Ka-CHING! Back in November, the Snyder administration gave selected members of its staff in the Department of Treasury astonishingly large raises. It was needed, they said, to attract the best and the brightest to the positions (despite the fact that these people were already in these positions.) One guy, the state’s chief investment officer Jon Braeutigam, got a 90% pay […]

Cheering for the failure of something that helps Americans is un-American If you stop by the website of my Congressman, Tim Walberg, these days the first thing you see is a request to “Tell Us Your Story”: If you look at a little closer, the story he wants you to tell is about your experience with the Affordable Care Act. […]

Comeback state? Ferreals? The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its November unemployment numbers and, for the first time since May, Michigan’s number went down. To 8.8%. Almost 2 points above the national average of 7.0%. Here’s how our numbers have tracked the national average since late 2010 (November data not included): You can play with this graph yourself HERE. The […]

They think you’re stupid and gullible. Don’t prove them right. In February of 2012, I penned a piece titled “The tax timebomb that explodes in Michigan in 2012 is MUCH worse than you thought”. In it, I showed how Michigan Republicans raised taxes on over half of the people in our state. Worse than that, the brunt of the tax […]

The state is bleeding money because Senate Republicans refused to give Medicaid expansion immediate effect. The Michigan Republican senators who voted against giving Medicaid expansion immediate effect have lost the right to call themselves “fiscal conservatives.” Fiscal cons is more like it, because they only care about Michigan’s financial well-being when it suits their political ideology. Now, courtesy of the […]

Hopefully driverless cars can navigate around potholes Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed legislation last week that will allow driverless cars to be tested on Michigan roads. Snyder released a statement saying that, “By allowing the testing of automated, driverless cars today, [Michigan] will stay at the forefront in automotive technological advances that will make driving safer and more efficient in […]

More like “Didn’t say it, did it anyway” or “Said it, did the opposite” Eclectameme by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog Discussing possible campaign slogans during his non-announcement of his candidacy last fall, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said, “One that I really do appreciate, that I’ve used in my life is, ‘Said it. Did it.’”. In other words, according to […]

When the numbers don’t support you, myth-making is your only other option Last week House Speaker Jase Bolger told the Detroit Free Press that Governor Snyder’s biggest challenge as a campaigner is his biggest asset as he governs. “The governor insists on no credit and no blame,” said Bolger. This was only one day after the Michigan Republican Party sent […]

Under fire and on the run You can always tell when you have the tea party backed into a corner. That’s when they bring out the Big Crazy guns with both barrels blazing. That happened this week when the tea party’s Madison Project Michigan PAC sent out an email from Jack Hoogendyk, a tea partier who primaried U.S. Representative Fred […]

Politicians and special interest groups aren’t telling the whole truth about the law’s impact on women’s health. With the help of an OB/GYN, we set the record straight. People across the country are appalled by the new law passed by the Republican-led Michigan Legislature, based on a petition created by Right to Life of Michigan. The law prohibits all Michigan […]

come·back – noun \ˈkəm-ˌbak\ — A return to a former position or condition (as of success or prosperity) I feel like Governor Snyder and his administration have a different dictionary than I do. He has repeatedly claimed lately (as part of the non-launch of his 2014 campaign) that Michigan is the “Comeback State”. The only thing that I can figure […]