Are Your Representatives ALEC Members?
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Are Your Representatives Members of ALEC? What Is ALEC?
The Center For Media and Democracy Article: ALEC Exposed tells how global corporations are scheming to rewrite YOUR rights and boost THEIR revenues. In this posting you can also see "Who Is Behind ALEC?" "Who Funds ALEC?" "What Corporations Are Involved In ALEC?" Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council,
global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to
try to rewrite state laws that govern your rights. In ALEC's own words; "corporations have a voice, and vote." Regardless of what ALEC members say, the U.S. Constitution does NOT give corporations the same rights as people, and money is NOT a voice. Corporations do NOT have the right to vote.
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| Cartoon by articpetrel.blogspot.com |
Citizens United Gives Corporations Power Through Campaign Contributions
Although a Peter Hart poll found that 79% of Americans including 68% of Republicans, 82% of Independents, and 87% of Democrats "support a Constitutional Amendment that would overturn then Citizens United decision and make clear that corporations do not have the same rights as people. Further, a 2012 Associated Press poll found that 83% of Americans including 81% of Republicans, 78% of Independents, and 85% of Democrats believe "there should be limits on the amount of money corporations, unions, and other organizations can contribute to outside organizations trying to influence campaigns for President, Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. Nearly nine in ten Americans (88%) say that corporations have too much power. 83% of Americans (81% of Republicans, 78% of Independents, and 85% of Democrats) think there should be limits on how much money corporations can give in elections. And 90% of those with incomes above $100,000 support such limits.
More From The Guardian Documents
ALEC forms 501(c)(4), but previously claimed: "We have no current plans to operate a 501(c)(4) in the near future"
The Guardian documents show that ALEC has formed a new 501(c)(4) entity, the "Jeffersonian Project," apparently in anticipation of the IRS investigating ALEC's current 501(c)(3) charitable status. This revelation could be seen as an admission from ALEC that its critics were correct about its violations of the tax code (although ALEC insists it does not lobby, despite documentary evidence to the contrary).ALEC had previously misled reporters about its plans for a 501(c)(4).
In December of last year, ALEC spokesperson Kaitlyn Buss told Bloomberg News "we have no current plans to operate a 501(c)(4) in the near future."
When Buss said "the near future" and "current plans," she apparently meant "next week."
Just eight days after the Bloomberg story ran, ALEC formed the 501(c)(4) "Jeffersonian Project," according to a certificate of incorporation obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy. (ALEC also failed to mention to Bloomberg that it had incorporated another 501(c)(4), "ALEC NOW" in July of 2012; that entity was dissolved earlier this year.)
To learn more about ALEC and who is involved see a post from this blog on September 1, 2013
When Common Cause's late president Bob Edgar filed a whistleblower complaint challenging ALEC's tax status in April of 2012, ALEC fought back hard. Its lawyer Alan Dye publicly dismissed the complaint a "harassment tactic" that "ignores applicable law."
"The attacks on the American Legislative Exchange Council are based on patently false claims," he told reporters at the time.
But behind the scenes, Dye took a more measured tone, according to the Guardian documents. Forming a 501(c)(4) -- which is allowed to lobby without limit -- would "provide greater legal protection or lessen ethics concerns," Dye wrote in an August 2013 memo to ALEC's board of directors. Forming the Jeffersonian Project would remove "questions of ethical violations made by our critics and state ethics boards and provides further legal protection."
"ALEC certified to the IRS for years that it didn't spend a penny on lobbying, thereby preserving its absurd status as a charity," Steve Spaulding, Staff Counsel at Common Cause, told the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD.)
ALEC's charitable status had allowed its corporate members to write-off their ALEC membership dues -- which are essentially lobbying expenses -- as tax-deductible charitable contributions.
"In forming a 501(c)(4) arm, it appears that ALEC is on notice that it's not going to get away with abusing our nation's charitable tax laws much longer," Spaulding said.
Read More on The Center for Media and Democracies PR Watch
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