Smart ALECs

Legislative Referendum 126, penned by the nefarious American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and sponsored by Halliburton henchman Sen. Alan Olson, R-Roundup, will appear on Montana ballots this November. There is no better time than the midterms to slip malevolent regulations past the voters than when turnout is notoriously low.

ALEC wines and dines legislators from every state in secret conclaves — no media allowed — providing them with pre-written legislation to spread across America faster than Ebola in an unsanitary brothel.

How cool is that? They get free vacations, gratuitous hooch, plus somebody does their homework for them. That’s not cheating — that’s just the good ol’ GOP no-work ethic.

ALEC organizers include the usual villains of venality, from Koch oil tycoons to big tobacco, big pharma and privatized prison promoters. They scheme behind locked doors, hopeful nobody will notice because they fear once we discover their dastardly deeds, we’ll vote for our interests over theirs. Hence, they conspire to suppress our votes early and often.

Among legislators wined and dined by ALEC was oil and gas goon Olson, who returned with this ALEC-crafted referendum designed to give Montana citizens less opportunity to vote. You may ask yourself, so what? Aren’t the unregistered, unwashed masses undeserving of constitutional rights? You should ask instead, who is actually harmed when more citizens vote? (Hint: Agents of ALEC.)

LR-126 is a denigration of democracy. It disenfranchises recently transposed university students, and returning veterans in particular, but negatively restricts the freedom of every citizen. Voting is a right, not a privilege reserved for the privileged.

If you’re not registered, do so immediately so you can be sure to vote nay on LR-126 this Nov. 4. Use it or lose it.

Wanda LaCroix

Arlee,