Two Quick ALEC Snips

A couple of snips today  that don’t really deserve an entire entry – but do deserve attention.

No links - if it that important for you to check out - just Google them.

First One

Right Wing Bloggers think they are winning the war.

In a long missive of their successes I found the following statement:

In April, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which represents conservative state legislators, was attacked by former White House “green jobs czar” Van Jones and his Color of Change movement. ALEC had posted on its website model voter photo ID legislation, which Jones’ group describes as an attempt to “disenfranchise over 5 million people in the upcoming elections.” ALEC soon caved and removed the post after losing corporate sponsors including Coca-Cola, Mars, Wendy’s and Kraft.

Don’t get me wrong folks – I’m not perfect – but I do know my subject pretty well and it is my belief that these two sentences are out and out lies.

ALEC had posted on its website model voter photo ID legislation,

ALEC soon caved and removed the post after losing corporate sponsors

Part of winning the battle is being able to educate people about the lies that the righties are throwing around and you have to be able to educate friends/family and low information voters.

The right will tell you that ALEC is like any other organization – but they are not.  They will tell you that ALEC legislation was available on the web, all the time, for everyone to see – but it wasn’t.  The only thing that ALEC published on their webpage was the title of the legislation and the actual text of the legislation is locked up behind a password - kept in a members only section of their webpage that the public can not access.

Item Two

This one made me think of another thing that is in hopper to research.

The Koch internship program.

But that is for another day.

But is important to watch how these folks move around:

The National Grocers Association has hired two new staff members to bolster its government and public affairs outreach and the launch of a new marketing and promotions department.

Also joining NGA is Kailee Tkacz as manager, government affairs. Tkacz will primarily focus on developing and maintaining NGA policy positions, grassroots, communication to members and Members of Congress and supporting NGA’s coalition and lobbying activities. She joins N.G.A. most recently from the American Legislative Exchange Council where she worked as a tax analyst.

National Grocers Association is an ALEC member

If you check her LinkedIn page you will find:
She worked for ALEC for a year

While there she even authored ALEC propaganda with Jonathon Williams

Rich States, Poor States: How Does Georigia Rank? (Her typo not mine)

    Georgia Public Policy Foundation

    September 30, 2011

Authors: Kailee Tkacz, Jonathan Williams

We discuss where Georgia ranks according to the ALEC-Laffer Competitive Index and make suggestions how it can improve.

And before that she worked for the Koch Foundation for one year

They are everywhere – they are everywhere!!!