Olbermann names Rachel Burgin a "worst person" for ALEC mistake

By Mitch Perry on Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 10:30 am

The good government group Common Cause busted Burgin last week. Blogger Nick Surgey wrote:

All ALEC model resolutions contain a boilerplate paragraph, describing ALEC’s adherence to free market principles and limited government. When legislators introduce one of ALEC’s bills, they normally remove this paragraph. Sometimes (but only sometimes) legislators will make some slight alterations to an ALEC model bill, perhaps to include something specific to them or to their state. Rep. Burgin didn’t do that. Instead she introduced a bill that was the same as the model word-for-word, forgetting even to remove the paragraph naming ALEC and describing its principles.

As a Texas Governor might say; “Oops!”

The next day, Rep. Burgin quickly withdrew the bill hoping that no one had noticed and then re-introduced it 24-hours later, with a new bill number (HM 717), but now without the problematic paragraph. Nobody seems to have noticed until now.

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Last week it was reported that Riverview Republican House member Rachel Burgin made a slight boo-boo when she introduced back in November a resolution that would officially call on the federal government to reduce corporate taxes.

The bill's language came straight from the American Legislative Executive Council (ALEC), the conservative organization backed by corporate interests that have pushed pro business legislation in the states for decades. Unfortunately, Burgin forget to remove ALEC’s mission statement from the top of the bill, which she seems to have copied word-for-word from ALEC’s model bill. Last night on his Current TV program, Keith Olbermann took Burgin to task for her error.