Politics & Current Events
LuckyDad
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Ok, I do miss Andrew Breitbart
This board has become slooooow since the election. But then again, I'm not checking 538 daily anymore either.
-My son was born in April 2012. He pretty much rules.
-This might be the one place on the internet where it's feasible someone would pretend to be an Adult Man.
Re: Ok, I do miss Andrew Breitbart
http://people.tribe.net/phoenix_fire_nectar/blog/d75135eb-c268-40e4-85df-2f355d3acfc7
We could talk about this article so as to include some of the left wing crazies and drama llamas. Serious conspiracy theory stuff here...
Do y'all think there are really people who believe this kinda crap? Seems a little far fetched to me...
Yawn, I miss AB also.
Well I'd like to say no...
...but then I remember how many people still insist that Barack Obama is a Kenyan infiltrator hellbent on upending the Constitution and spreading Muslim socialist extremism in the US, and I have to figure there are just as big of psychos on the other side of the spectrum.
lol, I don't think it's AB's absence that made this board so slow. Once the election is over people lose a little of that "rooting-for-your-team" mentality.
It feeds on itself, as well: there aren't as many posts, so I don't check this board as much, so I don't post on this board as much, so there aren't as many posts.
ETA: FWIW, there have been a ton of local current events that I've been really interested in! From Michigan's emergency manager law, to Detroit's ridiculous politics, to the University of Michigan's decision to stop participating in a certain charity run. I just don't think anyone here really cares about the local stuff.
I do! I do! Seriously though, I can't even formulate a response to the Fiscal Cliff and Syria threads because I am so enraged over what is happening in Lansing today. The Republicans put the Capitol on lock down (and NO, it's not at capacity. That is bull sh!t. I've seen video), called in the state police, barred staff from the house floor, put the transit bills up, took them down, put them up, took them down, and are now huddling together trying to find a way to circumvent rights YET AGAIN. They are planning on making our state a Right to Work state BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Special session has just been called over the weekend to push, push, push their one sided agenda. I am very scared. WTF????
ETA: Michigan Republicans JUST passed a bill to require a woman to buy a special rider to her health insurance to cover reproductive services. I'm not kidding. That just happened. Fvuck them.
I know! It's maddening! For all the attention that gets paid to national politics, we're getting railroaded in our state. I'll be interested to see what happens with the protests, it's so reminiscent of Wisconsin.
I feel like only the ultra-conservative are represented in this state.
Yet we have Democratic Senators and go Dem in the national elections! It's crazy.
I think 2016 is going to be a big changeover. There are a lot of people unhappy with our legislature - or just plain furious. From education, to right to work, to reproductive issues, the conservatives are just going too far. We are not that state. I hope we don't stand for it.
Protesters were pepper sprayed today. This is just getting out of hand.
ETA: I meant 2014. Thank God! lol
ooh I can be controversial ladies! give me a chance! LOL
Seriously though I think some of it is a bit of apathy and disbelief.
Why would Michigan becoming a Right to Work state be bad? It doesn't totally get rid of Unions, it makes joining one voluntary...right?
Michigan has been hit hard by the recession...wouldn't it make sense to pass this and encourage new businesses to locate in MI?
I am just curious (not trying to be snarky).
I don't have time for a fully formed response right now, Cincy, because my state has had a very eventful afternoon and I've too many irons in the fire. But, consider checking out this article: http://m.freep.com/latestheadlines/article?a=2012121206083&f=1231
I will also say a big part of the anger comes from the secrecy surrounding it. This is a big, sudden deal that was pushed through irresponsibly and in a horribly divisive manner. It's indefensible.
Eta: think of it as "a Right to Work FOR LESS," if you want an idea of where I stand.
It doesn't really encourage new business. When you look at costs: union manufacturing > Non-union manufacturing >>>>>>>>>>> Outsourcing, if a company is really look for a less expensive route they're not debating union or non-union, theyre looking at which country to outsource to.
Meanwhile, a right to work law wouldn't immediately have a big impact on anyone - but long term it would likely diminish unions' abilities to negotiate. It's essentially a long drawn out way of getting rid of unions altogether.
I think Union's time has come and gone, I don't believe the Unions have the workers best interests at heart. But, that is my opinion.
I read this in USA Today...
