Lame-Duck Legislative Trainwreck in Michigan

If there's an instance where the antidemocratic potential is approaching its full fruition, the current lame-duck session in Michigan has to be it.

In quick succession (giving bills to legislators literally minutes before votes, giving them no time to read the bills), the lame-duck GOP majority is cramming through right-to-work legislation, legislation to prevent abortion coverage by insurance policies in the health insurance exchange created by the Affordable Care Act and force women to buy a separate rider for abortion coverage, and a revised emergency manager law replacing the one that voters repealed by referendum on Nov. 6.  This last law would empower the state to hand over public schools (including the physical school property) to for-profit education operators.

They're really just out to wreck stuff, aren't they?

Needless to say, they wouldn't have tried to push this stuff through before the election, because the voters might've had a chance to express their feelings about such measures in short order.  And they aren't going to wait until the new legislature is seated, because they lost some seats in the election, and their prospects for pushing stuff like this through wouldn't be nearly as good in January as they are right now.  So they're taking advantage of their moment of maximum unaccountability to do it now.

In Michigan, they're getting ready to protest at the Capitol, and deluge their legislators with phone calls.  I'm not sure what those of us who live in other states can do, but I've got one suggestion for how to treat those who vote for these bills later, if they pass: treat them like the traitors they are.  When they show their faces, tell them to their face that they're worthless scum, and don't belong in civilized company.  Hell, dump buckets of shit on their doorsteps from time to time.  Let 'em know they are really, REALLY not wanted, that maybe they should consider moving to another state.

And if we ever have the luxury of passing geeky good-government legislation, one thing we should pass in as many states as possible is a drastically reduced lame-duck period: swear in those new legislators just 3 weeks after election day.  Don't give them until the new year to make deals that few actual voters would support.  And then maybe if it becomes the norm in state legislatures, we can try Congress as well.

Comments

[kathy a.]

this is slightly off-topic, but ya know, not really: via balloon juice, how mainstream media missed the big political story of 2012. it's about the problem of one party prevaricating consistently, and reporters feeling the obligation nonetheless to report as if both sides were in equivalent postures vis a vis policies, their respective relationships to reality, etc.

i think it is related to the topic because teh whole "right to work" stuff is based on a pack of lies; and the policies themselves will harm working people.

[Joe S]

LTC, lame duck sessions are part of the American system. Shortening them isn't going to help much. You would have to do away with them entirely to prevent this. Also, you can expect eight years of this thanks to the 2010 blowout. All of the rust belt, midwest (except for Illinois) and Southern states are so gerrymandered that the state legislatures are almost totally under GOP control for the next 8 years. Maybe with some Democratic governors, we can create gridlock, but that's about it.

[nancy]

At least shortening lame duck sessions would give the vanquished less time to get over the shock of loss before resuming mischief with full-throated gusto. I'd go for that. What surely was intended as time for 'orderly transition' is being rudely abused by this crowd and they are creating a template for the future of their party, such as it is. I'd like the office keys surrendered by November 30, midnight.

Also. Fiscal cliff. Really.

[kathy a.]

wisconsin workers support michigan. and check this out, about why "right to work" does not help michigan .

[kathy a.]

more on michigan, from the teamsters.

[kathy a.]

and, obama comes through, arguing that "right to work" laws amount to "right to work for less." go team go.

[Sir Charles]

This could really be a disaster for labor. Having both Indiana and now Michigan go right to work -- along with Wisconsin's attack on its public employee unions -- is one more body blow to an incredibly vulnerable labor movement.

They have got to strive mightily to get this reversed in 2014. If they do not, it will have a grave impact.

[kathy a.]

i'm thinking there are tons of reasons to get out the vote in 2014, even though it is traditionally harder to do that in off years. there are contests that matter at the state and local levels; they are ones feeding policy upstream, and providing the next candidates all up and down the ladders.

[kathy a.]

live-blogging from michigan -- with photos; to be updated through the day.