Teacher Tells ALEC - What She Thinks!!!!

Inside the ALEC Education TAsk Force Meeting this past week in DC.

She showed the courage each and every one of us needs to replicate.

ACTION Item - Support Letter Carriers

The legislation being considered by Congress truly threatens to dismantle the Postal Service. We encourage you to e-mail your friends and family to spread the word about the services cuts Congress has proposed so they can take action to support USPS, too!

Connecting Americans

America’s Postal Service is a cornerstone of our society and a vital part of our economic infrastructure. The Postal Service is facing real challenges. Changes are required to meet the needs of an ever-evolving American market economy. But rather than cut services and destroy a national treasure, the American people deserve postal reform based both on a comprehensive rethinking of the institution and on a business plan they can believe in. We need a plan that preserves the Postal Service’s most important strategic asset — its network — and that allows it to grow, prosper and serve the American people for many years to come.

In fiscal years 2007 through 2010, the Postal Service had a net operational profit of $611 million delivering the mail, despite the worst downturn since the Great Depression. The pre-funding payments incurred during those years caused all of reported losses during that period.

What pre-funding payments are they talking about?

In 2006, Congress mandated that the Postal Service do something no other agency or company in the country has to do -- prefund future retiree health benefits. Moreover, lawmakers set a highly aggressive level -- prefunding for the next 75 years, paid within a decade.

The mandate accounts for 80 percent of all USPS red ink, $11.1 billion alone in just-completed fiscal 2012. Without it, the Postal Service could readily have weathered the tough economy.

Take Action

Congress is considering harmful legislation that would take away services you depend upon and dismantle the U.S. Postal Service bit by bit. The changes being proposed would cut Saturday mail service, drop door delivery and slow delivery of your mail and packages.

Send a letter to your Congressional representatives

>>>>HERE<<<<

CUNA MUST #DumpALEC

From the CUNA webpage

NCUA: CU growth accelerated in Q3

WASHINGTON (11/30/12)--America's federally insured credit unions took in 742,847 new members in the third quarter of 2012, representing a quarterly growth rate of 0.8%, and these National Credit Union Administration-reported numbers show that "something remarkable is clearly happening," Credit Union National Association (CUNA) President/CEO Bill Cheney said.

The third-quarter membership increases brought the total number of federally insured credit union members nationwide to 93.9 million, the NCUA reported. The 742,847 gain is up from 643,322 net new members in the second quarter.

For about a month now I have planned to do a follow-up to a previous blog entry I had done and I have kept pushing it back on the to-do list.  Today I ran into a series of really old tweets that was just happened to be out of order (choronologically) on a tweet roll.  That was the universe's way of telling me – I have to do the follow-up entry.

I am at the point where the financial planners say I should be taking most of my retirement money (what little there is) out of the stock market and putting it into safer investments.  I want to sell some of my stock holdings and roll them over into a CD IRA at the credit union that I belong to (that I joined during the Move Your Money campaign).

BUT

I don’t really trust my credit union anymore.

Here’s the reason why.

Trade Association

    noun

   an association of people or companies in a particular business or trade, 

   organized to promote their common interests.

Welcome to the

Credit Union National Association

(CUNA), the premier national trade association serving credit unions.

Ninety percent of America’s credit unions are affiliated with CUNA.

The three-tier system of CUNA, the state leagues and credit unions gives the credit union movement the power to shape its own destiny. That’s the POWER OF ASSOCIATION.

  

CUNA IS AN ALEC MEMBER!!!

And my credit union probably uses my money to pay dues to CUNA who in turn supports ALEC.

Some history: 

From 2011 there is this:

August 2011 35 DAY MAILING—2011ANNUAL MEETING

Commerce, Insurance, & Economic Development Task Force

As of 6/29/2011

Lynn Coard

Private Sector Member (M1)

Director, State Advocacy

Credit Union National Association, Inc.

601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

South Building, Suite 600

Washington, DC 20004-2601

Work Phone: (202) 508-6777

Fax: (202) 638-7734

Email: lcoard@cuna.coop

Also from 2011 (my emphasis)

CUNA: CU presence at state legislative groups' meetings important

WASHINGTON (8/16/11)--In recognition of the impact that state legislative issues have on credit unions, the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) and state leagues participated in two national conferences of state legislators this month.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) met the week of Aug. 1 in New Orleans. CUNA's State Government Affairs staff met state legislators from across the country, discussing credit union issues.