Consider a few top-line facts about right-to-work states. Private-sector employee compensation in right-to-work states has grown by an inflation-adjusted 12.0% between 2001-2011, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares with just 3.0% over the same period in states where workers can be forced to join a union as a condition of getting a job.
With growing paychecks come growing populations. Between 2000 and 2011, right-to-work states have seen an increase of 11.3% in the number of residents between the ages of 25-34 according to the Bureau of the Census. Non right-to-work states, over that same period, have seen an increase of only 0.6%.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2012/12/06/michigan-right-work-union-economy/1751361/
Just consider the possible confounders in this story. States like mi Chilean and Ohio were included in the non right to work states... Can you think of any industry that had an unrelated near fatal blow between 2001 and 2011? Anything at all? When you're just comparing states you already have a small sample, economic anomalies will have a huge impact on your conclusion.
The truth is that there a lot of contradictory info and it's very difficult to tease apart, partially due to the reasons I just gave.
Lim interested to hear why you think unions' time has come and gone. I understand that you don't think unions have their members' best interest in mind, but if they did does that mean you'd support them?
Look at it this way Cincy: with Right to Work for Less, people will not have to join a union, BUT they will still be represented by the union and recieve the benefits. Which the union will have to fight for using less money and fewer resources. Eventually, they won't have enough money to operate and will become obsolete. Who fights for workers rights then? If you think the business will pay good wages and offer good benefits out of the kindness of their heart, then you are kidding yourself.
Traditionally, Unions give money to Democrats. Our Republican legislature is trying to stop the unions, so they can stop the Democrats. It's dirty. It's typical Michigan Republican though. Jase Bolger, anyone?
The percentage of Michigan's workforce in a union is small. There was no need for this bill, and right before the election our governor said as much. He said don't pursue it. It's not for Michigan. We voted on it before, and we voted NO.
yesterday he changed his mind and they rammed it through committee and voted in it IN ONE DAY.
Now, they have added an appropriation in the bill that prohibits a citizen referendum. WTF. Our citizenry said they don't want it, and the legislature jammed it down our throats. They also passed moral objection bills, cut education funding, taxed pensions, etc.
If you want to live in a state with lots of great low paying, low benefit jobs, Cincy, good for you. That's not what I want for Michigan.
One last thing. While passing this super helpful legislation that the people obviously want (sarcasm), the Republicans closed the Capitol to citizens and refused to hear from them. That is illegal. A judge had to force them to open the doors. Seriously. That happened. So, it makes you wonder...did they know that what they were doing was not what the people wanted and they didn't want to hear it? Uh, yes. They don't care.
Since they have a small majority, they don't even listen to the Dems anymore. I'm not kidding. The gavel them down. They had female representatives censured for using the word vagina while debating an abortion bill. They are awful. It's gotten really bad.
Does Michigan have a proposition system where voters can directly approve laws or modify the state constitution?
It seems like ya'll could really stick it to your legislature hard if you did.
I agree with the closed door negotiations things, that ain't cool.
I don't agree with your views on unions and the article below pretty much sums up why (although the article will probably be discounted since it is written by a conservative blogger)
http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2011/03/08/5_reasons_unions_are_bad_for_america/page/full/
Unfortunately, Michiganders don't really seem to dig ballot proposals and constitutional amendments. We had 6 on the ballot in November and only 1 passed. That one struck down our emergency manager law in favor of an older one with more limitations. And guess what the legislature decides to do this week? Basically rewrote it exactly the same and passed it again. Openly defying the will of the people. It's crazy.
meh. Unions are a very complicated issue and I am not for OR against restrictions. What's at issue here is not even exactly the bill they passed, but the way they did it. The way they openly defy the will of Michiganders. We previously decided on a ballot vote that we did not want to be a right to work for less state. Michigan is getting less conservative NOT more so.
The bastion of conservative power, Oakland County, is even changing it's stripes. So, the fact that the Republican controlled legislature (They lost many more seats than they expected in November and will lose their majority next election if the murmurs that I hear EVERYWHERE are true), is trying to push through a super conservative agenda is a slap in the face to the citizenry. We are NOT that state and that is NOT what we want.
Luckily, this has been the push the liberals need. The ground game is already being laid and I honestly think the Republicans will live to regret this.
This is the only account I remembered.
Glad to know you miss "Andrew Breitbart." I'm burned out on politics and really hate it now, have no interest in it...
-J