Is there anyone, besides the Goldwater Institute and ALEC, who supports the extreme political agenda of some Arizona lawmakers? If this story from The Huffington Post is any indication, the answer is no. Businesses and business groups, including the state Chamber of Commerce, have been vocal about their opposition to a bill that would require unemployed workers to submit to drug tests.

If there is a silver lining to be derived from all of this, it's that the Goldwater Institute's intense activity this year has transformed it from a stealth group largely unknown to anyone outside of small political circles in Arizona to one that's getting a lot more scrutiny and push back, including from surprising corners.

Nearly 1,000 union members and supporters gathered at the state Capitol in Phoenix yesterday to protest anti-worker bills going through the legislature this session. In the morning, groups from all over the state lobbied against the package of bills known as "Wisconsin on Steroids."

Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at Democratic Diva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.

Members of the community, including union members, met with four Democratic Arizona legislators at a public hearing to call attention to the package of harsh anti-worker bills making their way quickly through the Legislature this session. The anti-union bills would  prohibit collective bargaining and voluntary paycheck deductions for union dues for public-sector workers. Another bill, considered a pet project of Gov. Jan Brewer’s office, would strip state employees of their civil service protections and turn them into at-will political patronage hires.

Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at Democratic Diva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.

Imagine a plant in your state announcing it was closing and taking 5,000 jobs with it. That is the shock to the economy that Arizona can expect with budget bills introduced yesterday by the Republican tea party majority legislature. The bills were rushed through committee hearings with less than 24 hours notice to the public. The 5,000 state jobs cut or lost through attrition is just the start of it. Here are some other lowlights of the GOP proposed budget:

Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at Democratic Diva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.

Nick  Martin of TPM reported this week that one of the worst in a package  of anti-union bills before the Arizona Legislature was “on life support.”

A scheme to privatize Florida’s prisons failed (19-21) in the state Senate yesterday after a huge public outcry led by Florida working families, community and civil rights groups. The plan was backed by extremist Gov. Rick Scott (R), private prison companies and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), one of the key players in the drive to privatize prisons throughout the nation.

Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at DemocraticDiva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.

This afternoon, a crowd of 100 assembled on the lawn of the Arizona State Capitol to hold a press conference to oppose four anti-worker  bills under consideration by the state Senate. Representatives and supporters of  AFSCME, AFL-CIO, education and a public safety union demanded that Gov. Jan Brewer and Rebublican state legislators put hard-working Arizona families above corporate  interests. State Sen. Steve Gallardo, a Democrat and AFSCME member, kicked the event off with a rousing speech in support of unions and against special interests trying to cut the pay and benefits of teachers and emergency responders.

Mike Gillis, Ohio AFL-CIO communications director, sends us this.

A new report released today by People For the American Way Foundation, Common Cause, the Center for Media and Democracy and Progress Ohio reveals the deep ties between the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and Ohio state lawmakers.

Donna Gratehouse, who blogs at DemocraticDiva and elsewhere on all things Arizona, sends us this.

Arizona’s teachers and first responders are under full-frontal attack this week, as union-stripping bills that have been called “Wisconsin on steroids” are being shuttled through the legislative process at whirlwind speed. These bills would prohibit public-sector unions from negotiating pay and benefits, ban paycheck deductions for union dues and ban compensation for union activities. They passed through committee hearings last week and are going to be debated in the full Senate this week. It’s expected that they will pass through both chambers easily due to the anti-labor GOP majority in both. It’s unclear if Gov. Jan Brewer will sign them into law. A Phoenix-based right-wing pressure group, the Goldwater Institute, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are behind the measures.