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Subscribe to RSSReuters has the story behind the Michigan “right-to-work” push, started by two freshman representatives, one of whom was formerly a Tea Party activist. “Republicans executed a plan - the timing, the language of the bills, the media strategy, and perhaps most importantly, the behind-the-scenes lobbying of top Republicans including Snyder,” Reuters writes, adding, “November elections turned out to be key to the December move. House Republicans lost five seats, making passage in January a more difficult proposition than pushing through legislation in the lame-duck session. But the November elections had also served up a crushing referendum defeat for unions, which Republicans saw as a sign that public opinion would be behind them in their move to curb organized labor's power.”
More: “A group linked to the conservative billionaire Koch Brothers, owners of an energy and trading conglomerate who are reviled by unions and Democrats, held three conferences in Michigan in early 2012 on right-to-work featuring renowned conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. Three Republican presidential candidates including Romney and some 1,500 activists attended the last conference on February 25 sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, four days before Breibart's death. The right-to-work campaign gathered momentum when the activists linked up with Dick DeVos, the son of Richard DeVos, co-founder of Michigan-based Amway, and Ronald Weiser, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and ambassador to Slovakia under President George W. Bush.”
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It should be a priority of democrats to take back the state governments during the next several election cycles.
Republicans have made clear they care not for democracy. Rather, their single concern is political power.
However they must undo democracy (particularly in the states) to achieve that power is what we should expect.
Contact---- http://www.democrats.org/about/in_your_state/null ----to learn how you can help.
my fear is, it's too late. Republicans are operating outside our elected government - why else would DeMint be "promoted" from U.S.Senator to director of a conservative think tank? Why else are House Republicans ignoring public opinion on the tax cuts for the wealthiest?
Democracy is so "last year." Republicans don't care if they win or lose elections anymore. They are controlling the country through other means.
If the GOP can kill off all of the unions across the country they end the democrat parties largest contributors, thus they will win elections and buy their way into office....
The Right to Work is a sham for special interest and huge money donations to politicians in congress...
Follow the money and find out who's taking money and where they put/hide the money, and then, maybe we will solve the problems in Washington....
Democrats are not prevented from donating money and/or effort because they are not union members. The majority of democrats are not union members.
Granted, unions are an extremely valuable organizing and contributing force for the democrat party. But, democrats' demographic prospects trump our setbacks in organized labor. President Obama demonstrated, through his use of the internet and (esp.) social media, that the organizational strengths of unions, while still important, are not essential to democrat electoral successes.
We must not allow pessimism to paralyze us. We should work hard to regain strength at the state level. It is VERY possible.
Amy, I don't think its too late. But we must combat with like tools. They have taken over the media in my town, and this has happened across the country. All four radio stations are controlled by the same outfit who has one station devoted to nothing but conservative B. S. with capitals. I have seen the attitudes and some votes go to the party of me, me, me., since that event happened in the early 90's., Of all the people to be effected by the Rush institute, union mailmen are spewing the same stuff. I lay that onto their choice of radio because why else would a union mailman denounce unions that have bargained them a decent living wage, and benefits?
Amy, trust me on this, when liberals get enough there will be a backlash and a slam dunk take over of all government by democrats. Last election is a indicator of things to come, especially if congress does not come to a palatable deal on this F.C., It won't go good for the republicans as they are defying the wishes and wants of a majority of this country and they need to give in to Obama or be thumped. Even many moderate republicans are sick of Grover Norquist and his party of treason.
In order for there to be truly representative government, you need to eliminate gerrymandering of election districts. Wisconsin, Ohio, Penn. and Michigan GOP's have so gerrymandered their state and federal legislative seats since 2010 that it is all but impossible to flip these statehouses or the US House of Reps even if there was the equivalent of a FDR-Landon, LBJ-Goldwater landslide. If you want change, you must demand your elected reps and governors to take a stand for non-partisan commission drawing of districts, and demand that districts be re-drawn after 2014. Democratic elected officials must be willing to sacrifice their super majority, minority districts. In other words, Black and Hispanic elected officials have to be willing to "go off the cliff." The GOP knows that that won't happen, and because of that, they can control the process.
the only way to take back michigan is to initiate a statewide strike.
this is what happens when a businessman runs a non-business.
I agree kr, however that will only work if most every worker in the state both Union and non-union agree to strike. A vote ought to be taken some how. I'm retired so at this point I am safe from the tyranny of what the republican party has become in this state. They are even defying state laws to pass laws. If folks could make a "day without a Mexican" look like something important just think of how a day without the worker would go.
If we don't get rid of the republicans, we're doomed to be ruled by a dictator. Is this what you tea people republicans really want? Dictators do not care about the citizens, it only cares about it's power, money and how to get more. Think about it tea people republicans, you're already living under a dictatorship by following your big money republican leaders without knowing where they are taking you. Wise up, if not for yourself for your children and grandchildren.
Ignoring public opinion? What about the 56% of the public that DID NOT want Obamacare? What about that public opinion.
And let's see, Breitbart speaks at a conference that is anti-union, and 4 days later he's dead... hmmmm.... nahhhhh, couldn't be.... could it?
What about it you sick S.O.B.? The fact is most of you stink don't have the facts about Obama care and are still wrong today about and still spreading lies about it. Hell, I still see Nancy Pelosi's misquote, which is like most of the "facts" that you stench have. Obama care is a good thing. We join the rest of the world in making sure the human right of ability to seek and receive medical care at the basic level is met. Every other country in the world has national health care except for South Africa. They do it cheaper and 37 other countries do it better then we do. The closest country to us pays half what we do. What is wrong with you, that you cannot see that Obama care will lower our cost in time.
