Happy Friday, Michigan! Welcome to another edition of This Week in Progress.
Let’s get started!
This week in PM blogging:
Reinventing “Reinventing Michigan”
When it comes to mealy-mouthed answers to questions where a lot is said but nothing is ever really said, Gov. Rick Snyder takes home the blue ribbon. He can talk and deflect (and lie) all he wants, but he needs to answer why he doubled a furniture contract that benefited his cousin while taking the axe to school funding and hiking taxes on seniors. Who needs schools or roads when you have quality lumbar support, right?
While conservatives like Terri Lynn Land believe women want “flexibility” over equality in the workplace because they run more errands than men (what?!), the rest of the rational world is pushing for Equal Pay for Equal Work. But as Hugh Madden points out, equality is something that benefits not just individuals, but families too.
Big Government Brought to You by Proponents of Small Government
Clean air, property rights and a fair tax system: These are things you can go without thanks to the freedom-touting, small government advocates of the Republican Party. And unlike road funding, they’re fine selling you out to big oil corporations even if you live in a conservative county.
Nolan Finley’s column in the Detroit News this week had us reeling at the Progress Michigan office. His cringe-worthy, steaming pile of sexism used phrases that would even make the porn industry blush.
TWIP Clips:
Equal Pay? OK
For progressives, the concept that women should be paid the same wage as men for the same work is a no-brainer. But, as you know, conservatives love to be on the wrong side of history and advocating for basic fairness is somewhat of a foreign concept to them.
(Examples of conservative “leaders” demonstrating this kind of behavior HERE and HERE)
In Michigan, women only make three-fourths of what men make. Ridiculous, right? As Amy Lynn Smith of Eclectablog put it: “I am not 3/4 of a person. I’ll never settle for 3/4 of the salary I deserve. And I’ll certainly never settle for 3/4 of my voice being heard at the ballot box.”
I think I heard a mic hit the floor somewhere…
Get the FOIA Outta Here!
We here at Progress Michigan, along with our sister organizations of the Progress Now network, are taking steps to root out corruption and hold governors across the country accountable. Maybe you remember the dozens of times Gov. Snyder has talked about “accountability?” Well, we’re taking him to task and issuing Freedom of Information Act requests to his office.
There’s only a slight problem with the governor’s promise of accountability — his office is exempt from FOIA laws. (Say what?!) We sent in a FOIA request asking for transcripts of email correspondence between Gov. Snyder and his Chief of Staff Dennis Muchmore — and we were swiftly denied. How’s that for accountability? But don’t worry, we’ll keep it up until we get some answers.
Progressive Reads: Here’s some solid reading material for your weekend. Sit down, crack open a beer and soak in the sanity.
Budowsky: History to impeach Roberts
Walmart Prices Would Rise By Pennies If It Paid Workers More Than Poverty Wages