Brewer Files Complaint Against Snyder Staffer

From Michigan Democratic Party

LANSING – Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer today filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of State against Governor Rick Snyder’s staff member, Greg Andrews.

According to the Traverse City Record Eagle and by the admission of Governor Snyder’s office, Andrews illegally used a state email account to promote a fundraiser for the Grand Traverse County Republican Party. Both GOP Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Alan Schneider and GOP Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette failed to investigate the matter.

“The lack of action by both Alan Schneider and Bill Schuette has forced us to file a complaint against Mr. Andrews,” Brewer said. “We need to get to the bottom of this issue. Who knew about this email in the Governor’s office and why was it allowed to be sent out?”

“This is clearly a violation of the law and it is unacceptable for public officials to ignore it,” added Brewer. “Is Schneider’s refusal to look into the matter because he donated nearly $1,000 to the Grand Traverse County Republican Party? And what about Schuette? Why is he ignoring an admitted violation of law by his GOP cronies? Don’t the taxpayers deserve to know what happened?”

Citizens Research Council of Michigan: Snyder and GOP Budget Could Hurt Economy

From Michigan Democratic Party

But Timmy Skubick thinks
I'm doing a good job.

LANSING – The nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan has analyzed the budget passed by the GOP Legislature and signed by Governor Snyder last month and concluded that it could actually hurt Michigan’s economic recovery. The Council also warned about the economic harm caused by cutting public education and health care.

In its analysis, the CRC concluded that more than $750 million dollars will be taken out of public education and handed directly to major corporations and their CEOs.

“This analysis proves what Democrats and many voters have been saying since the budget was introduced in February – there is no proof that massive tax cuts for CEOs and major corporations will lead to any job creation,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. “Indeed, according to the CRC, this budget could hurt economic growth in Michigan.”

“If we want to create jobs we need to strengthen the middle class,” added Brewer. “This budget and many of the GOP policies enacted this year are an attack on the middle class and will further damage our economy. Whether it’s unfair tax hikes on seniors and low-wage workers, cuts to public education and public safety, or an Emergency Financial Manager law that strips away voting rights, we know that none of these policies will create jobs in Michigan.”

“We hope this new report by the CRC will prove to the Republicans that they have put Michigan on the wrong track and must change course immediately,” said Brewer. “We need to focus on jobs, not giving nearly $2 billion to insurance companies, oil companies, and wealthy CEOs.”

To read the analysis, click the link below.
http://www.crcmich.org/PUBLICAT/2010s/2011/sbn2011-02.pdf

###

Governor Snyder, where are the jobs you promised?

Snyder Administration Breaks Law By Sending Out GOP Fundraising Email

From Michigan Democratic Party

LANSING – Governor Rick Snyder used his staff and local county governments to send out invitations to a fundraiser for the Grand Traverse County Republican Party –according to the Traverse City Record Eagle.

One of the Governor’s U.P. – based staffers sent an email encouraging local government officials to attend the fundraiser before the Cherry Festival. According to the article, the Michigan Supreme Court recently determined that any “taxpayer-funded keystroke” for political fundraising violates state law. Yet, the GOP Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Alan Schneider told the paper he won’t take any action. Schneider has donated nearly $1,000 to the same county party that would be the beneficiary of the fundraiser.

“This is a clear violation of state law and those involved should be held accountable,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. “Using state resources to raise political funds is illegal and for the county prosecutor to ignore it is irresponsible and reprehensible. Are Republicans above the law in Grand Traverse County?”

“We call for an immediate investigation by Attorney General Bill Schuette into the matter and for the county prosecutor to recuse himself due to his conflict of interest,” added Brewer. “These violations cannot go unpunished. Even Snyder’s spokeswoman called these actions, ‘a serious lack of judgment.’ We need to get to the bottom of this – who authorized this illegal activity in the Governor’s office and who knew about it?”

Motor City Liberal Comment: Asking a Republican to do the right thing would be like asking Godzilla not to step on buildings in Tokyo.

