From a report by the Iowa Policy Network - educating you and me about the fallacies in the ALEC Rich States Poor States Report (please read it - it is important).
The policy prescriptions laid out in the ALEC report embody the right-wing agenda of ALEC: reduction or abolition of progressive taxes, fewer government services, weaker or non-existent unions. To attain the highest ranking would require a state to have no individual or corporate income tax, no estate or inheritance tax, no state minimum wage, severe tax and expenditure limits and very limited public services. It also would have to be a so-called “right-to-work state” — that is, it would provide no right for employees to negotiate a union contract that requires all employees who benefit from the contract to pay a share of the costs of negotiating it.
No taxes - no state revenue
No taxes - no state revenue - no state services
No taxes - no state revenue - no government!!!
Moderates said
conservatives were too preoccupied with ideology and purity tests, which they
called an all-or-nothing approach — even when it is impractical. This year, for
instance, conservatives pushed through the largest tax cut in Kansas history,
one that is expected to shave state revenue by more than a billion dollars over
two years, at a time the state can ill afford to lose money, moderates say.
No taxes - no state revenue
No taxes - no state revenue - no state services
No taxes - no state revenue - no government!!!
Let’s see now – what has ALEC been spouting for the last 5 months.
April 17 -
ALEC’s 2012 National Chairman and Indiana State Representative David
Frizzell released a statement indicating that the group would go back to
focusing on economic issues only.
“We
are eliminating the ALEC Public Safety and Elections task force that
dealt with non-economic issues, and reinvesting these resources in the
task forces that focus on the economy,” Frizzell said. “The remaining
budgetary and economic issues will be reassigned.”
“While
we recognize there are other critical, non-economic issues that are
vitally important to millions of Americans, we believe we must concentrate on initiatives that spur competitiveness and innovation and put more Americans back to work.”
July 25 -
ALEC disbanded its Public Safety and Elections Task Force earlier this
year. That group produced some of ALEC’s most controversial model bills,
including voter identification legislation and a "stand-your-ground"
law, backed by the NRA, which drew national attention after the fatal
shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
"Something positive has come out of this [attention] in that ALEC hasn’t changed its mission at all," said Utah Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, who is on the ALEC Board of Directors. "It’s just re-emphasized what its mission is, that is free markets, limited government and federalism."
And their agenda from the annual meeting held last week includes:
July 25 -
Inside the hotel Wednesday, legislators and private-sector members met
in a series of subcommittees to discuss and refine ALEC’s model
legislation. Afternoon sessions looked at how to curb frivolous lawsuits and control Medicaid costs.
In one session, Imagine Learning, a Provo-based company that makes educational software that Utah schools have bought to help non-English speakers, boasted of the success of its software in teaching special-needs students.
Sessions Thursday include "Can Tobacco Cure Smoking?" and a forum on pension reform.
Those sound like social agendas to me.
By Mark Pocan, July 26, 2012
July
26 - Even before I left, I received an email from ALEC National
Chairman Rep. David Frizzell, stating, “In April, ALEC announced that we refocused our work strictly toward policies of a free-market, limited government nature.
ALEC is not a social policy organization — and that is why we clarified
our mission, doubling down on the issues that matter most to Americans
of all political stripes. I’ll restate that ALEC disbanded the Public
Safety and Elections Task Force that dealt with issues of a non-economic
nature, rescinding the non-economic model legislation along with it.”
July 29 - McDaniel said that the organization was also rewriting its bylaws and mission statement at the Salt Lake City meeting. In his own opinion, he said, ALEC had gotten off track by getting into social issues.
"ALEC is refocusing on its founding principles — Jeffersonian principles, free enterprise, less government," McDaniel said. "Those social issues are not part of ALEC's mission."
From Think Progress
Here is a short list of ostensibly economic measures ALEC has supported in the past:
•State union-busting measures
•Repealing minimum wage laws
•Privatizing public lands
•Repealing capital gains taxes
•Repealing the estate tax
•Fighting any efforts to address manmade climate change while touting “the many benefits of atmospheric CO2 enrichment”
•Repealing paid sick day laws around the country
•Requiring a super-majority to raise taxes
•Pushing rules that deem that kids eating rat poison is an “acceptable risk”
ALEC FOCUS – again and again
free enterprise, less government
policies of a free-market, limited government nature
emphasized what its mission is, that is free markets, limited government
No taxes - no state revenue
No taxes - no state revenue - no state services
No taxes - no state revenue - no government!!!
ALL ALEC members not NOT be re-elected in the upcoming elections.
Or YOU will have the Corporate States of America.
ALL ALEC members not NOT be re-elected in the upcoming elections.
Or YOU will have the Corporate States of America.
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