The term “Emergency Manager” was not invented by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and his corporatist Republican colleagues. In fact, Emergency Managers existed before that crew got around to passing what is perhaps the most anti-democratic legislation ever seen in the United States. According to the U.S. Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Emergency Managers are professionals whose […]

“Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Political Suicide” by DonkeyHotey Gov. Snyder knew about Flint’s water issues nine full months before going public Time after time after time, Gov. Rick Snyder’s response to questions about his administration’s lackadaisical response to the poisoning of Flint’s drinking water with the powerful, odorless, invisible neurotoxin lead has been “I never knew about it”. He has […]

Following an investigation by the office of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, philandering Republicans Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser have had multiple felony charges filed against them today.

Earlier this week, former Michigan state legislator Jason Allen told UP Matters reporter Brittany Denny that he is “troubled” by the recent reports of disabled veterans in the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans suffering under the atrociously inadequate care provided by J2S Group. J2S Group is the for-profit healthcare corporation that was the beneficiary of Gov. Snyder’s privatization scheme that […]

Republican Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof and Republican Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter have formed a committee called the Joint Committee on the Flint Water Public Health Emergency that has something to do with the public health catastrophe in Flint. They plan to hold hearings, looking into all levels of government from local all the way up to federal. […]

John Lindstrom, the publisher of Gongwer News Service, one of the top news outlets covering state government and state politics, published an essay this week that shows, despite the shiny, happy face that Gov. Snyder is putting on and despite his continuing calls for more privatization and the success of Emergency Management, they know full well it has been an […]

Back in 2011, reports began to emerge that conditions in the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans had deteriorated after part of the staff had been privatized. According to reporting by The Detroit News, “contract workers [were] responsible for incidents in which a veteran suffered a broken neck as a result of improper lifting procedures and another veteran had a gastric […]

The history of Medicaid expansion in Michigan as part of the Affordable Care Act is a long and troubled one. The Republican-led legislature hemmed and hawed and finally passed it in a way that wasted hundreds of millions of dollars and unnecessarily delayed working poor Michiganders from obtaining coverage. When they finally got around to passing it, they did it […]

Bryan Mielke is running for a second time for the House seat in Michigan’s 99th House District, a race he lost to House Speaker Kevin Cotter two years ago. He announced last fall and it wasn’t until recently that the Republicans finally fielded a candidate. At that point, hilarity ensued: Republicans have turned to Roger Hauck as their candidate to […]

Michigan State Senator Marty Knollenberg made the headlines last December when, during a Senate Education Committee hearing, he explained that we can’t fix Detroit schools because “We can’t make an African American white.” “You mentioned why these schools fail,” he said at the hearing. “You mention the economically disadvantaged and non-white population are contributors to that. And, you know, we […]

There are countless articles floating around the internet and being shared on Facebook with shouty headlines like “This Michigan legislator is attempting to ban sodomy while the Flint water crisis rages on” and “Instead of Helping Flint, Michigan Republicans Just Passed a Bill That Makes Anal Sex Illegal“. They all appear to refer back to an article by The New […]