This week politicians and corporate lobbyists will descend on Salt Lake City for the 39th annual conference of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). While there, ALEC politicians will be schooled on ALEC's portfolio of "model" legislation, which they will be asked to bring home to their state for introduction -- sans ALEC letterhead.

The brilliant Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist, Mark Fiore, does it again with another cartoon video skewering the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The video focuses on how a bill becomes a law ALEC-style. Warning: this is not School House Rock. This is Fiore's second video on ALEC. Previously he shined a light on the NRA's Stand Your Ground" legislation implicated in the Trayvon Martin slaying that ALEC deemed a model bill and helped get it passed in over two dozen states. Many folks may remember the original School House Rock! version of how a bill becomes a law.

No sooner was Democratic Senator John Lehman from Racine sworn in -- tipping the hotly contested Wisconsin Senate in favor of the Democrats 17-16 -- than a new spanner is thrown into the works. Democratic Senator Tim Cullen announced he was leaving the Democratic caucus to serve as an Independent.