With controversial and sometimes shady dealings taking place between lobbyists and congress, big corporations are starting to pick up on the dangers of being associated with polarized lobbying bodies. The New Jersey News reports that the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, lost the membership of another multi-billion dollar corporation yesterday:
Global pharmaceutical maker Merck & Co. said today it is
Alec lost one of their biggest remaining corporate members, along with several dozen others over the past year.
leaving the controversial American Legislative Exchange Council — which drafts model bills that are replicated in state legislatures across the country — because of “budget constraints and policy priorities.”
…
With $48 billion in revenue in 2011, Merck is among the largest ALEC members. The company is known for making Singulair, the asthma treatment, as well as a range of heart medications and vaccines.
Lobbyists are only as powerful as the special interests on whose behalf they are lobbying. Take away the special interest, and all you’re left with is a group of people whose power amounts to the same as the rest of ours; in order to make your voice heard, you cast a vote. Instead, ALEC has been writing their own legislation and pushing it hard through Congress. When that legislation conflicts with the will of the people, it’s simply bad business for ALEC’s members. The result?
More than three dozen companies have left ALEC this year, including Amazon.com, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Kraft.
This is bad news for ALEC, but good news for anyone looking for some prime real estate within the D.C. city limits–the headquarters for ALEC is on the market. This news is proof that with a united stand against the undue influence of money in politics, we can push lobbyists and other special interests out of the Capital.
To see what other special interests have dropped out of ALEC, check out our ALEC Scorecard.
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