| Today is it ... by the end of it, we'll know if Michigan will spend the next two years fighting over Right to Work, or whether we can just get on with our lives. If I were a betting man, I'd look to the way that Senate Republicans in the U.S. Congress this week rejected a U.N. treaty to improve conditions for people with disabilities for guidance. In other words when given the choice of doing a smart, far-seeing thing or doing something entirely reactionary, stupid, divisive and petty, today's Republican Party will always, always, always go with the latter. Update! ... Press conference in less than an hour introducing two different Right to Work bills. Leastways, that's what you're all telling me on social media. I'm in Mt. Pleasant, contemplating our local year in horrific crime. By the way, the latest from Teh Demas is worth reading. But the backdrop of this debate is striking -- and worth noting. Obama was the one who won by 9.5 points last month. Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow had the 21-point victory. Republicans hemorrhaged five seats in the state House. And Republicans are the ones who control the House, Senate and governor's mansion. Which is why they believe, that in spite of their embarrassing drubbing in the election, that they can ram through legislation to punish their No. 1 political enemy: the unions.
We've finally gotten to the point where I don't think any normal person observing this from outside can conclude that our lawmakers actually think it's their job to serve the public, rather than their own agendas. |
