Tag Archives: crony capitalism

ALEC, the move to codify the extremist Republican agenda, and the Michigan connection

By Mark | March 26, 2012

Reading a column by Paul Krugman just now on the role of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in pushing so-called “Stand Your Ground” legislation around the country, I was reminded by a recent article in Mother Jones about how ALEC, working through the Mackinac Center, played a role in passing Michigan’s Public Act 4, […]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Michigan, Politics | Also tagged ALEC, American Legislative Exchange Council, Amway, anti-immigration, Brit Satchwell, Center for Media and Democracy, collective bargaining, conservative legislation, Dick DeVos, Emergency Financial Manager Act, Emergency Financial Manger, Exxon Mobil, gun laws, Jonathan Williams, Koch brothers, Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act, Louis Schimmel, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Paul Krugman, Pontiac, privatization, Progress Michigan, Public Act 4, Rick Snyder, stand your ground, tax the rich, the growing gap between rich and poor, Trayvon Martin, union busting | 10 Comments

Romney, hoping to stem the Santorum surge, pretends to drive a car through Detroit in a desperate attempt to connect with Michiganders

By Mark | February 16, 2012

Given Rick Santorum’s recent, come-from-behind primary wins, and the fact that Super Tuesday is just a few short weeks away, the February 28 primary in Michigan is shaping up to be more important than anyone could have predicted. According to the most optimistic polling that I’ve seen, Romney, the son of former Michigan Governor George […]

Posted in Detroit, Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged attack ads, automotive bailout, Big 3, George Romney, Keith Olbermann, Mitt Romney, Nate Silver, Obama, political ads, political attack ads, polls, republican primary, RIck Santorum, Rombo, Super PAC, Super Tuesday, unions, Vernors | 32 Comments

Celebrating two years of corporate rule under the terms dictated by Citizens United

By Mark | January 24, 2012

It’s been two years since the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case, giving corporations the ability to spend unprecedented amounts of money to influence American elections. Here, with some some thoughts on the ramifications of that decision is our favorite journalist, Chris Hedges. …Our electoral system, already hostage to corporate money and corporate lobbyists, […]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Corporate Crime, Politics | Also tagged Bank of America, Bill Moyers, Chris Hedges, Citizens United, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, civil disobedience, corporate socialism, corporate takeover of politics, corporations are not people, election reform, ExxonMobil, get the money out of Washington, Goldman Sachs, money as free speech, Move to Amend, Obama, Occupy, protests, Romney, Sheldon Wolin, Supreme Court, turn off your television, voting is futile | 7 Comments

As many as 400 Emergency Financial Managers to be trained in Michigan

By Mark | April 18, 2011

Bloomberg is reporting that Michigan may be training as many as 400 Emergency Financial Managers to take over the state’s struggling communities and school systems. Pervious reports had put the number at less than half that. Here’s a clip from the article. …Michigan is giving hundreds of financial professionals and public employees a crash course […]

Posted in Michigan, Politics | Also tagged Czars, Emergency Financial Manager, Emergency Financial Manager’s Act, financial martial law, Rick Snyder, threats to Democracy | 12 Comments

If I can’t sleep, no one can…

By Mark | April 5, 2011

I’m up late reading the news, and there are three things I wanted to pass along, in hopes that they might keep you awake as well. 1) Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, while proposing deep pay cuts for employees of local government, “is using state funds to pay more than $81,500 a year to the 26-year-old […]