just curious

I believe ALEC should be the single biggest issue in the next election at the state level. ALEC has made the Republican legislators their lackeys at the state level. Republican legislators have pretty much surrendered their capabilities to act as a bloc for ALEC. What ALEC has brought to the states is not good. They have written bills that their Republican lackeys bring to the states that are only set up to serve corporations.

Some of these bills include the “Stand Your Ground” laws. But those are only a small part of their agenda to wreck the states. Other bills move public school money to privatized corporate schools, cut cities and counties ability to tax (this will lead to Detroit type situations at all levels) and privatized prisons. ALEC is also notorious for union busting, and cut backs on safety nets at the state level.

Wednesday to Friday, ALEC will be meeting behind closed doors in Chicago. This is their 40th anniversary. The fact that few people have heard of ALEC over 40 years is incredible. If you are like me and believe that all of government should be in the open, I call on you to contact your local legislator and ask them to drop from ALEC if they are a member. Also, I ask that you write letters to the editor to let others know of how insidious ALEC is.

Cumulus Drops Hannity and Limbaugh
It appears that Cumulus radio can no longer afford to carry the hate radio. Cumulus is losing money at the rate of $2.4 million a quarter. Can’t stay in business long at that pace. Do you suppose they might get a spark of an idea that perhaps a left wing show could be a good replacement? No, I doubt it either. I am sure they can find more right wing hate talkers to take their place.

Fast Food Workers On Strike.
Much like the Walmart workers I wrote about last week, once more we have workers in low level jobs with low pay and little future willing to put what little they have on the line for better pay and working conditions. These folks have my admiration and support. All workers in America deserve to be paid a living wage for work. This is a tenet of most major religions and systems of ethics. If you can support these folks by shopping and eating at businesses that pay their employees living wages.

Moral Mondays Spreading?
I read some rumor yesterday that there may be an attempt to expand the Moral Monday movement across the country. Sounds like a good idea to me. Keep your ears open.

Braley in Wapello.
We got an invitation to visit with (I hope) future Senator Bruce Braley over lunch in Wapello Tuesday. There was no earth shaking news. I doubt I have to tell you folks that Mr. Braley is a solid progressive with great credentials. This time next year some republican we have never heard of and backed by money from who knows where will be throwing a year’s worth of New York garbage at Braley. Truth will be the biggest loser in this campaign. Iowa desperately needs Braley. We also deserve a clean and honest campaign. Those of us who want a clean campaign will need to help the Republicans understand what the truth is, as they seem to have very short memories in that area.

Remarkable
Sweden has done what environmentalists in other countries only dream of: they have run out of garbage. As a matter of fact, since their recycling program is so efficient, they are now importing garbage from other countries to burn in their electricity generating plants. Nearly unbelievable.

On A Similar Note:
The Netherlands is running out of prisoners. Therefore they are closing 8 prisons.
“The Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA), which represents more than 60 organisations, called for the government to urgently limit “the unnecessary use of prison, ensuring it is reserved for serious, persistent and violent offenders for whom no alternative sanction is appropriate.”

And in America, thanks to ALEC, prisons are privatized and the prison populations are rising at alarming rates.

Right Wing Blogger, No Insurance, Faces Life Threatening Disease
Right wing blogger Caleb Howe faces life threatening liver failure with no insurance and a family. Howe has spent much of his time railing on the horrors of Obamacare for redstates.com. Draw your own conclusions.