Chaz Bolte
Blogger
Minnesota’s Governor, Mark Dayton, is doing a really good job. As we have reported in the past months, he is trying to stimulate the state’s economy via expanded infrastructure and local hire and he has vowed to fight the newly radicalized Minnesota GOP by reaching across the aisle for bipartisan support. But what is going to really get progressive panties in a bunch is Dayton’s latest move: calling out the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) by name.
Referring to four now-vetoed tort reform laws as “partisan political ploys,” Dayton told the press that, “The real impact would be to reduce the rights of law abiding citizens and businesses to seek justice from the wrongdoing of others.” At one point during his remarks (video below), he held up the ALEC manual that the tort reform laws came from:
“So exactly who did the Republicans in the legislature listen to?” Dayton asked, as he held up a thick document.
“Three of the four bills come right from this manual. Tort Reform Boot Camp, published by the American Legislative exchange council, or ALEC.”
The organization often holds seminars for conservative state legislators across the nation, and provides model legislation that reflects a public policy agenda.
“It is an extremely conservative group funded largely by large corporations, big business associations, insurance companies and very wealthy individuals,” Dayton remarked…
“I’ve found that Minnesotans do not want their laws written by the lobbyists of big corporations.”
ALEC currently has their hands around the necks of nearly one third of the nation’s legislators. Recently, Rep. Rachel Burgin (R-FL) forgot to take the ALEC header off of a bill she introduced in Florida. Thanks to increased scrutiny, the ALEC industrial complex is slowly being revealed.
Dayton’s straight talk makes him a character of note in the Democratic Party. The former Yale ice hockey goalie and member of Minnesota’s DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) Party should be viewed as a role model to other Governors. He is willing to publicly unearth real problems like corporate overreach and Right-Wing obstruction. If only Wisconsin had a Dayton in the race…
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Chaz Bolte contributes to WePartyPatriots, Addicting Info, Secret Party Room, and Football Nation. He is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., where he attended Slippery Rock University.
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You can follow Chaz Bolte on Twitter @ChazBolte
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This is republished from the WE blog.
Posted February 20, 2012 at 3:00 pm, in Allied Approaches, From the News