New MDP Video: Governor Snyder, Where Are the Jobs You Promised?

From the Michigan Democratic Party:

LANSING – The Michigan Democratic Party today released a new video, “Governor Snyder, Where Are the Jobs You Promised?” The video highlights policies and programs that Governor Snyder has implemented in his first six months – none of which has created a single job.

“Governor Snyder billed himself as a jobs creator but he is nothing more than a jobs killer,” MDP Chair Mark Brewer said. “Snyder has cost Michigan thousands of jobs in the past six months. Whether it’s slashing film credits, eliminating alternative energy credits, or passing a budget that eliminates jobs through cuts to public education and public safety, Governor Snyder is costing us jobs.”

“Where are the jobs you promised, Governor?” asked Brewer. “We need policies that will help to create jobs in this state, not eliminate them. It’s time for Snyder to step up to the plate and get our economy back on track. So far we’ve heard nothing but empty rhetoric with no action to back it up.”

You can watch the new video by clicking the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnT8bMBmHNc

Snyder’s First Six Months: Killing Michigan Jobs

I needz to be recall

From Michigan Democratic Party

LANSING – Six months into his tenure, Governor Rick Snyder has failed to sign one piece of legislation that helps to create jobs. After promising on the campaign trail and in his inaugural address to create jobs, Snyder’s policies have actually cost Michigan jobs.

“We’ve seen nothing from this Governor in six months except the elimination of jobs in Michigan.” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. “Whether it’s the repeal of item pricing, the cuts to film incentives, or his budget which is causing the layoffs of thousands of teachers, police, firefighters, and other public employees – Snyder has proven that all he knows how to do in office is kill jobs.”

“Just this past week we’ve seen even more jobs leave the state,” added Brewer. “A solar technology company in Brighton is leaving Michigan and taking jobs to Indiana. It joins several other companies who have left Michigan or created jobs elsewhere since Snyder became Governor. In six months, Snyder has broken his promise to create jobs. That’s not ‘reinventing’ Michigan. That’s ruining Michigan.”

Motor City Liberal Comment: What's that sound coming from the Michigan right wing blog sphere? It's the sound of crickets because they can't defend ONE damn thing this governor and that corrupt Republican super majority in Lansing are doing. 

MDP Releases New Video: Snyder Too Busy Partying to Worry About Job Creation

From Michigan Democratic Party

LANSING – Michigan Republican Governor Rick Snyder won’t focus on job creation until, “next year,” (Gongwer 3/29/11) because he’s too busy celebrating with his wealthy CEO buddies on Mackinac Island after giving them a $2 billion tax cut. The tax cut is paid for by raising taxes on seniors, middle class families, and low-wage workers and by cutting public education by $1 billion.

“Governor Snyder should be focusing his time and energy on creating jobs in Michigan rather than hosting parties at the Governor’s Mansion on Mackinac Island,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. “He’s up celebrating on Mackinac Island with his rich, corporate CEO buddies, while families are trying to keep their homes, kids are struggling to get a quality education, and unemployment is still above 10%.”

The new video includes footage from parties at both the Grand Hotel and the Governor’s Mansion on the Island.

“Snyder promised during the campaign to help put people back to work in Michigan,” added Brewer. “He has yet to sign one law that helps to create jobs and even said he won’t focus on jobs until ‘next year.’ People cannot wait until next year to put food on the table for their families. People need jobs now.”

You can watch the video by clicking the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJtCkIMjcD0

Governor Snyder - Are You Even Listening?

Snyder and Wealthy CEO Buddies Playing ‘Michigan Monopoly’

From Michigan Democratic Party

LANSING – The Michigan Lottery just announced a brand new Monopoly game last week, but Governor Rick Snyder and his fellow GOP lawmakers have been playing “Michigan Monopoly” ever since they took office in January.

