Reply #310: GOP pledges allegiance to Grover Norquist over U.S. citizens => ALEC in GOP/Anti-Tax Strategy Ties

[Hector Solon]

... this is a MUST READ for those interested in the NATIONAL STRATEGY side of ALEC el al.

Very solid piece on a key component of the National GOP and anti-Tax orgs behind ALEC and what is happening in State Legislatures across the country. Excellent LINKS too.


Op-Ed: The GOP pledges allegiance to Grover Norquist over U.S. citizens
By Bill Lindner
June 1, 2011
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/307452

CLIPS:

Grover Norquist is a well-connected Republican activist with close ties to business and media. ATR is ostensibly a group that pushes for lower taxes with close ties to the Republican Party that frequently allies itself with the tobacco industry. Norquist and company have a dubious history with Washington. In a May 25, 1989 memo -- which was curiously found in the files of the now defunct Tobacco Institute -- to the Steering Committee of ATR by Norquist excitedly reported progress on the 'anti-tax front.' In addition to swaging a member of Congress into promising to veto any tax increase, Norquist reported on three Wall Street Journal editorials highlighting the importance of ATR's pledge campaign in stopping tax hikes. 233 of the 240 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and 40 of 47 Republicans in the U.S. Senate have reportedly signed pledges with Norquist not to raise taxes. Norquist's national strategy includes recruiting Republican politicians at state and local levels who have signed similar pledges.

The pledge -- which consists of a few lines on a single sheet of paper -- that bought and paid for politicos sign was created by Norquist in 1986, and Norquist takes it upon himself to punish pledge breakers by organizing and fundraising for their opponents in GOP primaries and to bully those who break his pledge when re-elections aren't looming. The constituents of every one of the Republican politicos who have signed the pledge have been sold out to Norquist and company. Norquist and ATR are involved with a lot of shady organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, fraudulent "think tanks" and billionaires -- think Koch brothers and company (PDF) -- and groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council consisting of corporate lobbyists that work with special-interest groups looking for friendly state and federal legislators who can be bought and paid for by corporations. These legislators introduce legislation written by lobbyists aimed at enriching corporations while selling out U.S. citizens.

Instead of raising taxes on the wealthy, the corporately-controlled U.S. Congress and many State Legislatures are destroying the citizens they allegedly represent. While the GOP holds the debate over raising the debt ceiling hostage, threatening every American unless they make drastic austerity measures because of political corruption and corporate fraud and greed, the GOP remains nearly monolithic in opposing tax increases on corporations as the solution. Most of the deficit problem this country faces today can be attributed to the George W. Bush administration and its blatantly crooked cronyism. But, according to Norquist and company, the deficit must be closed through spending cuts. Instead of fixing the problems associated with all the Wall Street fraud that imploded the U.S. economy, Washington has further enabled the problems that imploded the U.S. economy.

Pennsylvania has become the most recent victim of Norquist's "tax reform" pledge, which has become a driving force in many state politics and policies, especially those which have elected one of the GOP's new breed of Governors -- in states like Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to name a few, where Governors have waged Class wars on its citizens while passing illicit "legislation" written by lobbyists -- that have been bought and paid for by Norquist and company. A look at the progression of the Republican Party -- from Gerald Ford to Ronald Reagan to Newt Gingrich to George W. Bush to Sarah Palin -- reveals just how corrupt and corporatized the Republican Party has become.

As noted by Steve Salmony, never in the course of human history have so few acted in ways that are detrimental to so many. Never has a tiny minority in a single generation consumed so ravenously and hoarded so avariciously, come what may. It does not have to be this way. Yes, we can change and if we choose necessary change, then the future is open. There is much to do, much that can be done.

Lot of good LINKS in the piece, highly recommend taking a look at those.

Need more pieces like this with the GOP - Libertarian ('Profitization' crowd) and what their goals have been and what drives ALEC content.