Republicans seem to have a real problem with Democrats using constitutionally guaranteed loopholes to subvert the laws they worked so hard gerrymandering districts to secure.
The latest target of their hypocritical outrage involves Michigan unions that are working to extend their contracts in order to avoid the "right to work" law that Republicans snuck in the backdoor during last year’s lame duck session.
According to State Representative Bill Rogers this action by the unions is "unconscionable". Merriam Webster defines unconscionable as "shockingly unfair". It should be noted that the Federal Constitution is the basis for the union’s ability to avoid the “right to work” law that many would consider a shockingly unfair overreach by the Michigan legislature.
And in response to the union’s actions Greg McNeilly of the Michigan Freedom Fund says they will consider lawsuits against the unions and board members as well as recall campaigns. Yes for acting within the scope of the US Constitution Mr. McNeilly thinks that anyone agreeing to a contract that he dislikes should be punished to the fullest extent.
While the objections of both Mr. McNeilly and Representative Rogers are understandable the furor they are exhibiting seems unjust given their past actions.
Mr. McNeilly for example took a short break from his time as the Executive Director of the Michigan Republican party to support independent candidate Ralph Nader during the 2004 presidential election because everyone knows how closely Ralph Nader's views parallel that of an ardent Republican like Greg McNeilly - clearly no ill intentions here.
Bill Rogers on the other hand is so devoted to the sanctity of the democratic process that he never complained when his chamber of the legislature ingnored the states constitutional "immediate effect" roll call voting rules.
Representative Rogers also doesn't seem to find anything unconscionable about changing the Electoral College process for Michigan - a process that has been in place for nearly 200 years. And the sole purpose of these changes is to game the system to give Republicans a better shot at the White House.
Nor was he outraged when he voted to reinstate the Emergency Law that the people of Michigan had repealed just a month earlier which now includes a small appropriation thus avoiding any possible referendum in the future. Yes thumbing you nose at the will of the people and then intentionally removing their voice from the process moving forward is completely fine with Rep. Rogers.
Of course there is also the law that Representative Rogers introduced that was later deemed unconstitutional by the courts and the law he supported, which has been found unconstitutional elsewhere, to prevent Federal laws regarding any potential gun restriction from affecting Michigan. But perhaps the slimiest manipulation that Bill Rogers has pulled off was during his time as the Livingston County Commissioner when he gave construction companies in his county a sweetheart deal at the expense of tax payers. A deal that is still costing residents today. A deal with the potential to benefit his family’s construction business based in the area.
Perhaps the actions some unions around the state are taking seem in poor taste to Republicans but having two man who have tried to rig the outcome of elections, ignored the State and Federal Constitutions, and used the power of public office to possibly help the family business boost profits as your spokesmen is brazenly ironic and embarrassingly self serving.
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