“In Governor Snyder’s ‘Michigan Monopoly’ game, Snyder and his corporate buddies hold all the cards and get rich while everyone else in Michigan suffers,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. “Corporations are taking money from seniors, kids, middle class families, and low-wage workers just so CEOs can enjoy a nearly $2 billion tax windfall. Snyder and his buddies are busy hoarding Boardwalk and Park Place while everyone else is stuck on Baltic Avenue.”

“Snyder and the wealthy are passing ‘go’ and collecting $2 billion while the rest of us are left to pay the higher taxes, and endure cuts to public education and public safety,” added Brewer. “That’s not how we ‘reinvent’ Michigan, that’s how we ruin Michigan.”

The Michigan Democratic Party will be reminding people on the island about Snyder’s “Michigan Monopoly” by handing out Snyder’s “Chance” and “Community Chest” cards attached to Monopoly money.

Outraged By Cuts, Superintendent Asks Gov. Snyder To Convert Schools Into Prisons To Get More Funding

By Zaid Jilani

The conservative governors who were elected across the country last November have championedhuge cuts to public education spending while resisting efforts to raise revenues from the wealthiest among us. In Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) proposed cutting millions of dollars from the public education budget, and this week the GOP-controlled state senate passed a “contentious K-12 budget that cuts $470 per student from school districts.”

Outraged by these cuts, Nathan Bootz, the superintendent of Ithaca Public Schools, wrote a letter to the editor in a local paper proposing an idea that could come out of aJonathan Swift novel: if Snyder intends on draining funding from public schools, maybe Bootz should convert the schools in his district into prisons to get funding.

Noting that Michigan spends “between $30,000 and $40,000″ on each prisoner but can barely provide $7,000 per public school student, Bootz says that maybe we need to start treating “our students like they are prisoners, with equal funding“:

In these tough economic times, schools are hurting. And yes, everyone in Michigan is hurting right now financially, but why aren’t we protecting schools? Schools are the one place on Earth that people look to to “fix” what is wrong with society by educating our youth and preparing them to take on the issues that society has created. [...]

This is why I’m proposing to make my school a prison. The State of Michigan spends annually somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000 per prisoner, yet we are struggling to provide schools with $7,000 per student. I guess we need to treat our students like they are prisoners, with equal funding. Please give my students three meals a day. Please give my children access to free health care. Please provide my school district Internet access and computers. Please put books in my library. Please give my students a weight room so we can be big and strong. We provide all of these things to prisoners because they have constitutional rights. What about the rights of youth, our future?!

At the end of his letter, Bootz strikes a more serious note, writing that we need to give “our schools the resources necessary to keep our students OUT of prison.” According to statistics from city-data.com, his city, Ithaca, Michigan, has a higher poverty rate than the state average, and much of that poverty is concentrated in children under five years of age and teenagers.

UPDATESnyder "on Wednesday signed a bill drastically cutting business taxeswhile raising taxes on individual taxpayers, putting in place the biggest tax restructuring move since voters in 1994 fundamentally altered the way Michigan pays for public schools through Proposal A."

6,000+ people rally at the Michigan Capitol, Detroit newspapers write exactly zero words about it

by: eclectablog/blogging for Michigan/eclectablog.com

Saturday, over 6,000 people, mostly teachers and their supporters, rallied on the lawn of the Michigan State Capitol building to protest Governor Rick Snyder's cuts to education, used to fund an 86% tax cut for corporations.

This is what it looked like:

  

The major media outlets in Michigan seem to think it is not "news".

On Sunday, the day after the rally, the Lansing State Journal's webpage had an article three page scrolls down. Their headline was the East Lansing art festival.

The Detroit News did not have an article about it on their website's front page. In fact, they did not appear to have an article about the rally at all. Their big news: Bob Seger, aging has-been rocker, had his last show at the Palace in Detroit (which isn't in Detroit.)

