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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

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Snyder orders departments to prepare to fire state workers

By Todd A. Heywood | 07.20.11 | 7:17 pm

In preparation for the ongoing negotiations with state employee unions designed to force $145 million in concessions, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder ordered departments to prepare to fire some employees.

The $145 million in concessions were planned as part of Snyder’s recently passed budget. Under that budget, Snyder and the Republican dominated legislature eliminated the state’s Michigan Business Tax and surcharge, replacing it with a six percent flat tax. That move added to a budget deficit of $1.2 billion or so. As a result, the GOP hammered away at the budget removing exemptions on property taxes and instituting an income tax on the pensions of retirees. In addition, the lawmakers and governor significantly reduced a tax credit for the working poor.

But now Bloomberg News reports the governor has ordered state agencies to prepare a firing plan “as a last resort.”

Bloomberg also reports that UAW local 6000 has planned negotiations next Tuesday. All the contracts for state employees end Sept. 30 at midnight — the state’s fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. The negotiations will impact some 47,000 employees. The last resort firing plan has not been ironed out enough for the state to have solid numbers on how many employees might be fired if union negotiations fail to garner the state the sought after $145 million in concessions.

This is bad news in light of unemployment numbers for June, which were released by the state Wednesday. The report shows the state has an overall unemployment rate of 10.5 percent.

“Halfway through 2011, Michigan’s labor market has shown no significant changes since the beginning of the year,” said Rick Waclawek, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives for the state. “Since January, statewide payroll jobs were little changed and the jobless rate edged down by two-tenths of a percentage point.”

Comments

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PDLH3QUXMS6IETK6X43M7UK64M Bobbie

    rather than negotiate in good faith, like a good boss, gov rick snyder would rather set up a take it or leave it scenario so common with other newly elected republican governors.  mich just gave $2 billion in tax breaks to corps.  now to pay for that, the middle class must ante up concessions.  how republican is that?

    • http://twitter.com/neoconned Neo Conned

      As a union member and former local officer involved in contract “negotiations”, i can attest that Rick Snyder is only emulating the strategy of the private sector which has been in use since Reagan ousted PATCO. Those Rick Snyder truly serves (and that group isn’t the people of Michigan) won’t be satisfied until the minimum wage floor is completely removed, and that can’t happen while any unions remain viable.

      • http://www.facebook.com/april.m.morgan April Michele Morgan

        That’s sure part of it!  But don’t underestimate them…their aims are much higher than even Reagan had.

  • Anonymous

    Listen up United States of Corporate America…Soon we will all have nothing left to lose…then the real change will begin. Not the fake change you have wrought via your purchase of our government. We are going to forclose on your butts and there will be no bailouts!

  • Anonymous

    Where’s all the jobs that Snyder’s big corperate giveaway was suppose to have created? Any prospects on the horizon? NO? Nothing? You mean that they’re just holding onto the money and using it as profits? Giving themselves big bonuses for being so business savvy and shrewd? Sound familiar folks?
    And BTW, who’s suppose to buy all of these new products that are going to magically appear in our local stores and boost the economy? If we all have to take a tax hit, lose benefits that will now come out of our pockets if we want to continue to feed our children or become unemployed if we want to bargain in good faith? Good luck with that one brainiac. Also, the unemployment numbers ticked up two tenths only because people ran out of benefits and were dropped from state statistics. If you ask me NERD stands for Non Effective Republican Demigod!  Recall this jerk!!!

    • Thomas Allen

      Maybe corporations are saving those new jobs for the 13,000 that will lose welfare benefits in October!

  • Anonymous

    If you live in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area , there are recall petitions at Pioneer High Parking lot, Veteran’s Park and several locations at the Art Fair. 

  • http://twitter.com/kelleydeewi KelleyDee

    RECALL THAT TURD! Wisconsin stands with you! A people united shall never be defeated!

  • Thomas Allen

    My wife and I signed the recall petition last night. If you go to FireRickSnyder.org, you can find out if/where signing events are being held in your county – but hurry (time is about to run out).

  • http://www.facebook.com/april.m.morgan April Michele Morgan

    They are purposefully bringing the state into bankruptcy.  Once all the smoke clears, there will be a frenzied buying of all the bankrupt properties.   A few will walk away with billions.  The rest of you will just have to make due.  It’s called looting.  The Republicans are experts at it, and have been for a very long time.  Eventually there will be no one to sell to in that state, but hey! there’s all kinds of business and buyers in ‘emerging’ nations!

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=621836715 Kevin Schmidt

      After the recall, those sales will be declared null and void. An illegitimate government does not have the legal authority to sell off assets owned by the people.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1684061804 Chuck Boomgaard

    What we need is a recall vote to recall the unions. They along with the Clinton signed NAFTA agreement are the reasons our Michigan jobs are in Mexico. Everybody has to give to get this state budget and economy back on track. And it would help if the union gets out of the white house too.

