I’ve been on vacation with twelve of my wife’s family members in town so the blogging has been light. Normal blogging resumes this week.
Here’s an update of what’s been happening in my fair state.
Remember when Republicans took over Congress in Washington, D.C. and they reversed Nancy Pelosi’s “Green the Capitol” effort just to be dicks? Michigan Republicans are doing the same thing:
No companies in Michigan are building incandescent light bulbs, but the Legislature wants to make sure that if any want to they can — in a pique over new federal rules.Incandescent light bulbs are being phased out in January because of a federal mandate to promote more energy-efficient bulbs. But state Rep. Tom McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, introduced a bill that would allow Michigan companies to make the older bulbs and sell them only in Michigan to skirt federal interstate commerce laws.
~SNIP~
“The sentiment behind this bill is nice, but it’s not grounded in reality,” said state Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. “They’re not being made in Michigan, and they’re not likely to be made in Michigan. I’ve got a plant making LED bulbs in my district, and that’s a real project that’s hiring real people doing real work, not fantasy work.”
Governor Rick Snyder may not run for a second term.
Michigan hasn’t had a governor leave after one term since the early 1960s, but current chief executive Rick Snyder may end up doing just that.If Snyder decides to be a one-term governor, it’s because he wants it that way. The businessman-turned-politician has said he isn’t tied to running for a second term if he’s gotten done in four years what he set out to do, although he also hasn’t ruled out running again in 2014.
“I’m not doing the job for the sake of saying I was governor of Michigan for ‘X’ number of years,” Snyder told The Associated Press Thursday in a phone call from his Southeast Asia trade trip. “It’s more about making a difference and giving something back.”
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111002/POLITICS02/110020314/Snyder-may-not-follow-trend-of-seeking-2nd-term#ixzz1ZdbcnFwk
“>Michigan hasn’t had a governor leave after one term since the early 1960s, but current chief executive Rick Snyder may end up doing just that.If Snyder decides to be a one-term governor, it’s because he wants it that way. The businessman-turned-politician has said he isn’t tied to running for a second term if he’s gotten done in four years what he set out to do, although he also hasn’t ruled out running again in 2014.
“I’m not doing the job for the sake of saying I was governor of Michigan for ‘X’ number of years,” Snyder told The Associated Press Thursday in a phone call from his Southeast Asia trade trip. “It’s more about making a difference and giving something back.”
He’s gotten off to a good start:
- Give Michigan businesses an 86% tax break paid for by taking from the most vulnerable Michiganders
- Strip massive amounts of money from the public school system
- Kneecap unions in multiple ways
- Sign laws diminishing our educators and helping to paint them as harmful leaches on the jugular vein of society
- Sign Public Act 4 into law giving his appointed
chancellorsEmergencyFinancialManagers nearly dictatorial, anti-Democratic, disenfranchising powers - Helping to privatize nearly every public service possible
- Knocking tens of thousands of Michiganders off the welfare rolls at a time when our unemployment rate is well over the national average meaning there simply aren’t jobs available to help them to stay afloat
Credit where it’s due: he’s managed to accomplish a lot to benefit his business cronies in the first 9 months of his term. While I’d never say that there isn’t much left to do (because these heartless bastards are nothing if not imaginative), he’s certainly picked most of the low-hanging fruit. Why stick around to do the hard stuff when you’ve already done so much, eh, Governor?
Speaking of cutting people from the welfare rolls, a group of former welfare recipients has filed a lawsuit to halt the move. I’m sure if it gets to the Republican-led Michigan Supreme Court they will give them a fair shake (not).
While we’re on the subject of Michigan Republicans screwing over people, this week, they managed to get a two-fer:
The same Conservative leadership that shoved thousands of Michigan families out on the streets today during the worst jobs crisis in generations, now gets to stand by and watch 95,000 Michiganders off from heating assistance with no action.And as a bonus, they get to deal a massive wound to renewable energy efforts.
Hat tip: Muskegon Critic
Mitt Romney was the big winner of the straw poll at last week’s Republican Leadership convention on Mackinac Island, taking 51% of the vote. His dad was once the governor of this state which likely helped him. Plus we treat Texans ‘pretty ugly‘ up here in Yankeeland, Governor Perry.
Governor Rick Snyder and his Republican cronies have ended an incentive program that brought scads of movie makers to Michigan to film dozens of big films with big named stars and all the economic infusion that type of thing brings with it. The Michigan Film Office stopped taking new applications yesterday. That’s what’s known as strangling the baby while it’s still in the crib. You can kiss movie making in Michigan goodbye after this brilliant move.
Snyder returned from a trip to Asia where he was referred to by the Chinese People’s Daily as “the shrewd, gray-haired Michigan governor”. Unlike his predecessor Jennifer Granholm who was able to bring tens of thousands of jobs to Michigan through her trips to Asia, Snyder returns with the possibility of 30 jobs for our state. Whoa, slow down there, Governor! Let’s not over do it!
When I interviewed Governor Granholm last week, I asked her about why she never went to China. Governor Snyder’s spokesperson and other Republicans have ridiculed her after the fact for it. Here’s her blistering response:
The criticism is just ridiculous – we went to the places where we had deals ready for closing, and we just didn’t have that yet with China, but we were trying. My administration (Jim Epolito) and the MEDC, in fact, went to China as an arm of my administration to prime the pump. They went to India and other countries, too, when I didn’t have time to make the trips. We began to make plans to go to China and India toward the end of my last term, but with the auto meltdown and the recession, we had to cancel the plans. Not only do I not have an objection to going, I strongly encourage it. If there are deals to bring work to Michigan, why not go? People who criticize me for not going to China imagine I intentionally avoided it for some reason. Completely ridiculous. Those critics have absolutely no clue what they’re talking about.
Both the Michigan House and Senate have now passed bills making illegal abortions illegal (illegaler?) and it now goes to the Governor’s desk. Glad they aren’t wasting time on pesky things like creating more jobs for all those people they threw off the welfare rolls this week.
And one non-political news item of interest: the Palisades nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Michigan had an emergency shutdown last week that resulted in the release of radioactive steam. It remains shut down. Fortunately the level of radiation, primarily tritium, was “far below regulatory releases”.
