[GPSCC-chat] Fw: Spread the word about Sallie Mae & ALEC

[John Thielking]

FYI


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Chris Hicks, American Rights at Work/Jobs with Justice" <action at americanrightsatwork.org>
To: pagesincolor at yahoo.com 
Sent: Monday, August 5, 2013 5:22 PM
Subject: Spread the word about Sallie Mae & ALEC
 


Dear John,
Thanks for signing the petition to demand the largest private student loan lender break its ties with ALEC. Your action will send a powerful message to Sallie Mae that students, families, and consumers are on to the company's politics and role in our student debt crisis. 
We want to make the biggest splash possible when we crash ALEC's 40th anniversary meeting in Chicago. So we'll need thousands more people to sign our petition to ensure the media and Sallie Mae executives know the company's membership in ALEC is unacceptable. 
Will you take a moment to forward the message below to your friends and family and encourage them to protest Sallie Mae's membership in ALEC?
(Or if you prefer, you can also share on Facebook and Twitter.)
Thank you!
–Chris
  

Tell Sallie Mae to end its membership in ALEC. Sign the petition now!

   
Dear John,
It only takes three words to explain why ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, is bad for our country: Stand Your Ground.
But it takes a few more words to describe all of the ways that Sallie Mae, the nation's largest private student loan lender and proud member of ALEC, is condemning students to a lifetime of debt.
Sallie Mae is supposed to be in the business of making education a reality. Instead the company profiteers off its student borrowers by granting risky loans with high interest rates. Last year, U.S. student debt hit $1 trillion – meanwhile, Sallie Mae cleared $1 billion in profits.
And then there's Sallie Mae’s latest scheme – joining ALEC. Through its ALEC membership, Sallie Mae proposed legislation that limits public investment in higher education, which in turn makes college less affordable and forces students and families to take out more school loans.1
So we're launching a big campaign to push Sallie Mae to leave ALEC. Will you join us? Sign our petition now.
For decades, ALEC has successfully – albeit secretively – pushed an extremist, right-wing, Big Business agenda by promoting copycat state legislation essentially written by corporations. ALEC finally attracted widespread public attention and criticism last year for advancing anti-democratic voter ID laws, anti-union right-to-work laws, and – most famously – pro-gun "stand your ground" laws. After public shaming from activists around the country, hundreds of corporations had the good sense to end their ties with ALEC. Despite these controversies – Sallie Mae had the gall to join ALEC.
Sallie Mae is throwing money at politicians to ensure the entire higher education system benefits its bottom line. We think Sallie Mae shouldn’t be in bed with ALEC. If you agree, sign our petition to urge them to leave the group today.
It's no wonder that Sallie Mae is so emboldened. For too long, the company has effectively skirted regulation, ignored calls for transparency, and stayed out of the public's eye despite its major role in the student debt crisis. Too concerned with its bottom line, Sallie Mae thinks no one is watching them. And the lender would love to continue operating under the radar. But that's about to end.
We're escalating our campaign to hold Sallie Mae accountable. We have journalists on their trail. We encouraged shareholders to push the company to be more transparent. We made a ruckus demonstrating at their annual meeting. And now, we're ready to create a PR nightmare for Sallie Mae. But we need you to join us.
We're crashing ALEC's 40th annual meeting in Chicago next week and will be delivering our petition directly to Sallie Mae. Sign by August 6 so your name can be included! 
If you think what Sallie Mae is doing doesn't matter to you – think again. Sallie Mae is a prime example of another corporation running our economy into the ground in pursuit of profits. Student debt is actively standing in the way of the economic recovery, and Sallie Mae is partially to blame. The company's lending practices have turned getting a college education into a drag on our economy. As student debt and student loan defaults escalate at an unsustainable pace, private student loan lenders like Sallie Mae strike it rich. 
Enough is enough. Take a key step in reigning in the largest private student loan lender. Sign our petition today.
Thanks for all that you do, 

Chris,
Student Debt Organizer 
Jobs with Justice/American Rights at Work
1 http://www.studentlabor.org/2013/07/29/alecs-legislative-agenda-on-higher-education
This message was sent to pagesincolor at yahoo.com. To unsubscribe from Jobs with Justice/American Rights at Work action alerts, click here.  
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