ALEC Incompetency - Membership Lying to Board?

ALEC's member department is evidently giving out propaganda - even to the ALEC Board.
When things get really bad - do a bad job of lying,
   must be the new motto at ALEC.

Really folks
- with the ALEC home office lying in docs and letters, multiple ALECers plagiarizing using a copy/paste of ALEC headquarters PR in editorials in the newspapers this past week and ALECers lying to their constituents about their membership - - -
When is the general public going to finally wake up to the political menace known as the American Legislative Exchange Council?

<><><><><><><><
Back to where I was heading - - - -
This is new stuff folks - not a rehash of old news..

Case in Point:
Official ALEC documents released by the Guardian contains a list showing how many member in each state are members of ALEC as of June 2013.

Iowa
The official ALEC documents state that 100% of Iowa legislators are members
which was disputed
HERE
and
     and rebutted - by ALEC Executive Director
     HERE
But then disputed - again - by Iowas  legislators
HERE
and
HERE

ALEC can't quit lying - even when ALEC was caught lying, Scherberle stood his ground on the legislator membership number for Iowa.

South Dakota
The official ALEC documents state that 100% of South Dakotas legislators are ALEC members
which is disputed
HERE
and
HERE
South Dakota legislators have Not chosen to stand their ground against ALEC's misrepresentation of the ALEC membership in South Dakota.
What a shame.
ALEC always claims transparency - this would be a time for South Dakota to say prove it.

BUT it - doesn't stop there.
Those were the stories that broke in early January.

Now - this past week 
- another state comes into question as to the number of legislators that are ALEC members.

Now Nebraska
The official ALEC documents state that 35% of Nebraska legislators are ALEC members
BUT
in an interview with Chris Hayes on AllIn a past  Nebraska ALEC member states that only a handful of Nebraska legislators are members.
ALEC docs wrong, again?  Really - again - appears there is incompetency at the ALEC headquarters.

Will Nebraska stand up and challenge the ALEC membership numbers?


From Wiki:

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going"

Another interpretation could mean,

"Those who act tough and proud will vacate a situation when it becomes difficult lest they be proven not as tough as they appear to be."

Yet another interpretation could mean, 

"When the situation becomes almost impossible, those who are truly strong are wise enough to pull out, rather than being totally decimated." 

HEY ALEC! Listen Up!

Oh, No! ALEC Never Had A Public Affairs Office

Oh, my .....

Today - two pieces of pro-ALEC propaganda in the newspapers.

One of the pieces interviews ALEC PR poobah, Bill Meierling in detail and notes:

Meierling said ALEC didn't have a public affairs office until he was hired a little more than a year ago.

Oh, my ........
That's what started off my day - more lying from ALEC
When they lie so much - you can't help but question everything they say - bunch of psychopaths.
    BTW:  they had plenty of PR people in the past
    2011  "according to ALEC Senior Director of Public Affairs Raegan Weber"
    2009 - "For more information, contact the ALEC Public Affairs office." 
    2002 - In an ALEC report - - -  Graphic Design: ALEC Public Affairs
    1993 - an ALEC article written by By Noel R. Card Director of Public Affairs
           he was ALEC Director of Public Affairs for 9 years & 4 months
or this from a bio on the web
    Wolf served as director of public affairs for ALEC

More deception - fed to the media by the American Legislative Exchange Council staff - so much for transparency.

HEY BILL! Listen Up!

ALEC - "We Don't Do Elections" - When We Get Caught Doing Elections

Since the first of the year, I'm doing a lot of writing lately about ALEC deception and the lack of real transparency by ALEC - by the way they deceive the press.

Meierling never ceases to amaze me
- he lives on some kind of alternate universe
- where no one else lives, except ALECers.

Important to remember that the Federalism 17th Amendment, “model legislation”/”policy" – that Meierling is referring to in the interview below was proposed at the December ALEC meeting in DC.

