Only three more days until Election Day!
This Week in PM Blogging:
If you don’t vote, you can’t complain. And there’s plenty to complain about in Michigan right now.
Michigan’s Most Extreme Candidate
Don’t let his mild mannered demeanor fool you, Gov. Snyder is just as extreme as the hardcore right-wingers out there.
Gov. Rick Snyder and Terri Lynn Land are working to make sure that their wealthy friends and corporate donors are able to spend as much as possible to buy your vote.
We broke the news that Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley has been skipping town every Wednesday for the past two years to attend Harvard. Here are a few things he should do while he’s in Beantown.
From corporate friendly budgets and exorbitant salaries to failed attempts to privatize Michigan schools and government services, we’ve been holding Governor Snyder’s feet to the fire and demanding answers.
TWIP (or Treat) Clips:
The filing cabinet is on fire…
After submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, we learned Thursday from the Michigan Department of Community Health that they illegally purged department head communications from its databases.
The people of Michigan deserve to know how their government operates. This type of behavior is not only illegal, but it is further proof that Gov. Snyder has failed to create a culture of honest government.
Hatch Act Job
Million-dollar no-bid Medicaid contracts to Snyder contributors a coincidence? We think not. That’s why we filed a complaint with the United States Office of Special Counsel alleging that Gov. Snyder violated the Hatch Act, a federal law that prohibits politicians from abusing their power to help donors and special interests.
At question in the complaint is a ritzy fundraiser for Gov. Snyder held by the owners of J&B Medical Supply, after which millions of dollars in no-bid contracts were awarded to the same company, including a contract the day after the fundraiser. The fundraiser earned Snyder $54,000 toward his reelection campaign.
Jet-setting LG
How would your employer react if you didn’t show up to work once a week while you still got paid? Well, Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley has been skipping town on a weekly basis, including session days, to attend Harvard.
Calley makes over $2,000 a week per taxpayer-funded paycheck and we believe Calley should put his duties serving the public above prepping himself for his next career step. From 2013 through today, Calley has missed 62 days session days even though other state employees are only allowed between 15 and 35 vacation days, according to the Michigan Civil Service Commission. We’re paying Calley to do a job, not skip it.
Progressive Reads
This is what it’s like to try to get a Voter ID when you’re disabled, poor or don’t drive
Testimony, e-mails shed light on right-to-work turmoil
Jim Crow Returns: Millions of Minority Voters Threatened by Electoral Purge