Monday, February 4, 2013

5 ways the GOP went crazy in Mich.

Fighting against the craziness in Lansing. 
Michigan isn't the only state that's going around the bend. But The National Memo offers us a handy guide to the latest craziness in Michigan, called "5 Examples of a Republican Party Gone Wild in Michigan." We thought we'd share all five.

No. 1, of course, is No Rights At Work. NM notes:
  • Weakening the unions doesn’t help the economy. It lowers wages and increases poverty. What it does help is strengthen the power of corporations who are interested in privatizing public resources.
Here are four more ways, courtesy of The National Memo:
  1. Rigging the Electoral College: Michigan is represented in the House by nine Republicans and six Democrats,  thanks to gerrymandered districts. And if the electoral college were to suddenly switch to relying on these same gerrymandered districts, Republicans would win the majority of the electoral votes despite losing the popular vote. So, of course, Michigan’s Republicans are “open” to the possibility of rigging the next election.
  2. Denying 670,000 working citizens health coverage: As part of the Affordable Care Act,  670,000 people in Michigan are eligible to receive government health insurance. ... But the Supreme Court said that states can turn down the coverage, even though the federal government is paying between 90-100 percent of the costs. State senator Bruce Caswell (R) has introduced a bill that will prevent the state from accepting the expansion even though it could end up saving the state nearly $1 billion. 
  3. Cutting education down to the toilet paper: Michigan Republicans have cut education so drastically that schools can’t afford toilet paper, let alone textbooks.
  4. Re-enacting Emergency Manager Law: After the 2010 election, Michigan’s Republicans revamped its Emergency Manager law to give unelected bureaucrats the power to void union contracts and sell public property. When voters rejected this law at the polls in 2012, Republicans passed nearly exactly the same law.