Funny thing – there was a one day seminar the day before the August ALEC meeting

Federalism in Action Legislator Summit,
one-day workshop prior to ALEC's
Annual Meeting Palmer Hotel

Who we are: Federalism in Action is a project of the State Policy Network and State Budget Solutions, a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, non-profit organization, committed to changing how state and local government does business.

Federalism in Action Legislator Summit

Join fellow state lawmakers and policy leaders for an exciting one-day workshop prior to ALEC's Annual Meeting. You won't want to miss this one-day event, which will include success stories from state leaders, workshops to learn tools and solutions, expert media training, an opportunity to connect with other state policymakers, and so much more!

August 6, 2013

Chicago Palmer House Hotel

Monroe Room

10 am – 6 pm

AND
there was a federalism meeting at the Mt Vernon
– directly following the ALEC December meeting
– which was attended by ALEC legislative members.

Before the December meeting, he [Meierling] said a liberal news source saw that one piece of draft policy was about the U.S. Constitution's 17th Amendment, which established the direct election of United States senators. Before it was adopted in 1913, senators were elected by the state legislatures.

Meierling said the draft proposal was introduced by an ALEC member.

Which specific member, Bill?
Transparency - Bill transparency!
A corporate member?
A nonprofit member?
A legislative member?
Oops - he must of realized - he screwed up again - cause then he says:

"We're a volunteer-led, volunteer-driven organization, and if a legislator wants to have a discussion about something, they make that proposal and then the discussion takes place," he said. "The reality is that was a draft working document. We had our meeting, and it was not advanced out of committee. After it wasn't advanced out of committee, the board also said any resolution on the 17th Amendment has to do with elections, and we don't do elections."

"IF a legislator wants to have a discussion about something"
Maybe a "legislator" didn't want to discuss it.

Which specific member, Bill?
Transparency - Bill transparency!
A corporate member?
A nonprofit member?
A legislative member?

"and we don't do elections."

HOW did the amendment nullification get put on the agenda?

Hello????

"and we don't do elections."

Hello?

Don’t lie to us – you already said

We had our meeting, and it was not advanced out of committee. After it wasn't advanced out of committee,

Don’t say

"and we don't do elections."

HOW did the amendment nullification get put on the agenda?

WHY wasn't it removed from the agenda - BEFORE it was discussed?

Hello????

But he said that didn't stop liberal news sources and blogs from saying that ALEC wants to get rid of the 17th Amendment.

And it shouldn't stop them.
- and he knows that.
ALEC is always squealing about how their 1st amendment rights are being trampled.
Liberal news sources and blogs have 1st amendment rights also.

But that isn’t the all of it - - -
The American Legislative Exchange Council has been pushing toward nullification of the 17th Amendment for (at least) almost ten years.

2005 ALEC Federal Forum Report

This pillar disappeared with the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, which made senators popularly elected, rather than chosen by the state legislatures. There is no need to argue the wisdom of that amendment because there is zero doubt that it will ever be reconsidered. Still, from a standpoint of federalism, it was a body blow to the ability of the states to express their independent views effectively in Washington.

2009 Inside ALEC Article 

Restoring the Role of State Legislators in our Federal System of Government

The states were given rights, most notably the 10th Amendment, but the power to stand up for those rights was the ability of state legislators to select U.S. Senators. However, since the passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913, providing for direct election of U.S. Senators, state legislators and the state level of government have lost the role they were originally intended to have in balancing the power of federal government.

Oh, those poor babies
"state level of government have lost the role"
The states got so screwed, according to ALEC.
But then ALEC has a lot of corporations that want to buy their own US Senators - just like what happened before the 1913 passage of the 17th Amendment.

And – in direct conflict with what Meierling said – is this quote from another ALEC staffer about the exact same legislation that Meierling is talking about.

ALEC Director of International and Federal Relations Karla Jones insists that the proposed model legislation is not a step toward getting rid of the 17th Amendment.

