Reply #332: ALEC Investigation by DBA Press (Beau Hodai) - Excellent - Detailed MUST READ [View All]

An exhaustive DBA Press analysis of thousands of pages of documents obtained through public records requests over the past several months has revealed the source of many of these suddenly-wildly-popular bills to be 'model legislation' disseminated primarily through one entity.

Ironically, as these bills have been batted around as the fulfillment of GOP promises to cut excessive government spending, 'pork barrel' handouts and backroom dealings, the group which has advanced much of this legislation, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), is comprised of corporations (often with vested interests in privatization), special interest 'think tanks,' and member lawmakers (overwhelmingly Republican). As such, ALEC may be the ultimate portal for special interests to the "back rooms" of state government.

It is worth noting that ALEC is the very same organization which promulgated the state-level GOP agenda throughout 2010, with the dissemination of pieces of model legislation which served as the basis of state challenges to 'Obamacare,' and of mimic legislation based on Arizona's SB 1070.

And, this extensive survey shows that this year's GOP/corporate agenda, as set forth through ALEC, is aimed predominately at two points: public employees/privatization (with public employees and agencies branded the gluttonous villains behind states flailing in budgetary crises) and state-level opposition to federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) greenhouse gas regulations.

What follows is a distillation of that pudding in which the proof was found. It should be stated at the outset, for the record, that ALEC refused to comment on any aspect of the material covered here.