Maybe you've heard about the new poll that shows support for Bush falling in Michigan. According to a poll taken by The Detroit News, "Parsident" Bush's approval ratings have slumped from 63 to 50 percent in the wake of the Iraqi prisoner scandal. Most don't blame him for the scandal though - nor do they blame Rumsfeld - they blame the assorted military personnel involved, from the generals to the lowliest prison guard. (Only 7 percent blame Bush, 6 percent blame Rumsfeld, compared with 30 percent who believed that the individual soldiers were responsible.) This is a huge load of steaming crap! Those of you who are familiar with the administration's Gonzales memo know why. This document allowed military personnel to apply the same level of er...technique in their detainment and torture of Iraqis that they used on Al Quieda. It denied Geneva Convention protections to all prisoners. Besides, it's the military -- the most regimented, top-down, conformist organization in the country.
While we're on the subject of crap, according to the Michigan Senate Democratic Newsletter, Michigan GOP chair Betsy DeVos has apparently gone on record saying that Michigan's workers are paid too much. She advocates that we become a "right to work" state, in which the average salary would plummet to around $5,500 per year. She also thinks that our tax and regulatory structure is too rigid to be competitive. Competitive with what? I don't think she's noticed the giant sucking sound that comes from businesses going overseas to third world countries where they can have outrageously low labor costs and can screw up the environment any way they please. In other GOPper news, a bill allowing 16 and 17 year olds to work up to 24 hours per week during the school year and up to 62 hours during breaks without parental permission just passed the state Senate. Governor Granholm also vetoed some legislation that would have outlawed the setting of local "living wage" ordinances.
