(This should be a no-brainer for the Bishop-run Senate...but apparently not. - promoted by rich)
Sorry it took so long; I've had a busy week.
The press conference on Sudan divestment went great! We had good media turnout and good speakers. Our legislative speakers (Rep. Meisner, Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, and Rep. Knollenberg) did a great job, and showed that this is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, but a Michigan issue, and that it is unbelievable that the Senate Republican leadership (read: Mike Bishop, Ron Jelinek, and Cameron Brown) can't get behind it.
However, we need to still get the word out about our website. Progress Michigan launched www.divestsudannow.com as a way to get people to put pressure on their senators to get this middle of the road progressive legislation passed through.
Please, help get HB4854 and SB555 through the Senate after being passed 108-2 in the House. Tell your friends about this great legislation that gets $150 million out of the companies that have helped the Sudanese government kill over 400,000 and displace millions more, all without harming a single American worker or retiree. And tell them to visit www.divestsudannow.com.
PS: Thanks for the support, janeenr and liberalmomma! If you want to help out anymore, check out my profile and send me an e-mail!
Darfur is one of those issues that is ongoing yet seems to have fallen out of the collective consciousness. Despite a lack of interest, the violence has consistently increased, leaving these past two months the most violent and devastating yet.
We can do something to help here in Lanisng. House Bill 4854 (and its Senate complement, SB 555) would take Michigan's money out of the genocide and urge the supporters of these atrocities to change their ways. The $150 million of taxpayer money that is invested through the state public pension funds would be withdrawn from the foreign companies that give the Sudanese government its blank check to murder hundredes of thousands and inflict pain and suffering on millions more. 24 other states in the country have already done this; why haven't we?
The House of Representatives came together to pass this bill in July with a margin of 108-2, drawing the support of both Democratic and Republican leaders. The bills were sent to the Senate Appropriations committee. Due to a couple of activist Senators (i.e. Mike Bishop and Ron Jelinek), the legislation has languished for months without receiving a single vote.
We've had enough. Groups are coming together today in room 428 of the Capitol to launch a new drive to get this legislation passed. Please join Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, Rep. Marty Knollenberg, Rep. Andy Meisner, the Michigan Darfur Coalition, Sudanese Lost Boy David Chol Deng, and Spartans For Progressive Divestment at a press conference today at 12:30pm.
Even if you can't come, please blog about this issue. Let's raise awareness of the $150 million of taxpayer money that helps the companies that provide the Sudanese government with its tools of destruction.
Finally, please tell your Senator that you want your money out of genocide. Go to www.divestsudannow.com to learn how!
(Less than 24 hours and counting - what do you want to hear? - promoted by LiberalLucy)
It's that time of year again. Time for all of Lansing to gather together on the floor of the State House of Representatives and hear what Governor Jennifer Granholm has to say about the state's accomplishments in 2007 and where we're headed in 2008.
Many of you joined us last year for our State of the State open thread, and it's our hope that everyone will come back next Tuesday. as apparently I'm glutton for punishment because I'll be joining the fray again as an official credentialed member of the press and live-blogging from the Capitol.
The Governor's laid out some hints at what she'll be talking about, and given the craziness that was 2007, expectations are high that anything could go.
What do you think she'll be discussing? What do you want her to address?
On the flip side -
Senate Majority Obstructionist Mike Bishop (R-Lifetime supply of hair gel) won't pass up an opportunity to face the cameras after her speech and I'm sure the yappy House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Still Irrelevant) has already started preening for his airtime.
Who will the Senate Republicans sacrifice for their official response? Last year Sen. Tom "Milk Toast" George wore the deer-in-headlights look very well, but I doubt that we'll see him again. Personally I'm hoping for Sen. Michelle McManus (R-We're not in Kansas anymore Toto) because if nothing else, it'd make for some entertaining TV, but they are unlikely to put a woman up there to follow Granholm.
You decide - take the poll below and if your candidate for the Republican Response isn't listed, add yours!
