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More ALEC News

Constitution Interrupted

By Rep. Chris Taylor (D-WI)

After the 2010 tea party takeover of Wisconsin, it became clear that the real force behind policymaking in Wisconsin is not the voters, but the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the most powerful right-wing policy-making machine in the country. A ménage a trois of powerful corporations, state legislators, and right-wing think tanks, ALEC pushes out model legislation that promotes corporate hegemony.

I know because I am a Wisconsin legislator, and a member of ALEC.

Read the rest of this item here.

Wisconsin Lawmaker Echoes ALEC's Call for a Constitutional Convention

Wisconsin State Senator Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) wants a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and he wants a new constitutional convention to ratify it.

A constitutional convention makes for a snappy hashtag, #ConCon. But, it is a dangerous and impractical idea that could result in a "runaway" convention and substantial rewrites to the U.S. Constitution.

Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, if 34 state legislatures "issue a call" for a constitutional convention, Congress must convene one. Read the rest of this item here.

Pruitt Emails Reveal Communications with ALEC and Koch Groups

Emails released to CMD reveal close ties between Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and the fossil fuel interests that fund ALEC, including the Kochs' Americans for Prosperity Group.

The emails were obtained after the Center for Media and Democracy filed an open records lawsuit against Pruitt for his two-year-long failure to respond to our open records requests for his email correspondence with major fossil fuel corporations. The court ordered Pruitt to release thousands of emails which are now online and available for public inspection, but CMD is still in court seeking to obtain 1,600 pages withheld and responses to eight additional open records requests. Read the rest of this item here.

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-<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/02/17/john-humphries-schooled-team-walker-betsy-devos-alec/ John Humphries: Schooled by Team Walker, Betsy DeVos and ALEC]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/03/27/constitution-interrupted/ Constitution Interrupted]</h3>
-In the statewide election for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Evers faced a challenge from John Humphries, an administrator with the Dodgeville School District and Dr. Lowell Holtz, who has experience as a school teacher, principal and superintendent.
+'''By Rep. Chris Taylor (D-WI)'''
-Evers is one of the last constitutional office holders in Wisconsin backed by Democrats. Holtz touts himself as the "real conservative" in the race and has garnered support from prominent Republicans and right-wing groups, such as Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund. Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/02/17/john-humphries-schooled-team-walker-betsy-devos-alec/ here].
+After the 2010 tea party takeover of Wisconsin, it became clear that the real force behind policymaking in Wisconsin is not the voters, but the [http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed American Legislative Exchange Council] (ALEC), the most powerful right-wing policy-making machine in the country. A ménage a trois of powerful corporations, state legislators, and right-wing think tanks, ALEC pushes out model legislation that promotes corporate hegemony.
+I know because I am a Wisconsin legislator, and a member of ALEC.
+Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/03/27/constitution-interrupted/ here].
 ----
-<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/02/14/alec-embraces-trumpism/ ALEC Embraces Trumpism]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/03/22/wisconsin-lawmaker-echoes-alec-call-constitutional-convention/ Wisconsin Lawmaker Echoes ALEC's Call for a Constitutional Convention]</h3>
-Love is in the air as the [[ALEC_Exposed|American Legislative Exchange Council]] cozies up to the Real Donald.
+Wisconsin State Senator Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) wants a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and he wants a new constitutional convention to ratify it.
-ALEC and Trump are unlikely lovers. One gets excited about slamming borders shut, raising tariffs on imports, and promising massive infrastructure spending ($1 trillion in borrowed money [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steve-bannon-trump-tower-interview-trumps-strategist-plots-new-political-movement-948747 says Steve Bannon]), the other has never seen a free trade agreement it hasn't embraced and objects to spending programs that might actually grow jobs.
+A constitutional convention makes for a snappy hashtag, #ConCon. But, it is a dangerous and impractical idea that could result in a "runaway" convention and substantial rewrites to the U.S. Constitution.
-But ALEC is casting doubts aside and is ready to guide Trump to mutual fulfillment. Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/02/14/alec-embraces-trumpism/ here].
+Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, if 34 state legislatures "issue a call" for a constitutional convention, Congress must convene one. Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/03/22/wisconsin-lawmaker-echoes-alec-call-constitutional-convention/ here].
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-<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/02/04/dont-let-smear-us-fake-news/ Don't Let Them Smear Us as "Fake News"]</h3>
+<h3>[http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/03/07/pruitt-emails-reveal-communications-alec-kochs/ Pruitt Emails Reveal Communications with ALEC and Koch Groups]</h3>
-In February, ALEC posted an op-ed trying to smear the Center for Media and Democracy as "fake news," a bogus attack from the Koch-backed corporate bill mill.
-The truth? CMD has written hundreds of stories documenting ALEC's pay-to-play operation--where corporations secretly vote as equals with legislators on “model” bills to change our rights. Our research has helped fuel thousands of stories about ALEC in news outlets across the country and the globe, like the ''New York Times'', the ''Guardian'', the BBC, the ''Washington Post'', PBS, and many more.
+Emails released to CMD reveal close ties between Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, the Koch-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and the fossil fuel interests that fund ALEC, including the Kochs' Americans for Prosperity Group.
-ALEC's "fake news" smear is designed to minimize the impact of our investigations. Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/02/04/dont-let-smear-us-fake-news/ here].
+The emails were obtained after the Center for Media and Democracy filed an open records lawsuit against Pruitt for his two-year-long failure to respond to our open records requests for his email correspondence with major fossil fuel corporations. The court ordered Pruitt to release thousands of emails which are now online and [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/Scott-Pruitt-Missing-Emails available for public inspection], but CMD is still in court seeking to obtain 1,600 pages withheld and responses to eight additional open records requests. Read the rest of this item [http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/03/07/pruitt-emails-reveal-communications-alec-kochs/ here].
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