"ALEC created a new financial services subcommittee and CUNA attended the first meeting," Pat Sowick, CUNA vice president of league relations, told News Now. "It's important to have a credit union presence in these forums where financial services issues are discussed. A highlight this year at ALEC was the attendance by more than 600 state legislators--many of whom were freshman members."

ALEC is a conservative organization comprising both Republicans and Democrats, Sowick added.

The caption below a picture accompanying this CUNA article reads:  

Click to view larger image The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) met the week of Aug. 1 in New Orleans. The Credit Union National Association's (CUNA) State Government Affairs department attended and participated in sessions. Pictured at the CUNA booth at the ALEC meeting were, from left, John Kozlowski, Ohio Credit Union League general counsel, and Pat Sowick, CUNA vice president of league relations. (Photo provided by CUNA)

And from 2012 there is this from the CUNA Third Quarter Report:

   Legislative Advocacy

• CUNA and the Leagues continued to advance legislation in the House and Senate on issues important to credit unions.

And while the monitoring and preservation of credit union tax status remains our highest priority, together we have taken a broad-based, multi-faceted approach to address critical issues such as providing regulatory relief, expanding MBL, eliminating unnecessary ATM disclosures, and securing access to Supplemental Capital.

“regulatory relief” – what else is ALEC legislators doing for CUNA?

“eliminating ATM disclosure” – what else is ALEC legislators doing for CUNA?

“MBL”  Member Business Lending – As an ALEC member – does that mean extremist right wingers Koch, Coors, Heartland, Heritage, Reason Foundation, etc … ?  CUNA  claims small business policy support – but so does ALEC when they spread their disingenuous press releases and ALEC publications that are meant to mislead America.

State Issues Advocacy

The unique structure of the CUNA-League System ensures that credit unions are protected not just in your state, but in all 50 state capitals.

• CUNA and state leagues participated in national meetings of state legislators held by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to promote credit unions and credit union friendly legislation to the attendees.

I do not want my credit union associated with ALEC - in any way.

Not directly – not through a trade association.

From the CUNA webpage it notes the following about credit unions:

Not-for-profit. Credit unions are not-for-profit financial cooperatives. We exist to serve our members, not to make a profit.

As long as you are a member of ALEC – you serve the corporations interests and not mine.

Social Purpose: People Helping People. Credit unions exist to help people, not make a profit. Our goal is to serve all of our members well, including those of modest means – every member counts.

ALEC is a non-profit also – that does not give it any points in my book.  As long as you are a member of ALEC – you serve the corporations interests and “EVERY member” DOES NOT count.

Ownership. Credit unions are economic democracy. Each credit union member has equal ownership and one vote -- regardless of how much money a member has on deposit. At a credit union, every customer is both a member and an owner.

WELL – this owner doesn’t want my credit union associated with ALEC - in any way.

Not directly – not through a trade association.

The continued financial support of CUNA to the American Legislative Exchange Council supports ALEC’s extremist right-wing agenda.

By continuing to support ALEC:

   CUNA is supporting financial de-regulation

   CUNA is supporting privatization of government

   CUNA is supporting the elimination of unions

   CUNA is supporting the elimination of the minimum wage

   CUNA is supporting climate denial legislation

   CUNA is supporting Voter ID

   CUNA is supporting Kill at Will

By continuing to provide financial support to ALEC - CUNA can NOT distance itself from the extremist agenda of ALEC.

The items noted above are probably NOT what the #OWS “Move Your Money” folks want to support.

I have contacted multiple people/organizations trying to get them to contact CUNA to #DumpALEC and my requests appear to have gone unanswered (it's been awhile).  So I turn to social media.

As long as credit unions affiliate themselves with the American Legislative Exchange Council I do not see them as a good alternative for the public.

AND JUST LIKE OTHER ALEC MEMBERS

CUNA TRIES TO HIDE THEIR ALEC MEMBERSHIP!!!!

"Protecting the interests of credit unions."

That DOES NOT sound like a member based cooperative to me.

That sounds like ALEC-speak!!!

Climate Deniers and ALEC

An article on Media Matters well worth your read - to connect the dots on who is pushing the climate denying agenda in the US.

Meet The Climate Denial Machine

Blog ››› November 28, 2012 3:16 PM EST ››› JILL FITZSIMMONS

Despite the overwhelming consensus among climate experts that human activity is contributing to rising global temperatures, 66 percent of Americans incorrectly believe there is "a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening." The conservative media has fueled this confusion by distorting scientific research, hyping faux-scandals, and giving voice to groups funded by industries that have a financial interest in blocking action on climate change. Meanwhile, mainstream media outlets have shied away from the "controversy" over climate change and have failed to press U.S. policymakers on how they will address this global threat. When climate change is discussed, mainstream outlets sometimes strive for a false balance that elevates marginal voices and enables them to sow doubt about the science even in the face of mounting evidence.

