As many feared during the lead-up to the May 2015 election, the failure of Prop 1 to pass meant bad things to come from the MI Legislature in their effort to find money for road repair.
URGENT: One of the bad things out of the MI Legislature is the bill now awaiting Snyder's signature that would
allow publicly funded faith-based adoption agencies to refuse service to LGBT couples on religious grounds.
Please see this recent diary by Kerry Eleveld for more details, including a link to Eclectablog's reportage on this issue.
Call Snyder's office to express your objection to this awful legislation and ask him to veto it: 517.373.3400
(h/t to DoReMI for this item)
Today, the MI House voted 57-52 (some Republicans crossing the aisle) to completely eliminate the last vestige of the state Earned Income Credit, as part of a 12-bill package to fund $1.1 billion in road fixes.
According to this MLive report:
The plan is largely reliant on existing state revenue, eventually dedicating $792 million a year in general fund money to roads while diverting $134 million in funding for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
House Minority Leader, Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills), was quoted in the same article:
"To pay for this by raising taxes on the working poor and working middle class families who are struggling to get by, while the state has lavished tax break after tax break on corporations, is shameful."
This is yet another effort to balance the state's budget on the backs of the poor. What's more, this funding stream is not only regressive but inadequate: an estimated $1.2 billion MORE is needed to bring roads up to par.
Refreshingly, the comments in MLive are a bit less heartless than usual. So far, the most popular response is this snarky one from KLD:
Nice plan you've got there. Take some money from poor people, shift some funds around, and hope that the economy magically grows to finance road repairs.
That ought to do the trick.
Oh, Michigan. More important to organize for change now than ever.
ACTION OPTION: Online petition to indicate your opposition to the MI EITC elimination is here.
[Thanks to Muskegon Critic for his diary, Michigan's GOP Raising Taxes on the Poor to Pay for their Incompetence, on this same subject.]
Please join me over the jump for other MI news.
In another development that comes as no surprise to anyone paying attention, Belle Isle, our newest "State Park," continues to be raided for private profit, with the public suffering the loss.
Lou Mleczko, a long-time Detroit newspaper reporter and union activist, recently posted this challenge at Deadline Detroit: "Red Bull Race on Belle Isle Raises Question About Purpose of State Park."
We keep being told that Belle Isle is a "public park", but as the tear down of the Grand Prix track continues, the public has virtually no access to the west end of the island where the Scott Fountain, Casino and Sunset Point are located.
What other state park in Michigan allows motor sport racing like we're experiencing at Belle Isle? Local broadcast and print media repeatedly boast of the park improvements made by Penske Inc., but what they don't tell their readers and viewers is that these improvements are limited only to the race track area of Belle Isle.
They are of, by and for the Grand Prix and other motor sports races. The rest of the public has been segregated to the island's eastern two-thirds. I visited during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
When I attempted to access the Scott Fountain, a Penske security guard waived me off. I said “this is a public park” and he responded: “You have the rest of the island.”
I do not know yet what effective push back will be. But these exploitative efforts, added to the recent announcement of a
youth curfew during the Freedom Festival on the Detroit Riverfront, suggest more of the same: an intent to limit public access to common goods to those who can pay for the privilege.
What's that? You haven't heard about this draconian proposal to constrain all Detroit youth throughout the city? Here's more on it, from the MI ACLU: Youth Curfew Proposal Threatens to Transform City into a Police State
Fearing the creation of a “police state” in Detroit just as the city is gearing up to celebrate American freedom, the ACLU of Michigan this week presented to the Detroit City Council a letter urging council members to vote down a proposal to impose an unprecedented four-day curfew on minors during local Fourth of July celebrations later this month.
“Essentially, what this proposal does is criminalize every child who lives in the city of Detroit,” said Michael Steinberg, legal director of the ACLU of Michigan. “As bad as some of the past curfews have been, this is far worse than anything we’ve seen in terms of its scale and possible impact on our kids.”
The seven-page letter raises deep constitutional concerns over the suggested ordinance, which as currently proposed would last from June 19 to June 22 and require anyone under age 18 to be home between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless they have written permission from a parent or guardian. The ordinance would be in place for the duration of two popular Independence Day events in Detroit, the three-day Detroit River Days celebration that runs from June 19 to June 21 and the city’s famed fireworks display on June 22.
The City Council is slated to vote on the ordinance at its next meeting on June 10. Although the city has imposed a curfew during the celebrations in previous years, past ordinances have limited the curfew to only one day. [emphasis added]
Now, in response to the public outcry against this proposal, the curfew parameters have now been changed--to the day of the fireworks only, and with some exceptions noted. However, even the
Detroit News editorial board thinks the new proposal goes too far:
It's a better approach, but still restrictive, and will still serve to make violators out of kids who just want to participate in the fireworks and festival....
Detroit does not want not to convey the impression that it is sweeping its streets clean of African-American children to make downtown safe for white visitors. But that's the message the mass arrests send. [pk note: Ya think?]
Safety and access have to be balanced in a way that makes these terrific summertime events a positive experience for everyone.
No word yet on this newest, still preemptively racist, proposal.
EDIT: Link HERE for the ACLU petition to the City Council calling for a rejection of this proposal, based on the longer span of time originally on the table.
On the brighter side, sort of, there was good turnout yesterday for the anti-TPP Fast Track demonstration in front of the GM Headquarters at the Renaissance Center. Family illness prevented me from attending, but I hope to scrounge up photos and other coverage for you soon.
Thanks for coming by! Remember, this is an Open Thread about all things Michigan.