SMART A.L.E.C.?

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is an organization comprised of industries and corporations that develops model legislation benefiting those industries and corporations. Lobbyists, special interest representatives and selected elected officials (who are invited members of ALEC) then review and vote to approve these proposed legislative actions in closed sessions.  In many cases the legislation is proposed and introduced by the very “selected elected officials” who voted on them as members of ALEC.  As a note, I have found little information on how and how much ALEC and/or its members financially support elected members of ALEC

Typical of the legislation created by ALEC are the ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws, voter ID, privatization of state prisons, lowering state clean energy regulations, privatizing education, and many others acts which benefit the industries within their membership. Some of ALEC donor members are Bayer, AT&T, Exxon-Mobile, State Farm, Anhauser-Busch, EBay, Fed Ex, Koch Industries, NRA, UPS, VISA.  

Recently FACEBOOK and GOOGLE dropped their “membership” in ALEC.  In the latter case GOOGLE’s chairman Eric Schmidt stated this about ALEC “We should not be aligned with such people.  They’re just literally lying.”

ELECTED MEMBERS OF ALEC ARE DENOTED IN THE DOLLAR BILL BRIGADE DATA BASES.  

WHO DOES YOUR REPRESENTATIVE REPRESENT???  

THE FUTURE BEGINS TODAY.

gil eisner 9/29/14

HEADLINE???

AMERICA AT WAR!  

CONGRESS AT HOME CAMPAIGNING…

THE FUTURE BEGINS TODAY!

 


gil eisner 9/25/14

 

SEPT/OCT UPDATE

IT’S BEEN SOME TIME SINCE THE LAST POST AND WE HAVE A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER.

FIRST, IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME!  FOR THE PAST SIX WEEK WE HAVE BEEN IN EUROPE TRAVELLING AROUND IN SWEDEN, FINLAND, RUSSIA, LITHUANIA, POLAND, GERMANY, DENMARK, THE NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM.  IN OUR TRAVELS I GENERALLY ASK THE LOCALS WHAT IS THEIR TOP CONCERN.  THIS TIME AROUND THE MAJOR ISSUE FOCUSES ON POLITICAL, CULTURAL AND SOCIAL CHANGES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN THEIR COUNTRY DUE TO THE INFLUX OF OPPORTUNITY SEEKERS, WORKERS, REFUGEES, ETC. THIS INFLUX COMES FROM DISTRESSED COUNTRIES LIKE SYRIA, OTHER CONTINENTS AND FROM WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION.  EVENTUALLY, THESE NEW RESIDENTS, PREDICATED ON THEIR POPULATION GROWTH, WILL DEVELOP THAT POLITICAL BASE FOR SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE THAT DIFFERS SUBSTANTIALLY FROM THAT OF THE HOST COUNTRY. IN SOME OF THESE COUNTRIES THERE ALREADY HAS BEEN A GROWTH IN ACCOMMODATING LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.  SOME CONCERNS ON THE HORIZON.

PRIMARIES ARE OVER AND THE REAL CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE CHOICES ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE.  ONLY THOSE CAPABLE OF RAISING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OR MORE OF CAMPAIGN DOLLARS SURVIVED THE PRIMARIES AND ARE ABLE TO COMPLETE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION.  PRESENTLY, SOME OF THOSE CANDIDATES HAVE A WAR CHEST IN EXCESS OF TEN MILLION DOLLARS.  IT IS ESTIMATED THAT $500,000,000.00 OF BIG MONEY WILL BE CONTRIBUTED THIS ELECTION CYCLE AS A RESULT OF THE SUPREME’S COURT DECISION ON CITIZENS UNITED.

IN A FEW WEEKS, EARLY, ABSENTEE AND MILITARY VOTING WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED IN ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTIONS OF OUR TIMES. AFTER THE ELECTION THE POLITICAL STAGE WILL BE SET FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, 2016 AND BEYOND.  IF YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT ISSUES LIKE WAR, TERRORISM, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, VOTING RIGHTS, MINIMUM WAGE, HEALTH CARE, SOCIAL SECURITY, IMMIGRATION, THE SUPREME COURT AND IT’S DECISIONS, WOMEN RIGHTS, GUN REGISTRATION THE BUDGET, GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, ETC YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO A THING, ONLY BE PREPARED TO LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES FOR YEARS TO COME.  OTHERWISE USE THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE DOLLAR BILL BRIGADE DATA BASES TO EDUCATE YOURSELF AND INFORM OTHERS ON THE ISSUES AND HOW INCUMBENTS VOTED.  BE SURE TO VOTE IF YOU CAN, IF YOU CAN’T, CONTRIBUTE AND TALK UP THE ISSUES WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.  HOW A MEMBER OF CONGRESS VOTED MAY DIFFER FROM THEIR CAMPAIGN RHETORIC.  SUPPORT THE CANDIDATES WHO REPRESENT YOUR CONCERNS AND REMEMBER THE FUTURE BEGINS TODAY!

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE DATA BASES.  I’VE UPDATE THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER ELECTION DATA BASES WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIMARY SURVIVING CANDIDATES.  THE FINANCIAL DATA IS THAT WHICH WAS REPORTED IN AUGUST. SINCE FEDERAL REPORTING REQUIRES UPDATES AS MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE RECEIVED, IT MAKES IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP ACTUAL CONTRIBUTIONS AMOUNTS CURRENT. THAT SAID, THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SURVIVING CANDIDATES GENERALLY WILL REMAIN IN THE SAME RATIO.

GIL EISNER 9/22/14