With the bombshell news yesterday that two former Flint Emergency Managers are being charged with felonies in their connection to the ongoing tragedy known as the Flint water crisis, the calls to repeal Michigan’s anti-democratic “financial martial law” are rising again from around the state. The corporatists that see Emergency Management as a key to accomplishing their dual goals of […]

NOTE: This post is a companion piece to this week’s episode of The Sit and Spin Room podcast. Click HERE or scroll to the bottom of the post to listen to the podcast or find it wherever you get your podcasts by searching for “Sit and Spin Room” on iTunes, Stitcher, etc. The news that President-elect Donald Trump had nominated […]

The best democracy money can buy As we get into the final week of the campaign season before next Tuesday’s election, there is a massive amount of money being spent, mainly on television ads and mailings, trying to sway voters. On the Republican side in Michigan, it’s no secret that one family, the massively wealthy DeVos family, is dominating the […]

Dick DeVos, Jr., whose family is Michigan’s version of the Koch brothers, is one of the richest people in our state. After getting beaten by Democrat Jennifer Granholm in 2006, he turned his attention to changing the face of Michigan by using his vast wealth behind the scenes to affect state policy. Whether it’s spending money against Democrats or threatening […]

The best government corporatist money can buy I have confirmation from two independent sources in the Michigan legislature that multi-millionaire Dick DeVos is using the threat of massive financial support for Republican primary opponents of vulnerable Senate Republicans to force them to vote for the bill that would expand the Education Achievement Authority statewide. The same approach was used to […]

There are few people who deserve a valentine from Michigan governor Rick Snyder more than Dick and Betsy DeVos. From funding his campaign to paying for ramming Right to Work through by threatening/bribing Republicans in the legislature, the DeVos family has been there for Rick Snyder every step of the way. In fact, it could reasonably be said that Rick […]

The best politicians, laws and elections money can buy Mother Jones’ Andrew Kroll has an incredible piece out this week showing the growing and pervasive influence of the DeVos family in Michigan and national politics. Although much of what he reveals in his piece has been long suspected, he brings to light details about how the passage of Michigan’s right […]

We don’t blame you, Governor. We’d hide that, too. [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] With the announcement that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is closing down the secretive NERD Fund without disclosing its donors, questions remain as to WHY he is keeping the donors secret. Considering that Charlie Secchia is the fund’s president, it’s possible […]

Not that this is a surprise or anything… The American Legislative Exchange Council is a national pro-business, anti-worker group that creates model legislation for use by its conservative members who are in state legislatures. Not surprisingly, ALEC’s fingerprints are all over the new laws that make Michigan the country’s 24th Right to Work for Less state as shown by some […]