United States of ALEC Film Screening

This blog post was written by Roosevelt University student Nicole Thorpe.

Have you ever seen the show Millionaire Matchmaker? The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has a similar mission but less style than Bravo’s Stanger. ALEC acts as a corporate dating service matching lonely legislators with corporate special interests.

On February 19, 2013, Overflow Coffee Bar will host a screening of the documentary film, The United States of ALEC.

If you attended Overflow’s January screening of The Economics of Happiness, you will notice that the two documentaries both discuss major corporations. The last film compared shopping at local, independently owned business to shopping at large corporations. The difference between these businesses lays not just their ability to offer a personalized, localized experience but also what they do with their profits. Small businesses will pump the money back into the local community. Where do you think the profits of national businesses end up?

The American Legislative Exchange Council works like a political actions committee. They are a group of powerful corporations and politicians who presents itself as a “nonpartisan public-private partnership”. However, the documentary helps uncover the truth behind all of the hype, unveiling that the most influential corporate funded political force is only focused on increasing profits at the public’s expense.

Representatives from the Illinois Chapter of  Common Cause, a non-profit organization, will facilitate a post-film discussion. The mission of Common Cause is to make citizens’ voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest.

Don’t wait, spread the word, bring a friend and RSVP today at www.overflowusofalec.eventbrite.com. You’re never too young or old to learn something new. Who knows, the next person to change the world could be you!

Even if you cannot attend this screening, Overflow is the place for you. Film screenings are help each month and they even host open mic nights too!  A full calendar is located at www.overflowcoffeebar.org.