Gingrey (GA-ALEC) - Father Knows Best

Here is an example of a member of the extremist American Legislative Exchange Council and their ultraconservative, right-wing 1950's mentality.

From HuffPo

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) told colleagues on the House floor on Tuesday that young boys and girls should take classes on traditional gender roles in a marriage because there are some things fathers do "maybe a little bit better" than mothers.

"You know, maybe part of the problem is we need to go back into the schools at a very early age, maybe at the grade school level, and have a class for the young girls and have a class for the young boys and say, you know, this is what’s important," Gingrey said in a speech supporting the Defense of Marriage Act. "This is what a father does that is maybe a little different, maybe a little bit better than the talents that a mom has in a certain area. And the same thing for the young girls, that, you know, this is what a mom does, and this is what is important from the standpoint of that union which we call marriage."

ALEC Sponsorships for Secret Liaisons

A couple of months ago - I copied screenshots of some webpages off the net - that were not intended for public viewing.
The stupid web person at ALEC put them out there in public view, when they should not have  - and then pulled them off, but only after I had copied down the information and made a few screen shots for sharing.

These screens are probably in the secret, member only section of ALEC.

Pages and pages and pages - hidden from view.
In true ALEC fashion - hidden from public view.
Hidden in a secret place on the ALEC webpage where only special secret, conniving, special people can access them.

I can't imagine that they went to all the work of designing them and then didn't publish them somewhere.

Here's what it costs (in addition to tens of thousand of $$'s for ALEC corporate dues and lobbyist membership fees to ALEC task forces) for corporations to meet secretively with our state legislators, with the intent of writing, sponsoring, introducing and promoting pro-corporate legislation - written of, for and by the corporations.

Here are the real numbers, with my guesstimates of totals for the

ALEC Annual Meeting

to be held in

Chicago

August 7 - 9.
Three days - three nights

It is their 40th Birthday!!!

How much are corporations willing to pay
to meet  with (BUY) your legislator
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
OUT OF THE EYE OF THE PUBLIC

To write, discuss and vote on ALEC pro-corporate "model legislation"
THAT DESTROYS YOUR LIFE!!!!!

To write, discuss and vote on ALEC "model legislation"
THAT DESTROYS OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC,
   REPRESENTATION OF/BY/FOR THE PEOPLE!!!

How much does it cost for corporations to have private, secretive, unregulated meetings with YOUR American Legislative Exchange Council legislator?

WELL..................

based on ALEC screenshots

One time payola

$15,000 - put your logo on the hotel room keys

$50,000 - for the incoming chairs reception
$15,000 - for lanyards for the name badges

$15,000 - for meeting bags

$10,000 - Sponsor Internet in the Rooms -

$105,000 TOTAL

There will probably be a couple of these

General Sponsorship – President Level ($100,000)

$200,000 TOTAL
 
Figure a minimum of 12 of these

$40,000 to sponsor a workshop

$480,000 TOTAL

Figure probably 10 each of these:

For the conference

Gold Sponsor - $100,000
Silver Sponsor - $50,000

Bronze Sponsor - $25.000

Director  - $10,000

$1,850,000 TOTAL

A couple of these

Illinois Welcome Reception – Gold Sponsor ($100,000)
Illinois Welcome Reception – Silver Sponsor ($50,000, probably - not listed)
 Illinois Welcome Reception – Bronze Sponsor ($25,000)

$250,000 TOTAL

Wow!  (must be a NICE reception)

Leadership Reception - $100,000

$100,000 TOTAL

A couple of these

Chairman's Reception  - $25,000

$50,000 TOTAL

A couple of these

Board Reception - $10,000

$20,000 TOTAL

A couple of these

Award Honoree Reception - $20,000

$40,000 TOTAL

A couple of these

Exhibit Hall Reception - $10,000

$20,000 TOTAL

 

A couple of these

International Reception – $30,000

$60,000 TOTAL

Six of these

Refreshment Breaks - $5,000

$30,000 TOTAL

Three of these

Luncheon Sponsor - $50,000

$150,000 TOTAL

$3,355,000 TOTAL So Far

PLUS

500 past and present ALEC members

On full corporate paid scholarships

Registration paid for

Luxurious accommodations paid for

Airfare paid for

Parking paid for

$1,050,000 TOTAL

$4,405,000.00 TOTAL So Far

PRIVATE Lobbyist Sponsorship"State Night" Parties
$4,000 - $8,000 for each state - 50 states
$200,000 TOTAL - MINIMUM

