Progressives Create SiX To Counter ALEC

[RiverLover]

Progressives Create State Innovation Exchange To Counter ALEC
Morning Edition
12/30/14

Liberals are trying, again, to set up a group that would counteract ALEC. That's the conservative nonprofit that produces pro-industry measures drafted by state legislators and corporate lobbyists.

Listen here: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=373934299&m=373934300

PETER OVERBY, BYLINE: The mission of ALEC is to advance conservative goals through state laws. It's had great success with an agenda focused on cutting taxes and government spending and rolling back regulations. ALEC accomplishes this by bringing state legislators together with lobbyists from the corporations that underwrite ALEC. They team up to write initiatives that ALEC's lawmakers take home to their states. ALEC had its annual conference in Washington earlier this month.

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(SOUNDBITE OF CONFERENCE)

TILLIS: I hate now that I'm going to the U.S. Senate, you all are going to kick me to the curb, and I can't be a member anymore, but...

TILLIS: We cut personal income tax, corporate tax, sales tax, repealed land transfer taxes, cut regulations...

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OVERBY: Tillis had been speaker of the House in North Carolina. He ran through his achievements - pretty much an ALEC wish list.

OVERBY: Then a week after the ALEC confab came the kickoff conference of the new progressive group, the State Innovation Exchange or SiX,

OVERBY: Laura Kelly had come to the conference from Topeka, Kansas, where she's a state senator.

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SENATOR LAURA KELLY: What we're talking about is healthy public policy that is in the best interest to the majority of people.

OVERBY: A notion that she says isn't just liberal. The State Innovation Exchange comes after not one, but three other attempts to go up against ALEC. This time, the plan is to start slowly. At first, SiX would go into several states with the same one or two issues. Likely possibilities are carbon reduction where unions and environmentalists will have to unite, and criminal justice reform where hard-core progressives and small-government conservatives can work together. Jay Kaufman, a state representative from Lexington, Massachusetts, says the slow-but-steady approach sounds good.

REPRESENTATIVE JAY KAUFMAN: I've talked to a fair number of people in this room who are tired of losing with a shared sense of righteous indignation. And we're angry about that....

http://www.npr.org/2014/12/30/373934299/progressives-counter-with-their-own-group-to-get-state-laws-enacted

[Volaris]

1. Unless they're going to push for Publicly-funded Elections in an effort

To put themselves (and their political rivals) out of business, I kinda can't make myself care.
Playing by the other sides rules, only benefits the other side.

[RiverLover]

2. Well I'm glad we're fighting for things like clean air & better cops

as opposed to corrupt deregulation that favors corps & the wealthy & hurts labor & the environment.

I care.

And I'm thankful.