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eridani

(51,907 posts)
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 05:35 AM Sep 2012

Merck leaves ALEC; DC headquarters of ALEC put up for sale.

http://www.nationofchange.org/alec-s-membership-dropping-flies-1347715368

With controversial and sometimes shady dealings being taking place between lobbyists and congress, big corporations are starting to pick up on the dangers of being associated with polarized lobbying bodies. The New Jersey News reports that the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, lost the membership of another multi-billion dollar corporation yesterday:

Global pharmaceutical maker Merck & Co. said today it is leaving the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council — which drafts model bills that are replicated in state legislatures across the country — because of “budget constraints and policy priorities.”

Lobbyists are only as powerful as the special interests on whose behalf they are lobbying. Take away the special interest, and all you’re left with is a group of people whose power amounts to the same as the rest of ours; in order to make your voice heard, you cast a vote. Instead, ALEC has been writing their own legislation and pushing it hard through Congress. When that legislation conflicts with the will of the people, it’s simply bad business for ALEC’s members. The result?

More than three dozen companies have left ALEC this year, including Amazon.com, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Kraft.

This is bad news for ALEC, but good news for anyone looking for some prime real estate within the D.C. city limits–the headquarters for ALEC is on the market.
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Merck leaves ALEC; DC headquarters of ALEC put up for sale. (Original Post) eridani Sep 2012 OP
Do we get to dynamite the big swastika over the front entrance? Kolesar Sep 2012 #1
A brief victory, they will turn up in another guise very soon... rfranklin Sep 2012 #2
As Blackwater becomes Xe, as Diebold become Premier, devils have many names. valerief Sep 2012 #7
+1 HiPointDem Sep 2012 #12
They will just reincarnate into another King_Klonopin Sep 2012 #3
Hey, they won. So now they could give a damn, and as noted above the will reincarnate somewhere else winstars Sep 2012 #4
And when they reincarnate, we'll go after them agai n/t eridani Sep 2012 #5
I'd like to see a list of Corps who are members of the ALEC. rgbecker Sep 2012 #6
Bookmark the following link eridani Sep 2012 #9
Thanks for the link... rgbecker Sep 2012 #16
Ladies and Gentlemen--I Give You---the Power of The INTERNET Demeter Sep 2012 #8
So what name is ALEC going by now? Skidmore Sep 2012 #10
Same name so far. The fact that so many people expect them to regroup-- eridani Sep 2012 #11
WOOO-HOOO! OCCU~freakin'~PY! Zorra Sep 2012 #13
It really doesn't matter. It only takes one person with a computer to draft these model bill and nanabugg Sep 2012 #14
They will just form a new front group to replace ALEC. Odin2005 Sep 2012 #15
Like a snake moving through heavy grass... SoapBox Sep 2012 #17
Mission Accomplished!!! BumRushDaShow Sep 2012 #18
Eat shit and die, ALEC Blue Owl Sep 2012 #19
good news. Tuesday Afternoon Mar 2013 #20
 

rfranklin

(13,200 posts)
2. A brief victory, they will turn up in another guise very soon...
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 06:24 AM
Sep 2012

They were only doing the bidding of those who financed them but were unfortunate enough to get caught doing it.

on edit: pyrrhic was not quite the right word...I have not given up all hope of someday ridding our government of corporate corruption.

King_Klonopin

(1,305 posts)
3. They will just reincarnate into another
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 06:25 AM
Sep 2012

corrupt, corporo-fascist organization with an innocuous-sounding name

like: The Society of Citizens United for Marshmallows (SCUM)

They bought our airwaves, the labor force, the banks, and the government
without even a peep of objection from an apathetic nation. They're like
cockroaches -- they're not dead, they just moved to another apartment.

 

Demeter

(85,373 posts)
8. Ladies and Gentlemen--I Give You---the Power of The INTERNET
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 08:33 AM
Sep 2012

in all its manifestations. Participatory democracy within our grasp, evolving before our eyes (and NOT on television, either!)

Skidmore

(37,364 posts)
10. So what name is ALEC going by now?
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 03:23 PM
Sep 2012

These things never just disappear. They regroup under a different name. Remember PNAC? Blackwater?

eridani

(51,907 posts)
11. Same name so far. The fact that so many people expect them to regroup--
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 03:39 PM
Sep 2012

--should lead to the discovery of the new name and its quick spread all over the intertubes.

Zorra

(27,670 posts)
13. WOOO-HOOO! OCCU~freakin'~PY!
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 03:41 PM
Sep 2012

It really works!!!

Occupy Wall Street Protests ALEC In What Activists Call Largest Coordinated Occupy Event This Year

NEW YORK -- In cities around the country today, hundreds of Occupy protestors gathered for what the movement described in a release as its "largest coordinated action this year."

Since a wave of nationwide evictions effectively ended the movement's tent-city phase three months ago, Occupy activists have been trying to regain momentum. It's unclear whether today's event lived up to those expectations, but its organizers presented it as an important step forward.




 

nanabugg

(2,198 posts)
14. It really doesn't matter. It only takes one person with a computer to draft these model bill and
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 03:42 PM
Sep 2012

get concurrence from the rest of the bastards. They will only devolve to something we don't recognize.

SoapBox

(18,791 posts)
17. Like a snake moving through heavy grass...
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 07:05 PM
Sep 2012

they need to be tracked and followed...they will strike again.

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