GOPocrisy in full display SEE UPDATES BELOW In 2013, Michigan Republicans have already sent 107 bills to Governor Rick Snyder, all but one of which he signed into law. Of those 106 new laws (pdf), all but 6 — 5.7% — were passed with Immediate Effect meaning that they went into effect immediately rather than the statutorily-mandated 90 days after […]

There’s no reason for a delay that will cost Michigan and its citizens millions of dollars. The Michigan Senate passing Medicaid expansion last week was, in the immortal words of Vice President Joe Biden, a BFD. There was plenty of cause for celebration, but there’s still more to do before it’s actually implemented. The way it stands, because the Senate […]

A face for radio… I was on Night Shift with Tony Trupiano last night talking about my piece yesterday regarding ALEC’s presence in the recently-passed Medicaid expansion bill as well as the candidacy of Pam Byrnes for the 7th Congressional district. If you listen closely, you can hear me refer to Congressman John Dingell as “John Engler”. D’oh! [soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/107920765″ […]

Of course ALEC has a place in Michigan’s expansion of Medicaid. They probably helped write the bill. After Senate Republicans passed H.B. 4714 on Tuesday to expand Medicaid to cover an additional 470,000 people, I thought it would be smart to have a look at just what’s in this legislation. I discovered that about 24 pages of the 40-page bill […]

This is a victory for hard-working, low-income Michiganders, and everyone who advocated on their behalf. It would be tempting to gloat, just imagining the tears of the zealots who fought so hard to deprive nearly 500,000 Michigan residents of access to health insurance. But instead, I’ll just say THANK YOU. To every organization, citizen and legislator who took action to […]

He must be on one heck of a power trip, fueled by hot air and tea bags. Michiganders who support Medicaid expansion — and that’s a majority, by most accounts — have been waiting all day for a vote in the Senate on Medicaid expansion. As of this writing, they’re still waiting. After hours of deliberation, one vote went down […]

Or forever hold your peace. I know, I know … there’s been talk of a vote in the Michigan Senate on Medicaid expansion for months. But this time, it’s possible it could actually happen this week. Which means everyone who supports Michigan Medicaid expansion needs to tell their Senators how they feel. Tea Party groups in Michigan have been screaming […]

Volunteers gather to protest Tea Party Republicans’ opposition to healthy legislation. Protesters rallied in support of Medicaid expansion in Michigan on Monday. They met at the GOP Victory Center in Livonia — which, not surprisingly, was closed. But they were undaunted, with three speakers making their voices heard on the importance of Medicaid expansion as a crowd, including two local […]

How much more time can they possibly need? Oh, and didn’t they claim they were working on this while they’re on vacation this month? This is getting ridiculous. After gaveling in and out of session in just 10 seconds earlier this week, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville said Senate Republicans are going on a retreat “in a week or […]

This is your weekly reminder. Senate Republicans need to hear from you now. As I wrote here last week, Tea Party groups are asking their members to call their Senators every single day, urging them to vote no on Medicaid expansion. Putting aside my curiosity about how these folks have so much spare time (and, if they don’t work, how […]

Accept no substitutes. Only the real thing will help uninsured Michiganders and benefit the state. Sure, the Michigan Senate is in recess. But now that Medicaid expansion — and two “alternative” bills — are headed to the Senate floor later this month, now is the time to tell your Senator you want the real thing. This is simple: House Bill […]