surprising results. Americans do have power beyond the ballot box, and they have finally started using it to good effect by punishing the groups that can effect real change if they think their wealth is threatened. Money is a powerful motivator, and the love of money causes people to do terrible things, but the thought of losing money is also powerful and the American people have the power to take it away from corporations, radio talk-show hosts, and ALEC’s donors, and now that people realize they control corporate wealth, real change may finally happen. Well thought-out activism is the best of democracy, freedom, and Republicans’ free-market capitalism and it is ironic that decent Americans will use the GOP’s beloved free enterprise to hasten their demise, but they are too busy counting their corporate donations to see it coming.
By: Rmuse
