Your State Sucks: Michigan Sucks Because Your Government Hates Workers and Women:

That blonde-haired gavel banger up there is Michigan Republican Senator Tonya Schuitmaker (yes, Schuitmaker, hopefully pronounced to mean "one who makes shit"). And she is beating the living fuck out of the sounding block because she's upset at the protests going on in the chamber as it prepares to recess before a vote on turning Michigan, long one of the strongest union strongholds, into a right-to-work state.

Republicans rammed through the legislation in a lame duck session: "Just hours after they were introduced, both chambers approved measures prohibiting private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay fees. The Senate quickly followed by voting to impose the same requirement on most public unions." There were no committee hearings or votes. No public input. It was a naked power play, orchestrated by a skeevy fucker of a governor, Rick Snyder, who was riding the anti-union wave after the Election Day defeat of Proposition 2, which would have enshrined public employee collective bargaining in the state constitution. Right-to-work is essentially a way for corporate bastards to tell the workers to go fuck themselves. In fact, most of the shitty states for workers in the country are right-to-work because it makes it easier to reduce pay and benefits.

Over two thousand union members and others rushed to the Capitol to stage a protest. They were met by a large force of state troopers and a building in lockdown until a judge ordered it opened. Several protesters were arrested and the crowd was pepper-sprayed by cops at one point.

It was truly a banner day for the Michigan Senate, which passed a law "which would allow health care providers -- as a matter of conscience -- to decline services they object to. It also would allow employers to refuse to pay for services for their employees that 'violated the payer's conscience.'" Extra points to the cockhead Senator Mark Jansen, who said that if women want to have abortion coverage, they should "pony up" for a rider to their insurance. You know, women doctors and pharmacists everywhere that there are conscience clauses should refuse Viagra prescriptions and say, "If God wanted you to have a boner, he'd give you one."

Man, assaulting women's and workers' rights in one session? Schuitmaker must have thought it was a great day to be a Republican in Michigan.