Category: Michigan Republicans

The fallout from GOP attacks on teachers: 20+ year old literacy program in Detroit cancelled due to lack of teachers

The fallout from GOP attacks on teachers: 20+ year old literacy program in Detroit cancelled due to lack of teachers

It takes a special person to teach in Detroit, Michigan. Although this has been the case for many, many years, it’s never been so true as it is right now. Not only are teachers dealing with a kids who are largely coming from families in deep poverty and working in schools that are falling down around them, for the past […]

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Michigan unemployment insurance fund swollen by false “fraud” determinations tapped by GOP to fill state budget hole

Michigan unemployment insurance fund swollen by false “fraud” determinations tapped by GOP to fill state budget hole

A new state computer program used between October 2013 and October 2015 determined that tens of thousands of unemployed Michiganders were attempting to defraud the state with bogus unemployment insurance claims. The penalties that were assessed created a huge surplus in the unemployment insurance fund so Republicans yesterday tapped that money to fill the budget hole created by years of […]

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BOOM! Part 2 – Michigan Republicans back down from voter suppression bills and other terrible legislation

BOOM! Part 2 – Michigan Republicans back down from voter suppression bills and other terrible legislation

What started out as a typical lame duck session where legislative Republicans ram through scads of laws aimed at harming workers, restricting voting access, and benefitting corporations has started to calm down in the waning three days of the current session in Michigan. After backing down from diminishing the retirement benefits of first responders and teachers, it appears that other […]

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Michigan GOP argues the recount should stop because there was no voter fraud & that voter suppression bill is need due to voter fraud

Michigan GOP argues the recount should stop because there was no voter fraud & that voter suppression bill is need due to voter fraud

I saw a tweet by my pal Roscoe Woods, the president of the largest American Postal Workers Union local in the state of Michigan that made my head spin. Here’s the tweet: MI AG says no evidence of voter fraud in 2016 election, Applauds decision to stop recount. MI House attacks our democracy anyway. #resist — Roscoe (@bluelapeer) December 8, […]

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LAME DUCK ALERT: Michigan GOP-led House passes voter suppression bill and bill to punish labor protesters & unions

LAME DUCK ALERT: Michigan GOP-led House passes voter suppression bill and bill to punish labor protesters & unions

The worst of the worst during Michigan’s lame duck – or as I like to call it: inflamed duck – sessions and this year is no exception. Last night, House Republicans rammed through two particularly heinous packages bills. The first is one I have talked about before HERE and HERE. This three-bill package – House Bills 6066, 6067, and 6068 […]

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BOOM! Facing withering backlash, Michigan Republicans back down from attacks on first responders

BOOM! Facing withering backlash, Michigan Republicans back down from attacks on first responders

As I wrote about earlier this week, one of the more outrageous things being pushed through during the Michigan legislature’s lame duck session is a 13-bill package that would “end post-retirement health care for new local government workers and generally force existing workers and retirees to pay 20% of their post-retirement health care costs”. This was the first time that […]

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Michigan Republicans add appropriation to voter suppression bill making it democracy-proof (immune from citizen referendum)

Michigan Republicans add appropriation to voter suppression bill making it democracy-proof (immune from citizen referendum)

This past week I wrote about a package of voter suppression bills currently being blasted through the state legislature (HERE and HERE.) They are House Bills 6066, 6067, and 6068. Here’s a piece of what I wrote on Friday: First, we have the voter suppression effort that I wrote about on Wednesday. This legislation does away with the option to […]

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Lame duck is underway in Michigan and it’s going to be a VERY rough ride for progressive values

Lame duck is underway in Michigan and it’s going to be a VERY rough ride for progressive values

It was just a few weeks ago that I was thinking, “Well, since Republicans control EVERY aspect of our state government now, at least lame duck should be quieter than usual.” That, of course, was delusional thinking and Republicans are making that very clear as we begin the 2016 lame duck – or, as I like to call it, “inflamed […]

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LAME DUCK ALERT: Michigan GOP rushing through voter suppression legislation requiring photo ID to vote

LAME DUCK ALERT: Michigan GOP rushing through voter suppression legislation requiring photo ID to vote

As the inimitable Ari Berman talked about in detail in our podcast a few weeks ago, one of the chief ways of disenfranchising poor people – particularly minorities – is to make it hard for them to vote. And one of the ways they do that is by passing laws that require a photo ID to vote on Election Day. […]

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Pay attention to Michigan. We are a micro-version of what is happening nationally.

Pay attention to Michigan. We are a micro-version of what is happening nationally.

Eclectablog, while often focusing on national issues, has a Michigan-centric component as regular readers know. That’s largely because we are the testing ground, the beta testers for what Republicans want to achieve nationally. Republicans here control the governor’s office. Our Lt. Governor is a Republican. Our Secretary of State is a Republican. Our Attorney General is a Republican. Our state […]

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Leaked document shows the extent of how GOP donor is personally profiting from new Michigan Senate office development

Leaked document shows the extent of how GOP donor is personally profiting from new Michigan Senate office development

The Michigan Republicans in the Senate are getting new offices that will cost taxpayers at least $134 million over the next three decades. They are moving from their existing location in the Farnum Building in Lansing to new offices in the Capitol View building owned by GOP donor Ron Boji. New documents not released until now show just how much […]

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