“Actually, the people on my task force that support it see it more as a way to preserve the good parts of the 17th Amendment,” Jones said. “Because the reason that the 17th Amendment came into being, there were states that weren’t being represented with senators, because state legislatures weren’t sending in their nominees. So it’s a way to preserve that, while at the same time giving state legislatures a voice in the process, which the constitutional founders originally thought they should have. [The] state legislatures have been cut out of that process, unlike what the founders originally intended. So it’s … sort of a compromise measure, where you preserve the positive aspects of the 17th Amendment, while having the state legislatures have the role that the Constitution originally intended.”

 

My dedication to Mr. Meierling

he has earned it and continues to earn it - every time he does and interview

ALECs "Transparency" Meme = Some Things, Some of the Time

In a recent interview - Bill Meierling, the PR Poobah for ALEC noted:

As part of its effort to be more transparent, Meierling said the organization started putting its model legislation online in March 2013

and

He said ALEC posting its draft legislation 35 days before its meetings improves transparency,  

But
evidently there is transparency
     only on certain stuff,
     or for a specific amount of time.

In October 2013 - ALEC added a new link on their homepage
"The ALEC Digital Exchange"

This is where ALEC writes up all their current nastiness to disseminate.
The new reports they have released, staff trips to state legislatures to "support" certain legislation - corporate paid trips for ALEC members.
This page is supposedly for their members and supposedly, the public.

Fool that I am - I thought this was part of ALECs new "transparency" kick and assumed that the materials would be there for me to review when I needed a particular item.

Not so much.
ALECs  new "Transparency" Meme really means
 - - - Some Things, Some of the Time

But there's a transparency issue with that page.
If you want to go back and look at an older one - too bad - out of luck.

The moral of the story here is
ALEC is transparent
- - - Some Things,
- - - Some of the Time
- - - Others for a limited amount of time.
In this case 30 days.
Nowhere on the page does it say that there is only a 30 day limit to review the contents of the webpage.

For those of us who research on the American Legislative Exchange Council - this scrubbing of information from their webpage is disheartening.
It shows ALEC's total distaste for transparency.

WY ALECers - Confuses Propaganda with Transparency

Oh, my .....

Today - two pieces of pro-ALEC propaganda in the newspapers.

One of the pieces interviews ALEC PR poobah in detail (to be covered tomorrow) notes:

Meierling said ALEC didn't have a public affairs office until he was hired a little more than a year ago.

Oh, my ........
That's what started off my day - more lying from ALEC
When they lie so much - you can't help but question everything they say - bunch of psychopaths.
    BTW:  they had plenty of PR people in the past
    2011  "according to ALEC Senior Director of Public Affairs Raegan Weber"
    2009 - "For more information, contact the ALEC Public Affairs office." 
    2002 - In an ALEC report - - -  Graphic Design: ALEC Public Affairs
    1993 - an ALEC article written by By Noel R. Card Director of Public Affairs
           he was ALEC Director of Public Affairs for 9 years & 4 months
or this from a bio on the web
    Wolf served as director of public affairs for ALEC

More deception - rather than transparency - put in the media.

More deception - rather than transparency - put in the media.

Interesting thing to me is that most of this ALEC propaganda is showing up mostly as op-eds and editorials.  

That way ALECers can spew their ALEC propaganda without anyone being able to question the validity of what they have written.

It appears that PR Poobah Meierling is the only one allowed to be interviewed by the press
- and as shown above
- his honesty with the press
-  is not the best.

ALECers doesn't want to participate in a real honest to god investigative article on ALEC 

    - just op-eds and opinion pieces.

    Their side of the story (so to speak), without question. 

Hope to god that the citizens are smart enough to comment on the op-ed below

    - ALECers need to know they may be able to bamboozle the press 

       (cause of their ignorance)

but

       ALEC CAN'T bamboozle the citizens  - cause we're smarter than that!

Well - here goes - - - - - -

Mead shares Wyoming ideas and suggesses with national group
BY
Rep. Norine Kasperik, R-Gillette, is the ALEC public sector co-chair of Wyoming and Wendy Lowe is the ALEC private sector co-chair of Wyoming.

