GOPocrisy, pure and simple Michigan Republicans are still working to demonize the Affordable Care Act in any way they can. The most recent example is a bill reported out of the House Subcommittee on Insurance last week, H.B. 4816, which was introduced by Rep. Mike Shirkey. The bill, which you can read HERE (pdf), requires health insurers to report to […]

“When one gains, another loses.” There is one very unfortunate aspect to the roll out of the Affordable Care Act. The tiny percentage of people who are being forced into new policies happens nearly all at once and at the very start of the roll out. The overwhelming benefits of having more Americans insured and covered by decent health care […]

Of puppets and strings and doing the right thing This morning Democratic candidate for governor Mark Schauer called for increasing the minimum wage in Michigan to $9/hour. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s wildly popular. A Gallup poll released last week shows that a full 76% of Americans support this move, up 5 points from just last […]

Pipe down or be punished For the past three years, Republicans in control of the Michigan legislature have created a culture of retaliation and punishment in order to stomp out any opposition they may encounter. The blazing speed of their right to work (for less) drive was, for all intents and purposes, designed to punish labor groups for having the […]

Nothing to see here except a corporatist front group trying to distract you from the fact that they are a corporatist front group You can always tell with the powerful corporatist groups around the country are feeling nervous about the light that’s being shone on them: they fire up the well-known conservative echo chamber to create a story out something […]

Will the DNR keep “helping” the wolf population they so purposefully worked to expand??? The following guest post is by Ramona Grigg, a freelance writer, owner of the liberal blog Ramona’s Voices (which is on the Eclectablog blog roll), and a personal friend. She lives in a cabin on an island off the Upper Peninsula, making her a Yooper. As […]

Go, Iggy!

After Michigan wolf hunt opponents gathered enough signatures earlier this year to put the issue on the 2014 ballot, Republicans, in their typical anti-democratic fashion, passed a law that would make the vote moot. The group Keep Michigan Wolves Protected is now embarked on a second petition drive that would overturn this law, as well. If they are successful, you could actually see TWO wolf hunt ballot referendums on your ballot next year.

Rock icon Iggy Pop has now gotten involved. Earlier this week, he sent Governor Rick Snyder a letter taking him to task for signing the bill that prevents Michigan residents from having a voice in the matter.

Read his letter after the jump.

Only in Republicanland is this a good idea This is week in a somewhat surprising move, Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson proposed a rule to require transparency in the funding of so-called “issue ads” that don’t promote specific candidates. Millions and millions of dollars are spent every election cycle on these ads which are, more often than not, nothing […]

A web of money, power, and deception Earlier this year, I wrote about Lee Fang’s important piece in The Nation magazine titled “The Right Leans In”. In that piece, Fang detailed the pervasive influence of the corporatist network called the State Policy Network (SPN) in shaping public policy in states throughout the country. Funded heavily by corporate interests and wealthy […]

This is gonna be good Our pals at Progress Michigan have launched a new website called SnyderFails.org. The site will show the reality behind Rick Snyder’s failed policies as well as the reality behind his phony persona as a moderate nerd who’s just trying to do a “nerdy job”. The truth, as most of us know, is that Rick Snyder […]

What’s the hold-up, Mr. Boehner? In about 60 days, the current agreement to keep our federal government funded will run out. This sets the country up for another battle with tea party Republicans dead-set on repealing the Affordable Care Act. With the power of the Republican-led House of Representatives apparently in the hands of Senator Ted Cruz, there is, apparently, […]