Here, Media Matters looks at how conservative media outlets give industry-funded "experts" a platform, creating a polarized misunderstanding of climate science.

  

Media Matters then goes on to give you a description of the the conservative "Industry funded experts" that polarize climate science.

It is important for all of us to know the connection between these climate deniers and the  American Legislative Exchange Council which promulgates climate denial "model legislation" for their ALEC legislators at the state and federal levels to introduce in our state and federal legislatures.

Below is the list from Media Matters:

The ones in Vikings purple have already been identified as affiliated with ALEC on the Alecexposed webpage

The ones in Packer green have NOT been identified as affiliated with ALEC on the ALecexposed webpage – but I will connect the dots to ALEC below

    Heartland Institute And James Taylor

    Competitive Enterprise Institute

    Chris Horner And The American Tradition Institute (formerly Western Tradition Institute)

    Manhattan Institute And Robert Bryce

    Heritage Foundation

    Cato Institute And Patrick Michaels

    American Enterprise Institute

 (The Vikings/Packers border battle is going on as I write this)

Let's see - now based on my color coding - they are all connected to ALEC.

Here's the Connect the Dots for the ones noted in green - which are not listed on the ALECexposed webpage as affiliated with ALEC.

Competitive Enterprise Institute

1993 ALEC Meeting – Panel Participant

Government Reform & Mandates

Governors Hall EF

Much of the infrastructure of government is in need of reform. Government at all levels is too inefficient and unwieldy.

Panelist:

Fred Smith, President

Competitive Enterprise Institute

From the 1995 ALEC Sourcebook of American State Legislation

National Task Force on Energy Environment and Natural ' Resources

Task Force Advisors

Fred Smith, Competitive Enterprise Institute

From the 2005 ALEC Federal Forum

Marlo Lewis, Task Force Advisor Competitive Enterprise Institute

From the June 2007 Inside ALEC

Natural Resources Task Force Update

At the 2007 Spring Task Force Summit, the Natural Resources Task Force subcommittees heard many important presentations from members.   …   Chris Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute—and author of the Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming—discussed global warming;

From the May 2009 Inside ALEC

Article: Florida Loses Insurance Business

By Eli Lehrer

Eli Lehrer is a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and an advisor to ALEC’s Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task

2010

American Legislative Exchange Council

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT and AGRICULTURE TASK FORCE

Natural Resources Task Force as of July 1st, 2010

Christopher Horner

Advisor

Competitive Enterprise Institute

1899 L. St NW

12th Floor

Washington, DC 20036

Phone: (202) 331-1010 FAX: 202-331-0640

Manhattan Institute

Not only involved in environmental issues with ALEC but is also supplies right-wing propaganda to ALEC legislators, through ALEC publications,  in the ALEC fight for school privatization and tort reform.

In addition to the one lone notation on the ALECexposed webpage supporting the connection of the Manhattan Institute and ALEC, you can add these two items - showing the Manahattan Institute's on-going affair with ALEC.

2002

Show Me The Money: Budget-Cutting Strategies for Cash-Strapped States

Copyright © July 2002 by the American Legislative Exchange Council and

The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research

THE MANHATTAN INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH

Executive Director of Center for Civic Innovation

Henry Olsen

   Author-Senior Fellow

   William D. Eggers

Civil Justice Task Force Meeting

Spring Task Force Summit | The Westin Charlotte | Charlotte, North Carolina

May 11, 2012 | 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

4:10 p.m. PRESENTATION: A Careful Balance of Justice and Fairness: Securities Litigation Considerations for State Legislators

Jim Copland, Manhattan Institute

 

The American Tradition Institute

From ALEC webpage “Response to SierraClub Report”

Sierra Club Claim: “Before that, he [Todd Wynn, Director of the Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force at ALEC] worked for another ‘free market think tank,’ the American Tradition Institute.”

Fact Check: Mr. Wynn has never been on the staff at the American Tradition Institute. He like many of the other fellows of ATI serves in an unpaid advisory capacity to the ATI staff

Note that the Sierra Club only said Wynn “worked for”

And he does!  Even an “unpaid advisor” “does work”!!!!!! (Supposedly)

From Todd Wynn’s LinkedIn page

Todd Wynn's Overview

Current

        Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force Director

           at American Legislative Exchange Council

        Board Member at Oregon Capitol Watch Foundation

        Research Fellow at American Tradition Institute

Research Fellow

American Tradition Institute

April 2011 – Present (1 year 9 months) Washington D.C. Metro Area

American Tradition Institute (ATI) is a public policy research and educational foundation – a “think tank” – founded in 2009 to help lead the national discussion about environmental issues, including air and water quality and regulation, responsible land use, natural resource management, energy development, property rights, and free-market principles of stewardship.