    • No More Myths

      Sadly, NAFTA was signed by George H.W. Bush on December 17, 1992. It was signed into law December 8, 1993 by Clinton and fully ratified and implemented on January 1, 1994.  The movement for free trade in North America began as a Republican initiative.  During its planning stages, NAFTA was heavily criticized by Reform Party
      presidential candidate Ross Perot, who argued that if NAFTA was passed,
      Americans would hear a “giant sucking sound” of American companies fleeing the
      United States for Mexico, where employees would work for less pay and without
      benefits. Clinton definitely screwed up.  Instead of vilifying the workers, we need to recall the corporations that do not operate with the best interest of protecting workers rights and the environment.  They make their millions in profit and trample over the nation that afforded them the ability to operate.  Take unions out of the equation, and there will be corporate domination and exploitation…even worse than what there is now.  Quality of life and a livable wage for the majority is being strangled.  All the while, those that back the corporate exploiters, continue to kick the workers that dare stand up for their rights and the rights of others, even as they are hanging on by a thread.  A shame, really. 

  • George Washington Hayduke

    Glad I voted for VIrg…

    Now all you sheep who crossed over because you grew tired of Jenny best realize you hold a lot of blame that you voted in this guy.

    Elections have consequences…

    when you gonna wake up?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VGQPF4SAS4BGFLDBZYCATHIVFY Chris Herz

    White working class America is learning that all those votes for Nixon, Reagan, Bush and the like meant something after all.  Could not happen to nicer people.

  • Eddie273273

    Just wait Snyder and Company are proposing another billion dollar give away to big business .

    Wonder who is going to have to pay for that ?

    Seniors again ?
     
    Retirees better get out of Michigan while they still can afford to . Or you will be eating dog and cat food with the rest of us .

    • Anonymous

      HELL NO!!     RECALL  SNIVELY NOW!!!!

  • CarmanK

    When did the americans who fought the wars for liberty and built this country with their bare hands become so  fearful, and inferior?? The majority of the people in this country work for a living, are honest and decent folk. And yet, we stand by and allow the likes of SUPER THIEF IN CHIEF take over the governor’s house in FL and give him the keys to the treasury. WALKER in WI has convinced people that right is wrong and he has all the answers. Snyder has so demonized govt workers that the people think they are getting what they deserve: pay cuts, being laid off,  made homeless, and starving their children. WHAT HAPPENED TO the american pride?? UNIONS lifted workers out of the gutters of the ROARING TWENTIES and moved this nation forward. Name one corporation that has sent their son or daughter to fight for this nation!! There is none. And we have surrendered all to them !! It is time for a WORKFORCE REBELLION!!

  • Anonymous

    It is my understanding that Snyder has HIS COMPANY IN CHINA…….Guess how much his workers are getting paid and how much he is making????

    • Anonymous

      i dont know but i wish you would post it. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CMVMEB2ESYAV6XTF4YRPXY3BAY Linda

    I just dont get it, I am a 99er, a UAW member. Our Great grandparent, grandparent, parent and ourselves fought for rights, some even died trying to establish Unions for everyones protection. They all paid into unemployment (where did monies go???) Dont let them break our Unions or next thing you know, our babies will be working. Put our UIA insurance monies back, this will fund unemployment until jobs are created for all ( permant extensions for all including anyone that has been layed off for longer that the 99ers in MI)

    We can pay for this by giving Universal Health Care to all and stop givning these monies to the for profits and the so called non profits??? We will have monies left over trust me. This will also take back some of the control that companies are using out there when they hire you for min wage (and let you buy into their company plans as a perk?) It will lower car insurance as we will all have health care. It will lower court cost as you will only be able to sue for pain and suffering. It will lower your home ins. because if someone gets hurt they will have coverage. Give everyone Medicare just add office visits and RX. It is already in place. Stop paying Dr and Ins companies thousands and millions. Trust me there will be monies to pay for it all and left over monies to put towards debt of USA.

    Give back the UIA that generations paid into and never used??? This will pay for the unlimited extension that is needed until jobs are created for all.

    Tax and tax and then tax again, all companies here in USA that do all their business in another country. You are FREE to do this if you so choose but you need to be taxed and taxed and taxed again for your freedom to do this.

    NAFTA??? I remember looking up at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron (unemployment at what 50% now??) and seeing all the trucks lined up and down 94 waiting for the go ahead of NAFTA. People were crying! We all knew it would come to no good.

  • Anonymous

    workers in state social services are doing triple the caseload they are supposed to have.   when even more workers get fired expect less adult protective services(investigating complaints of vulnerable and elderly regarding abuse, neglect, and exploitation)    who is going to protect these people?  believe me there are PLENTY that need protection.  i know i used to be an aps worker.

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