Governor signs ban on partner benefits for unmarried public employees

**detroitbob** · December-22-11, 10:30 PM

http://www.freep.com/article/2011122...text|FRONTPAGE

and also reported by
http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=50934

**detroitbob** · December-22-11, 11:36 PM

Right now, it seems public universities are exempt, because of the state constitution...but for how long? Or until the State Supreme's rule in favor of this ban.. of course Snyder says it wasn't his priority, but the will of the legislature.

**R8RBOB** · December-23-11, 10:36 AM

The best thing that happened to the GOP Legislature was Rick Snyder. Snyder reminded everyone that he is a businessman and a nerd and this is true but over and over he proves he is no politician. The GOP-controlled House and Senate can pass a bill and Snyder, a novice in the game just plays along and signs away. I get it. He is a Republican and Republicans are passing these bills but I would like see him question the purpose for the bill that they want him to sign.

**antongast** · December-23-11, 11:04 AM

Man, fuck this guy. I tried to keep an open mind about him even though I didn't vote for him, but I'm done. His whole pragmatic Bill Milliken shtick has amounted to exactly jackshit. The only remotely good thing he did was to not turn down high-speed rail grants like those knuckle-draggers Walker and Kasich.

Oh, and if Dave Agema comes on the fucking radio one more time, I'm probably gonna toss it out the window. Worst. Legislator. Ever.

**Bham1982** · December-23-11, 11:44 AM

The governor should be ashamed. He won't get my vote.

The sad thing is that he was supposedly elected because of his business credentials. How are you improving Michigan's business climate when you scare away anyone who believes in equality under the law?

Shame on him and those that supported this legislation.

**j to the jeremy** · December-23-11, 12:48 PM

One more reason to LEAVE michigan...

**Detroitnerd** · December-23-11, 01:04 PM

Score one for outstate yahoos and demagogues like McMillin and Glenn.

**1953** · December-23-11, 01:11 PM

it seems uncharacteristic of snyder to sign this

**Hypestyles** · December-23-11, 05:29 PM

...out of the Democratic state legislators, how many signed on?

**R8RBOB** · December-23-11, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by 1953

it seems uncharacteristic of snyder to sign this

Snyder was given the message the day he walked thru the door: "if you play along, we'll get along."

I think we got a clear idea who's running the state when Snyder couldn't get his fellow Republicans to support the Richard Snyder Memorial Bridge over the Detroit River. Snyder don't want to ruffle feathers in Lansing because he is a nerd surrounded by political sharks.

Occurrence · December-23-11, 07:19 PM

I'd be embarrassed if I voted for this turd. Did anyone here vote for this guy? If so, why? What do you think of him signing this bill?

**313WX** · December-23-11, 07:47 PM

You get what you vote for Michigan!!!

**Scottathew** · December-23-11, 08:09 PM

I've really liked this governor a lot. However, this decision is very disappointing. Folks ought to have the same rights, including the right to marry whoever they want and share their benefits with their spouse.

I just don't get why some people are so afraid of gay people. It's their life! If they're gay, let them be gay. We don't need anyone enforcing their morality on us.

**Cinderpath** · December-23-11, 10:32 PM

What a complete dill-wad- I know of a good friend who is in IT, was offered a job here, and decided to stay in Illinois because of this stupiity. Great, lord knows we would not want well-educated, well earning people to come here, or give those that are here the boot-

**j to the jeremy** · December-24-11, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by Cinderpath

What a complete dill-wad- I know of a good friend who is in IT, was offered a job here, and decided to stay in Illinois because of this stupiity. Great, lord knows we would not want well-educated, well earning people to come here, or give those that are here the boot-

I have relatives that moved away because of the lack of benefits here before the previous law was passed, now I'm sure we'll lose a lot more people.

You'd think a state with a shrinking tax base would want to attract smart people....but instead we try our hardest to make them all leave.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · December-24-11, 01:47 AM

This guy is a clown. I hope he lasts just one term. I can understand the reasoning for cutting deadbeats off of welfare who work the system, but he shows no compassion for those that really need it the most. And his timing is perfect, he does this during the second worst recession in US history. Last one out of Michigan, turn out the lights.

**DetroitPlanner** · December-24-11, 07:37 AM

I see this as being consistent with previous legislation that increased the cost of medical insurance on all public employees. He is trying to reduce the cost of government on the backs of those he relies on to administer it.

I understand why he has done this, but he needs to remember not every public employee is making a lot of money. I know that if I chose to work in the private sector I would be under these rules, but I would be making considerably more money. Most of us have already had our salaries and benefits cut by previous actions. I would suspect that once things turn around again many of the better and brighter employees will high tail it out leaving him with only the lazy govt employees. Penny wise, pound foolish.

SteveJ · December-24-11, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

I see this as being consistent with previous legislation that increased the cost of medical insurance on all public employees. He is trying to reduce the cost of government on the backs of those he relies on to administer it.

I understand why he has done this, but he needs to remember not every public employee is making a lot of money. I know that if I chose to work in the private sector I would be under these rules, but I would be making considerably more money. Most of us have already had our salaries and benefits cut by previous actions. I would suspect that once things turn around again many of the better and brighter employees will high tail it out leaving him with only the lazy govt employees. Penny wise, pound foolish.

Amen. The morale is pretty low in our department. Nobody seems to care anymore. The public thinks we all make 150k a year and can retire at 39 with 250k pensions. My friends in the private sector make more money than me and get bonuses etc... All I get is furlough days, pay freezes, and doubling of my health insurance.

**Baselinepunk** · December-24-11, 09:48 AM

"My friends in the private sector make more money than me and get bonuses etc..."