The Detroit Free Press did not have a front page article on their website, either. They did have an article about the Rapture that didn't occur and how "many in Michigan believe world will end one day". I couldn't find reference to the rally anywhere on their website. Maybe they missed the article in their own newspaper that talked about the scheduled rally...?

Finally, I purchased a copy of the Sunday paper put out jointly by the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press. Not a single word about the rally was printed.

The two biggest newspapers in Michigan did not report a single word about a rally with over 6,000 people in attendance on the front lawn of the Capitol building. They did, however, have a picture of some tea partyers from Wisconsin on the Opinion page.

Tea partyers show up in a cluster of 15 people and a dozen reporters are there to cover it. Union members, in a stunning display of unity, show up by the thousands and the two largest newspapers in Michigan don't cover it. It is astonishing that event this large and this important went completely ignored by the News and Free Press.

We are being miserably failed by our media and our society is the worse for it. "Liberal media"? Please.

Motor City Liberal Comments: This has been the trend since gubernatorial race, Snyder was allowed to skate on vague answers to questions, he wasn't asked to give specific details on any given policy position and when Virg Bernero tried to make his record as CEO of Gateway known to voters the media pretty much act like Snyder's record at Gateway didn't exist. I'm all for Snyder being recalled but one of my reasons I believe this will come up short is the media isn't reporting on anything. Like in eclectablog's post the media isn't reporting on anything even 6,000 people showing up to protest. The only media outside Eclectablog and other bloggers that's been reporting what's going on with Snyder and the Republican controlled state house has been national progressive shows.

Campaign to recall Gov. Snyder to kick off Saturday with rally

BY DAWSON BELL

Opponents of Gov. Rick Snyder and his agenda will gather at the state Capitol again Saturday to kick off a long-shot recall campaign and to rally opposition to the governor’s budget proposals.

The back-to-back events run from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and will bring together a range of anti-Snyder groups, including teacher and other public sector unions.

But the rally will begin with the semi-official launch of the campaign to recall Snyder, a herculean task that will require organizers to collect the signatures of more than a million registered voters in just 90 days.

Tim Kramer, an organizer of the ad hoc recall committee, said Friday the group will rely heavily on grassroots activists, social networks andvolunteers to collect the signatures.

“We’re swamped with people who want to get involved,” Kramer said, while saying the campaign lacks funding or formal support from the same union and activist organizations that will join them at the Capitol.

Kramer said the recall committee had raised only a few thousand dollars so far and spent most of it printing petitions.

The recall kickoff will be followed by a rally organized by the Michigan Education Association and a group called We Are the People, liberal activists opposed to Snyder’s business and income tax overhaul, budget plan and other measures they regard as an assault on organized labor.

Weekday rallies promoted by the same groups have drawn several thousand people to the Capitol lawn on multiple occasions earlier this year.

For information on the Snyder recall campaign, go to:www.firericksnyder.org

Governor Snyder Explains "Shared Sacrifice"

by: bfealk via blogging for Michigan

I really don't understand his answer and what he means by "shared sacrifice."  It seems to me the Governor doesn't really understand the concept of shared sacrifice, unless he means sharing between old people and poor people.

Certainly wealthy people in Michigan are not sharing in the sacrifice.  They are benefiting from the sacrifice of the poor people and seniors in our state.  How is that really sharing?

Q  Governor, would you please explain what you mean by shared sacrifice?
A  I've talked about that many times.  When you have a billion and a half dollar budget deficit and a tough economy like this we need to be in this together.  And many of us have to make, hopefully just in the short term some sacrifice where in the longer term by making that sacrifice we can correct some major structural problems that have existed in Michigan for years to decades and then we can all move forward in a positive way and we're doing that in many respects with our tax and budget.
Q  But you're still hearing that the shared sacrifice is not really equally distributed.
A  Again, we have a very large state.  We have 10 million people.  It was done in a thoughtful way to say let's get this behind us so we can all move ahead.   One of the reasons for showing a 2013 budget is it shows we didn't need to make more cuts with the budget we proposed for 2012.  So we can get this behind us and we'll move forward.  Because the key goal here in terms of building our economy back is not fighting over a shrinking pie, but growing the pie by more and better jobs.  So the whole focus of our message here is focused on job creation and then we need to make that happen and the reforms we're proposing are putting us on a positive path, which will help all of us.

