Whoa! MI lawmakers want to jail teachers for emails about unions

Jeopardized in MI.

Ya gotta wonder what they're smoking in Michigan. A Republican House committee has approved a bill to fine teachers $1,000 and sentence them to a year in prison -- for using school email to discuss union activity or recruitment.

From the Livingston Daily Press & Argus:

Michigan educators could face a year in prison for conducting union or political business over public school e-mail servers under a bill advancing in Lansing.

State House Bill 4052 was reported out of committee last week, and would prohibit a public employee from using public e-mail for political campaigning, union activities, union recruitment, and fundraising.

Violators could be found guilty of a misdemeanor, which would carry a fine of up to $1,000, up to one year in prison or both in the bill's amended version.
Organizations found guilty would face up to a $10,000 fine.

Writes Goldy in The Stranger,

Way to respect the profession, GOPers.

On the other hand, at least this is one conservative-backed education reform that is entirely transparent about its objective. Charter schools, vouchers, Teach for America, merit pay, the elimination of seniority rules, and the new obsession with performance measures... these are all "reforms" that at their heart seek to pin the blame for our public education woes squarely on the backs of teachers, with the ultimate goal of busting the teachers unions. "Reformers" just won't admit it. So actually, just proposing to jail teachers, is at least much more honest.

Isn't it interesting how a political party that claims to be opposed to big government is always so willing to use the power of the state to crush dissent by force? 

Let's not forget Michigan lawmakers also wanted to force foster kids to only buy clothes in second-hand stores.

How do these people get elected?