$4,605,000.00 TOTAL So Far 

Exhibitors  (30)
$1,500 a piece
$45,000 TOTAL

$4,650,000.00 TOTAL So Far

PLUS

All paid for with Corporate Sponsorships

Some corporations must have already picked up the tab for the

    Leadership Dinner

    Breakfasts (3)

    Awards Banquet Reception

    Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award Banquet

    40th Anniversary Dance and Reception

    40th Anniversary Opening Reception

    Task Force Reception

    Founders Lunch

    Multiple Hospitality Suites

    The Kiddie Kongress
    where they brainwash the kids
    and the parents are NOT allowed to visit - note below from previous years.
 "ACCENT on Children's Arrangements, Inc. will provide exciting children's programs for the ALEC 2011 annual meeting. The children and young adults in the program will be entertained and cared for all day with activities tailored to meet their needs. Please note that these programs are for children only. Parents and/or caretakers are not allowed to accompany the child(ren) in the Activity Center or the off-site Youth Tours. American Legislative Exchange Council can offer parents a safe and secure, child-pleasing and educational experience for their children."

"Educational Experience"  - training Koch lobbyists at the ALEC Kiddie Kongress

PLUS

ALL PAID FOR BY CORPORATIONS

IF they replicate the 1998 Chicago Annual Meeting

ALEC Family Night Extravaganza at the Chicago Navy Pier

500 past and present ALEC meetings – their spouses and children

Mixed Golf Tournament

Tennis Round-Robin Tournament and Clinic

Shooting Sports Event

Chicago Air & Water Show

AND, oh yes -
The Cigar Reception 

PROTEST
PROTEST
PROTEST
PROTEST

x

As the World Turns - It Melts

From HuffPo this morning

STOCKHOLM -- The World Bank says it will increasinglyview its efforts to help developing countries fight poverty through a "climate lens."

In a report released Wednesday, the international lending institution warned that heat waves, rising seas, more severe storms and other impacts of climate change will trap millions of people in poverty.

As a result, the Washington-based bank said it is stepping up support for efforts to curb climate change and to help the world adapt to it.

"Urgent action is needed to not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to help countries prepare for a world of dramatic climate change and weather extremes," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.

"but also to help countries prepare for a world of dramatic climate change and weather extremes"

Extremes like this (from Daily Kos)

Talkeetna is a small town about 100 miles north of Anchorage and 50 miles southeast of Mt Denali, the tallest mountain in North America.

On Monday afternoon, the small Alaska town of Talkeetna hit an all-time high temperature of 96 degrees F (35.5 C.)  The entire state is recording temperatures unprecedented in history, with half the state recording high temperatures 25 degrees F over typical high temps for this time of the year

Post Your Anti-Monsanto videos

Saw this on Common Dreams this morning

Seeking to bypass an almost-total corporate media blackout of the rising movement against GMOs, a coalition of anti-Monsanto groups is launching a campaign this summer calling on people to make and share online videos highlighting the issue. More here to help reclaim our food supply.

Almost-total media blakcout?
Here in Minnesota - there was NO coverage of the March on Monsanto - May 25.

If you took a video of your local March on Monsanto -
it can get get national exposure.

See the article below

Mike Adams – Monsanto Video Revolt announced: Join the uprising by posting your video everywhere on July 24, 2013

June 18, 2013

Following the hugely successful March Against Monsanto which put the biotech industry on notice that the world’s citizens will not tolerate being poisoned, polluted and enslaved by the biotech industry, a new event has now been announced: The Monsanto Video Revolt.

To participate, simply create a video — any video — talking about opposition to Monsanto, GMOs or glyphosate. Then upload it to as many video sites as possible on July 24th.

Title your video “Monsanto Video Revolt” followed by whatever words you want to add to the title. You’ll be joining many thousands of other people who are also uploading their revolt videos on the same day. If you want to make sure you video doesn’t get censored by YouTube, upload it to TV.naturalnews.com which is run by Natural News!

