James Madison would be embarrassed by a vote taken by 20 Michigan Republican State Senators last week. During a debate over Senator Patrick Colbeck’s Senate Bill 209, a bill that would mandate instruction of certain United States historical information, an amendment was offered by State Senator David Knezek to simply require that students are taught…
Last week, Rick Snyder made it clear where he stands on compassion for others. In a five-page brief filed in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Michigan, Snyder refused to recognize a marriage that legally occurred in New York State between two Michigan citizens. Bruce Morgan of East Grand Rapids, who is…
Term limits were sold to Michigan voters as a way to oust legislators with experience and get citizen legislators making our laws. Since term limits have been in place, we’ve had a system where staffers and lobbyists have the knowledge, while the learning curve for new lawmakers is steep. But we’ve never seen a Speaker…
This week, we released an email that is part of our extensive research into the handling of food service in Michigan’s prisons by Aramark, a private corporation that was contracted by the Snyder administration to provide meals for prisoners. I’ll stop you right there if you’re thinking, “Who cares? These are prisoners. They deserve every…
Today, Governor Rick Snyder appeared on Michigan Public Radio’s call-in program, Michigan Calling. The hour-long conversation was billed as an opportunity for Michigan voters to ask the Governor questions about a host of issues. The show didn’t disappoint – allowing for questions on many topics. The Governor, on the other hand, did. While one might…
I often hear progressives say, “If you don’t vote, don’t complain.” The statement is usually directed at people who fail to vote in elections – and is often made in despair when new, harmful policies are announced or laws are passed by conservative-led legislatures. As progressives, we should stop telling people not to complain. Instead,…
Inside the Michigan Capitol hang portraits of our past governors. The portraits seem to keep a watchful eye on the proceedings taking place each day. While many people walk past these without giving them much thought, I always take a moment to glance at the portrait of Governor G. Mennen Williams, who went by the…
By now, I’m sure you’ve read the story of James Robertson. If not, I’ll give the quick recap: We live in a time and place where we value wealth over work and spend more money building stadiums than building efficient transit systems. We live in a time and place where insurance companies have an oversized…
This week, Representative Todd Courser issued a long, rambling statement complaining about the process of how he was assigned a seat in the House of Representatives. Courser’s complaint followed an earlier fight over the design of his office. You read that right, a newly elected member of the House of Representatives is more worried about…
Yesterday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) voted to censure Dave Agema for his numerous comments regarding race. The vote also included a demand, not likely to be heeded, for Agema to resign his post. While I’m pleased that the RNC has taken this step, I’m left with a couple of lingering questions: Why did it…