Lisa Graves's News Articles

News

Indiana Workers Stand against the ALEC Agenda and the Anti-Labor Bill Called the "Right to Work" (for Less)

by Lisa Graves — January 5, 2012 - 8:20am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Right Wing, Front Groups, Corporations, Democracy, Economy, Energy, Labor, Lobbying

    • Thousands of Indiana workers rallied outside, and inside, their state capitol on Wednesday to speak out against Governor Mitch Daniels' renewed effort to force through so-called "right to work" legislation designed to undermine labor unions and workers' rights protected by collective bargaining.

    News

    Mitt Romney's "Super" Friends Take Aim Through the "Restore Our Future" Super PAC

    by Lisa Graves — January 5, 2012 - 12:01am
  • Topics: Right Wing, Front Groups, Election 2012, Third Party Technique, Corporations, Democracy

    • Editor's note: This quick snapshot about who is behind the pro-Romney "Super" PAC is a summary of CMD's recent analysis of the problems with Super PACs.

    In the Iowa caucus race, the pro-Mitt Romney Super PAC called "Restore Our Future" massively outspent the candidate's official presidential campaign on advertising. The Restore Our Future PAC spent over $3 million in ads, primarily negative ads against Newt Gingrich, who was the target of more than 1,200 negative ad spots from this PAC and others in the span of about a month.

    Op-Ed

    The Real "Winner" in Iowa: New "Super" Front Groups That Are Super Corrupting Our Democracy Thanks to "Citizens United"

    by Lisa Graves — January 4, 2012 - 8:01am
  • Topics: Right Wing, Front Groups, Election 2012, Third Party Technique, Corporations, Democracy, Media, Public Relations

    • Contrary to most press accounts, there was a decisive winner in the Iowa caucuses last night, and it was neither Rick Santorum nor Mitt Romney. The "winner" was the so-called "Super" PACs (political action committees), the mutant front groups for political candidates that were "created" in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision that unleashed corporations and billionaires to spend unlimited money influencing elections.

    Op-Ed

    How the Koch-Funded ALEC Works to Deny Voting Rights; Brave New Film Highlights Voter Suppression

    by Lisa Graves — November 8, 2011 - 3:38pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Right Wing, Corporations, Democracy, Race / Ethnic Issues

    • A new film from the Brave New Foundation outlines the role of the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council in new voter suppression tactics; the Center for Media and Democracy is one of the voices featured in the film.

    Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to try to rewrite state and federal laws that govern your rights. The so-called "model bills" of this corporate bill mill -- which has been funded by Koch profits and other corporations -- reach into almost every area of American life, including the right to vote.

    Op-Ed

    ALEC Politicians Spin Special "Interest" Bill to Protect Corporate Wrongdoers as "Job Creation"

    by Lisa Graves — October 13, 2011 - 10:13am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Tort Reform, Corporations, Economy, Pharmaceuticals, Propaganda

    • For years, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), has been itching to protect big corporations from high interest rates charged in cases where corporations have killed or injured Americans. Now, Wisconsin politicians serving on key ALEC task forces are pushing a bill embracing this idea as part of ALEC alumnus Scott Walker's latest effort to force the ALEC agenda into law based on claims that doing so will help "job creators."

    Editorial

    Children Gardening in Sewage Sludge: Los Angeles Schools Alerted

    by Lisa Graves — October 11, 2011 - 6:00am
  • Topics: Sludge, Children, Corporations

    • This week, CMD's new Food Rights Network sent letters to thirteen schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) that have "organic" school gardens adopted by Hollywood's Environmental Media Association (EMA). As we reported in May, EMA teamed up with sludge-marketing corporation Kellogg Garden Products, which sells products made from Los Angeles area industrial and human sewage sludge with the label "quality organics" and which used the gardens for photo ops with sludge products.

    Gardens in which kids grow vegetables and fruits were contaminated with sewage sludge as a result of EMA's partnership with Kellogg, which donated hundreds of cubic yards of sewage sludge products. EMA, which hosts its annual green carpet awards this Saturday, October 15th, has failed to take any steps to help remediate the children's "organic" gardens that were sludged.

    Big Business Woos ALEC Legislators in the Big Easy

    by Lisa Graves — August 3, 2011 - 6:00am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy, Economy

    • On August 3, the American Legislative Exchange Council kicks off its annual meeting in the Big Easy. State legislators from across the country will arrive in New Orleans to be wined and dined by corporate lobbyists. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, for example, has invited legislators to a big smoke at its cigar reception on Bourbon Street. But the meeting is not all fun and games. Legislators will be sitting down with some of the biggest corporations in the world -- Koch Industries, Bayer, Kraft, Coca-Cola, State Farm, AT&T, WalMart, Philip Morris and more -- behind closed doors. There, they approve one-size-fits-all changes to the law that ALEC legislators take home and introduce as their own brilliant policy innovations.

    News

    Six Extreme Right-Wing Attacks by ALEC in State Governments

    by Lisa Graves — July 27, 2011 - 3:17pm
  • Topics: Corporations, U.S. Government

    • By Lisa Graves and Brendan Fischer (initially published by TruthOut.org).

    "Model" bills voted on by corporations through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) touch almost every aspect of American life. The Center for Media and Democracy has analyzed and made available over 800 ALEC model bills to allow other reporters and the public to track corporate influence in state legislatures across the country (and in Congress) at ALECExposed.org. Here is a quick summary of six of the many "hot" topics on the ALEC corporate-politician agenda this year.

    Editorial

    ALEC Exposed: The Koch Connection

    by Lisa Graves — July 20, 2011 - 6:57pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Right Wing, Corporations, Democracy, Energy

    • Hundreds of ALEC's model bills and resolutions bear traces of Koch DNA, raw ideas that were once at the fringes but that have been carved into "mainstream" policy through the wealth and will of Charles and David Koch.

    Editorial

    About ALEC Exposed

    by Lisa Graves — July 13, 2011 - 7:00am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations

    • The Center for Media and Democracy has obtained copies of more than 800 model bills approved by corporations through ALEC meetings, after one of the thousands of people with access shared them, and a whistleblower provided a copy to the Center. We have analyzed and marked-up those bills and made them available at ALEC Exposed. This article has been updated. For press inquiries, please contact Nikolina Lazic at 608-260-9713 or lisa@prwatch.org.

    Syndicate content