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Wendell Potter: Shining a Light on ALEC’s Power to Shape Policy
http://wendellpotter.com/2013/12/shining-a-light-on-alecs-power-to-shape-policy/Its amazing how a little sunlight will change the behavior of some of the biggest names in corporate America sunlight here meaning greater transparency and accountability.
Its also amazing how the U.K.s The Guardian is covering this changed behavior and its potential consequences for every American without much competition from U.S.-based media. It seems that reporters in Washington in particular cant be bothered.
Over the past several decades, one of the countrys most influential political organizations the 40-year-old American Legislative Exchange Council was able to operate largely under the radar. Never heard of it? Thats by design. Founded in 1973 by conservative political operatives, ALEC has been successful in shaping public policy to benefit its corporate patrons in part because few people including reporters knew anything about the organization, much less how it went about getting virtually identical laws passed in a multitude of states.
That began to change two years ago when an insider leaked thousands of pages of documents including more than 800 model bills and resolutions, showing just how close ALEC is with big corporate interests and revealing how it goes about getting laws passed to enhance the profits of its sponsors, usually at the expense of consumers.
Its also amazing how the U.K.s The Guardian is covering this changed behavior and its potential consequences for every American without much competition from U.S.-based media. It seems that reporters in Washington in particular cant be bothered.
Over the past several decades, one of the countrys most influential political organizations the 40-year-old American Legislative Exchange Council was able to operate largely under the radar. Never heard of it? Thats by design. Founded in 1973 by conservative political operatives, ALEC has been successful in shaping public policy to benefit its corporate patrons in part because few people including reporters knew anything about the organization, much less how it went about getting virtually identical laws passed in a multitude of states.
That began to change two years ago when an insider leaked thousands of pages of documents including more than 800 model bills and resolutions, showing just how close ALEC is with big corporate interests and revealing how it goes about getting laws passed to enhance the profits of its sponsors, usually at the expense of consumers.
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Wendell Potter: Shining a Light on ALEC’s Power to Shape Policy (Original Post)
antigop
Dec 2013
OP
Sancho
(9,070 posts)1. He's on NPR now...Tuesday at noon...
PrefersaPension
(48 posts)2. Learn a lot from Wendell Potter...
Wish that ALEC was discussed more by the media...sigh...I have learned a lot about the insurance industry from Mr. Potter. He is a courageous man...
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)3. MSM? Forget it...so true about Potter.
Welcome to DU.
Iwillnevergiveup
(9,298 posts)4. Recommended
Wendell Potter is a true patriot, pure and simple. He doesn't seek out the limelight, but has consistently gotten the message out about the corruption in the insurance industry. He would know.