Four days of drama in Lansing

Between now and Tuesday, brace yourselves for unprecedented union thuggery, protests, arrests, drama and outrages, as tens of thousands of protesters are bussed in from all over the nation to try to stop the incredibly brave move by the GOP legislature and Governor to make Michigan a Right-to-Work state.  The Detroit Free Press has wall-to-wall coverage of the unfolding events here and here.

The vote and signature of Governor Rick Snyder on the bill to set Michigan on a new path to prosperity is Tuesday.  That's because of a constitutionally-mandated pause between action by the state house and state senate.  But, it appears the resolve to act is already there.

The backbone to push through the much-needed measure for the state beleaguered by years of union dominance came, surprisingly, after the unions overreached with a November ballot initiative to enshrine collective bargaining rights in the Michigan Constitution.  Proposal 2 on the ballot would have forbade right-to-work legislation forever.  It failed by 58% of the vote, thus propelling right-to-work organizers to push the present legislation and tipping Governor Snyder in favor of the new found worker liberties.

Over the past 30 years, unions have nearly destroyed Michigan, bankrupted the City of Detroit, and decimated the American manufacturing industry, including the automotive industry.  Public sector unions have caused a bankrupt state pension system, and private sector unions have driven good-paying jobs overseas. The devastation wrought on Michigan by greedy union bosses is manifest to all but the most biased observers.

Finally, the people of Michigan have elected leaders who appear to have the resolve to start to fix the problem, and Tuesday's unprecedentedly bold step will be Michigan's first serious move in the direction of free enterprise in two generations.

COAST encourages Governor Snyder and House and Senate leaders and rank and file on in this courageous move to bring pride and jobs back to Michigan workers.