Saturday, July 14, 2012

ALEC continues to Lose Big Corporate Members.


Mike Ivey at the Cap Times had this late great bulletin:
The Madison-based progressive watchdog group Center for Media and Democracy says several more large corporations have dropped their membership in the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council.

John Deere, CVS pharmacy and MillerCoors brewing are the latest firms. That makes at least 25 U.S. firms that have dropped their memberships over the past two months. The list includes Kraft Foods, along with Hewlett-Packard and Best Buy. ALEC advocates for free markets, limited government and individual liberty and includes corporate members as well as many, mostly Republican, state legislators. It has drafted model bills that have been passed in many states -- on subjects including voter ID, concealed carry gun laws and “castle doctrine” legislation that offers legal protection to homeowners who use deadly force on suspected intruders.

ALEC had operated largely behind the scenes for years … ALEC has deep ties to Wisconsin. It targeted Wisconsin as an early test case for its agenda, including the "welfare to work" and "school choice" initiatives launched by former Gov. Tommy Thompson in the 1990s. Two decades later, Gov. Scott Walker and several GOP legislators have successfully pushed a half-dozen ALEC-inspired bills, including voter ID, pro-gun legislation and tax cuts for business owners.

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