Here is an interesting report released by the
Progressive Legislative Action Network (PLAN).
HELENA, MT – The Progressive Legislative Action Network (PLAN) today
issued a report that exposes many of the conservative movement’s methods of
operation in state government and how progressives can deliver results. The
organization also rolled out its website that will serve as the “virtual”
war room in the fight for the states.“For the past thirty years, conservatives of different stripes have had
their efforts clearly coordinated with a long-term strategy in mind,” says
Nathan Newman, PLAN’s Policy Director and Author of the Report. “The
resulting policies in the states — whether handouts to corporations, wedge
issues to pit progressives against eachother, or structural plans to weaken
progressive institutions — are not an accident, but the result of years of
engineering by powerful interests.”The report’s findings, featured in a cover story in the current issue of
In These Times, outlines the fundamental importance of state policy and the
many ways that conservative organizations have succeeded in advancing their
policy goals at the state level, such as aiding Exxon in fighting global
warming legislation and working for pharmaceutical companies to block the
reimportation of cheaper drugs from Canada.
Article continues
here.
I know here in Ohio, this is very obvious. The state is trying to conform
more for corporations than businesses. This is also a result of the vast number
of jobs our state has lost over the past 5 years. Out sourcing has taken its
toll in Ohio and here in the Cincinnati area, it is starting to be felt more
with the recent announcement of the Ford Batavia plant closing. Take a look at
their full report and you might notice some findings that also reflect upon your
own state.