Progress Michigan blog posts.
Sometimes the slow progress of government processes is no one’s fault. Sometimes it’s a partisan issue. In the case of Michigan’s ongoing budget negotiations—which should and could have been resolved already—there is exactly one person to blame: Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey. This whole process started back in March, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer introduced a…
It’s no secret that, since he was elected in 2016, Donald Trump and his administration have consistently chipped away at workers’ rights and the social safety net, undermined environmental protections, and terrorized our immigrant community. Now, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and AG Dana Nessel are fighting back. In just the last few weeks, Whitmer has issued…
Two weeks ago, Kalamazoo County voted to make Election Day a paid holiday so that county workers may have a chance to exercise their right to vote. Kalamazoo County is headed in the right direction, and it’s time for the rest of Michigan—and the rest of the country as a matter of fact—to catch up.…
Democracy works best when everyone participates. Unfortunately, Michigan Republicans don’t seem to agree. Every eligible voter should be able to make their voice heard. Every vote should count the same. These truths are pretty much fundamental to the idea of fair government of, by, and for the people and yet, Republicans in Michigan and…
“There is a big difference between ‘coerced’ and forced.’” -Mackinac Center for Public Policy employee Jarrett Skorup, responding to an article about women being coerced into sex while completely missing the point and invalidating the sexual trauma of women across the country. This response is pretty gross, and it reflects a broader problem with…
Last week, Capitol Confidential published an article whining about an Ann Arbor teacher who wrote and directed a musical about Betsy DeVos and her family’s disastrous impact on Michiganders and our public schools. The musical was an effort by a private citizen to poke fun at a very powerful and very public figure, but…
Earlier this year, the Trump Administration announced a gag rule that will ban any clinic receiving federal money through Title X, more commonly known as family planning money, from referring patients for abortion services. Tens of thousands of Michiganders will be affected by this decision. Doctors cannot say the word abortion, refer a patient…
Last week, Rep. Lynn Afendoulis of Grand Rapids introduced a bill that, frankly, is insulting to the LGTBQ+ community and its allies. The bill would make flying any flag above government buildings besides the state flag, governor’s flag, and the American flag against the law. Bills like Afendoulis’s are not just wrong – they’re…
Our country has an immigration problem—and it’s not immigrants who are causing it. Over the past few years, the Trump administration has taken our nation’s approach to undocumented immigrants from bad to worse in an effort to pander to racists in his base and further the agenda of white nationalism. Families have been separated,…
In an era where our access to reproductive health care is under constant attack from the GOP, the last thing we need is Democrats carrying water for the anti-abortion cause. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Michiganders will be getting when the national Dems for Life conference arrives in East Lansing this weekend. The group’s agenda…