John you have to move upwind of the Kellogg plant. The fumes from the corn flakes are killing your brain cells.
How about that $63 per employee per year for three years to kick in in 2014 to help offset the costs that are going to be incurred by including preexisting conditions? We all pay for others and that wasn't what it was supposed to be about.
Shut up stupid.
Hey stupid, answer this. How can every other country in the world, that has some form of public health care do it cheaper, not only cheaper but half the cost or less then we do and yet 37 rank higher in the area of quality of service then we do? How is it they provide service to every citizen and we leave 50 million without access? When you can answer those questions intelligently we can talk until that time and I mean this STFU.
You bring up a good point Tony...Although this site tends to lean democratic, I doubt any of the republicans in office today were voted in by democrat voters. So although they may be ignoring the overall public opinion, they might very well be representing those constituents who put them in office...
It seems that since Obama won, many democrats feel that all opposition to democratic ideas should disappear. However, Obama won the overall election by roughly 2%, so there's clearly many in this country who disagree with the democrats approach, and their disagreement didn't just stop based on the outcome of the election.
President Obama had a 3.7% popular vote lead when all votes were counted. Compare this to President G. W. Bush's 2.4% lead after the 2004 election. Please remember that President Bush, supported by conservative pundits and media, declared that he (and the election) was a "mandate" to further his agenda. For some to fault President Obama for making the same claim with an even higher popular and electoral college vote difference than President G. W. Bush is rather "interesting" and demonstrates their bias.
That said, ALL Americans should be represented by Congress and the President. And ALL Americans should work to better our county instead of whining, fussing, placing blame, and being obstructionists. Work within the system.
Any politician who claims they have a mandate when over 47% of the voters were against them is wrong in my book (whether Bush or Obama made that claim). Although they may have won the election, they do not have a mandate, and instead have a very divided constituency.
However, I certainly wouldn't expect Obama to cave on all the key issues that he ran on, just like I don't think anyone should expect republicans who just won their local elections to cave on all the key issues they ran on.
Maine is the least business friendly state? Michigan? The Seattle Times last year said that Washington State was the least friendly. The the Portland Oregonian said Oregon was the least business friendly state.
People are really funny sometimes. The grass is always greener somewhere else, and here at home we are worse than everyone else. Maybe we would all do well to lift our heads up a bit and take a look around. What would be found is that we are not better or worse than everyone else; maybe just a bit different.
Some of what unions have done is coming back to haunt them. Sure, they have been great in ensuring decent wages for their members. Without unions we wouldn't have paid vacations, sick leave, safe working environments, and 8 hour work days. That stuff is a given in most non-union places today so what do the unions do to get more and more for their people? They ask for more in medical insurance and retirement benefits. As more and more retire the companies, cities and towns, can not afford to pay what the unions asked for. Some are renegotiating contracts where instead of retiring at 50 they have to wait until 65 or so. Instead of a pension where they receive normal pay for many years they are having to take less like the rest of us.
The facts are, unions have done good things, unfortunately they have gone too far with so much of it, now that companies close (Hostess) because they simply can't afford the extras. Keeping a level playing field goes both ways. While I am not opposed to unions and I don't favor unregulated companies I do favor a solution where all benefit with some give and take on both sides.
Adler, with respect to Hostess: 1) the Unions had already made concessions; 2) there were "private investment" companies (Ripplewood Holdings and Silverwood Capitol) in control of the finances and were leveraging debt to provide payouts for their investors (vulture capitalism anyone?); 3) Hostess had "borrowed" over a billion dollars of the employees' self-funded pension plan in order to pay benefits to the private investors and for company operations - this was large part of the debt that Hostess decided it didn't want to pay back http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hostess-maneuver-deprived-pension-051400720.html; 4) Hostess made over a billion dollars last year, yet due to the payouts and other expenses reported a $310 million dollar loss - which they then blamed directly on the unions; 5) in spite of all this, Hostess CEO wanted to pay out bonuses in excess of $1.75 million to 19 executives http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/29/news/companies/hostess-bonuses/index.html
It is a shame that this is such a fundamental philosophical divide (although that's not really the best word to describe it). It is akin to the core dispute about whether the King James or Catholic Bible is more authoritative. Whether any form of religion or prayer should be taught in public schools because this makes good citizens. People forget that even though there is the Establishment clause in the Bill of Rights, required reading from the King James Bible was commonplace - this in part led to the creation of Catholic schools in America. The fundamental divide is who has control in the work place. Is there to be a balance between the individual worker and the group, and between the worker or group and the business owner? Some within the GOP and especially those in Mitt Romney's circle have an almost religious opposition to idea that workers have an inherent right to organize and collectively bargain the terms of employment with a business owner. This is simply pure heresy to them. It has nothing to do with economic analysis and everything to do with their view that the worker/laborer is entitled only to those benefits that the business owner sees fit to provide. That the business owner is owed total autonomy. It is very difficult to reach any sort of compromise with this sort of mindset.
amazing. if you have anti-union sentiments, poof! your posts get deleted. since you won't see it here or on nbc, cbs, or abc, let alone msnbc or cnn, check out the blaze to see what unions do best-- violence to innocent citizens and businessmen. not to mention calling him the n-word and uncle tom for doing his job. classy as usual, union thugs.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/union-thugs-destroy-hot-dog-stand-of-alleged-romney-supporter-in-lansing-and-taunt-him-with-racial-slurs/