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Memo Pad

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How The Vast-Right Wing Conspiracy Spreads ‘Right To Work’ And Stops Gun Safety

December 17th, 2012 4:43 pm Jason Sattler

In the wake of the Newtown tragedy and President Obama vowing to take action to reduce gun violence, you’ve probably heard over and over that politicians don’t act on legislation to limit guns for one reason: the National Rifle Association.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg says it’s a “myth” that the NRA destroys political careers. But what isn’t a myth is the millions the “gun rights” organization spends to elect their favorite politicians. Though it’s comparable to many industries — as the NRA definitely reflects and projects interests of the gun industry – the NRA’s spending on elections and lobbying absolutely dwarfs the amount spent by the largest group working to fight gun violence, the Brady Campaign.

But the NRA doesn’t just put candidates in office, it also writes them the exact legislation they want their officials to pass into law. It does this through a group whose acronym has become as infamous as the NRA — ALEC, the American Legislative Council.

ALEC got its start in the early 1970s by opposing “big government” initiatives then being continued by ultra-liberal Richard Nixon.  It now has thousands of representatives in all 50 states. Funding comes from corporations like Exxon-Mobil and the biggest names in right-wing conspiring, including Koch, Koch and Scaife. The organization’s hallmark activity is authoring boilerplate legislation that lets its members, predominately Republicans, pass the same laws in state after state by just filling in a few blanks.

ALEC’s method of literally replicating bills came to light recently when, after years of planning, Michigan’s Republican Party  rushed through so-called “Right to Work” legislation straight from ALEC’s template without any public hearings.

The result was a law that may not be able to be implemented properly under Michigan’s Constitution.

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  • S Rubicon

    The Right to Work bill has been discussed in Mich for decades. It was no suprise. Unions spend way far more than the NRA, & unions force dues collections. The NRA does not! As for “conspiracies”, try looking at the “hundreds of millions” Soros & other liberals have been spending, along with the Spanish Company that got a vote counting contract that Soros has a major interest in? Vast (insert name of group you want to attack)- wing conspiracy theories have been around for a long time. Conservatives are actually not well organized on such issues.

    • nobsartist

      Thanks for your input, moron. Do you like the fact that a racist, anti-civil rights organization funded by the koch brothers, the John Birch Society runs, finances and directs your party?

      George Soros? Is that all you have?

      Loser. Go watch fox entertainment.

      • S Rubicon

        Wow. Thank you for your civil input. There are more than Soros, but he represents an equal to the Kocks, except he donates hundreds of millions more.

        • nobsartist

          Fu%% off, chump.

        • http://profile.yahoo.com/ZJ5BBSQIGTUMERPZFALES6HQNY Bill

          You can’t even get the name right it’s Koch not Kocks. You need to know what you are talking about, not making unfounded statements.

        • latebloomingrandma

          You are SADLY ill-informed. George Soros’s alleged influence and $$ is a drop in the bucket compared to the Koch’s. The reason ALEC’s agenda includes getting rid of all unions, is that unioins are the last bastion of organization, politically, that supports Democrats. the Republicans have numerous superpacs and shady groups. Getting rid of unions would essentially render Democratic candidates empty of any funding for campaigns excep for us small donors. You know,us regular people.

    • ryueire

      Excuse me for being so impolite as I am emotionally charged, but shut the fuck up. The NRA is a murdering self interest with no moral backbone. FUCK the NRA and ALEC. The people of the United States should go on a warpath now! Against lobbying groups and extreme right politicians who are primarily the benefactors of these heinous organisations. There is no reason for rapid fire automatic assault rifles to be easily available in the public domain! Nor 50 cal machine guns or thousands of rounds of ammunition being available over the internet. NO MORE of this fucking bullshit! NO MORE 6-7 YR OLD VICTIMS JUST BECAUSE OF THESE ARMS MANUFACTURERS INTEREST!!

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/ZJ5BBSQIGTUMERPZFALES6HQNY Bill

      Just making wild statements doesn’t make them true. If the NRA doesn’t collect dues (I believe that is pure bs) then how do they get the money to finance there campaigns and other functions? 100′s of millions spent by Soros where is your proof of this wild claim? You seem to ignore the Koch Bros and their well-funded organizations or Karl Rove and his groups, the Chamber of Commerce and its foreign contributors. As for voting issues, check the machines that are used in many of the states and see which company builds them and who is involved with or invested in this company (Diebold).

      Prove your statements or go back to your alternate reality world.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KOPKDFAUQPIIRAFI3HEXNMSHLQ Ed

      BULLLSH_T!!!!!

    • jebediah123

      I often wonder what the response would be if a couple of heavily armed men (with the latest automatic machine guns) would storm the main offices of the NRA and systematically slaughter everyone working there.

      Would they then condemn the availability of assault rifles or would they PROUDLY state that “Guns don’t kill people—-people kill people”. Gee, any response other than the formentioned might suggest that they would be hypocrites.

      Just sayin’.

  • nobsartist

    Simple solution. Make lobbying illegal. It is not protected by the Constitution or Bill of Rights.

    End it now and we may be able to fix America before it destroys itself. After all, influence buying has turned this country into a 3rd world country.

