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New Exposé Finds ALEC’s Fingerprints All Over Assault on Workers and Unions
The right-wing Koch brothers-funded and corporate-backed American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) created the battle plans behind state level legislation in more than two dozen states to strip public employees of the right to bargain for a better life, cripple their unions and privatize public services, according to a new investigative report by Beau Hodai at In These Times.
ALEC’s 501(c) (3) tax-exempt status strictly prohibits nonprofits like ALEC from taking part in the formation of legislation, but through legislators’ own files, obtained by public records requests, Hodai confirms for the first time exactly how ALEC provides “model legislation” to lawmakers.
These model bills, written by ALEC’s corporate members, are then used as the basis for drafting bills that aim to strip public employee unions of their ability to support political candidates, or even to collect dues at all—and that aim ultimately to privatize most functions of government. Writes Hodai:
An exhaustive analysis of thousands of pages of documents obtained through public records requests from six states, as well as tax filings, lobby reports, legislative drafts and court records, reveal that these suddenly popular anti-public employee bills, while taking different forms from state to state, were indeed disseminated as “model legislation” by ALEC.
With public-sector unions denatured, they would no longer be able to stand in the way of radical free marketeers who plan to profit from the privatization of public services.
What’s the bounty for ALEC’s corporate members? Hodai explains:
ALEC openly advocates privatizing public education, transportation and the regulation of public health, consumer safety and environmental quality, including bringing in corporations to administer:
• Foster care, adoption services and child support payment processing.
• School support services such as cafeteria meals, custodial staff and transportation.
• Highway systems, with toll roads presented as a shining example.
• Surveiling and detaining convicted criminals.
• Ensuring the quality of wastewater treatment, drinking water and solid waste services and facilities. (After all, when someone mentions a safe and secure public water supply, the voter’s next immediate thought is: “Only if it’s cost-effective!”)
Click here for the full story at In These in Times and here for detailed background information about ALEC from SourceWatch.
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8 Comments
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I am the victim of Wal-Mart Executives wrongful termination without a single response from Wal-Mart to my questions. For over three years Wal-Mart has ignored my thirty letters, eight video‘s and has failed to answer a single question to my valid questions. Apparently, our dollars have made Wal-Mart Stores Inc., a god beside God and they answers to no one!
1. Wal-Mart, a god beside God, and answers to no one!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/0/QeEmLYiD3wc
2. A Military Veteran Speaks out about Wal-Mart!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/1/1j95YdfoSyA
3. Help people outside of self!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/2/Z39W54O8CQs
4. View the proof about my wrongful termination!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/3/qZG3XAsGR5k
5. Wal-Mart! it’s a damn shame! (See the documents)
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/4/tJ5-NCNh8-M
6. President Mike Duke and Wrongfully Terminated Workers!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/5/LhiPQIAf6iM
7. Wake-up! Wake-up to the new reality in America!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/6/L_giT4CkyQo
8. Georgia Workers and an “At Will To Work State—Without Unions!
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostongbr#p/u/4/tJ5-NCNh8-M
* Also see my blog and share them to the ends of the earth!
http://walmartstore2615.blogspot.com
I hope the national media put thia story in the headlines.
And, just what is the Draconian puishment for violaton of these laws? There probably isn’t any.
At least somebody is watching and is spreading the word of truth!
Otherwise, the “old man in the wizard’s booth behind the curtain” (a-la The Wizard Of Oz) will continue pulling the levers that issue deceptions and lies!
Why do we still support Walmart? Are there no other outlets to purchase supplies. Walmart had destroyed many communities with its cheap chinese products. has destroyed many mom and pop stores as well as other tyes of merchants and yet we still go there why?
givemeajob you just answered your own question. People go there because of CHEAP CHINESE PRODUCTS.They don’t care that every time they shop at Wa-Mart there are helping to put someone else out of a job. Their bottom line is CHEAP.
DUMP CON REPUBLICONS, WHAT WMD? TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS WASTED FOR FAKE WARS AND THE CONS WANT TO CUT ENTITLEMENTS INCLUDING SOCIAL SECRUITY, DUMP THE CONS.
I wouldn’t be caught dead in a walmart! I have never been shopping in one and never will. Most people are so ignorant when it comes to economics that they can’t or won’t see the total stupidity of spending their money in a marketplace that is hellbent on eliminating the shoppers livelihood and lifestyle. If I only had a brain!
But this story is so much more than that. What we have here is a group of people who are trying to eliminate democracy and reduce freedom to those who can afford it. We as a society need to change the way that we perceive wealthy individuals. I don’t mean people who work hard and get rich through their efforts, but filthy stinking wealth mongering greedy pigs who have more than they can possibly spend but never-the-less are willing to do anything to get more. These people are truly sick diseased animals and should be looked upon and treated as such. The Koch brothers are a case in point. Far from being the anti-communist free market heroes they would like you to think they are, in reality they are lying, cheating, thieving, monopolists who will stop at nothing to enrich themselves at your expense. We need to treat them as the treacherous, treasonous, anti-American, greedy criminals they have shown themselves to be!