Smart Alec
I remember 3rd Grade and marching down the sidewalk under the trees. The teacher grabbed this kid and yanked him out of line, said loud enough so the whole school could hear, “None of that during fire drill.” Whatever that was? Then she called him, Smart Alec. Given that he was underhanded and a bully, I guessed that was what Smart Alec meant. Now there’s another Alec around, but this one has the bullying power of a tyrant.
Today’s Alec is ALEC, the acronym for American Legislative Exchange Council; the exchange, however, is not among lawmakers as implied, but among such corporations as Altria, AT&T, Bayer, Coca-Cola, Exxon-Mobil, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Koch Industries, Kraft Foods, Peabody Energy, Pfizer, Reynolds American, State Farm Insurance, UPS, and Walmart. It is strictly Republican, and so secret that most legislators vote never knowing it’s an ALEC bill; nor do the governors know when they sign the bill into law.
ALEC originated the original Voter ID Act in 2009, intended to bar
eligible students from voting. The New Hampshire Speaker of the House said,
“These kids must be disenfranchised . . .they’re voting liberal, voting
their feelings.” Seven states adopted the law; copycat bills were presented
in 18 additional states. The obvious intent is to curtail student voting in
2012. The language of the Constitution and the Voter Rights Act of 1965 is
simple, straightforward and available to all, so one wonders if these
legislators ever read either of the two. Fortunately for North Carolina,
Governor Purdue vetoed the bill, saying:
“The right to choose our leaders is among the most precious freedoms we have
– both as Americans and North Carolinians. North Carolinians who are
eligible to vote have a constitutionally guaranteed right to cast their
ballots, and no one should put up obstacles to citizens exercising that
right.”
These days ALEC generates about 1,000 bills a year.
Scott Walker, Tea Party and teacher-bashing governor of Wisconsin had ALEC bills in-hand before he took office. Wisconsin Senator Scott Fitzgerald was ALEC state chairman, 2010. 90% of ALEC’s $6 million bankroll comes from just three donors. Do Walker, Fitzgerald, and numerous state assemblies represent corporations and donors . . . or do they represent the voters? Who in our own North Carolina is representing ALEC?
Do your homework! Sourcewatch has a directory of people and organizations, fine-sounding names, every one out to feather their own financial nest. Start speaking out now! Write your legislators. Write editorials. While corporations can’t vote, you can; moreover, you can multiply your vote a dozen times over, with no more than honest facts and plain talk. Show your family, neighbors and friends how ALEC has and is subverting our democratic process.
Vote your best interests – families, schools, jobs, homes, and
environment. For all its power, come 2012, no way is Alec going to outsmart
a million North Carolina women voters!
Sincerely, Caulean Vesey, 4th of July, 2011
Carteret County Democratic Women
PS: You can thank Governor Perdue. Visit
www.governor.state.nc.us. Or
write Governor Beverly Perdue, 116 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27603.