And, generally, it's been that way for a very long time. Outrageous examples of retired public employees are used to paint the masses. During the "prosperous" 90s up until the "crash" we were getting busy and wild and willy with our massive government income of 50 Gees [[for a family four) while our corporate buds were just barely scrapping buy on 6 figure incomes.

It was so bad for these folks that they would commonly ridicule us for working in the public sector; always calling us suckers for educating their children while they we off partying and driving themselves into massive debt with their sleds, quads and strip club handouts.

Yeah, we tried to keep up with those Jones's and Smith's but after a while we jumped outta that game. Now, these folks are screaming at us because now they're all bankrupt and we didn't have to go through that. I guess we're just awful people who do not deserve a fucking drop of good times; public sector folk don't deserve anything more than what the Jones's don't have.

Now excuse me while I light up one of my fine Cuban's with one of my many Bennies while I cook up my breakfast of 4 inch steaks, 18 lbs lobsters and imported Russian caviar

**R8RBOB** · December-24-11, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Occurrence

I'd be embarrassed if I voted for this turd. Did anyone here vote for this guy? If so, why? What do you think of him signing this bill?

Since no one has admitted to voting for him, let me be the first. Yes, I voted for Rick Snyder because I believed he would run the state as a moderate Republican [[yeah, right) and his lack of political experience wouldn't tempt him to go rogue [[huh) and become a partisan hack. He attempted to pass himself as a William Milliken Republican, one who can work with Democrats and I heard how he wanted to help make Detroit a great city again and I said why not.

Rick Snyder is a fraud. His lack of political moxy hurts him more than it helps him. The Republican hacks in Lansing knows that Snyder is a light-weight and they can send him any bill they pass and he will sign it, no questions asked. The residents of this state got to see how much weight Snyder carries in this state [[the answer is zero weight) when a GOP majority committee voted down his publicly-built bridge. This is a Republican governor right, but every bill that the GOP passes, he just signs away with no questions asked and he is always attempting to put a spin to how it is going to help the citizens of the great state of Michigan.

I am not gay so the bill that Snyder just signed doesn't affect me but when we as a people become so heartless that we will engage in class warfare? The Republicans will claim that denying benefits to same-sex couples would save money but how do I benefit from the state denying people because of who they want to be with? After all, the state worker does have to work for those benefits. Is that the reason why people get up in the morning. To preserve those benefits they worked hard to get.

Snyder lost me when he wholeheartedly signed the "EFM on steroids" bill because the GOP was complaining that Obama was appointing "czars" with unlimited power yet the Republicans in this state was willing to make a man or woman into a dictator and claim that the ends justify the means. Snyder could have vetoed this claiming that a single man or woman with unlimited power could be dangerous but because he is wet behind the ears and his handlers know more about power, he signed it. The only difference between he and Walker and Kasich and Haley is that they have been in the game a bit longer than he has but their objective is the same: to suck the life out of the people.

**Signman** · December-24-11, 10:34 AM

What a bunch of statist clowns on this site.

**BagAJellyDonuts** · December-24-11, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by Occurrence

I'd be embarrassed if I voted for this turd. Did anyone here vote for this guy? If so, why? What do you think of him signing this bill?

Voted for him, you really think Virg was a better choice?

Don't know all the ins and outs of this bill. Do know that in every business, private, public, whatever there are a lot of slugs that screw over benefit packages. If this is a "solution" to stop some of it, so be it.

BTW, a Virg vote or even worse a Stabenow vote, now that's embarrassing.

**Baselinepunk** · December-24-11, 11:22 AM

"Voted for him, you really think Virg was a better choice?"

Yes; absolutely. With Virg in office at least there would not be any of this ramrodding of far Right Wing political ideologies.

And I highly doubt there would be any "stout" EFMs out there pummeling communities and selling off their assets.

At least with Virg you know where he stands and what you're going to get. Dick Snyder is an asshole who is trying to set us back 100 years through Social Darwinism and other failed Gilded Age practices.

"BTW, a Virg vote or even worse a Stabenow vote, now that's embarrassing."

How is that? What has Stabenow done while in her current political position that would be considered embarrassing? I'm not her biggest fan but what about her recent sponsorship that would bring jobs to Michigan? Where are all of those businesses that should be breaking down the door via the tax shift Dick implemented? The only real growth we have had in this State is from Union-based jobs and Federal government investment.

**antongast** · December-24-11, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by BagAJellyDonuts

Voted for him, you really think Virg was a better choice?

I wasn't sure at the time if I was doing the right thing by voting for Bernero, but now I certainly think he would have been better.

**BagAJellyDonuts** · December-24-11, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by Baselinepunk

"Voted for him, you really think Virg was a better choice?"

Yes; absolutely. With Virg in office at least there would not be any of this ramrodding of far Right Wing political ideologies.

And I highly doubt there would be any "stout" EFMs out there pummeling communities and selling off their assets.

At least with Virg you know where he stands and what you're going to get. Dick Snyder is an asshole who is trying to set us back 100 years through Social Darwinism and other failed Gilded Age practices.

"BTW, a Virg vote or even worse a Stabenow vote, now that's embarrassing."

How is that? What has Stabenow done while in her current political position that would be considered embarrassing? I'm not her biggest fan but what about her recent sponsorship that would bring jobs to Michigan? Where are all of those businesses that should be breaking down the door via the tax shift Dick implemented? The only real growth we have had in this State is from Union-based jobs and Federal government investment.

So with Virg, we would have "stayed the course"?

State's broke. Won't fix it by spending more. Don't know about you but when I'm low on cash, I don't look for ways to spend what I don't have.

Stabenow hasn't done a thing, nope, make that a GOD DAMN THING in 11 years. Time for her to go away.

BTW, I am making less now than a few years ago, I adjusted, Put it perspective, lots have done the same thing. I don't expect anything else from those who I vote for.