The United States of ALEC

I wish everyone could see the Bill Moyers show called "The United States of ALEC."  The program is several months old, but nothing has happened since it was shown to make it less relevant. Perhaps it is available if you check on the PBS or Bill Moyers websites. I downloaded it illegally, but without guilt; I'm reasonably sure that doing so doesn't take bread out of the mouths of either babes or old guys like Moyers. On the contrary, I'm confident they would be happy to see it being distributed.

The main trouble with the ALEC, American Legislative Exchange Council, which happens to be celebrating its 40th anniversary right about now, is not that it exists (although I think the connection between legislators and moneyed interests is anti-democratic) but that the organization enjoys tax-free status (now there's an IRS scandal for those who want one) and does not have to register as a lobbying group.

As Steve Farley, the minority leader in the Arizona House of Representatives put it, while arguing for his proposed ALEC Accountability Act which would have required legislators to disclose their ALEC membership:

I just want to emphasize it’s fine for corporations to be involved in the process. Corporations have the right to present their arguments, but they don’t have the right to do it secretly. They don’t have the right to lobby people and not register as lobbyists. They don’t have the right to take people away on trips, convince them of it, send them back here, and then nobody has seen what’s gone on and how that legislator had gotten that idea and where is it coming from. All I’m asking... is to make sure that all of those expenses are reported as if they are lobbying expenses and all those gifts that legislators received are reported as if they’re receiving gifts from lobbyists. So the public can find out and make up their own minds about who is influencing what.

He's the minority leader and his proposal went nowhere, of course.