The arrogance and audacity of Michigan Republicans continues On Thursday, Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill into law that goes into effect retroactively. The retroactive aspect of this bill benefits one person: David Schostak, brother and business partner of Michigan Republican Party chair Bobby Schostak. The bill overturns court decisions against Schostak that have him responsible for $2.4 million from […]

In a comprehensive and sternly-worded letter to Governor Rick Snyder (pdf), Congressmen John Conyers, Jr., Hansen Clarke, and Gary Peters are asking for some answers regarding his administration’s proposed Detroit Consent Agreement. The letter focuses on seven key areas: Failure of State to Provide Any Financial AssistanceGovernor Snyder is asked to explain why, unlike in other struggling cities across the […]

Ouch. That’ll leave a mark. My favorite Michigan judge at the moment, Ingham County Judge William Collette, today issued yet another spanking to the administration of Governor Rick Snyder. The Snyder administration appealed a ruling made an earlier this week barring them from signing a Consent Agreement with Detroit until after a March 29th hearing. That hearing has been postponed […]

Can’t win for losin’… The Snyder administration was handed another in a long list of legal setbacks today as my now-favorite judge, Ingham Country Judge William Collette, smacked them down again. Recall that Judge Collette had already issued a mighty smackdown to the Detroit Emergency Manager Review Team earlier in the month: An Ingham County judge this afternoon ordered all […]

Let’s try that again, shall we? Inspired by the success of Wisconsin Democrats (though lacking the support of the state-level Democratic Party), Michigan Rising is gearing up to take another shot at recalling Michigan Governor Rick Snyder: During our last petition drive to recall Rick Snyder we collected nearly 500, 000 signatures. We did this with very little material support, […]

Warning! Warning, Will Robinson! Today, language for three different petition drives to add amendments to the Michigan constitution received the okay from the state elections panel. One would give home health care workers collective bargaining rights. Another would add specific phrases from the Declaration of Independence to the state Constitution. The third is the petition for the Protect Our Jobs […]

You don’t have to be a jerk about it Last spring when I published exclusive audio of Benton Harbor Emergency Manager Joe Harris talking about crushing the unions, I was shocked at what he said and, more to the point, how he said it: So, I’ve laid off twenty-five people. I’ve laid off nine police officers. I’ve laid off four […]

Would you rather keep cleaning off oily ducks or stop the oil spill? Yesterday, at a press conference in Flint, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder unveiled a plan titled “A Special Message from Governor Rick Snyder: Public Safety”. You can read his Special Message in its entirety HERE (pdf) and an Executive Summary HERE. I’m ambivalent about his proposals. Michigan has […]

It just goes on and on and on and on Lots of news to cover today. Make sure you click through to the jump page if you’re reading this from the front page of Eclectablog. Stand Up For Democracy coalition delivers 226,637 petition signaturesYesterday, the Stand Up For Democracy coalition and Michigan Forward delivered well over the 160,304 signatures needed […]

Take that! And THAT! Ingham County Circuit Judge William Collette is on a roll. Yesterday he delivered two rulings that set Michigan Republicans back on their heels. First, he ruled that an obscene and blatant power grab by Oakland County Republicans is unconstitutional. An Ingham County judge on Wednesday struck down a controversial state law that changed the way Oakland […]

Millionaire Faux-Moderates Unite! Rick Snyder isn’t the county’s least popular governor, anymore. But his anti-democratic embrace of the Emergency Manager law and the forthcoming “Tax Bomb” of 2012™ have put him on edge, reluctant to go full Scott Walker by signing the “Right to Bust Unions” legislation that may hit his desk. This isn’t the time when you imagine the […]