They should put that at the top, not the bottom – so people know the pro-corporate, extremist ALEC bias of the op-ed

I think they meant "successes" - but ALECers don't know how to spell that - everything they do is a free-market experimental failure.  

Having attended the December meeting of ...  (ALEC), we greatly appreciate Gov. Matt Mead taking the time to share ideas about what has worked in Wyoming

What a shame – another governor in love with ALEC. 

The exchange council is a forum for policy experts and lawmakers to gather, to share ideas and exchange data and experiences.

"exchange council" – there’s that secretive ALEC mumbo jumbo.  

Why not say "ALEC is a forum" - cause they don't want "ALEC" to show up in web searches.  

Trying to hide.

"Lawmakers in Wyoming can learn from the successes or failures in Georgia or North Dakota, and vice versa."

When do you do that – before or after you hear the corporate and right wing speakers –telling you what they want done?

When do you do that – at the private parties hosted by the corporations that are looking for favors from ALEC legislators?

Research analysts present information before a diverse group of legislators, industry leaders and constituent groups,

Those are the corporate and right wing speakers – telling you what they want done, right?

How many of the speakers are actually ALEC legislators?  Based on your past meeting documents that were LEAKED by Common Cause - speakers who are ALEC state legislators represent ONLY 5-10% of the speakers, at most - right? right?

they all engage in robust debate and then decide whether proposals are consistent with ALEC priorities: free markets, limited government and federalism

“they all engage in robust debate” – but if the corporations decide they don’t like it – it doesn’t get passed.  If the legislators like it – but the corporate lobbyists don’t – it DOES NOT get passed. 

Forgot to mention that, huh?

If a proposed model policy is adopted, it is posted at www.alec.org for anyone to access, read and consider.

But not comment on – big deal in a representative democracy!

But then ALEC members are dedicated to “limited representative democracy"– ALEC members only.

So much for secrecy.

So much for secrecy?

Really - you want to put that out in the public?

Really?

Then where are the ALEC membership lists?  Transparency – hello – transparency.

Then where are the scorecards listing what has been introduced by ALEC members across the US?  Transparency – hello – transparency.

Then where is the ALEC logo on the top of each piece of legislation or amendment that is introduced across the US?  Transparency – hello – transparency.

Come on – get real – posting crap on a webpage doesn’t prove anything.   

Just because you put some docs and videos on a webpage – that doesn’t count as “transparency”.

Anybody can put crap on a webpage and still remain anonymous - ask me - just ask me. 

Nonprofit think tanks representing a variety of citizen interests make up 40 percent of the organization.

40% of the membership is right wing think tanks – okay.

What percent of membership is corporate lobbyist? Transparency – hello – transparency.

Policy suggestions, once adopted and posted for public view, do not equate legislation. Each policy must survive the public vetting of the legislative process in a state.

“public vetting”  of “ALEC” written legislation?

The legislation actually says “ALEC” on it?  Transparency – hello – transparency.

America is a wonderful country, where there is an organization to represent literally everyone’s interest, ranging from community pharmacists or small business owners to religious, parent or teacher groups to hobbyists, such as birdwatchers and classic car enthusiasts. .

I hope to god – you aren’t implying that ALEC is that organization

    "to represent literally everyone’s interest,"

I hope to god – you aren’t implying that ALEC is that organization

A reminder - folks - ALEC is an ultra-conservative, pro-corporate organization

     that does NOT "represent literally everyone’s interest,"

The American Legislative Exchange Council represents an extremist wing of the GOP only.

ALEC doesn’t represent small business owners – they can’t afford the dues.

ALEC doesn’t represent community pharmacists – they can’t afford the dues.

Bird watchers and car enthusiasts are represented by ALEC – get real – what a crock of sh#t.

Teachers groups are represented by ALEC?  Really – Really?   

    Are you sure you want to say that?  Really, Really? 

