Michigan Republicans: Making an art form out of pandering to the stupid.

Last year, the Michigan Republicans raised taxes on over half of the residents of Michigan. In fact, the tax increase was an average 23% according to a report by the Michigan League for Human Services (pdf).

Yesterday, they reached an agreement to lower personal income taxes. By how much?

0.1%

They raised taxes by 23% now they are cutting them by one-tenth of a percent. Just another example among many of Republican FAKE CONCESSIONS.

[More after the jump]

This is gonna be good

We have some news regarding on our Beer With Bloggers event. Several new folks have agreed to join us and it’s shaping up to be quite an impressive line-up. The plan was hatched back in February when Mark Maynard and I met for beers at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. If you don’t know who Mark Maynard it, he’s only one of the best bloggers in the state of Michigan and you should totally be a regular reader of his website MarkMaynard.com.

The event takes place at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, Michigan on Thursday, May 31, 2012 from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m. More details about the evolution of this event HERE.

First, we have learned that…

Copycatting is the sincerest form of flattery. And laziness.

Back in 2010, President Obama began raising campaign funds by holding a contest where, for a donation of $3 or less, you could win dinner with him. Since then he’s held a bunch of them.

They a appear to be working because Mitt Romney has totally ripped off the idea.

For-profit government? I don’t think so.

Earlier this week, Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker responded to an Obama campaign ad pointing out that Mitt Romney is running on his experience as a business person and explaining what that, in fact, means. He called the ad “nauseating” and “a distraction”. President Obama responded eloquently.

[Video and transcript and more after the jump.]

“It’s time not to fight back, but to fight forward”

Next Monday is Memorial Day in the USA, a day to remember those who gave their lives to defend our country and our democracy. On that day, a coalition of civil rights, labor, and faith leaders from around the state are staging another memorial: the death of democracy in Michigan.

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Things are NOT getting better

Today, the State Court of Appeals ruled that the review teams that recommended Emergency Managers for Detroit and Flint were not subject to the Open Meetings Act. The court ruled that they are not a “governing body” so they are exempt from the requirement.

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Back in the saddle again…

Regular readers may have noticed that blogging has been light for the past few days. Both of my kids graduated from college this past weekend so Saturday morning found us at the Cleveland Institute of Music watching Arleigh graduate from graduate school (she’s a bassoonist.)

Then it was off to Ithaca, New York to watch Cameron graduate with an undergraduate degree in film making from Ithaca College…

[More…]

Yes, I’m asking for your money again

Yes, yes, yes. It’s that time again. Time for the awesomeness that is Netroots for the Troops®. Wait, you don’t know what NFTT is? NFTT is a what I call “The 33-Minute Miracle”. I’ll tell you why in a minute.

Every year at the annual Netroots Nation conference, the largest event of the year for progressive blogggers, writers and activists, a group of dedicated individuals pull of an major service event where hundreds of CARE packages are assembled and then shipped to our troops over seas. This year, we’re including some vets that are in U.S. hospitals, returned from war.

You can help by making a donation HERE.

(Much more after the jump.)

Oh, how subtle…

Following up on a story I wrote about yesterday (“‘Democrat’ Roy Schmidt pulls ultimate dick move, jumps to GOP too late for another Dem to run”), we now learn there is much more to this story and House Speaker Jase Bolger is implicated.

Thank you, may I have another?

Earlier this month, OFA deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter released a video in which she calls the lies of President Obama’s opponents “BS”. This week, she did it again.

[Video after the jump.]

How long are we going to put up with this?

Yesterday in Detroit, the three Republican judges on the Michigan Court of Appeals heard testimony regarding the font-size challenge to the petitions gathered to put the repeal of Public Act 4 — the Emergency Manager Law — on the November ballot. As I wrote about the other day, they did so without complete information because expert analysis of the font used on the petitions — analysis requested by the Michigan Director of State Elections — was not included in the overview given to the Board of State Canvassers before they made their decision on April 26.

Laura Conaway at The Maddow Blog spoke with the expert, Assistant Professor Chris Corneal of the Graphic Design in the Department of Art, Art History and Design at Michigan State University. Here’s what he had to say: