It’s like they don’t realize how ironic they are being

Currently in Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in in charge of protecting and preserving land and other property under its control from damage or improper use. The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act says that “it is the goal of this state to encourage the lasting conservation of biological diversity.” Republican state Senator Tom Casperson from Escanaba, however, wants the legislature to take over that overseeing of the protection of our natural areas in Michigan and to forbid the DNR from passing any laws or taking any action that will set aside land for the purpose of maintaining biological diversity.

This is from the party that repeatedly tells us that regulations are strangling our state and frequently advocates for a part-time legislature. The irony is rich and deep.

Details after the jump.

Don’t miss this opportunity

If you’ve never seen the Vagina Monologues, it’s something you simply must do. It’s for nearly everyone. Young women. Middle-aged women. Old women. And, men, too. Men can learn a LOT from the Vagina Monologues.

If you’re in Michigan, you have several opportunities over the next month starting tonight. Details after the jump.

Well hallelujah…

In what was not by any far stretch of the imagination a forgone conclusion, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder gave his hearty endorsement to the expansion of Medicaid coverage in Michigan as part of the Affordable Care Act. I couldn’t be more pleased.

Tea partiers in Michigan, however? Not so pleased.

All the fun after the jump.

They aren’t giving up so neither can we

With the pushback they received after their explosive inflamed duck session and their loss of six seats in the state House of Representatives, you would think Michigan Republicans would be taking a breather, girding themselves for the battles ahead.

And you would be wrong.

On the contrary, fresh from the winter break, they came roaring back in and in the first few weeks, have shown that they aren’t satisfied in winning the War on Women in Michigan. They appear to believe there is so much more crushing of women’s rights and paternal “protecting” to be done.

Details after the jump.

Again, the GOP is more interested in punishing women than giving them affordable health care When Michigan’s Republican Party isn’t busy cutting education, driving down workers’ wages or stealing presidential elections, they always have time to wage a little war on women. Because it calls for the use of “most technologically advanced ultrasound equipment available at that location”, HB 4187 […]

Game on!

On the same day the Senators Stabenow and Levin and the entire Democratic Congressional delegation announced their support of Lon Johnson to replace Mark Brewer as the Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, Chair Brewer released an impressive list of 40 District and County Party Chairs that have lined up to support him. Additionally, the Michigan Education Association remains in Brewer’s corner and is hosting a fundraising event for him next week.

Details and more after the jump.

I have a piece up at the AFL-CIO NOW blog that gives a good overview of the complaint currently in the Ingham County Circuit Court seeking to strike down the Right to Work bills that were signed into law in December 2012. The complaint contends that the bills violate he Open Meetings Act, the First Amendment and the Michigan and U.S. constitutions and, therefore, the votes should be invalidated.

Here’s my favorite part:

Although the Republicans still maintain majorities in both the Michigan House and Senate, their margins in the House narrowed considerably after the November 2012 election. They narrowed enough, in fact, that they would not be able to pass these bills today. The two bills involved were passed 58-51 with six Republicans joining Democrats. Five of those Republicans retained their seats and Democrats picked up another five seats. Therefore, the outcome of this complaint could well spell the end of “right to work” in Michigan.

You can read the rest here:

Coalition of Michigan Lawmakers, Unions and Citizen Journalist File Lawsuit to Block ‘Right to Work’ for Less

Enjoy.

A winning strategy…for Democrats

As national Republicans are working hard to reverse the trend of Hispanic voters leaving their party in droves, Republicans in Michigan seemed bound and determined to do just the opposite. In what is a seemingly never ending push to solve problems that do not exist, Republican state Senator Joe Hune has introduced legislation to bar undocumented immigrants from obtaining any government benefits. There are already laws on the books to prevent this, but that is irrelevant when a good sound bite full of empty symbolism is in the making.

Hune’s justification is nearly comical. Read it and much more after the jump.

Time to change quarterbacks?

Mark Brewer has been the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party for the past 18 years. This year, however, the leadership of both the UAW and the Teamsters have pulled their support. Today, in a signal that this power struggle for control of the MDP may have legs, Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin along with every single Michigan Democratic member of Congress sent out a letter in support of Lon Johnson who has been selected to run against Brewer at the statewide Democratic Party Convention on February 23rd.

The letter was sent out under Stabenow’s letterhead and was signed by her, Senator Levin, and Congressmen John Dingell, John Conyers, Sander Levin, Gary Peters, and Dan Kildee.

You can read it in its entirety after the jump.

Is it still raining in Michigan?

As I have been telling folks for the past year, Republicans have raised the effective tax rates on more than half of all Michiganders in the past year. You’ll notice when you do your state taxes this year; many folks are already facing the reality that, instead of getting a refund like they always have in the past, they now OWE several hundred dollars to the State of Michigan. Get your checkbooks out, folks. SOMEBODY has to pay for nearly $2 billion in tax cuts for corporations and that somebody is YOU.

Meanwhile, as the tax coffers start to overflow a bit, Republicans are eager to sock some of it away into the Budget Stabilization Fund, otherwise known as the “Rainy Day Fund”. During the financial meltdown during the latter half of the Bush administration, Governor Granholm was forced to use that money to keep the state afloat. The fund now has a half billion dollars in it. The question many are asking is if we should put MORE money in it.

What do YOU think? Take our poll after the jump.

Big Oil subsidies are, simply put, indefensible

Conservatives who are dead set against making any investments in new technologies that can help propel our country and its economy forward are famous for using the argument that this is “picking winners and losers”. The irony is that, in order to even be considered for federal government subsidies, new technologies — like renewable energy projects, for example — must have already proven themselves as winners that are simply in need of a kickstart to make them affordable and profitable.

With negotiations over the upcoming sequester — automatic, across the board budget cuts — ready to dominate the headlines, both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Obama administration are suggesting that it’s time to end one the most glaring examples “picking winners” that we have in this country today: $4 billion in subsidies to Big Oil companies.

More after the jump.