By Chris Taylor
After the 2010 tea
party takeover of Wisconsin, it became clear that the real force behind
policymaking in Wisconsin is not the voters, but the American Legislative
Exchange Council (ALEC), the most powerful right-wing policy-making machine in
the country. A ménage a trois of
powerful corporations, state legislators, and right-wing think tanks, ALEC
pushes out model legislation that promotes corporate hegemony.
I know because I am a Wisconsin legislator, and a member of
ALEC.
For the last six years, the ALEC agenda has rolled through
Republican state houses - including mine - crushing labor unions and workers’
rights, voting rights, consumer and environmental protections, and campaign
finance reforms. And now, ALEC, their funders and partners, are leading the
effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to kneecap the federal government.
At my first ALEC conference in 2013, Citizens for
Self-Governance (CSG) rolled out the “Convention of States” campaign. Their
scheme was to get 34 states to pass resolutions calling for an Article V
Convention of States, provided for in the U.S. Constitution, in order to
propose constitutional amendments that severely limit the government’s ability
to regulate and spend. CSG’s Mark Meckler, founder of the Tea Party Patriots,
and his colleague Michael Farris railed against the federal government, civil
rights, and social safety nets. Meckler
proselytized like a preacher at a church revival, exhorting us to use our power
as state legislators to save the country and join their movement, for which we
would be handsomely rewarded with bundled campaign contributions and grassroots
support. We were given a model Article V constitutional convention resolution,
urged to save the Republic, and sent on our way.
One of my Republican colleagues was sitting several rows in
front of me, and I knew then this effort would come to Wisconsin. His resolution, which would make Wisconsin
the 30th state calling for a Constitutional Convention to propose a balanced
budget amendment, will soon be considered by the Wisconsin legislature.
ALEC is a driving force behind this austerity movement,
supplying model bills, “how to” books, and support for pro-amendment groups.
The last time we had a Constitutional Convention, George
Washington served as chair. This is a high-stakes process. The convention can amend the Constitution in
any way it sees fit, and can write its own rules. In a hyper-partisan environment, most
convention delegates would be chosen by Republican legislatures. The only safeguard is that three quarters of
states must ratify any proposed amendment.
After CSG’s presentation, a representative from the
right-wing Madison Coalition asked about my thoughts on such an effort. I told
him I didn’t think people would go for it.
He replied that because Republicans controlled so many state governments
and the corporations pushing these changes had unlimited money to spend, they
didn’t really need the people.
That sums up ALEC.
ALEC’s drive to amend our constitution has nothing to do with actual
people and everything to do with their big corporate backers. They want to stop the federal government from
protecting our environment, giving workers a voice at the table, paying fair
wages, and giving the economy a boost during recessions. To them, government is not about the people,
but the most powerful doing what they want, when they want, and to whom they
want.
As I left that first Convention of States meeting, I was
asked by a young, enthusiastic ALEC staffer whether I was “ready fight the
fight with us?” Indeed, we must be ready
to fight.
Office of Representative Chris Taylor
306 West – (608) 266-5342
PO Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
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