Blog for Iowa: Shock Doctrine, ALEC and Iowa

[highplainsdem]

http://www.blogforiowa.com/blog/_archives/2011/5/10/4813685.html

Shock Doctrine, ALEC and Iowa
by Dave Bradley on Tue 10 May 2011 07:36 AM CDT

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And if natural disasters don’t happen fast enough, then create disasters through the misuse of government. For instance, start two wars and cut the taxes that should have been used to pay for them. Or on a state level, give huge tax cuts to the rich and then claim the state is broke. This is a tactic that is now being used at the state and county levels across the nation right now. Look at any state with a Republican governor or legislature and you will see some form of this tactic.This tactic is being done in concert across the country.

Fortunately, each state or county did not have to go off and write their own versions of laws to create problems or laws that will impose draconian solutions. For that there is ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Alec is a corporate financed very right wing group that creates very corporate friendly legislation that is ready to go in most governmental units with just a bit of adaptation.

-snip-

The sad thing about ALEC is that it works in the dark. Under a rock I would say. It is nearly impossible to find who the members are, who the sponsors are, and until recently what their agenda was. Slowly they are being exposed. Legislators who are members of ALEC are not working for the “people” but for those corporations aiming to take over the government for their own profit.

Which brings us to Iowa. Early in this session a bill (probably written by ALEC) that would lower property taxes while at the same time cut ways in which cities and counties could tax, failed to make the cut for consideration a couple months back. Yet at what is supposed to be the very end of the session an almost twin bill was introduced on April 28th. Since the legislature is supposed to adjourn on April 30th, this is indeed late. So late that maybe the legislature will not have time to look it over properly; maybe sneak it in.

-snip-

Bradley goes on to explain that he asked his local city manager what would happen if this legislation passed and the city lost so much revenue. The pool and library would close, and there would probably be cutbacks in all but essential services.


The city manager of Des Moines is also very worried about what would happen there:

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/05/09/des-moines-officials-criticize-bill-to-cut-commercial-property-taxes/

Des Moines officials criticize bill to cut commercial property taxes
8:34 PM, May 9, 2011 | by Jason Pulliam

Des Moines would need $3 billion in new development to make up for what’s lost from a 40-percent cut on commercial property taxes that Iowa lawmakers are considering, city officials said tonight.

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It is “highly unlikely” that $3 billion worth of development would come in a short period of time, City Manager Rick Clark said at tonight’s City Council meeting.

Des Moines would need 15 projects like Wellmark’s $194 million headquarters that opened recently on Grand Avenue between 11th and 14th streets, Clark said. And those projects would essentially need to happen all at once, coming with no tax abatements or public incentives.

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Mayor Frank Cownie said all of the revenue losses would make it hard to pay for core services like police and fire. It could also erode progress that’s helped the city garner national recognition for its business climate and quality of life, Cownie said.

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This plan to cut commercial property taxes will cost Iowa half a billion dollars in revenue over the next five years. The GOP there also wants to cut the corporate tax rate in half, which will cost the state hundreds of millions more.



Editing to add that I haven't been able to find out yet just how much ALEC's Iowa members have to do with this legislation, though it certainly follows typical ALEC policies.

To give you some idea how quiet many legislators are about their association with ALEC -- the current Iowa state chair for ALEC is Representative Linda Miller.

http://www.alec.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About/StateChairmen/default.htm

But she doesn't even mention ALEC in her biography on the Iowa House Republicans website:

http://www.iowahouserepublicans.com/members/linda-miller/biography

Linda is a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Bettendorf, Iowa.

She belongs to several civic and professional organizations, including Davenport One, the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce, Bettendorf Rotary, Scott Community Foundation Board, Davenport Community School Foundation Board, the Iowa Medical Alliance, and the Scott County Medical Alliance.

Linda was honored with the Chairmen’s Award for Outstanding Committee Chair from Davenport One and was Member of the Year for the State Medical Alliance.

ALEC state chair, and she apparently doesn't even want people to know she's associated with ALEC.


See the long compilation topic on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for more about this organization and the harm it does.

[highplainsdem]

1. Just edited the OP to note that ALEC's state chair in Iowa doesn't even mention ALEC in her

bio on the Iowa House Republicans website. ALEC's influence in Iowa has received some negative publicity lately, and she's apparently decided it's best not to let voters and other members of the public checking her public biography know of her role in ALEC.

[highplainsdem]

2. kick

[SpiralHawk]

3. ALEC = vehicle for Republicon OCCULTISM

Republicons are totally into OCCULTISM.

Make no mistake.

As occultists, Republicons do their work against America in the dark...