Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

trof

(54,256 posts)
Wed May 16, 2012, 11:10 AM May 2012

Please sigh this Alabama petition re ALEC

Below is an email from John Earl, a MoveOn member in Tuscaloosa who created a petition on SignOn.org, the nonprofit site that allows anyone to start their own online petition.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Alabama MoveOn member,
The American Legislative Exchange Council is a lobbying organization that pushed for legislation to limit the right of Alabamians to vote. ALEC is also responsible for laws like the Stand Your Ground law in Florida that led to the death of Trayvon Martin.
However, for tax purposes ALEC has reported itself as a tax-exempt charitable organization, not a lobbying group, getting large and illegal tax breaks.
That needs to change, and so I created a petition on SignOn.org to Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, which says:
Every citizen has a right to lobby our government.
But most Alabamians wouldn't dream of asking our fellow citizens to give us a tax break to subsidize our lobbying.
That's not true of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC is a corporate lobby masquerading as a charity. It devotes its $7 million annual budget to lobbying for laws that will boost the profits of its member corporations, but it pays no taxes and solicits corporate contributions with a promise that donors can deduct gifts on their annual tax returns.
We call upon you to investigate ALEC's tax status and its compliance with Alabama's lobbying laws.
Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=275504&id=41509-1747679-d4RoPLx&t=2
Thanks!
–John Earl
This petition was created on SignOn.org, the progressive, nonprofit petition site that will never sell your email address and will never promote a petition because someone paid us to. SignOn.org is sponsored by MoveOn Civic Action, which is not responsible for the contents of this or other petitions posted on the site.
Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 7 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Latest Discussions»Region Forums»Alabama»Please sigh this Alabama ...