WI Proves - ALEC Economic Report Misleads Public

It's disgusting that the ALEC economic report gets so much press - when there is one state out their that specifically shows that implementing ALEC economic policies is NOT good for the people.

Governor Scott Walker - an ALECer, with the help of ALECers in the Wisconsin legislature, has followed the ALEC legislative playbook, since he first stepped into office.  He has implemented every nasty thing that ALEC pushes from tort reform, to de-unionization, privatizations of government services, voter restrictions, and ultimately, to selling public assets.

In the most recent ALEC economic report Wisconsin jumped 17 places in the ALEC standings - as a sign that Wisconsin - according to ALEC - was doing so damn good. This should be proof to anyone that the ALEC report uses flawed analysis of partisan and biased variables.

Here's what extremist American Legislative Exchange Council economic policies result in.

Here’s what just showed up in deeply-Republican Waukesha County, Wisconsin: 

http://www.bluecheddar.net/?p=33306

 From a rebuttal to the ALEC economic report - you have this important statement:

In actuality, Rich States, Poor States provides a recipe for economic inequality,  wage suppression, and stagnant incomes,  and for depriving state and local governments of the revenue needed to maintain  the public infrastructure and education  systems that are the true foundations of  long term economic growth and shared  prosperity.

And the citizens of Wisconsin will agree.

MN Gun Nuts RUIN Family Friendly Event

Think about it.

You and your neighbors spend over a year to get the city to agree to close your street – so you and your neighbors can have a family friendly event on the street in your neighborhood.

Think about the work with the city to get this approved.

Think about the planning that goes into this for you – YOU – to provide a family friendly safe environment for your children to play and ride their bikes for a couple of hours.

Several groups of neighbors did this in Minneapolis and St. Paul

The neighborhood events, known as Open Streets, started as single Minneapolis neighborhood event in 2011 on Lyndale Avenue S. and has grown to four in Minneapolis. St. Paul will host its first Open Streets event in September. During the events, the streets will be closed to motorized vehicles and opened up for families and children who want to ride bikes, skate, walk and play. The focus is on being healthy and promoting active play for children, said Susan Priem, a board representative for the Open Streets event.

“It’s meant to be a fun family event,” she said.

And now gun nuts want to ruin it.

Gun nuts want to shove their weapons in the faces of children at events where the “focus is on being healthy and promoting active play for children,”.

Gun nuts want to strut around with their weapons blazing at an event designed for “for families and children who want to ride bikes, skate, walk and play”.

Gun nuts want to strap their metal phallic to their body and strut around a family event – becausetheycan.

Gun nuts don't care about anyone else's right to NOT be around guns.

Gun nuts are selfish bastards that only care about power.

SNIPS from the STrib today (my emphasis)

Gun owners target family event

A group of gun owners have set their sights on a series of Twin Cities neighborhood family events for their own gun-toting get-togethers, beginning this weekend.

The gun owners “meet-up” events, in which the promoters suggest guns be carried openly and not just concealed, came as a surprise to some city officials and organizers of the Open Streets neighborhood gatherings.

The Facebook page promoting Open Streets-Open Carry says gun owners will add “their own twist” to the neighborhood events by “encouraging ‘open carry’ for pro-active, positive visibility of law abiding gun owners participating in normal social activity … Like normal people!”

The gun group’s Facebook post invites “all law abiding gun owners, 2nd Amendment and liberty supporters” to socialize at the Open Street events in Minneapolis and St. Paul, pointing out that they’re not there to protest or rally. The post encourages guns to be carried out in the open but it’s not required, and it reminds owners they need a valid permit to carry.

 “It’s an open event,” he said. “It’s a family friendly, fun, kid-oriented event and we want healthy, active living to be the focus of the event. We don’t want sideshows. We want people to be out enjoying their neighbors and playing in the streets.

"It’s a family friendly, fun, kid-oriented event and we want healthy, active living to be the focus of the event."

Not anymore

Now the gun nuts have ruined it for everyone.

Now instead of this - family friendly, fun, kid-oriented event:

You’ll have this