Jeff Irwin

Thank you. Our best chances are probably at the local level as Michigan's legislature is very conservative and resistant to concerns about the surveillance state.

What exactly are you asking to be banned? I see the story from Texas. Are there similar uses in Michigan?

We have bills geared towards improving police practices that something like this would fit into, and we have taken aim at facial recognition. But, I'm not sure that is what you're asking.

EV and plug-in drivers already paid an annual fee meant to cover what they would have paid in gas tax. Now, they will be hit with $100/year and $50/year tax increases, respectively.

I voted NO today on increasing fees for EV and plug-in hybrid drivers.

Michigan should be the leaders in building the cars of the future, not the leaders in taxing the cars of the future.

Unfortunately, the bill passed.

The State budget passed.

Roads are the big winner with $1.8B in additional funding. Healthcare and education mostly avoided cuts. Environmental protection and public safety took small cuts.

Here are the budget bills: www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?O...

www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?O...

The circus of corruption continues.

In this edition, Trump and Republicans are using government agencies for campaigning. This is another clear violation of ethical and legal boundaries.

Sure. If it's all about politics and positioning. I agree. I think that's also how House Republicans think.

Nonetheless, people in the know should know. This is a bipartisan effort.

I agree. I still want people to know that Whitmer presented options, and this was the only option the Republicans chose.

Unfortunately, this bill won't raise the projected revenue and will diminish revenue to roads and schools through the excise tax. The real winners in the House today were illicit drug dealers.

By contrast, in California, only about 35% of sales happen legally. This is why Michigan's cannabis market is larger than California's.

Republicans jammed through this huge tax increase intending to raise money for roads.

Our low taxes and opportunities for real competition meant that consumers flocked to legal dispensaries. We learned from California and Colorado that high taxes on cannabis drive people into the illicit market. As a result of our Michigan model, 75% of sales in Michigan happen in legal shops.

Moments ago, Michigan House Republicans voted to massively increase taxes on cannabis. This move will roughly double taxes on cannabis and threatens our successful market.

When Michigan residents approved legal cannabis, we set up a system that was the most successful cannabis market in the nation.

Despite this, beachfront landowners have limited access and often seek to prevent people from accessing the beach. Unfortunately, the State of Michigan and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy permits structures that block access and disrupt the natural processes on the shoreline.

Report: 19% of Lake Michigan shore now armored, limiting public access - Bridge Michigan A new study from MSU researchers used aerial photography to show just how much Michigan’s western shoreline has changed since the high water crisis of 2020. The expansion of hard armoring brings conse...

The shoreline of the Great Lakes is owned by all, and we all are supposed to have access to the Great Lakes between the low and high water lines.

bridgemi.com/michigan-env...

Bluesky is struggling to post any videos. Here is the one intended to accompany the post above.

www.facebook.com/share/v/16hv...

One of the proposals holding up the state budget is the Republicans’ insistence on allocating $50M to subsidize a mining company's plan to mine copper in our state.

#copperwood #protecttheporkies #earmark #corporatewelfafe #Michigan #politics #democrats #republicans

Trump’s Calamitous Crypto Corruption It’s enriching him and his family but endangering you, me, and the entire economy

The circus of corruption in DC continues. While Trump raises taxes on food, clothes, and consumer goods, he and his family are raking in billions and profiting off of the many conflicts of interest.

robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-cal...

Michigan is the cannon fodder for Trump's trade war.

Manufacturing investment is plummeting, Ford and GM are predicting huge losses, the USA ruined our relationships with our beloved Canadian partners, and consumers are paying higher taxes for almost everything.

🇺🇸🇨🇦

I dont know the difference between Kimmel and Fallon, but I know the difference between government censorship and social consequences.

When the President threatens media companies to support him politically or lose their license to operate, it is unconstitutional and un-American.

This is the challenge: how do we reconcile when the focus of each side is so different?

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Meanwhile …
Republicans are focused on identity politics and culture war issues important to their political campaigns:

1. Banning the teaching of diversity or history lessons not approved by Trump

2. Banning multi-stall unisex bathrooms.

4/5

Democrats are focused on a number of priorities important to educating kids:

1. Literacy training and materials

2. School safety and mental health grants

3. Universal breakfast and lunch

4. Smaller class sizes in early grades

3/x

Now, after months of foot-dragging, Republicans finally passed their full budget proposal and we are trying to negotiate differences between the House and Senate proposals.

When it comes to the K12 budget, the differences are clear.

2/x

School is in session, but the Michigan Legislature still hasn't passed a budget. This is outrageous and is already damaging K12 schools. If it continues, districts will need to borrow to make payroll, or worse.

1/x

I probably won't get a chance to vote no. Frankly, I'll be shocked if the House takes up this embarrassing legislation.

Senator Susan E. Shink, Senator Dayna Polehanki and I have introduced legislation, along with Rep Laurie Pohutsky, Rep Mentzer, and Rep Paiz, to address the growing threats to our health and our environment from microplastics.

The legislation: www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?O...

Microplastics are in our water and they're in your brain. Microplastic concentrations in Great Lakes fish and in our water are only increasing, and we need to do more to prevent plastic pollution from invading our bodies.

1/

* high-quality literacy materials and training that prepare us to meet the terms of our new literacy laws,

* school safety and mental health grants,

* Smaller class sizes in early grades, and

* Universal breakfast and lunch.

Irwin wants free school meals to continue, fears state government shutdown will happen State Senator Jeff Irwin says he’s scared what will happen if the state government shuts down on October 1st due to no state budget being passed. It’s already affecting the universal free breakfast an...

The delay from Lansing Republicans is already causing chaos for schools and making it harder to invest in the key priorities that make our schools better:

www.wemu.org/wemu-news/20...

Something that we should diligently analyze. I suggest we have a publicly accountable organization within the city do that. Let's get that on the ballot.