This is the first release I remember getting from Occupy Columbia in awhile:
Rep. Boyd Brown, Fairfield, discovered a (de)regulation, on Thursday, which specifically exempts ALEC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALEC) from lobbying restrictions. This section was added in 2003. Free Times Staff Writer, Corey Hutchins wrote on Thursday:
“Funded largely by the libertarian Koch brothers, ALEC creates model legislation for state legislatures to adopt, such as Voter ID laws and other controversial bills like the Stand Your Ground self-defense law. It deals with everything from health care to immigration to energy policy. ALEC bills are drawn up on behalf of corporate interests and introduced in states where lawmakers are members. The group holds conferences and treats its lawmaker members to vacations. It has 2,000 legislative members and 300 corporate members, according to a report on the group in The Nation.
It is such retreats where ALEC is exempt in the state’s lobbying laws. While other special interest groups would have to extend convention invitations to a discernible group from the Legislative Manual for lawmakers to accept them, ALEC does not — the group is specifically exempted by name.
“If you’re there (at an ALEC conference) then you don’t have adhere to the group invitation rule,” says State Ethics Commission general counsel Cathy Hazelwood.
On Thursday, 3 May, 2012, there will be a rally on the north side of the SC State House to protest this exemption. The rally will take place from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.
So I guess they’re back. At least on an ad hoc basis. Rather than as a permanent fixture.
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Let’s hope they’re a little more focused this time around. With so much economic injustice it seems a bit of wasted effort to simply protest without some proposed plan of action. Perhaps they should run candidates for office.
They don’t have the intelligence to put forth a legitimate candidate.
bud – In my limited experience with what I would call the “lefty” groups around Columbia – there’s a core group that is into pretty much every left wing cause. They aren’t focused. They are pro-Palestinian, anti-nuke, anti-Wall Street, pro-single payer health care, and whatever else, but they seem to be anything but focused. It’s almost a “shotgun approach” to the variety of issues.
To be honest, when I infiltrated one of their groups, I was amazed by the lack of competence, focus, and overall muddle that I encountered. None of the leadership had gainful employment, and while they were generally well meaning and pleasant people, they were disorganized, generally uncharismatic and seemed to be lacking in the organization skills to lead a cohesive group. I could also see why none of the leadership were gainfully employed.
I think at the national level it is totally different. All of the real “organization” was being done in DC or wherever. The tools – email lists, social media efforts, publications, rally plans, strategy, etc. was all centrally done, and the local “organizers” didn’t seem capable of doing much, barely capable of putting together a meeting or an event.
I felt like I could have fully infiltrated the group and taken a leadership role very quickly. I also ceased to view them as a serious threat to my interests.
Maybe it’s the same on the right wing. I haven’t checked.
If any lefty who is charismatic, motivated, well organized, has a job and some free time… there’s a slew of interconnected organizations in Columbia that could use your help.
You mean the Occupier who declared his candidacy on Al Jazeera isn’t a legitimate candidate?
And I should point something out — some of these folks DO get involved with more mainstream local efforts. For instance — the reason I know Walid Hakim is that he and I serve together on the Greater Columbia Community Relations Council.
Now… as to your “infiltration” of one of these groups… was this in connection with your work as a government contractor?
@ Brad – Absolutely not. That would be interesting, but it’t not really my line of business. If it WERE for work, I certainly wouldn’t be posting it in blog comments.
Some friends wanted to know if a certain segment of their group might be worth being concerned about, either out of a threat to safety or political muscle. I determined that they were not.
@Silence–why does a lefty have to have a “job”? I should go take scarce employment from some who needs the money so I get street cred with a nonbeliever? Wow.
@ ‘Kathryn – If you are independently wealthy, or if Dr. Fenner wants to support you, that’s fine.
I just have a lot more respect for people who work hard and make something of themselves, rather than go to rallies and whine about other people making too much money, or whatnot.
“the Greater Columbia Community Relations Council.”
Ahh… the GCCRC. Never heard of it.
@Kathryn – “I should go take scarce employment from some who needs the money”.
Are you one of those closet 1%’ers?
Beg pardon–who says I don’t work hard? Just because one does not have outside employment, doesn’t mean one doesn’t work hard. Ann Romney may have household help, but I don’t.
I guess I just need some advice on how to make something of myself….here I was thinking that I was something, but now I learn I’m nothing. [sigh]
and we are hardly 1%, and almost all our income is wages, but in large part through my efforts, we can live nicely on one income. When you consider that many, many workers raise families as single parents on far less….
I’m sorry ‘Kathryn, I didn’t intend to insult you for your lifestyle. I was referring to the whiners and dirty hippies who turn up at occupy rallies, not urban attorney housewives.
S’okay, Silence, but still why does it matter?
Ad hominem is not a quality argument…
@’Kathryn – My point was supposed to be that they were a disorganized bunch and while some of them were very nice people, I personally didn’t consider them to be “successful” in the conventional sense of the word. Certainly not successful financially or career-wise. Perhaps they are very satisfied though, with their life-performance thus far.
Regarding who has jobs, If I recall correctly, there were lots of folks at lots of Tea Party rally’s who appeared to not have jobs or to be not fully and gainfully employed. Its hard to get off work to spend a bunch of days at the statehouse, unless you don’t have much else to do… much like the guy in Lexington who wears the baby doll strapped around his waist standing in the median strip.
In the business world, some people are known as change agents. Even when these people are the establishment, and have the delegated tasking, most other people can’t grabble with the need to reinvigorate and reinvent and so chose to hide in what seems safer and easier – fealty to the status quo.
We suffer from a lot of the latter around here.
The ball isn’t going to be moved by “outsiders” in South Carolina; all change here has to be driven by “insiders”. Like with change agents, most individuals would rather fall back on the easier path of resistence and negativity.
Imagination has little to no traction in SC, but insight does have an opportunity to effect productive change; it’s harder for the resistors to beat down.