While not as sexy as drug overdoses or the withering away of Fred Thompson’s presidential aspirations, the crisis in Darfur is still going on, unabated. Despite the lack of media attention, it is imperative that we act to help turn the situation around. Earlier this year, the African Union mission was replaced with a UN-Hybrid force. However, the Sudanese government has refused to allow this force the equipment it needs to carry out its mission, in addition to banning troops from some major donor nations. Unless this changes soon, this force will be rendered as ineffective as the AU force of old. Michigan can help. $150 million of taxpayer dollars are invested in companies that support President Al-Bashir’s genocide. If Michigan passes HB 4854 and SB 555, it would join with 22 other states in pressuring these companies to change their tune. Please help. Urge your state senator to call for the introduction and passage of these groundbreaking pieces of legislation. Together, we can make a difference.
Why am I even surprised to read this noon update from the AP?
House Democrats say they're ready to start moving budget bills now.
But Senate Republicans say votes won't occur until next week. That's because they want final agreement on sticking points before they pass other parts of the budget.
Translation: Mike Bishop and his band of not-so-merry men and angry women want to make sure that there are plenty of concessions for themselves before they say yes to anything that might make them look bad in the eyes of the ultra-conservative Right.
At what point do even the most right-wing of Michigan citizens throw up their hands and say enough is enough!?
And while Mikey primps for his next round of interviews with the press, state employees are continuing to feel the pain. This from the AP's Tim Martin -
As Michigan lawmakers work toward an agreement on a new spending plan, some state departments already are planning temporary layoffs and other cutbacks to make ends meet.
Sick, this just plain sick. Time to start emailing and calling your state legislators, again.
(The Senate is tied up in parliamentary knots, but it sure looks like a deal is trying to be passed - promoted by lpackard)
5:30 a.m. Fearing the mighty Pingree, the House is now gone at ease until 8 a.m. Senate still in recess. Hail Michigania.
5:28 a.m. Governor-Generalissimo Hazen Pingree seizes control of the liveblog feed.
4:48 a.m. Senate is back, SB 796 is given immediate effect, sent on to the Governor. Now back in recess.
4:27 a.m. Senate back again, third time's the charm? Recessing briefly (probably some more arm-twisting before the vote). OK here we go.. 21-17 the conf committee report is adopted, but not given immediate effect. SB 419 is concurred in but also not given immediate effect. SB 420 concurred in, didn't try for a vote for immediate effect. SB 421 is concurred in, same. Recessed for now.
4:06 a.m. Senate is back, trying again on 418. Everybody is looking tired, stumbling over words. It still doesn't pass, 18 yeses, 17 nos, 3 non-voting. Back to recess. (It's kinda interesting to see the senate stumbling now, after watching days of the house not managing to pass the income tax bill).
3:55 a.m. Now the House is standing at ease at the call of the chair.
3:37 a.m. Senate in brief recess, maybe to unsnarl itself.
3:19 a.m. Now the Senate is back. SB 418 (info here) has the state employees piece removed, conf committee report adapted. This is a part of the public employee health pools package. But then reconsidered, and not adapted. ??? HB 5257 (fees for corps) passes easily. HB 5258 easily passes.
3 a.m. House roll call done. There are still guests in the gallery? Must be truly dedicated. Now voting on HB 4185, explanation here. Passes unanimously. SB 796 also passes with no dissent. SB 1 (explanation here) passes. None of these are tax bills. SB 419 (explanation here) is concurred in. SB 549 (explanation here) passes, this is a part of the public employee health pools package. Now considering HB 4800 (explanation here) , this is about pension double-dipping for govt employees. Changes concurred in. Now working on SB 632 (this is a series of bills on gov't efficiency), it passes easily. Now working on SB 395 (explanation here), also easily passes. And SB 396 (explanation here), also passed easily. They're moving through these bills like there's a government shutdown hanging over their heads or something. Now SB 397 (info here) passes. And SB 398 (info here) is being considered, and passes. Guess these folks want to go home tonight. That's all of that series.
2 a.m. Twas the night before absolutely-positively-I-mean-it-this-time D-Day and all through the House, not a creature was stirring.. Ok, actually it looks like a few people are stirring. But no news. Something must be going to happen though, or the Senate and House would have cleared out already. Right? Bueller..?
