DEMOCRACY Hijacked.......(repost fr Michigan forum, 4/8)

[annabanana]

It’s much, much worse in Michigan than we even realized

Last night, Rachel Maddow broke a huge story that has been happening since Republicans took over in Michigan in 2011 and has gone completely under the radar. Since January 2011, 566 bills have been signed into law. Of those, 546 of them, 96.5% were passed under “immediate effect”. Here’s the video from last night’s show that will blow your mind. Pay particular attention to around 12:30 where they show it in action. It’s astonishing.

"This is new in Michigan governance. This is not the way that Michigan was set up. This is not the way it was supposed to be…Michigan Republicans are using what is supposed to be an emergency provision for everything, even for the most contentious and partisan and divisive things that they want to do.

Republicans, for example, used immediate effect to take away health benefits for domestic partners of public employees. They jammed it through, Governor Snyder signed it, and then three days before Christmas (awww), it was, “Hey, gay folks, good luck finding health insurance for your families. We just stripped your benefits on the basis of your sexual orientation starting now, starting today, effective immediately, Merry Christmas.”

Republicans passed their souped-up Emergency Manager law, naturally, under immediate effect. They passed it on March 15th last year, the governor signed it, and it took effect right then — immediate effect. And then, less than a month later, Benton Harbor’s Emergency Manager seized all power in Benton Harbor. Took power from the town’s elected mayor and elected commission. In the span of one month, starting with a bill sponsored by Benton Harbor’s own representative, Michigan Republicans routed the democracy of that mostly-poor, mostly-African American Michigan town and they were just getting started."
http://eclectablog.com/2012/04/michigan-republicans-have-illegally-passed-over-96-of-their-bills-under-immediate-effect.html

Things just keep getting worse and worse from Michigan.

Where's a ~ "help these guys out" ~ link I can check out?