Personally, I like seeing Mike Hatch in the past and now Lori Swanson, experienced lawyers, setting an agenda for Attorney General attention, particularly as with the recent effort Swanson's office made with regard to egregious collections practices of a Chicago bill collection firm in the Fairview healthcare system, here in Minnesota. We should remember that Fairview discontinued its contract with the offensive bill collector firm upon the Swanson office's releasing a detailed report of a string of abuses.
But ALEC [and noting Mary Kiffmeyer as ALEC's main tool in our state] is up to no good, as you may see from this item.
An Attorney General such as Swanson, attuned as she has been to abusive lender and other anti-consumer practices, would be hamstrung if ALEC has its way with us -- so that banks and such can have their way with us. We should treasure an attentive and independent Attorney General, as we have elected, Hatch and Swanson, with each being kind and considerate toward consumer interests. Consumer protection is the law, and why would ALEC think to want to alter that? Answering that rhetorical question does not take a rocket scientist. Just a thinking individual with enough life to fog a mirror and enough brains to see through ALEC.
Remember that under our Minnesota Constitution has traditionally been a separate elective office, free from undue influence of a Governor, members of the legislature, or judges who have their own separate place in the administration of justice. The Constitution was drafted with thought to pluses and minuses of having an independent statewide elective office of Attorney General, and the wisdom of the setup that way has been proven time and time again. We do not need ALEC to interfere and pervert our constitutional mandates. They are a very major part of the problem, not any part of any sane solution.
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Hat tip to Janet O'Connell for sending out notice of this particular bit of ALEC mischief, via her email newsletter.