Tag Archives: Michigan Senate

Calling what happened during Michigan’s lame duck session “very, very bad,” former State Senator Joe Schwartz blames term limits and the unprecedented influence of corporate money

By Mark | January 22, 2013

As we recently discussed, Michigan Radio, as part of their Issues & Ale series, hosted a panel discussion in Ypsilanti late last week on the subject of Michigan’s newly passed right-to-work legislation. The panel, which included former Republican State Senator Joe Schwartz, Kristin Dziczek, the Director of the Labor & Industry Group at the Center [...]

Posted in Media, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged Ave Maria, Ave Maria graduates, Center for Automotive Research, collective bargaining, Community Capital Forum, Corner brewery, corporate takeover of politics, F. Vincent Vernuccio, get the money out of Washington, Gretchen Driskell, Issues & Ale, Jack Lessenberry, Koch brothers, Kristin Dziczek, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, MEDC, Michael Shuman, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan House of Representatives, Michigan Radio, Mike Finney, money in politics, partisan politics, Proposition 2, Pure Michigan, right-to-work, Ron Weiser, tea party, term limits, Tom Monaghan, union busting, unions | 25 Comments

Exploring the role of ALEC in Lansing’s lame duck attack on Michiganders

By Mark | December 26, 2012

A week or so ago, I put together a rudimentary post on how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) contributed toward the recent flurry of regressive legislative activity that took place in Michigan. Well, our friend Bob Sloan, writing for PolicyMic.com, just dug quite a bit deeper. Here’s how his piece begins. Fact: 282 bills [...]

Posted in Michigan, Politics | Also tagged ALEC, Amanda Price, Aric Nesbitt, Bob Sloan, HB 4003, HB 4054, HB 4305, HB 5221, Immigration Law Enforcement Act, Judson Gilbert, Kenneth Horn, Kenneth Kurtz, lame duck, Lansing, Michigan House of Representatives, Mike Green, Peter Lund, right-to-work, Tom McMillan, Voter ID Act | 7 Comments

Protecting us from the nonexistent threat of Sharia Law, putting guns in classrooms, restricting reproductive health care access for women, and resurrecting an Emergency Manager law that the people of Michigan have already said no to… these are the new priorities of our legislators in Lansing

By Mark | December 13, 2012

Do you remember, a week or so ago, when we were discussing the anti-abortion omnibus bill (HB 5711), often referred to in the national press as “the country’s most restrictive anti-abortion bill“? Well, it passed the Michigan Senate today, and, after a quick trip back to the House, where a few edits need to be [...]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Michigan, Politics | Also tagged 5711, abortion, ALEC, Emergency Financial Manager Act, Emergency Manager, HB 5711, Islamophobia, Michigan House of Representatives, personal property tax, Proposition 1, reproductive justice, Senate Bill 865, Sharia law, women's rights | 36 Comments

New legislation in the Michigan Senate would empower health care workers to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and religion

By Mark | December 4, 2012

It has been reported by Think Progress that a Republican member of the Michigan Senate by the name of John Moolenaar has authored a bill that would protect health care professionals who choose to discriminate against those whom they find objectionable for either their “religious beliefs, moral convictions, or ethical principles”. The intended target, it [...]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Michigan | Also tagged Christians under attack, discrimination, Eastern Michigan University, gay rights, HB 5040, health care, Hippocratic Oath, homophobia, John Moolenaar, Julea Ward, Julea Ward Freedom Of Conscience Act, legal discrimination, MEU, religious extremism, religious fundamentalism, Religious Liberty and Conscience Protection Act, Senate Bill 518, Senate Bill 975 | 22 Comments

107-degrees, with no pool, and looking for someone to blame

By Mark | July 17, 2012

Maybe it’s not the responsible thing to do, but I’m hot and I’m looking for someone to blame for the fact that our community pool is dry this summer, as we’re living trough the most brutally hot season in memory… Like I said, I realize that it’s not terribly responsible to want to assign blame. [...]