    • latebloomingrandma

      The right of the people to petition the gov’t about grievances in the 1st amendment, has morphed into lobbyists. Considering the $$ and power and influence of lobbyists, the founding Fathers would be appalled. They abhored the influence of money and the the “entitlement ” of the rich. We fought and won a revolution to rid ourselves of a monarchy. Are we living under “King Koch?” Their tentacles are everywhere. It’s laughable that some people still see Communists under every rock, whereby what is really happening is much scarier.

      • nobsartist

        Consider the fact that now, unless you are a BIG corporation, you will not get to speak to anyone and no one in government cares unless its a photo op.

        Thats why Obamacare will not work unless there is a single payer option that eliminates all “for profit” health care and the corporations are kept out of it.

        As soon as wall street gets involved, the tax payer gets screwed.

      • http://www.facebook.com/crzydancer Richard Holmes

        george soros feeds the communist democrats with millions of $$. His tentacles are in every anti-American organation

        • nobsartist

          There you are pulling soros name out of your ass again. Is that really all you have? soros?

          You are an idiot.

    • http://www.facebook.com/crzydancer Richard Holmes

      Simple solution. Rid the USA of ALL liberals, Progressives and socialists and America will be a free country and won’t become a third world country.

      • nobsartist

        Thanks for the input. Too bad it is your ilk that has ruined the country. We should learn not to elect the stupid, like you.

  • Ben

    NRA to be renamed since a mentally ill individual’s havoc time and again:

    The National Retard Association
    A terrorist support group
    A “Human Animal” rights advocacy organisation

  • howa4x

    Rural people have theories about who is comming to get them, and most are not true but they fervently believe them, so they stock pile assault rifles and ammo.
    City people live with the violence everyday and it’s not a myth, but a stark reality. Last year in Camden NJ there were 62 homocides, more than Newtown. One is a national tradgedy and the other is oh well. This is why the Mayors like Blumberg are frantic, and the rural Tealiban are paranoid. One group living in fantasy preventing the other group from actually protecting it’s people. This is why the right wing answer to gun violence is just get more guns because it plays into their paraniod illusions. They even have one about he government comming to get them so they now are arming up with cop killer bullits. Each side sees the other as a threat. The right thinks the left wants to come and take their guns, and the left thinks the right is dellusional, and dangerous. Somewhere between these two groups is daylight. That is where the reasonalble discussion has to take place. How do we protect our children, with more guns, or less? That is the question that needs an answer that works.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TD2BFVP7ZD5BEMKHD55IAWNIDE kokogene

    The New York Mayor has the money to fight the gun lobby! With out his money and influence he would be another soul, howling in the wind!!! If you have never killed a person,don’t it is not a good feeling! As any combat veteran,from any war! What you hear will wake your sleeping curiosity

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TD2BFVP7ZD5BEMKHD55IAWNIDE kokogene

    Everybody can’t pull the trigger on a life! When you kill someone you take away everything they are,and ever will be! Everyone wants to be cold able to take a life. How many of you felt that way, and joined the military to serve your nation and kill if ask to? Everyone wants to own a gun to feel safe from the craziness this nations wacko’s hype up to keep us at each other throats, while they smile all the way to the bank!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Myers/100001512942781 Jim Myers

    If the politicians feel that having guns in schools,churches and sporting events is such a good idea, why don’t they allow guns at political conventions and legislative buildings?

    BECAUSE THEY ARE COWARDS!!!! AFRAID SOME WHACK JOB MIGHT BLOW AWAY A FEW POLITICIANS FOR DISAGREEING WITH THEIR VIEWS.

  • onedonewong

    The Brady lobbying is nothing more than we don’t like guns…its like little school children running around with their hair on fire. Its a childish attempt to pas legislation on law abiding citizens.
    Since cars kill more people why doesn’t the Brady bunch legislate against high power cars…who needs a lamborghini or a rolls Royce or an Aston martin

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kenneth-Heffley/100002250740914 Kenneth Heffley

    We need to vote out all republicans period they have backed this and are trying to desolve the middle class and the voting of this country. Also we need to do what nobsartist said and make it against the law to lobby.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/HFYZP2APYPP7H6PWS2ZDQRWFEQ Hillbilly

    How many members of the NRA have had family members or friends murdered or accidently shot by someone with a gun? If you have never had to go through that tragedy you are lucky? There are many people in this country that have lost loved ones because of some one had a gun and got angry and used it, and weren’t mentally ill. A gun permit holder in my state got into a argument with another gun permit holder claiming the second man had on purpose parked to close to his van, the argument got nasty and the man in the van went got his gun shot the other man in cold blood, no mental illness affected either. How about the man in Florida that shoot up a van with teenagers in it because they didn’t turn down their loud music like he told them so gets his gun from his vehicle and shoots up the van killing a seventeen year old boy and drives off as if he hadn’t done anything wrong. There has been no claim that he had a mental illness. So for all you defenders of gun ownership that want to claim that people that are doing all these killing s are mentally ill these two cases along goes to show that is not always the truth, if the man in Florida had been a better shooter he would have killed at least 6 or more teenagers . Guns do kill because people pull the trigger to make them kill otherwise there wouldn’t be so many deaths in this country from gunshots.