Today, Senator Gary Peters from Michigan joined 32 other Democrats in introducing the Raise the Wage Act. The legislation would increase the federal minimum wage to $12/hour by 2020. The so-called Raise the Wage Act, which will be introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate, will slowly boost the current $7.25 rate over the next five years, with the […]

On Monday of this week U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer Mitchell Quinn shot and killed 20-year old Detroiter Terrance Kellom. The killing took place during a raid conducted by a multi-jurisdictional task force with Detroit police called the Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team to serve an arrest warrant on Kellom who had violated his parole. The warrant was issued after […]

In a move that demonstrates the Democratic principle of fairness for all, lawmakers seek update to Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. In a press conference today, members of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses urged an update of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) that will protect Michiganders from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Placing LGBT […]

There is a great deal of speculation on how the Supreme Court will decide the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that will likely decide once and for all whether or not same-sex marriage bans at the state level are constitutional or not. Yesterday, they heard two and half hours of oral arguments, an unusually long session (most are […]

With control over every aspect of Michigan’s government, Republicans are no longer even trying to hide their contempt for anyone they disagree with. By the time you read this post, there’s a good chance the Michigan GOP will have pulled another underhanded stunt. They’re becoming an everyday occurrence. But for now, I’ll focus on two power grabs on April 28 […]

Part 2 of a series. Part 1 is HERE and Part 3 is HERE. Before I get into this piece, I want to clarify a couple of things. First of all, in the conversation on Proposal 1 in Michigan, at least on the progressive side, we are starting from the position that Republicans are hideous leaders that created gigantic hole […]

A look at what’s at stake if RFRA legislation comes to Michigan. On April 28, the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee will take testimony and debate Senate Bill 4, the Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Although a vote is not expected on SB 4 that day, odds are good there will be one eventually. And understanding the implications of RFRA […]

Part 1 in a series. Part 2 is HERE and Part 3 is HERE. There are few topics that unite tea partiers with progressive liberals but Michigan’s Prop 1 has not only united these two disparate groups, it has, for all intents and purposes, turned many progressives into tea partiers in their own right. What I mean by this is […]

With the U.S. Supreme Court hearing testimony tomorrow on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans in places like Michigan, I thought it would be a good time to repost my interview with April DeBoer and Jayne Rowze. Although much has happened since our interview a bit over a year ago – like the addition of a fourth child to their […]

Michigan state lawmakers Cindy Gamrat, Gary Glenn, and Todd Courser are openly theocratic, regularly expressing their desire and their intention to bring their religion into government, using their personal interpretation of the Bible to make laws and policy in our state. But the three of them have a mentor in this effort: 7th District Congressman Tim Walberg. A former Baptist […]

As a member of the 7th Congressional District, “represented” by Tim Walberg, I consider the 12th District my adopted district and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell as my actual Representative. That’s because, on just about any topic or issue you could name, Debbie Dingell DOES represent my views. She’s as solid a progressive as you could ever hope to meet. From the […]