John Oliver Considers Giving ALEC An Executive Producer Credit On His Show

[Initech]

For: "Giving Us A Never Ending List Of Horrifying Things To Talk About"

[Aerows]

1. I probably should run for office

Seriously. Here in my little county. Can you imagine me getting elected? I'd introduce legislature to curtail the burning of excess foliage(fire prevention), strengthen the rights of farmers to sell produce along our county roads, and help our county stand to the forefront of dairy production.

[MindMover]

3. burning leaves and foliage contributes to the co2 in the atmosphere ,,,nt

[Aerows]

4. Thank you for noting that on the agenda

It also contributes to allergies of the residents of our county. I think we should take hazards that could blow into catastrophes seriously before they ever get there. I mean forest fires, chemical spills, and cherishing all of our neighbors and residents as the family they are.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. I love John Oliver.

Smart as hell, hilarious, and nice dimples!

[proverbialwisdom]

5. It's not just ALEC, unfortunately.

http://truth-out.org/news/item/9889-exposed-the-other-alecs-corporate-playbook

Exposed: The Other ALECs' Corporate Playbook

Thursday, 21 June 2012 00:00
By Steve Horn and Sarah Blaskey, Truthout | News Analysis

How is it that no matter whom we elect as our state representatives - Democrat, Republican, or other - we most often end up with policies that privilege the corporate agenda over the public interest?

It's a simple question, raised by laws promoting charter schools, fracking, union-busting, privatization, deregulation, and countless other corporate-friendly policies that have spread like wildfire around the country, particularly in recent legislative sessions.

As it turns out, the answer is relatively simple. Big business in the United States has perfected a legislative "playbook" - a methodical strategy for turning the wish list of multinational corporations into a state-level policy agenda with bipartisan support.

The specific details of legislative processes are many and intricate, yet the corporate playbook for exploiting state-level policy is straightforward and critical to understand.

<...>

The three largest "other ALECs," and the most influential Groups in state politics are the Council of State Governments (CSG), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF). There are similarities in processes and structure among these organizations, but there are also several important differences.