I’m a little late getting these details out but here is the information I have on the We Are the People rally tomorrow, Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at the State Capitol Building. WE ARE THE PEOPLE RALLY AT STATE CAPITOLA broad coalition of students, seniors, workers to protest Gov. Snyder’s budget plan WHAT: Rally to protest Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget […]

Arlo Guthrie totally gets it right: Back in 1776, a whole new nation was formed. Thirteen British colonies tried unsuccessfully to have the concerns of their citizens heard or taken seriously by the empire across the Atlantic. So the colonists formed themselves into a union. The preamble to the Constitution begins with these words: “We the people of the United […]

Talking Points Memo has an exclusive report detailing sweeping Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy to three of the biggest universities in Michigan. The universities involved are Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Wayne State University. The Mackinac Center For Public Policy, based in Midland, Mich., submitted the FOIA requests last Friday […]

To fully tell this story, you have to go back to the beginning of the protest rallies in Madison, Wisconsin. On February 17th, Governor Walker told the press that his office had received “over 8,000 emails” which he said were mostly supportive of his efforts to smash the unions. “The more than 8,000 emails we got today, the majority are […]

The fun never ceases in Michigan these days, does it? What now? This: Republicans in the state House have introduced legislation to fine striking teachers and even revoke their licenses. State Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Genoa Township, on Tuesday introduced legislation creating penalties for public schoolteachers and the Michigan Education Association for inciting or participating in strikes. House Bill 4466 would […]

THIS is positively astounding. In 2007, Judy Taylor, an artist based on Mount Desert, won a competition to create a mural for the lobby of the Department of Labor (MDOL). The work was to depict the “History of Labor in the State of Maine,” and was commissioned by the Maine Arts Commission. Taylor’s work is of 11 panels which you […]

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder laid out his plans to force encourage local municipalities and agencies to consolidate services to become more efficient. He’s going so far as to withhold state revenue-sharing funds to force their hand. Gov. Rick Snyder called Monday for local government employees to pay at least 20% of their health insurance premiums, and for less expensive retirement […]

If you want to get a clear picture of the differences in between the two main political parties, you need look no further than Michigan this week. The differences between the parties could not be clearer … or starker. This week Democrats called for a state constitutional amendment that would guarantee workers the right bargain collectively. Private AND public workers. […]

Last night on the Rachel Maddow Show where Rachel did a fine job outlining what’s going on in Michigan right now. Check it out: Basically, GOP members of Congress in Michigan are pushing through legislation that would allow the governor to declare a financial emergency in any given town, village, city or township and immediately put that municipality under the […]

The AFL-CIO is hosting another rally at the Michigan Capitol building this Tuesday, March 8th. RALLY TO PROTEST EMERGENCY MANAGER BILLS The Michigan AFL-CIO will be holding a rally to protest the ‘Emergency Manager’ bills package that is currently in the State Senate. There will be a vote on the Senate floor on Tuesday, March 8th, and we will be […]

As I wrote about last week, Wisconsin State Representative Nick Milroy was tackled when he tried to enter the Capitol Building on Thursday night. Here’s the video: This police state environment at the Wisconsin Capitol continues this week. Talking Points Memo is reporting that the key cards of staff AND LEGISLATORS have been turned off, denying them direct entrance to […]