Legislators, industry leaders, policy experts and constituent groups choose to participate in ALEC based on their shared interests in free markets, limited government and federalism.

And don't forget they "choose to participate" because of the free trips to cities that most ALEC members would never be able to go to - except for the fact that the trips are

    - paid for by the very corporations that want ALEC legislators cooperation

And don't forget they "choose to participate" because of the free trips to posh hotels that most ALEC members couldn't afford - except for the fact that the hotel rooms are

    - paid for by the very corporations that want ALEC legislators cooperation.

And don't forget they "choose to participate" because of the free parties at posh hotels and other venues at ALEC meetings 

    - paid for by the very corporations that want ALEC legislators cooperation

Transparency – hello – transparency.

Wyoming voters do vote, 

Yes they do

Yes they do

And Wyoming voters need to #VoteNo2ALEC.

ALEC - Waste of Time - Waste of Taxpayer $$

Think about it folks -
Your legislators are part-time.  They have limited time to address issues that are really important to your state.

Time to get real folks.
When - ever - can you give an example where ALEC legislators introduced ALEC legislation that benefited all the people of your state - addressed the real issues your state needs to address.
When?

Think about ALL the problems your state is encountering on a daily basis
    Jobs
    Educational financing
    Infrastructure issues
    Corporate corruption
Issues important to you.

According to your deceptive (aka lying) ALEC member they go to ALEC meetings to share "best practices" information with other state legislators.

According to your ALEC legislator they go to posh hotels nine days every year for ALEC meetings - supposedly for the benefit of the state (another deception).

Think about ALL the problems your state is encountering on a daily basis
    Jobs
    Educational financing
    Infrastructure issues
    Corporate corruption
    Homelessness
Issues important to you

Well,
today
ALEC dumps their latest piece of worthless "model legislation"
(or as their PR poobah would say worthless "policy")
on the web
and

the interesting thing is that ALEC published it on their webpage
- before it was "approved" by the ALEC Board of Emperors

Does this ALEC "model legislation"/"policy" deal with
the problems your state is encountering on a daily basis
    Jobs
    Educational financing
    Infrastructure issues
    Corporate corruption
    Homelessness
    Hunger
Issues important to you
 
Nope! It is just another example of how ALEC meetings are an effing waste of time and money.

While reading this new ALEC "model legislation"/"policy" I shake my head and think

Another piece of ALEC's "model legislation"/"policy"  - for what purpose?
Who is this serving - which ALEC corporate member is going to make money off of this?
What new market is this opening up for an ALEC corporate member?

AND
I can't think of anyone who would have asked for this legislation
  
    "Model Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act"
could also be known as

     "Model Fiduciary Access to Dead People's Digital Assets Act"

This act provides that access to copies of the contents of the deceased’s electronic communications is authorized upon a written request by the estate and an order by the court of probate. 

"Access to Dead People's Digital Assets Act"

Now, that - that, is at the top of the important issues that the majority of us are concerned with.

Waste of time - worthless legislation.

Worthless "model legislation"/"policy" - with only one purpose

   to keep ALEC's doors open.

   to make ALEC look like a viable entity.

Hah -  "Access to Dead People's Digital Assets Act"

I'm surprised they didn't name it

"Freedom to Access to Dead People's Digital Assets Act" 

Crap legislation 

Now tell me - is this the most important thing your state has to deal with?

More important than:

    Jobs
    Educational financing
    Infrastructure issues
    Corporate corruption
    Homelessness
    Hunger
    Violence
Issues important to you

And then there is
"Access to Dead People's Digital Assets Act"

Legislators participating in the ultra-conservative, pro-corporate, extremist American Legislative Exchange Council are wasting taxpayer dollars.

When have ALEC legislators introduced ALEC legislation that benefited all the people of your state?

Worthless legislation that is not a priority to most "human people" in your state.

ALEC participation is
    - Waste of Time 
    - Waste of Taxpayer Dollars

Worthless legislation - with only one purpose

   to keep the doors open at the ALEC offices.