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WARNING: This site deals only with the corporate corruption of science, and makes no inference about the motives or activities of individuals involved.
    There are many reasons why individuals become embroiled in corporate corruption activities - from political zealotry to over-enthusiastic activism; from gullibility to greed.
    Please read the OVERVIEW carefully, and make up your own mind.




TOBACCO INDUSTRY EXPLANATORY

ABBREVIATIONS
JARGON
SPIN-MEISTERS
INITIALS
FIRST & NICKNAMES
Misc.RESEARCH HELP

RELEVANT LINKS
Andrew Whist
NYSIA
AECA
LIBERTAD

 

 


Ray Powers     [ Sen]    

(Senator from Colorado)

In addition to being a Senator from Colorado, Ray Powers was the National Chairman of American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) a business-political "you-scratch-my-back-and-I'll-scratch-yours" organisation set up by Joseph Coors, the brewing mogul who also dominated the conservative Colorado political scene.

ALEC had a close association with the tobacco industry at all levels, as did the brewing industry. In particular, RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris, took an interest in the organization, its members, and its financial welfare by holding corporatememberships, and by generous donations every year [as did the Smokeless Tobacco Council to a lesser extent].

However ALEC was mainly a creature of the Coors Brewing company in the early days. It had been set up by Paul Weyrich who had previously set up the Heritage Foundation for Colorado conservatives with Joseph Coor's money, and so Coors and the tobacco industry always had one or two of their lackeys in prime positions in ALEC.


National Chairman ALEC

1995 May: He is listed on ALEC letterhead as the National Chairman and Senator from Colorado. ALEC was used constantly by the tobacco industry to gain access to conservative State and Federal legislators. This note is from Roger Mozingo, one of the most notorious of the industry's political manipulators who worked for both RJ Reynolds and for the Tobacco Institute.

    ALEC was set up with 'Coors of Colorado' money and it existed almost entirely because it provided rich corporations with direct access to the politicians who needed campaign funding, and desired junkets.

    Note that the "Private Sector" chairmanship role was shared here between David Powers of the Smokeless Tobacco Council and Jay Poole of Philip Morris. Stan Treflak of Coors Brewing Company is also prominent on the letterhead.

1995 Oct: As National Chairman, he writes to Roger Monzingo at RJ Reynolds seeking $5,000 in extra 'sponsorship' funding for ALEC (designed to help them influence newly elected legislators)

    Note that the Private Enterprise Board now has Allan Auger of Coors Brewing Company as Chairman, and Tina Walls of Philip Morris is first Vice President. The brewing and tobacco industries always held some of the key positions in ALEC, and they did this by virtually buying their positions.

1997 Aug 4: Wall Street Journal article "Tobacco-Funded Group gives Legislators Free Trips." details the many junkets for politicians organized and run by Philip Morris's Corporate Affairs department (headed by Andrew Whist).

    These junkets were organised through the National Governor's Association (NGA) and the Council on State Governments (SGA) — and supposedly funded by the totally-fake tobacco-controlled business/media societies, the New York Society for International Affairs (NYSIA), American-European Community Association (AECA) and a journalistic junket group called LIBERTAD.

On the NYSIA Costa Rica trip June 13-19 1997
  • Rep Charles Williams, Mississippi
  • Rep Bob Starke, Florida
  • Rep Jody Richards, Kentucky
  • Rep Steve Gaw, Missouri
  • Rep Carol Donovan, Massachusetts
  • Sen Manny Aragon, New Mexico,
  • Sen David Cain, Texas
  • Sen Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rico
  • Sen Ray Powers, Colorado
  • Sen Jeff Wells, Colorado
  • Sen Jeff Wentworth, Texas
  • Lt Gov Olena Walker, Utah

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