American Tradition Institute utilizes a three-pronged strategy to advance responsible, economically sustainable environmental policy: public policy research, investigative journalism, and litigation.

I advise the staff on a wide variety of issues which include research, fundraising and marketing.

How much does a senior fellow get paid in Washington DC?

From Jobs-Salary.com

        Fellow   The Brookings Institution        $75k    Washington, DC (08/2010)

From Glassdoor

Pretty altruistic of both Mr. Wynn and ALEC
to allow him to provide "free" advisory services to the American Tradition Institute
- supposedly on ALEC's time
- unless, of course, he is doing his "advisory volunteering"
- only on nights and weekends
- which I doubt.

Bully RWNJ Employer - Takes Away Healthcare

Ran across this on Daily Kos this morning – been thinking about it all day

Rant warning

It's a small company, govt contractor. Our hours were cut by half a couple weeks ago with a note that he was reviewing the benefits to save the company money. The company had paid 3/4 of the premium and I paid 1/4 for Kaiser which I love. It came down to me paying $115/mo with the company covering $345/mo which I realise was a great deal and appreciated. Thurs we were called to meet with the insurance broker to go over changes. I anticipated that we'd be required to carry a much larger portion of the premium of even all of it. The change was that our group policy was dissolved and we were all without health insurance as of Friday. Insurance broker explained that because of "Obamacare" "most" of her clients for businesses under 100 employees were canceling insurance. Bullshit.

This is an example of the bullying that the poor losers on the Republican side are doing.

No offer of letting the employees pay an additional 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 50% of their premium

Just kicked the health insurance to the curb – cause this jacka$$ employer is a sore loser.

This employer is NOT an adult – he is a schoolyard bully – picking on the other kids.

Betch you’re a$$ - his family still have health insurance – probably paid for by the company.

He has no idea what the health conditions of his employees are - and he does not care.

All he cares about is using his power to hurt other people - becausehecan.

ALEC - Distortions of Truth to Justify ALEC Recklessness

I am getting sick and tired of hearing about the McDonald’s coffee case and specifically the over use of that case by ALEC to justify their horrendous tort reform “model legislation”.

In ALEC’s most recent piece of propaganda - that they distributed at the ALEC summit this past week to your legislator and on the ALEC webpage - contains the following lines in “Chapter 9” of their report.

Most Americans are familiar with stories of lawsuit abuse from the woman who sued McDonald’s when she spilled coffee on herself to the man who sued a drycleaner for millions of dollars for losing a pair of pants.

Trial lawyers and others have found ways to, at times, profit off our nation’s broken legal system at the expense of small businesses and job creators.

AGAIN – ALEC uses a 1994 case to justify their tort reform legislation.

Again – we have ALEC’s fallacious implication that the McDonald case was a miscarriage of justice.

The McDonald's case has been a mantra for tort reform by ALEC for almost two decades – as a way that tort reform needs to be done – because the citizens of the United States abuse the ALEC Profit Sector Corporations, through civil lawsuits.

WELL

Let’s take a look at the details of the McDonald’s coffee case.  Caution – graphic photos of the burn are in the video

Three minutes of your time – just three minutes!

All she wanted was for McDonald’s to put a better lid on the cups and ONLY cover her costs OVER AND ABOVE what Medicare covered.

McDonald’s originally offered her no more than $800 to settle.

If McDonald’s had offered her a reasonable amount – there would not have been a lawsuit.  McDonald’s asked for this with their actions!!!!!! 

Yet in the literature they distribute, which contains ALEC’s fallacious implication that the McDonald case was a miscarriage of justice, the American Legislative Exchange Council vilifies jurists who presided in this case and overall, the lawyers who protect consumers.

IF ALEC legislators think this case is such a travesty of justice then - 

Why don't the ALEC state chairs (public and private) 

volunteer to sign a lien waiver that they won't file a lawsuit

and freely allow one the citizens of the state

poor water hot enough to cause this type of burn

into the crotch of the ALEC State Chairs lap.

ANOTHER ALEC LIE

– intentionally misleading Americans through inuendo and distortion

– becausetheycan.