Feb 28, 2013
Rich Robinson, of the watchdog group Michigan Campaign Finance Network, is reporting that in the 2012 election, Michigan judicial races were by and large bought and paid for by shadowy third party issue ads. Robinson finds that “Just 25% of $18.6M spent was reported to the State”. That’s $14 million in dark money. His concern is that, not only [...]
Feb 28, 2013
Illinois is the next state on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)‘s target list for putting the oil industry’s interests ahead of the public interest. 98 percent funded by multinational corporations, ALEC is described by its critics as a “corporate bill mill” and a lobbyist-legislator dating service. It brings together corporate lobbyists and right wing politicians to [...]
Feb 28, 2013
The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed states to opt out of the law’s Medicaid expansion, leaving each state’s decision to participate in the hands of the nation’s governors and state leaders. A roundup of what each state’s leadership has said about their Medicaid plans February 27, 2013 Text last updated on Feb. 26, [...]
Feb 27, 2013
Governor John Kasich has made clear that he wants to privatize the schools of Ohio as much as possible with vouchers, charters, and online schools. His new budget reflects his attitude toward public education. This report came from Jan Resseger in Cleveland. Jan works tirelessly on behalf of equity and social justice. It is likely [...]
Feb 27, 2013
Described as laggards for their failure to address investor concerns, the oil and gas giants face shareowner resolutions addressing environmental and social risks associated with hydraulic fracturing. SocialFunds.com — Shareowners have filed 11 resolutions this year with oil and gas companies, requesting that they quantifiably measure and reduce the environmental and social impacts of hydraulic [...]
Feb 27, 2013
Michigan’s Gov. Rick Snyder has thumbed his nose at the suggestion he develop a nonpartisan process in screening potential appointees to the Michigan Supreme Court. In the wake of the scandalous resignation of Justice Diane Hathaway, the national court- watchdog group, Justice at Stake, urged the governor to set-up a nonpartisan screening commission to aid [...]
Feb 26, 2013
As an example of how secretive people are about their membership or involvement in the American Legislative Exchange Council – if you Google “Steve Seale” “American Legislative Exchange Council” you get twelve hits – eight unique hits. And if you Google “C. Stevens Seale” “American Legislative Exchange Council” You get four hits. YET – “Steve [...]
Feb 26, 2013
Some Michigan Democrats are holding a press conference today in Lansing that Republican lawmakers and the Snyder administration intend to completely ignore. The name of the group is Save Our EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit), and they are on a mission to keep families and children out of poverty — not a top priority of the [...]
Feb 26, 2013
A bill introduced by Montana State Rep. Steve Lavin (R-ALEC) would give corporations the right to vote in municipal elections: Provision for vote by corporate property owner. (1) Subject to subsection (2), if a firm, partnership, company, or corporation owns real property within the municipality, the president, vice president, secretary, or other designee of the [...]
Feb 25, 2013
Michigan House Rep. Greg MacMaster (R-105) is offering a partial solution to the state’s road funding crisis in the face of corporate lobby groups hammering lawmakers to make fixing the roads a top priority. MacMaster, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections told his good buddies at the Mackinac Center that the state can save around [...]
