Progress Michigan blog posts.
The GOP has effectively rigged the court system for partisan judges to preside over the cases they want to win. Hand picking winners? From Right to Work, to a tax increase on seniors to cuts to education funding, shifting the system to their favor is pretty much the M.O. of the Snyder administration and the…
Legislation has been introduced to require license plates on the back and front of all cars in Michigan. Laws like this across the United States are not uncommon. Thirty-one other states already have similar laws on the books. In fact, the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tupac Hunter, says the bill would be an asset to public…
Gov. Rick Snyder recently spoke at a 40 under 40 event in Grand Rapids. He gave a speech to the up-and-comers in an effort to bestow his gubernatorial wisdom on the crowd. “When I first became governor, people would come up and say, ‘be bold.’ And that’s something we should all focus on,” Snyder said.…
Yesterday, at the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center in Kalamazoo, Gov. Rick Snyder said, “You can’t be an entrepreneur and innovator and be fully rational.” Apparently, Snyder has applied that principal to his tenure in office. There’s nothing rational about pushing for the unlimited expansion of cyber schools, while the research shows that these for-profit institutions…
Campaign season is heating up, and though Gov. Snyder maintains he’s not campaigning some of his materials suggest otherwise. For example, Snyder’s latest Facebook graphic (left) fails to mention that (a) his corporate tax cuts and a deposit in the rainy day fund were responsible for the lion’s share – $800 million – of Michigan’s…
The reason bills are introduced in committee before going to the House or Senate floor for a vote is to have healthy discussion about the pros and cons of potential legislation. A bipartisan committee fosters a conversation about said bill, which would only go to the floor for a vote if it’s solid legislation. Committees…
Michigan’s Tea Party congressional delegation failed every single Michigander by voting to send the U.S. into default. Why would they do such a thing? Simple: cowardice. Immediately following the deal to avert default and end the senseless government shutdown, FreedomWorks CEO Matt Kibbe promised primary challengers for House Republicans who voted for the plan, saying…
The childish standoff over the government shutdown is dead. But the extremists and irrational crazies in the Tea Party are very much alive and well. The Senate voted 81-18, and the House voted 285-144 to reopen the federal government and prevent countless Americans and our country from careening off of the fiscal cliff. However, following…
The Republican party is in disarray and their brand is badly damaged, sporting their worst poll numbers in the history of poll numbers. Days after supporting the shutdown, several members of Michigan’s Republican Congressional delegation heeded Progress Michigan’s call to return, donate, or withhold their salaries while federal employees are furloughed. Rep. Dan Benishek is…
Last week on Off the Record, Chad Livengood suggested that plenty of groups, including ones like Progress Michigan, utilize the tax code to shield their donors just like the Governor Rick Snyder’s NERD Fund. He added, “It’s interesting that the governor — and maybe even the Michigan Republican Party — have not gone on the offensive…