ALEC Educational Policy/Process - "Deceitful"

To begin with:

It's kind of interesting to note - that recent articles out there have been noting that ALEC policy is too extreme for moderate Republicans.
 
Now ALEC policy/process is too extreme for a red state like Alabama.
I would say - it's time to sit up and take real notice. 

The ALEC agenda of stealing taxpayer dollars to use for funding of for-profit education has taken a unique turn in Alabama.

Maybe it’s just that people are waking up to ALEC nastiness or maybe ALEC has finally pushed it too far this time.

When all of the nastiness from Alabama comes out in the "wash", maybe this will be the next fatal blow for ALEC.

ALEC claims they defend the free-market.

In actuality - ALEC manipulates the market through legislation passed at the state and federal levels.

An Op-ed by by Alabama  House Minority Leader Representative Craig Ford noted (my emphasis); 

It is amazing to read what some legislators have written in the weeks since the state legislature passed the so-called Alabama Accountability Act.

The Republicans in the Alabama legislature who concocted this bill and the deceitful (not to mention illegal) tactics to pass it, are now trying to tell us that they followed the rules and thoroughly debated this bill, which they also claim will revolutionize education. They have even tried to compare it to President Ronald Regan telling Gorbachev to tear down the iron curtain.

That comparison is insulting to both the voters and the memory of Ronald Regan, who never would have condoned elected officials passing a bill that the public had never had access to.

The deception used to pass this bill was so thick that legislative leaders even managed to deceive themselves and ended up passing one version of the bill in the conference committee and another version of the bill in the House and Senate!

DECEITFUL

DECEPTION

That statement is innocuous in its blame.

Intentionally, I imagine – trying to keep the peace

But this one is not! (my emphasis)

The President of API, Gary Palmer, and his organization have deep ties to the group ALEC which wrote the blueprint for the Alabama School Accountability Act.

Addressing the problems that might arise with school-choice laws in Alabama ALEC, wrote, “Tax credit programs and vouchers are both school choice options for Alabama. Although the Alabama Constitution contains both a Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendment language, the Alabama courts are unlikely to interpret these clauses expansively to prohibit school choice.”

Yet, the Compelled Support Clause and Blaine Amendment were originally intended to make sure there was a separation between church schools and state tax dollars.

ALEC then offers its recommendation to the state’s legislature, “To avoid potential problems with the second of Alabama's Blaine Amendments (Article XIV, Section 263), voucher program funding should explicitly come from sources other than the state's public school fund.”

In this mode, API is encouraging lawmakers to repeal the part of the Alabama Constitution that does not allow spending of public education funds on religious schools.

API writes, “During the current effort to reform and modernize Alabama’s Constitution, state lawmakers should give the citizens of Alabama an opportunity to repeal this egregious assault on religion. Allowing state programs to cooperate with parochial and other private schools... can illuminate a whole world of educational options for Alabama’s children.”

API says it wants to, “illuminate a whole world of educational options for Alabama’s children.”

ALEC state legislators funneling taxpayer dollars meant for public schools to for-profit educational institutions.

ALEC state legislators using their place in the legislature to force taxpayer dollars intended to fund schools to for-profit religious educational institutions.

ALEC then offers its recommendation to the state’s legislature, “To avoid potential problems with the second of Alabama's Blaine Amendments (Article XIV, Section 263), voucher program funding should explicitly come from sources other than the state's public school fund.”

That sure as hell - smells, walks, talks, and squats like a lobbying duck to me.

Extremist policies distributed by the American Legislative Exchange Council – with specific ALEC recommendations on how to pass ALEC extremist legislation.

Folks – you have got to stop electing and re-electing ALEC members to state and federal legislatures.  They “copy/paste” ALEC legislation and send it around to every state.   

ALEC is basically the typhoid Mary of democracy – spreading legislation that destroys representation of/for/ by the people in favor of legislation of/for/by the for profit corporations.

ALEC claims they defend the free-market.

In actuality - ALEC manipulates the market through legislation passed at the state and federal levels.