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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Did ALEC Help CCA Perfect Their Lobbying?

NO other organization, in the history of the United States, NONE, has had the sole purpose of bringing legislators and corporate lobbyists together - in the same room - in secret, behind close doors - to develop policies and legislation - ALEC is the ONLY organization that has done this, as their sole purpose to exist!!!

For forty years the American Legislative Exchange Council has given corporate lobbyists unprecedented and secret access to legislators.

And ALEC legislators - state and federal - have been very beneficent to corporations - mostly, because of their involvement in ALEC and their "education" obtained at ALEC meetings (paid for by corporate "scholarships")..

In my opinion the practices of ALEC for forty years, has been the primary mover and shaker responsible for bringing corporations into the legislative process.

Not only that, but ALEC's purpose and goals - to bring legislators and corporate lobbyists together - could be the prime reason that corporations have developed the expectation that they should be involved in the legislative process.


Let's take a look at another ALEC member
- a member celebrating it's 30th Anniversary this year.
Corrections Corporation of America or CCA

Reviewing & looking at other people's work is important when you are trying to connect the dots to ALEC and lobbying.  This blog entry was precipitated by a video done by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice

CCA involvement with ALEC can be traced back to 1992 (even though ALEC denies that CCA was ever a member.)


     1992 American Legislative Exchange Council Annual Report
     ALEC'S PRIVATE SECTOR MEMBERSHIP
     Corrections Corporation of America

     1993 American Legislative Exchange Council Annual Meeting
     ALEC's Private Sector Members
     Members and Contributors
     Corrections Corporation of America

     1997American Legislative Exchange Council's 24th Annual Meeting!
     ALEC Private Sector Club Members
     MADISON Club Member
     Corrections Corporation of America

     1998 ALEC Annual Meeting Program
     ALEC Task Force
     Chairs and Private Sector Chairs
     Criminal Justice
     Representative Michael Nye, Michigan
     John Rees, Corrections Corporation of America


BUT it wasn't until 2003 that CCA got really serious about their involvement with ALEC.
CCA becomes a member of the ALEC

Private Sector Executive Committee

Laurie Shanblum – is the Senior Director of Business Development (Partnership Development)  for the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).

ALEC Private Sector Executive Committee
The Public Safety and Elections (formerly known as Criminal Justice and Homeland Security) Task Force
January 27, 2011
AND You will find that exact same screenshot on
March 27., 2011
June 24, 2011
July 24, 2011
AND
October 24, 2008

Ms. Shanblum has been a member of ALEC since 2003 and is currently on the Public Safety and Elections Task Force.  She is also sits on the Homeland Security Subcommittee.
2003 - hmmmmmmmmmmmm????  Things sure changed around 2003 for CCA - - - check out this screenshot of CCA's outflow of money on lobbying as depicted in an online video by AFSC about CCA's 30th birthday.

Things sure changed for CCA lobbying spending starting in 2003.
Coincidence?  I don't believe in coincidences when it comes to ALEC.

As Think Progress noted not too long ago when they published a list of the 5 worst things ALEC has done:
5. Selling Prisons To The Highest Bidder: ALEC has worked closely with its private prison industry sponsors to increasingly privatize the U.S. prison system. It has also pushed harsh laws related to illegal immigration that would put more immigrants in the jails of the very same private prisons that fund ALEC.
"ALEC" didn't really do that - it was ALEC legislators at the state and federal level that went to ALEC meetings with CCA lobbyists - that did that.ALEC legislators who receive "scholarships" from ALEC Corporate members - so that corporations and legislators can meet in secretly behind closed doors to write pro-corporate legislation and policies.

NO other organization, in the history of the United States, has had the sole purpose of bringing legislators and corporate lobbyists together - in the same room - behind close doors - to develop policies and legislation - ALEC is the ONLY organization that has done this as their sole purpose to exist!!!

And evidently - CCA learned the lesson well.

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