1:39 a.m. All quiet on the western front.
12:25 a.m. Looks like the House is waiting for HB5194 to come to the floor. Time for board (bored?) games! How about Clue? Or maybe Life?
12:12 a.m. Meow! Over in the Senate, Alan Sanborn is offended by fellow Republican Roger Kahn's prayer - he wanted to offer a "no vote" statement to it. Guess I shoulda paid closer attention, it even seems to have flummoxed Senator Thomas. Now recess at the call of the chair.
12:10 a.m. In the House, it's Roll Call time. The Board is mostly green with about a dozen legislators MIA. Wonder where Agema is... oh wait, he's hunting wabbits. Sheepy wabbits in Wussia.
Call it what you'd like - D-Day, Doomsday, Day of Reckoning, T-minus 1, you name it, but the question is - what is it going to take for our state leadership to get over this budget mess? The Government has been wrangling with this issue for a long time. We keep hearing 'Shutdown' and it could start happening any minute.
The Michigan Liberal Community is very unfortunately not representative of the majority of Michigan's citizens, because by your very presence here, you indicate that you are politically active. Most of the state is not, representative by both their lack of voting and knowledge about civics and government in general.
So you tell us -
What do you think it's going to take for the 10+ million citizens to stop the apathy and start the activism?
What will it take for the government to avoid a shutdown?
What's going to happen to you if the state government has to shut down?
Use this blog and this forum as an additional means of making your voice heard. Be sure to keep emailing, calling and otherwise contacting your elected officials as this entire process continues.
Even though it's not necessarily unexpected news, it is sad nonetheless. From the LSJ -
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she may have to start a partial state government shutdown by Friday.
If no deal is reached by Thursday solving the state's budget deficit, she said the state will have to start taking steps that would affect Detroit casinos, liquor sales, state parks, state welcome centers and a variety of services such as processing motor vehicle titles.
State programs that protect citizens' health and safety, such as state police patrols, will continue, she said.
"In the event the Legislature forces us into a partial government shutdown, it is our intention to continue the most vital services until a budget resolution is reached," Granholm said in a statement Wednesday.
It was the governor's first public statement on what services may be shut down and which will be kept open if a shutdown occurs. She said that, if no agreement is reached by Thursday, a shutdown will have to be initiated on Friday.
It's like a bad train wreck. Unless you've called, emailed, or even visited your legislators office, all we can do is sit there and watch it happen. What will it take? A mob with pitchforks and torches?
[Cross-posted at DKos (http://www.dailykos....) and written for non-Michiganders, but thought some here may find it interesting]
Here in the Mitten State (or Wolverine State), we've been getting slapped around for a while. In the late 1970's and early 1980's there was an exodus from the state as the U.S. auto industry hemorrhaged jobs and money. Things stabilized, eventually, and with the exception of a dip in the 1991 recession, the times were pretty good. When SUV sales took off, with concomitant massive profits for the Big 3, in the 1990's, Michigan was again awash in high wages and expanding auto plants. Overtime was commonplace. Auto workers were getting bonuses of several thousand dollars. Employers in the lower part of the state had trouble filling positions because employment demand was so strong. The Ford truck plant in Wayne, which made the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, grossed over $11 billion in 1998. [http://www.gladwell....] The State of Michigan was awash in money. So, how did the Great Lakes State invest this money?
This little piggy went to the Capitol, got busted and put back in its pen exactly where it belongs.
As some targeted House Democrats have already said once, "I'm not afraid of that pig!" Seems as if they aren't the only ones.
As Wilbur Mr. Perks becomes more and more exposed for the out-of-state hack he is, I have a feeling you'll see more and more pulled pork sandwiches around the Capitol, by Democrats and Republicans alike.
For whatever it's worth, I'm sure that if the Department of Agriculture were to inspect this pig, I'm sure you'd find a serious case of Hoof and Mouth Disease, or is that Foot-in-Mouth Disease?
Wondering what Senate Republican cuts mean for Michigan's state employees? Consider it a major blow below the belt.
According to a Senate Fiscal Agency report from 9/23/07, here's how the cuts breakdown by department.
