Rally at the State Capitol on RTW
December 11, 2012
I arrived at the Capitol around 9:45am. We could hear the crowd down the block. I was glad to see so many there. There was a line to get in the Capitol controlled by police because it was already full. Police literally surrounded the building armed with, in some cases M16s.
It was loud and peaceful. People everywhere, from the Capitol steps ..to across the street ..yelling and tweeting!
On the North side lawn, around noon there was an energetic and organized group protestors beginning to get attention from inside the building. Mounted police were brought in to line the building putting horses between the building and a chanting crowd. The drumming and chanting was loud and constant, legislators and others were watching from inside the building.
There was no violence only people rallying, as is their right.
The police were unnerved by the crowd and called in rows of additional police who arrived with batons drawn and riot masks on.
The police suddenly began yelling at everyone to back up while pushing their horses forward into the crowd. They had made a decision that we could not be on that lawn anymore and that was it. I saw one mounted trooper shove a man from behind and when the man fell down he continued to advance his horse as the man attempted to get up. Several men that did not move back fast enough were sprayed with tear gas.
I could not believe this was happening 2 feet in front of me as I was pulling a man out of the path of an oncoming horse that was biting at protestors.
The actions of some police inflamed a peaceful situation. Why would you sandwich horses between a building and a loud crowd of people? Was it really necessary to push people down and use horses as weapons? And this to people that had not changed their behavior at all for the last hour.
There seems to be a “we will do as we please attitude” permeating our State Capitol. The speed at which our legislators have been passing harmful and irresponsible legislation is confounding. Attempts to make protestors look like thugs is disheartening
When did it become too much to earn a decent living for a decent days work? I guess when we allowed Americans for Prosperity, ALEC, DeVos, Koch and the like to lobby and buy their way into our government.
Can I hear you say 2014?
Still fighting for Michigan families,
Barb Shelton
Posted on 11 Dec 2012, 19:18 - Category: Stop RTW Rally
Ballot Series Proposal 4
Hello Friends:)
This is the fourth in my series on the ballot proposals. The fourth proposal reads as follows:
A PROPOSAL TO AMEND THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO ESTABLISH THE MICHIGAN QUALITY HOME CARE COUNCIL AND PROVIDE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR IN-HOME CARE WORKERS
This proposal would:
• Allow in-home care workers to bargain collectively with the Michigan Quality
Home Care Council (MQHCC). Continue the current exclusive representative of
in-home care workers until modified in accordance with labor laws.
• Require MQHCC to provide training for in-home care workers, create a registry
of workers who pass background checks, and provide financial services to
patients to manage the cost of in-home care.
• Preserve patients’ rights to hire in-home care workers who are not referred from the MQHCC registry who are bargaining unit members.
• Authorize the MQHCC to set minimum compensation standards and terms and
conditions of employment.
Should this proposal be approved? (Yes or No)
My position on this proposal is that the important elements will be taken care of by voting yes on Prop 2. The other issues such as the registry, training etc can be set through laws and standards that do not require a constitutional amendment.
Unions support this proposal and may not be happy with my no vote. However, I don’t feel it is practical or necessary to add a constitutional amendment for individual professions. I strongly believe in the right to collectively bargain and want to see home care workers and persons requiring care protected. I support doing this outside of a constitutional amendment.
Changes to the constitution should be reserved for items that are absolutely necessary and can’t be protected by any other means. That is why I will be voting no on Prop 4.
Fighting for Michigan Families,
Barb Shelton
Posted on 30 Oct 2012, 7:35 - Category: Ballot Proposal Series
Ballot Series Proposal 3
Hello Friends:)
Proposal 3 the 2025 energy policy. Michigan spends millions every year importing coal from out of state. In my district we have higher than average rates of respiratory and asthma related illness. We have seen strange climate patterns; droughts, hurricanes and rising temperatures. We must move toward energy policies that protect our great state for the future of our children.
This is a huge opportunity for our state which created the greatest manufacturing sector this country has ever seen. Michigan should be a leader in the renewable energy market. We know manufacturing and we are Pure Michigan!
Don't let the scare tactics of big money cloud your decision. Join me in moving forward with Proposal 3.
Fighting for Michigan Families,
Barb Shelton
Posted on 24 Oct 2012, 19:56 - Category: Ballot Proposal Series
Your Vote is your Voice
Hello:)
Sunday Oc 21st, I attended the showing of “Iron Jawed Angels” at the Michigan Theater put on by the Harriet A. Myer Business & Professional Women group.
The movie showcases the women’s voter rights movement and Alice Paul in the early 1900’s. Alice founded the separatist National Woman's Party and wrote the first equal rights amendment to be presented before Congress.
My current legislator Earl Poleski has voted against women’s right to have a say in their health care consistently in his first term of office. This includes many extreme bills that never got enough votes to pass. Earl also joined me in sponsoring this event celebrating the fight for women’s voter’s rights.
This inconsistency bothers me. I don’t understand voting for legislation that will restrict the rights of women and then sponsoring an event that represents the fight to end oppression of women.
I will always fight for women, children, seniors, families and civil rights....to name a few.. Right is right.
Your voice is your vote. Be heard on Nov 06.
Fighting for Michigan Families,
Barb Shelton
Posted on 22 Oct 2012, 20:24 - Category: Women
Ballot Series Proposal 2
Hello,
This is my second entry in the Ballot Proposal Series discussing my thoughts on Proposal 2.
Proposal 2: A PROPOSAL TO AMEND THE STATE CONSTITUTION REGARDING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
This proposal would:
• Grant public and private employees the constitutional right to organize and bargain collectively through labor unions.
• Invalidate existing or future state or local laws that limit the ability to join unions and bargain collectively, and to negotiate and enforce collective bargaining agreements, including employees’ financial support of their labor unions. Laws may be enacted to prohibit public employees from striking.
• Override state laws that regulate hours and conditions of employment to the extent that those laws conflict with collective bargaining agreements.
• Define “employer” as a person or entity employing one or more employees.
Should this proposal be approved? (Yes or No)
The reason that Prop 2 is so important is because we have seen aproximately 100 laws against labor either passed or in the hopper in the last two years.
Many of these laws have restricted basic rights of workers to have a discussion with their employer about working conditions. As an employee it is a basic right to negotiate with your employer about hours, wages, benefits and working conditions.
Labor unions and negotiations were born out of severe injustices to workers that resulted in deaths, injury and exploitation of workers. Do we really want to go back to those practices?
If we do not protect the right of workers to have a say in their working environment, wages, hours and benefits we will be erasing decades of progress in the workplace.
Don't listen to lies stating we will have criminals in schools and cost tax payers money. These simply are not true. Workers are never forced to join unions, they can refuse and still receive the same benefits of the union. Unions don't cause higher taxes. In fact for the last two years we have seen tax breaks for corporations that don't create jobs and increased taxes on poor and middle class working families that pay for them.
Let politicians know that we will not stand back and watch our rights be taken away. We will fight for workers in our state as we have for decades.
Vote YES on Proposal 2 and protect workers in Michigan!
Fighting for Michigan Families!
Barb Shelton
Posted on 20 Oct 2012, 8:13 - Category: Ballot Proposal Series