Michigan Approves Bill That Cuts Corporate Taxes By $1.7 Billion, Raises Taxes On Low-Income Families

By Pat Garofalo

Conservatives in several states, as we’ve been documenting, have moved in recent months to reduce their state corporate taxes at the same time that they’ve proposed raising taxes on low-income families and cutting services upon which their most vulnerable citizens depend. Last week, Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) lost his fight to eliminate Florida’s corporate income tax, in the highest-profile defeat the corporate tax-cutters have suffered yet.

However, Gov. Rick Snyder (R-MI) has been far more successful in getting his tax package through. Yesterday, in fact, the Michigan legislature approved Snyder’s plan, with some slight modifications, by narrow margins in both the state House and state Senate:

For months, Governor Rick Snyder has been trying desperately to enact massive business tax cuts paid for with new taxes on pension income and the elimination of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Unfortunately, a modified version of Snyder’s plan passed both houses of the state legislature yesterday and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk, where it will soon be signed into law…In the end, the most notable change to occur in the Senate was the reintroduction of the EITC, set at a level equal to 6 percent of the federal credit. Given that Michigan’s current EITC is equal to 20 percent of the federal credit, this change will still result in a steep tax hike on low-income families.

This amounts to an 86 percent cut in the state’s corporate income tax, exempting nearly 100,000 businesses from paying any corporate income tax at all, combined with a two-thirds reduction in the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (which goes to benefit low-income families). (Snyder originally wanted to eliminate the state’s EITC entirely.) As state Sen. Rebekah Warren (D) said, the plan represents a “significant tax shift”from business to those “who are the least among us.”

Adding insult to injury, there’s little guarantee that Snyder’s corporate tax cut will lead to job creation. Snyder himself confessed that “I can’t guarantee results.” State Sen. Jack Brandenburg (R) added that “there’s no guarantee that the tax cuts for businesses will generate a lot more jobs.” “The results are likely to be very disappointing,” said Timothy Bartik, senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Snyder Recall Moves Forward

By Laura Weber

A petition to recall Governor Rick Snyder was approved today by the Washtenaw County Election Commission.

The approval is the first step to getting the question on the ballot. Recall supporters would need to collect about 800,000 valid signatures in order to put the question before voters.

The petition language was approved by a 2-to-1 vote.

"Although we're disappointed, we respect their decision," says Attorney John Pirich, who represents the governor.

This meeting was held solely to approve the language of the petition, which states, among other things, that Governor Snyder "approved and signed various laws that take authority and funds from local governments."

"I think anyone who would read the language would see that not only is it not clear, in our opinion, but it's also very misleading in regard to events that have not occurred or events that are just completely inaccurate," Pirich says.

It's not an easy fight for the petition supporters, either. Tim Kramer of Michigan Citizens United says he knows they have a lot of work to do in the next few months.

"I think it's going to be pretty tough (to collect enough valid signatures), to be honest with you," he says. 

Kramer is most concerned with a new law Snyder signed this year that grants broad powers to emergency financial managers that step in and take control of struggling schools and local governments.

"That's a dictatorship, in my opinion," Kramer says. "You can't have that. You can't go in and remove the mayor of a city, just because you don't agree-basically he can do it because he doesn't agree with them, you know?"

Rachel Maddow Video: Hostile Nerd takeover

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Michigan teachers union backs Ann Arbor rally to protest Rick Snyder's U-M commencement speech

By Nathan Bomey

The Michigan Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said today that it is backing a rally to protest Gov. Rick Snyder's commencement speech Saturday morning at theUniversity of Michigan.

