But shh! They don't want you to know.
As I wrote a couple weeks ago, this week the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC as it's more commonly known, is holding their annual meeting in New Orleans. ALEC is the corporate funded group who work with lobbyists and conservative politicians to the write "model legislation" that legislators then bring home to their states and pass into law. ALEC, which is largely funded by the Koch brothers among others, are responsible for much of what's happened in Wisconsin with the union busting and election laws there. This "model legislation" has surfaced in at least 13 states involving everything from privatized education to tax laws to health care, to name just a few. In other words, corporations and their lobbyists decide what laws will benefit them the most, write the legislation, and pass them along to willing and enabled conservative Republicans and Tea Party members (and an occasional conservative Democrat or two) who make the laws "happen" on your behalf. Better yet, as Wisconsin State Rep. Mark Pocan who is in New Orleans for the ALEC meeting overheard a attendee describe it:
“Yah, I’m down in New Orleans for the American Legislative Exchange Council meeting. We write legislation, and they pass our ideas. It’s the free market.”
(Pocan is writing special reports from the ALEC meeting for The Progressive, which you can read here.)
Ah yes, the "free market," or as some might call it, a corporate free for all. (If you're not familiar with ALEC, its corporate ties, and its vast "catalog" of model legislation, take a look at the website ALEC Exposed for more information.)
Not to be left out, Florida legislators are also in New Orleans this week. According to the St. Petersburg Times, "dozens" of Florida members are attending the ALEC meeting. Not only are your elected officials meeting behind closed doors with corporations, law firms, think tanks and trade group members of ALEC (and potential donors) and writing legislation that will become the laws that affect you, but in many cases, you, the taxpayer, are also footing part of the bill.
Nearly 50 legislators, all Republicans, have signed up and can pay for part or all of the conference with public money from their district office accounts. They also are using excess campaign money, and many are bringing spouses at personal expense.
In a perfect world, one might expect to have a say in what laws did or didn't get passed regardless who was picking up the tab, but this is no perfect world. This is Florida, where the governor and the legislature do the bidding for corporations, the religious right, and the new crazy wing of the Republican Party, the Tea Nuts. Worse still, they're bragging about it as if they didn't know that groups like Koch Industries and ALEC prefer to do their manipulating in the shadows.
To these legislators it seems it's just another day at the office to ignore the constituents in favor of corporations. If any of those below represent you, this might be a good time to give them a call and share your thoughts. I've added their phone numbers below:
"I decided to go because I'm going to learn. I'm a geek in that way," said first-term Rep. Dana Young, R-Tampa.
Young said she will use district office money and possibly ALEC scholarship money to pay her registration fee. She's paying for her travel and hotel personally.
Yes, because nothing says "geeky" like cut and paste legislation. (Rep. Dana Young: R-Tampa 57, (850) 488-2770)
Rep. Jeanette Nunez, R-Miami, is covering conference expenses with campaign money, and will hold a campaign fundraiser today in New Orleans.
"Obviously there are going to be lobbyists there, and I figure it would be an easy place, if they have checks, to come by," Nunez said.
How convenient for Rep. Show-Me-The-Money Nunez! Pay your way to one fundraiser with funds from another. Maybe the lobbyist could stop by with the check while the two have dinner at one of New Orleans finest restaurants? I'm sure voters won't mind. What's another couple hundred? (Rep. Jeanette Nunez R-Miami 112, (850) 488-7897)
Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, says this is his fourth or fifth ALEC event.
"It's a great place to share model legislation and a great place to learn what's going on in other parts of the country," said Baxley, who sponsored a major rewrite of Florida's election laws that's under challenge in court.
Baxley said his so-called 2005 castle doctrine bill, which allows people in Florida to use deadly force to defend themselves in their homes or cars, became a model for other states.
"A lot of ideas get shared and aired there," Baxley said. "It's a very collaborative process."
"The rewrite of Florida's election laws that's under challenge in court." As you'll recall, the election laws that you, the voters wanted weren't to the Republicans liking, in that they might have meant fair elections. Voters paid for the rewrite, are now paying for the court challenge, and hey, look! They're likely paying for an all expense paid trip to New Orleans so Baxley can pick up some new form laws. Bet constituents can hardly wait to see what he comes up with next! (Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala-24 (850) 488-0335)
Rep. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, is at his first ALEC conference.
"I don't buy any legislation off the shelf," Brandes said. "We like to tweak it here and there and make it our own. But it's a good starting point to have legislation that's already been somewhat vetted."
Well, I suppose it would just be crass if you could run out and pick it up at the local Legislation Depot or use an "Easy" button. Much classier this way. Plus, why actually read a bill or even try to understand a law when you can just "tweak" it here and there? (Rep. Jeff Brandes R-St. Petersburg-52 (850) 488-5719)
These legislators don't care what's best for the state, have no respect for the voters, and don't know anything about legislation either, apparently. Even if they do, so what? There's lots of "incentives" for them not to. Corporations with deep pockets are only too happy to do all the work for them while you foot the bill, never mind that most of these laws will benefit them, not you. Your health and safety are of no consequence to them or your elected officials.
Add to that, a governor who is cutting everything to the bone, and loves big business and doesn't try to hide it. For example, yesterday he met with lawmakers, and had this conversation with Democrat Darryl Rouson:
Rouson told the governor: "You've done well on some things in my book." But, the St. Petersburg representative said, he'd like to see the governor "soften" on middle and working class folks. "They are feeling a disconnect," he said. "They feel there's been an emphasis on corporations corporations corporations to the exclusion of the worker bees."
Scott said his focus on corporations will, ultimately, help working people: "If we get more corporations to do well, they'll hire more people."
Did someone say "disconnect?"
Also during that conversation, upcoming legislation was discussed, and among the subjects? Prison reform. It's well known that prison privatization is one of the next things on Rick Scott and the legislature's "to do" list. Scott's interest in privatizing prisons is shared not just by the legislature, but another group: ALEC. They've had lots of experience privatizing prisons in Arizona.
ALEC has plenty of models for privatizing prisons, which can be found on the ALEC Exposed website under "Efforts to Rewrite Americans' Rights; Changes That Imprison More People For Longer And Make More Money." There's an entire list of bills here.
Bills that just need "a tweak here and there to make them Florida's own."
