NOTE: you can UPrate this story at Reddit HERE. Early this month, I wrote about how a move by the Snyder administration to through over 10,000 Michigan families off the welfare rolls had been temporarily halted by a U.S. District Court judge. A federal judge in Michigan today smacked down a new Republican-passed law that will throw tens of thousands […]

Here are a couple of early photos by my wife Anne C. Savage from a visit to Michigan today by President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. They were visiting GM’s Orion Assembly Plant, in part to tout the new trade agreement passed by Congress this week. Also, the President Obama told the crowd that, unlike Republicans, he believes […]

From my good friends at We Are the People Michigan: Fighting to protect working and middle-class families Join us at the Stadium Blvd. Bridge Rally and March – Wednesday, October 19 Concerned citizens are rallying to raise awareness on the need to invest in public infrastructure to create jobs and get Michigan back to work. Community members and leaders are […]

A few clever Michiganders [yes, it’s Michiganders, not Michiganians] have put together a coolio Tumblr for Michigan’s 99-percenters: We are the 99% Michigan. What’s cool about it is that YOU can participate, too! Write your story down. Write #mi99percent and michigan99percent.com at the bottom. Take a picture of yourself holding your story. Email your picture to mi99percent@gmail.com or Upload your […]

Man, I’m glad our Republican legislature and governor don’t have better things to do than making illegal abortions illegaler. Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill this week banning a type of late-term abortion. The legislation was approved last month by the legislature and mirrors a federal ban on the practice, called partial-birth abortion by opponents of the procedure, that was […]

NOTE: updated to correct info about Sen. Joe Hune, Rep. Pete Lund and the House & Senate versions of the bill. Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance is the GOP’s current target for reform. In what can only be described as a gift to auto insurance companies, they are looking to remove the requirement for unlimited lifetime coverage for victims of auto […]

It’s not like Mitt Romney was counting on Michigan for any sort of support already. As I said before, if Mitt Romney wins the GOP nomination, he should probably just skip Michigan after his New York Times editorial called “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” back in 2008: It will be interesting to see if Romney dares to show his face in […]

Yesterday, Senate Majority Floor Leader Arlan Meekhof introduced SB 729. This bill makes Michigan a “Right to Work (for Less)” state BUT ONLY FOR TEACHERS. This is the concept first floated by Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville last month. To remind you, here’s a transcript from the Off the Record show where he first floated it: Tim Skubick: Right to […]

A federal judge in Michigan today smacked down a new Republican-passed law that will throw tens of thousands of Michiganders off the welfare rolls with little notice, temporarily halting its implementation. A federal judge today accused the state of “sleight of hand,” and halted plans to end welfare benefits to nearly 41,000 Michigan residents. U.S. District Judge Paul Borman determined […]

Reporting by the Livingston County Press & Argus shows that Michigan schools will take hit of over a half billion dollars under a new plan by Michigan Republicans to eliminate the state’s Personal Property Tax (PPT). The elimination of a state tax on business furniture and machinery would further cut funding for Michigan’s public schools, state and school officials said. […]

Yesterday at their two-day state convention in Detroit, Michigan AFL-CIO members elected Karla Swift as the organization’s new president. Swift replaces Mark Gaffney who led the group for 12 years. Karla Swift (pictured right with UAW president Bob King in Lansing), is a long-time organizer for the International Union, the UAW and for various community groups. Most recently she was […]