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Monday, April 29, 2013

ALEC - Big on Bamboozle, Short on Facts




Great writeup - one of the best ALEC reads of the weekend.

I give you only snips.
Please take the time
to read the whole thing

The American Legislative Exchange Council has the chutzpah to pick taxpayers pockets.

The Tax Analysts Blog


Apr. 25, 2013 04:04 PM EDT


by David Cay Johnston
When it comes to picking taxpayer pockets, few organizations display as much chutzpah as the American Legislative Exchange Council.

ALEC corrupts lawmakers with free trips, while reporting on its IRS Form 990 that it does no such thing. It gets away with this because the IRS lacks the budget to go after such egregious abuses, just the kind of weakness that ALEC backers believe in. (ALEC accounts for these legalized bribes by describing them as “scholarship funds held by agent.”)

Imagine what would happen if Democrats in control of a state legislature wanted to send their members to meetings run by the Industrial Areas Foundation with unlimited travel budgets for those chairing committees in partnership with Saul Alinksy’s admirers. That is how ALEC works, committees have two chairs, one from business, one from a legislature.

Were ALEC a real research organization sending lawmakers to its meetings might have value. But ALEC is big on bamboozle, short on facts.

For taxpayers here’s a fundamental piece of advice. When ALEC comes around, tap your wallet because while claiming to be your friend, ALEC usually is trying to take your money, just like its friends decided to do this week in South Dakota.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has the chutzpah to pick the taxpayers pockets.
Great!!!

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