Attack on The Middle Class in Michigan

Below you will find links to several articles that illustrate the GOP power grab taking place in the State of Michigan. Follow the links to read further.

Protesters inside the Capitol Rotunda in Michigan

Snyder spends $100 to block Michigan Citizens from Repealing his ‘Grandma Tax’
But that doesn’t raise enough ‘Mad Money’ for Snyder, so he decides to start a New Tax — one on Seniors’ Pension income:
That would all change under the governor’s proposed budget. Henceforth, income from both public and private pensions, including IRAs and 401(k)s, would be subject to state income tax, though Social Security will remain untaxed. […] Michigan AARP President Eric Schneidewind said Snyder had “declared war on senior Michiganders.

Gov Rick Snyder Sellout? Prefabricated Corporate Michigan (Government) Courtesy of Koch & ALEC Excl.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and the Snyder Team/Policy are about to become the first totally irrelevant ‘Republican’ Administration in Michigan history. Armed and on the march with prewritten policy and legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and other think-tanks, the Michigan Republican Majorities in both the Michigan Senate and Michigan House of Representatives are steamrolling a right wing agenda – Michigan “Government in a Box”.

Michigan Senate passes emergency manager bills
A day after facing hundreds of rowdy, pro-union protesters that filled the state Capitol, the Senate voted on Wednesday to grant broad new powers to emergency managers who oversee financially struggling cities and schools, including the authority to void union contracts and remove elected officials. The controversial bills are expected to head to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk for signature shortly, after the House and Senate, both controlled by Republicans, work out some language differences.

The King of Michigan can now provide “strong medicine, financial martial law”
““I am very concerned for the powers this legislation would transfer to an emergency manager. Removing elected officials and overturning local ordinances shows no respect for the will or the rights of the voters. This draconian measure gives authority to an individual with no responsibility to the citizens of the community,” Bieda said in a statement.

Groups call Snyder’s plan ‘dangerous’ for middle class
As opposition to Gov. Rick Snyder’s spending and tax plans gains momentum, a coalition of liberal groups held a series of 10 news conferences across the state Monday to warn that Snyder’s budget is “dangerous” for seniors, the poor, cities and townships, and K-12 schools.At an event in Mount Clemens, Dennis McComb, a retired firefighter for Selfridge Air National Guard Base, said he views Snyder’s plan to tax pensions as a piling-on that has buried retirees in a host of financial difficulties. McComb said his federal pension has been frozen for two years while his health care premiums have risen dramatically.

Now UPDATED w/warped video: Snyder Slashing Corp Taxes 86%, Funded by 31% Middle Class Tax Increase
Facing thirty years of failure to bring prosperity to the average American, Republicans are tripling down on trickle down economics. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is handing out tax breaks to corporations, slashing them by 86%, while increasing income tax for low to middle income workers by as much as 31%. Snyder’s now taxing pensions, he’s throwing out the state earned income tax credit for low wage earners, and he’s throwing out tax credit for retirees. As usual, this is going to hit low to middle wage earners the hardest.

Gov. Rick Snyder Betrays Seniors for Corporations
When you lose senior citizens and you claim to be a conservative, you might want to rethink your policies. 1500 senior citizens gathered in Lansing, Michigan to protest Governor Rick Snyder’s plan to tax their pensions as ordinary income. I’ve never been political, but this is a power grab,” said Jennifer Cherrette, 55, a Lansing-area retired state employee who said her pension is less than $20,000 a year. “And it’s not about the budget. It’s about our governor taking our money and giving it to big business. And now he wants those emergency managers. It’s wrong, and it’s not about the budget.” She added, “This isn’t about old people, this about working America and killing the middle class.” Retiree Bob Fox, 67, of Hartland, said the state should raise the tax on beer rather than tax his pension. It’s going to a tax cut for big business, that’s the problem,” he said. Patricia Matlock, a retired Highland Park teacher, said she paid taxes on her pension savings and it would be unfair to tax her pension benefits. The pension provision is part of the larger effort on the part of Michigan Republicans and Governor Snyder to cut corporate income taxes by 81% by increasing taxes on the poor, elderly and middle class by 36%.

Wednesday, March 16th, noon, Lansing, Capital:
Working Families Rally to protest Rick Snyder’s assault on the middle class. Rallies are planned all week, tomorrow March 15th AARP is holding a rally to protest the pension tax.

RALLY PHOTOS – Michigan GOP pulling a Stealth-Walker move to damage unions