Progress Michigan blog posts.
You have to admit, after a well-documented history of lying it’s refreshing to hear Speaker Jase Bolger finally tell the truth. When the BolgerGate revelations first came to light, Bolger slyly noted that technically electoral fraud isn’t illegal and he’d remain in power. As William Forsyth, the Republican prosecutor, said at the time – “embarrassing.”…
Once again, big-money conservative special interest groups have proven they’re out of touch with Michigan’s middle-class by going after Lansing City Council candidate Chong-Anna Canfora in an apparent witch-hunt. Canfora was accused by the DeVos-backed “Michigan Freedom Fund” of being a current employee of Progress Michigan, even though she’s under contract as a consultant to…
First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get a Get Out of Jail Free card. Just last week, Wall Street was caught manipulating aluminum prices as JP Morgan negotiated a settlement for manipulating energy markets that could cost them up to $410 million. Sounds like a lot, right? Well it…
It’s my third day on the job as Progress Michigan’s new Executive Director, and already I’m amazed at the threat presented to our state’s future by corporate-funded right-wing politicians. We need your help. Every day, Progress Michigan fights back against the attacks on Michigan’s middle-class families. We have been on the front lines in the battle…
Politicians are like cats: They’re entirely dependent on us for their survival but act as if we’re lucky to have them. If movies have taught us anything, there are only two types of cats – the courageous and the cowardly. While our lawmakers have looked more the Cowardly Lion than the Courageous Cat lately, even…
If you were reading Bridge Magazine yesterday, the online-only news and analysis site from The Center for Michigan, you may have been shocked to see, not analysis of Detroit’s bankruptcy or any of the issues pending before the state legislature, but an apology to Speaker Jase Bolger. In June, Center for Michigan’s Chairman Phil Power…
On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Snyder filed a court motion seeking Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection for Detroit. He did this just five minutes before Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina convened a hearing intending to block bankruptcy from going forward. He also did this after repeatedly denying that he considered bankruptcy an option for Detroit or any Michigan…
Once again, Governor Snyder and the MEDC have egg on their face. This time, it’s following a “Pure Michigan” travel guide that was produced and printed in Iowa. Adding insult to injury, the Snyder administration ignored two lower bids from Michigan companies and went with Iowa-based Meredith Corp. because they allegedly got the “best value for…
Lansing yawned when it was announced, months ago, that Gov. Rick Snyder was starting a few political funds – including his now-infamous NERD Fund, which isn’t required to disclose its donors. A November 2012 report compared the non-profit, chaired by Republican booster Charlie Secchia, to similar funds operated by Kwame Kilpatrick and Bob Ficano. But at least…
Yesterday, Walmart threatened to abandon D.C. if residents approved a living wage set at $12.50 an hour. Voters approved the living wage, and this morning Walmart announced they were scrapping plans for three new stores in D.C. Why? Because low wages are the lynchpin of Walmart’s business strategy: low prices. Walmart prides itself on having…