“Of all the Kochs’ investments in right-wing organizations, ALEC provides some of the best returns: It gives the Kochs a way to make their brand of free-market fundamentalism legally binding,” The Nation‘s Lisa Graves reported in 2011.
But until the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 cast some light on ALEC-backed “Stand Your Ground” laws, very few Americans had ever heard of this shadowy organization that brings together corporate lobbyists with corporate politicians to pass corporate laws that benefit corporations at the expense of the public.
You probably didn’t hear — for instance — that ALEC held its super-secretive annual meeting last weekend in Oklahoma City, while the NRA, an ALEC affiliate, attracted most of the media’s attention.
This video above illuminates how ALEC’s tentacles stretch into all 50 states, passing laws that make it easier for corporations to abuse animals, monetize public education and pollute the planet.
What is the left-wing version of ALEC, fighting on behalf of workers and preserving public resources? Generally, it has been organized labor. But union membership is lower than it has been since the 1930s, thanks in some part to ALEC.
