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The anti-ALEC rally--led by groups that included StandUp! Chicago, the Center for Media & Democracy, ColorOfChange, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and others--was taking place outside the Palmer House Hotel with a call to put an end to the powerful lobbyist group.
Described as the engine of the corporate "retrograde agenda" by CMD's Mary Bottari, the laws proposed by ALEC members include "bills to roll back wages, worker rights, access to paid sick leave, and even renewable energy standards."
CMD's Brendan Fischer, who has studied the group extensively, called their operations a collusion between corporate interests and rightwing lawmakers.
ALEC is celebrating its 40th anniversary of operation this year, but the meeting in Chicago--though designed to be more secretive than ones in the past--will follow the same playbook in which "lobbyists from U.S. and foreign corporations will vote as equals alongside state legislators to adopt ALEC "model" bills, which then will be distributed nationwide with little or no disclosure of their ALEC roots."
Aspects of the protest, including photos from the street rally, were being actively reported on Twitter:
Tweets about "#ALECinChicago OR #ALECExposed"Â
As ALEC is known to provide state and federal lawmakers with their "model legislation" on numerous policy fronts, the coalition of protesters in Chicago were highlighting numerous laws pushed by the conservative group, including 'stand your ground' laws, 'right-to-work' legislation, ploys to limited voting rights, and many others.
Citing the role of ALEC-backed 'stand-your-ground' law in the Florida shooting death of Trayvon Martin last year, many in Chicago were blasting the proliferation of similar laws in other states.
"These laws encourage people to act on irrational fears fed by biases and prejudice," said Shani Smith with Stand Up! Chicago, who spoke about her anxieties as the mother of a black teenager. "I know that where I see my son--a caring, creative, vulnerable young man--others may see a dangerous stranger. We've lost enough young black men in this country to fear and prejudice."
Among the highlights included in the report, CMD offered these key findings:
Read the CMD's full report: ALEC at 40: Turning Back the Clock on Prosperity and Progress (pdf).
___________________________________________
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The anti-ALEC rally--led by groups that included StandUp! Chicago, the Center for Media & Democracy, ColorOfChange, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and others--was taking place outside the Palmer House Hotel with a call to put an end to the powerful lobbyist group.
Described as the engine of the corporate "retrograde agenda" by CMD's Mary Bottari, the laws proposed by ALEC members include "bills to roll back wages, worker rights, access to paid sick leave, and even renewable energy standards."
CMD's Brendan Fischer, who has studied the group extensively, called their operations a collusion between corporate interests and rightwing lawmakers.
ALEC is celebrating its 40th anniversary of operation this year, but the meeting in Chicago--though designed to be more secretive than ones in the past--will follow the same playbook in which "lobbyists from U.S. and foreign corporations will vote as equals alongside state legislators to adopt ALEC "model" bills, which then will be distributed nationwide with little or no disclosure of their ALEC roots."
Aspects of the protest, including photos from the street rally, were being actively reported on Twitter:
Tweets about "#ALECinChicago OR #ALECExposed"Â
As ALEC is known to provide state and federal lawmakers with their "model legislation" on numerous policy fronts, the coalition of protesters in Chicago were highlighting numerous laws pushed by the conservative group, including 'stand your ground' laws, 'right-to-work' legislation, ploys to limited voting rights, and many others.
Citing the role of ALEC-backed 'stand-your-ground' law in the Florida shooting death of Trayvon Martin last year, many in Chicago were blasting the proliferation of similar laws in other states.
"These laws encourage people to act on irrational fears fed by biases and prejudice," said Shani Smith with Stand Up! Chicago, who spoke about her anxieties as the mother of a black teenager. "I know that where I see my son--a caring, creative, vulnerable young man--others may see a dangerous stranger. We've lost enough young black men in this country to fear and prejudice."
Among the highlights included in the report, CMD offered these key findings:
Read the CMD's full report: ALEC at 40: Turning Back the Clock on Prosperity and Progress (pdf).
___________________________________________
The anti-ALEC rally--led by groups that included StandUp! Chicago, the Center for Media & Democracy, ColorOfChange, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and others--was taking place outside the Palmer House Hotel with a call to put an end to the powerful lobbyist group.
Described as the engine of the corporate "retrograde agenda" by CMD's Mary Bottari, the laws proposed by ALEC members include "bills to roll back wages, worker rights, access to paid sick leave, and even renewable energy standards."
CMD's Brendan Fischer, who has studied the group extensively, called their operations a collusion between corporate interests and rightwing lawmakers.
ALEC is celebrating its 40th anniversary of operation this year, but the meeting in Chicago--though designed to be more secretive than ones in the past--will follow the same playbook in which "lobbyists from U.S. and foreign corporations will vote as equals alongside state legislators to adopt ALEC "model" bills, which then will be distributed nationwide with little or no disclosure of their ALEC roots."
Aspects of the protest, including photos from the street rally, were being actively reported on Twitter:
Tweets about "#ALECinChicago OR #ALECExposed"Â
As ALEC is known to provide state and federal lawmakers with their "model legislation" on numerous policy fronts, the coalition of protesters in Chicago were highlighting numerous laws pushed by the conservative group, including 'stand your ground' laws, 'right-to-work' legislation, ploys to limited voting rights, and many others.
Citing the role of ALEC-backed 'stand-your-ground' law in the Florida shooting death of Trayvon Martin last year, many in Chicago were blasting the proliferation of similar laws in other states.
"These laws encourage people to act on irrational fears fed by biases and prejudice," said Shani Smith with Stand Up! Chicago, who spoke about her anxieties as the mother of a black teenager. "I know that where I see my son--a caring, creative, vulnerable young man--others may see a dangerous stranger. We've lost enough young black men in this country to fear and prejudice."
Among the highlights included in the report, CMD offered these key findings:
Read the CMD's full report: ALEC at 40: Turning Back the Clock on Prosperity and Progress (pdf).
___________________________________________