Luna del'Corvo

Another very disturbing dimension of the recent legal maneuverings in Michigan is that it's not alone. There are a significant number of the current crop of governors and state legislators enacting, or trying to enact, strikingly similar legislation. We have seen this with the union-busting measures in Wisconsin, Ohio, and other states, and it's looking like Scott Walker may try to enact a the same emergency powers arrangement in Wisconsin as well.

Now none of this seems too far fetched for the Tea Party. However, it is interesting when one takes a step back and wonders exactly how did all these state-level politicians all come up with the same legislative initiatives at the same time? If you're thinking they must have some 'sooper seekrit' neo-con policy handbook, you're not too far off.

Introducing the American Legislative Exchange Council (or ALEC). A conservative legislative policy group, they provide boilerplate ideas designed for implementation by state legislators and aimed at dismantling unions, regulation, pretty much everything they don't want to have to contend with. Membership is open to state legislators (for an affordable $100 a year), but boasts an impressive cadre of corporate sponsor/members as well (for the far more significant $5,000-50,000 per).

So what, right? After all, industry folks flock together at conferences; it's what they do. It's as inevitable as geese flocking in the fall. Chiropractors, shoe salesmen, grocers - they all have organizations where they compare notes, show off, trade ideas. What's the big deal?

Well, let's look at who founded ALEC, and who the big names are. ALEC's founders include:
-Paul Weyrich, a long time Right Wing activist, and one of the founders of the Moral Majority, founder of the Heritage Foundation, and known for his dominionist leanings.
-Henry Hyde, of the Hyde Amendment fame, another long-time conservative stalwart, and a banner bearer in the Clinton impeachment proceedings, internet censorship, and other Religious Right causes.
-Lou Barnett, former Political Director of the American Conservative Union, National Director of Reagan’s Political Action Committee, "Citizens for the Republic, and central to the revival of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference.

The real clincher is the big money though. ALEC, in 2000, collected $56,126 in dues from members who were legislators. However, their total revenues were $5,685,299, almost 100 times that much. That money comes from big money corporate interests. Represented among the big money contributors and members? Amoco Corporation, Archer Daniels Midland , Koch Industries, Coors Brewing Co, Verizon Communications, Inc., PhRMA (Big pharmaceuticals), Pfizer Inc..... it's a regular Who's Who of corporate America.

According to reports from people who've been in these conferences, the agendas tend to run on two tracks: enabling corporations (by union-busting, stripping regulations, etc. ALEC was also behind the recent bills criminalizing attempts to expose cruelty or unsanitary conditions at factory farms.) and social conservatism (opposing health care reform, global warming denial, anti-environmentalism, anti-immigration, etc.). Groups like Family Research Council and the Pro-Family Legislative Network are represented in ALEC as well.

Read more on this story at these links:
SmartALEC: Dragging the Secretive Conservative Organization Out of the Shadows
ALEC fingered as source of coordinated anti-union, anti-immigration legislation
Creating a Right-Wing Nation, State by State
American Legislative Exchange Council - Source Watch.org
American Legislative Exchange Council | Right Wing Watch
Gov Rick Snyder Sellout? Prefabricated Corporate Michigan (Government) Courtesy of Koch & ALEC
FORTUNE - The big political player you've never heard of

So tell me, if I sold you an item which failed within a few weeks of purchase, and I had shelves full of that same item, would it not be reasonable to expect that you could simply bring it back, and get a replacement? After all, it's not your fault the thing is defective. I, as the seller, should have the responsibility to repair it, or negotiate a replacement for my stock from the manufacturer. I mean I am the one who agreed to purchase these items from that manufacturer, or at least to sell their items. That transaction is between me and the manufacturer; your transaction is with me. Right?

Well, you'd think so, but no. T-mobile sells me a phone. Six weeks later, said phone prompts me to run an update. Said phone is now fried. Clearly, this is a manufacturer flaw. After all, I didn't use it to pound nails, I didn't drop it in the john, I didn't try to unlock, jailbreak, or otherwise hack it. So, what does T-mobile do?

They will exchange it for a refurbished phone (for my new one, which I haven't even paid for yet). When? Oh, about 10-12 days.

Mind you they have oodles of this exact device on their shelves right now. But they are not willing to handle the hassle of dealing with faulty devices with their supplier; they shift that onto the customer. Can you imagine if their stores had to issue replacements for every defective device? Wow! They'd never sell another defective phone! Think of the quality control! But because they know damned well they have you by the short n' curlies, they are free to force the consumer to contend with it.

On the upside? They can offer expedited shipping of my refurbished replacement! For only an extra $19.95, they can *maybe* get it to me this week! Aw, it's so good to see that they really care about the customer. Isn't that kind of like offering to let me buy some lube for my rape?

ETA:About that refurb replacement? Refurbished phones, when purchased from them, cost between 22-26% less than new. So, I am making payments on the price of a new phone, when I will be carrying a refurbished phone. This is a difference of $64, which they absolutely will not adjust on my account.

Best of all, they just got bought by AT&T, so they are bound to get nothing but worse. I love tech, I really do, but sometimes, I miss the days before cell phones. Then again, it's not like the 'Bells were much better. As a good buddy of mine used to say: "I didn't know he vas a Nazi; I thought he vorked for ze phone company!" The more things change....