Doug Pratt, MEA's director of public affairs, confirmed that the union is supporting the "We Are the People" coalition, which is participating in an 8 a.m. rally at Pioneer High School's football stadium to protest Snyder's appearance across the street at Michigan Stadium.

But Pratt stopped short of endorsing a push by other groups to convince U-M graduates to turn their backs on Snyder while he's speaking.

"From MEA's standpoint, we're equally concerned about people making their voices heard AND respecting Saturday as a special day for U-M graduates and their families," Pratt said in an e-mail.

He added: "How the students comport themselves is up to them. ... We're not encouraging them to do anything other than our hope that they too are respectful of the day."

The involvement of the We Are the People coalition is sure to boost the crowd for the protest, which is being supported by several groups.

The We Are the People coalition drew thousands of protesters to a rally outside the capitol building in Lansing two weeks ago.

Organizers of the protest at Pioneer said Monday that they're expecting a crowd in the "low thousands." After the 1-hour rally, the protesters plan to march to sidewalks outside Michigan Stadium to protest while attendees arrive.

The protest comes as the MEA is asking its members to consider authorizing "crisis activities," including possible strikes, to fight Snyder's proposals. The MEA represents more than 157,000 teachers and school staff.

Michigan Town Hall Attendees Demand ‘Higher Business Tax’ Instead of Snyder’s Education Cuts

By Alex Seitz-Wald 

Angry residents confronted Republican state Sen. Tom Casperson at a town hall last week over his support for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) proposed budget, which — like those of many other GOP governors — would slash funding for education while cutting corporate taxes. Snyder’s budget would cut spending on education by $471 per student and reduce teachers’ pay and benefits. Yet while students and teachers are asked to sacrifice, Snyder’s budget would give huge tax breaks to businesses in the form of a flat 6 percent corporate tax rate.

At Casperson’s town hall in Marquette, Ishpeming school board member Mike Flynn joined numerous other constituents in speaking out against the cuts. Flynn said his district is already struggling to make ends meet, having shut down its middle school, laid off teachers and staff, and privatized its bus and custodial services. Flynn asked those in attendance to stand if the oppose education cuts. “Nearly everyone in the room jumped to their feet while cheering and clapping,” the Maquette Mining Journal reported.

Casperson responded that he was trying to minimize the impact on education, but that cuts are necessary. “What about a higher business tax?” one constituent shouted, met with cries of “yes!” from other attendees and a chorus of applause. Watch a video of the event shot by the Mining Journal and edited by ThinkProgress for length (full video here):

Several other attendees spoke passionately against Snyder’s budget, with one constitutes receiving applause for speaking out against cuts to services for “the most vulnerable” while the top “one percent” are given tax breaks. “This trickle down theory, we’ve tried it before — it doesn’t work,” she said. Meghan McLeod, a special education teacher, said that Snyder’s cuts may force her to move back in with her parents on her 25th birthday.

Meanwhile, as TPM’s Evan McMorris-Santoro reports, Michigan state Sen. Bruce Caswell (R) has suggested allowing children who receive public assistance to spend their meager $80 per year only at thrift stores, even though Caswell acknowledged his plan wouldn’t save the state “a dime.”

As one man at the Casperson town hall said, “I don’t recall you or most of the other people who are Republicans running on anything like what is being foisted upon our state right now.” His comment was met with boisterous applause.

M.C.L Comments:It's going to be fun watching the smug look getting rubbed off the faces of Nolan Finley and his right wing ilk next year. The Republicans thought they could get away with their attempt to kill the labor movement it failed look at Wisconsin and the only reason I believe the Rick Snyder recall might come up short is this if Ricky Snyder is recalled look who's taking over for him.  




Snyder might be gone but his even further right Lt. Governor takes over and giving an young right winger that much power is like giving an 3 year old an AK-47 with boatload of ammo it's both dangerous and stupid. I say we fight the Repugs on the legal stage and get rid of their majority at the voting booths next year.