Attorney General - 107
Civil Rights - 25
Community Colleges - 38
Corrections - 1,300
Education - 44
Environmental Quality - 143
Human Services - 268
Judiciary - 59
Legislative Attorney General - 31
State - 80 Treasury - 137
Total State Jobs Cut - 2,232
Two thousand, two hundred and thirty two jobs will be cut if the Senate Republicans have their way. I wonder how those 2,232 people feel about that?
So we're talking about prison guards, investigators and administrative help from the AG's office, the people that print the pension and welfare checks, air and water inspectors, and that's just the very top of the list. I'm sure it's a very tiny blip in the day of a Senate (and House) Republican.
Must be nice not to care about how you're going to pay your mortage, put food on the table, clothe your kids, or put gas in the car so you can get to work. C'est la vie, right?
Please send a strong signal to our state legislators that they can no longer delay action in resolving Michigan's unprecedented budget crisis, and take action by signing an online petition at: www.nopaypoliticians.com.
The petition calls on legislators' $79,650-a-year salary and benefits to be DOCKED if they do not pass a budget that invests in Michigan's citizens and our future by Oct 1. That means passing a budget that provides funding for police and fire protection, schools, health care, roads, protection for our precious Great Lakes and many other services.
In the real world, you only get paid when you do your job. The rules should be the same for our elected officials in Lansing. Send a message to your legislators and let them know citizens expect them to do their jobs - or lose their pay.
Groups backing the petition say legislators would be quick to work together and pass long term solutions to the state's fiscal crisis if their own financial security was on the line - not just Michigan families.
I ask all citizens to visit the website and sign the "No Budget, No Pay for Politicians" petition today," said Linda Teeter, Executive Director of Michigan Citizen Action. "We need to send a message to the Legislature that they need to act as responsibly as the hard-working men and women of this state - and do the job that we elected them to do. It is time for the Legislature to get their job done, or their pay should be docked."
I'm once again live from the Capitol and rest assured MichLib has operatives watching both the House and the Senate this evening.
Right now the House is going to be whipping through seven bills that merely extend the fees for various state services that would typically run out at the end of fiscal year on Oct. 1st.
These bills only extend the fees, they do not raise, lower, or anything else significant.
You're angry, I'm angry, they're angry, we're all really angry. Most of us can't possibly understand how it could have gone on this long or this far, and yet it still has. As I described to a friend earlier, there don't seem to be enough four-lettered words out there to describe the levels of frustration and anger.
Perhaps I've been entrenched at the House for too long, perhaps I've developed a political Stockholm Syndrome and I feel for my Democratic 'captors', or perhaps there's still a shred of logic left in my tired, sleep deprived brain, but I'm going to take the more unpopular road for just a moment.
Have we forgotten about the Senate?
Yes, it'd be nice if all 58 Democratic House members could just hit the green button and head home. If that had been the case, we'd never be having this discussion. It'd be done and over, period.
However, thanks to that little 'wrinkle' that is our great system of checks and balances, it has one other body to get through first, the Senate. Most unfortunate for us is the so-called leader Republican Mike Bishop, who despite the copious amounts of hair product and vanity in his possession, is still the majority vote leader.
Already proven himself to be the biggest obstructionist of them all, I really doubt that we'll ever find Bishop encouraging his members to vote for a Democrat-only House bill, and that leaves us back at the illogical political standoff at O.K. Corral, again.
Many of you have said this morning that we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but is it really crossable? Will a single party bill actually help or hinder the chances of preventing a government shutdown?
I'm convinced that this situation and these questions have been asked and played out in the minds of some of the state's most brilliant political strategists for months and months. Still the overwhelming factor crushing it all is the out-of-touch evil Bobsey Twins of Bishop and DeRoche of the House. They don't care and just like with small children, no one can seem to make them care.
So back to the Democratic vote only option. Dillon was asked this morning by a reporter whether or not it would pass the House as a Democrat-only bill, and he said that time was drawing very near, so for those of you shouting for that, rest assured that's a very real and near option. But again, what about the Senate?
We're at the impasse of picking our poison. Neither seems very desirable or healthy, because in the end, there's still that pesky Senate to get past.
