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CONTEST: Searching for High Quality ALEC Protest Photos/Video Suitable for Posting On-line

by PRW Staff — May 4, 2012 - 9:02am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy

    • Grassroots activism and consumer pressure have played a critical role in exposing the extreme policy proposals of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) over the past year. To date, 14 corporations and 34 legislators have decided to cut their ties with ALEC.

    Guest Contributor

    ALEC Leader Admits Last Week's Announcement Was a PR Stunt

    by PRW Staff — April 25, 2012 - 8:40am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed

    • -- by Campaign Staff at ColorOfChange.org

    Last week, ALEC acknowledged that it was reeling after its corporate sponsors -- some of which pay hundreds of thousands of dollars at times for membership in the right-wing group -- started dropping like flies. In a statement that sidestepped any admission of wrongdoing for pushing voter suppression and Stand Your Ground/Shoot First bills nationwide, ALEC announced, "We are eliminating the ALEC Public Safety and Elections task force that dealt with non-economic issues, and reinvesting these resources in the task forces that focus on the economy."

    News

    CMD's Lisa Graves a Finalist for Milwaukee Press Club Award

    by PRW Staff — April 25, 2012 - 8:33am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Media

    • The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is pleased to have an article chosen as a final entry in the 82nd Annual Milwaukee Press Club Awards (MPC) for Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism. The finalists will be announced at MPC's May 18th Gridiron Awards Dinner at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. The article "Group Called 'Citizens for a Strong America' Operates out of a UPS Mail Drop but Runs Expensive Ads in Supreme Court Race?" written by Lisa Graves, CMD's Executive Director, was nominated in the category of Best Investigative Story or Series. The article illustrates how the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity group propagates shell organizations, like "Citizens for a Strong America" to meddle in Wisconsin politics, in this instance in the 2011 race between Joanne Kloppenburg and Justice David Prosser. CMD's work was featured on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow show.

    News

    Sunday New York Times Front Page Story on ALEC

    by PRW Staff — April 22, 2012 - 9:18am
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations

    • Below is an excerpt of the April 21, 2012 front page New York Times expose on ALEC.

    New York Times: Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist

    By Mike McIntire

    Desperate for new revenue, Ohio lawmakers introduced legislation last year that would make it easier to recover money from businesses that defraud the state.

    It was quickly flagged at the Washington headquarters of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a business-backed group that views such "false claims" laws as encouraging frivolous lawsuits. ALEC's membership includes not only corporations, but nearly 2,000 state legislators across the country -- including dozens who would vote on the Ohio bill.

    Press Release

    Grassroots Campaign Makes ALEC Try to Stanch Bleeding of Corporate Donors

    by PRW Staff — April 17, 2012 - 12:01pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations

    • ALEC Companies and Politicians Must Be Held Accountable for Vigilante Laws and Bills Making It Harder for Citizens to Vote, plus other Extreme Measures Dressed Up as "Job" Bills

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, April 17, 2012.

    Contact: Nikolina Lazic at (608) 260-9713 or nikolina@prwatch.org

    MADISON, WISCONSIN -- The Center for Media and Democracy's Executive Director Lisa Graves issued this statement today in response to ALEC's announcement that it is disbanding its "Public Safety and Elections Task Force":

    Press Release

    ALEC Exposed in Missouri: Who Is Writing Our Laws?

    by PRW Staff — April 16, 2012 - 2:47pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations, Democracy

    • PRESS RELEASE FROM PROGRESS MISSOURI

    Contact: Sean Soendker Nicholson at (573) 427-7326 or sean@progressmissouri.org

    JEFFERSON CITY -- Progress Missouri today released a detailed research report exposing the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in creating our laws. The research report shows the effect of ALEC, which allows large corporations to write big-business friendly bills and helps legislators advance this legislation on the state level, on Missouri's political system.

    Press Release

    ALEC Holds Tight Grip on Arizona Legislature

    by PRW Staff — April 13, 2012 - 3:02pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Corporations

    • April 12, 2012

    PRESS RELEASE FROM PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY

    Contact: Justin Greenberg or Miranda Blue at media@pfaw.org

    PHOENIX -- Legislators in Arizona continue to advance extremist legislation inspired by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its out-of-state corporate backers, according to a new analysis by People For the American Way Foundation, Common Cause, the Center for Media and Democracy and Progress Now. This report shines a new light on the Arizona Legislature's unprecedented ties to the secretive organization, which recently drew nationwide fire for its role in implementing radical policies across the country like "Shoot First" laws and voter suppression laws, and anti-worker measures. ALEC's extreme agenda has recently led companies such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Wendy's, KRAFT and Intuit to withdraw from the organization. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Monday also withdrew its support from ALEC.

    News

    ALEC Exposed Brings Koch Bros Exposed Film to Madison!

    by PRW Staff — April 13, 2012 - 1:05pm
  • Topics: Activism, ALEC Exposed

    • Walk the red carpet at the Barrymore Theatre! The Center for Media and Democracy/ALEC Exposed, in partnership with the Brave New Foundation, presents a Robert Greenwald film: Koch Brothers Exposed, a film screening followed by a discussion on the billionaire Koch brothers' attack on democracy. Watch the trailer here.

    Guest Contributor

    If the Other Shoe Drops, I Want Medicare

    by PRW Staff — April 13, 2012 - 10:06am

    -- by Donna Smith of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, originally posted on MichaelMoore.com. Donna's battle with medical bills and bankruptcy was documented in the 2007 Michael Moore film Sicko.

    There has never been any doubt in my mind that if I face another cancer diagnosis that requires prolonged treatments and has an uncertain outcome, I would rather die than fight it. As an insured American who knows first-hand how quickly a cancer in my body turns to full out trauma in my career and in my finances, I just cannot do it again nor can I ask my husband to risk his own life and security either. It wouldn't be fair.

    Guest Contributor

    A Police Officer Speaks on ALEC and "Stand Your Ground"

    by PRW Staff — April 12, 2012 - 3:08pm
  • Topics: ALEC Exposed, Democracy

    • -- by Brian Austin, originally posted on Badger Blue, Times Two.

    "The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away."

    -- William Golding, Lord of the Flies

    Question of the day: What interest would a corporate lobbyist group have in expanding the rights of citizens to shoot and kill each other?

    A great deal has been written about the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin and Bo Morrison over the past several weeks. I don't need to rehash that conversation, as there is little I can offer regarding specific facts of those cases. What I would like to do instead is examine why these Castle Doctrine/Stand Your Ground Laws have been promoted with such enthusiasm by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

    I have written about ALEC in several prior posts, including Enemy at the Gates and Contempt, thy name is Fitzgerald. In short, ALEC is a corporate lobbyist group that writes model legislation favorable to its corporate members and presents this legislation for passage in statehouses across the nation. The conduit for this legislation are the legislators who are also members of ALEC. This partnership between corporate lobbyists and politicians has been very fruitful for the corporations hawking their legislation. This is fact, not conspiracy theory, as evidenced when ALEC legislation was recently introduced in Florida still bearing the ALEC mission statement.

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