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YOU CAN NOW COMMENT ON STORIES AND POLLS<br />
LET US KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ISSUES.<br />
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NEW POLL OVERVIEW:<br />
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Michigan joined the swelling ranks of states considering legislation that would effectively block any state cooperation with federal officials seeking to detain Americans under provisions in sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act.<br />
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The legislation (HB 5768) was introduced in the Michigan House on June 18, 2012 . The legislation would prohibit any state agent, state employee or member of the Michigan National Guard from assisting &quot;an agency of the armed forces of the United States in any investigation, prosecution, or detention of any person pursuant to 50 USC 1541, as provided by the federal national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2012, Public Law 112-81, if such aid would place that state agency, political subdivision, employee, or member of the Michigan national guard in violation of the United States constitution, the state constitution of 1963, or any law of this state.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><br />
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In the 1840s and 1850s, northern states effectively used a similar strategy to block implementation of the Fugitive Slave Acts. The federal law denied due process to blacks accused of running away from slavery. A slave-owner could haul a man or woman back south simply on the authority of his own testimony. A black person was not even allowed to testify in her own defense. Northern states passed personal liberty laws, in some cases refusing state cooperation, denying the use of state resources to slave commissioners and forbidding state officers to participate in the process. Other state laws guaranteed any person charged as a fugitive slave a jury trial.<br />
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Michigan passed its personal liberty law in 1855. It guaranteed in section two, </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">All persons so arrested and claimed as fugitive slaves, shall be entitled to all the benefits of the writ of habeas corpus and of trial by jury,</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> and section five declared, </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">No person arrested and claimed as a fugitive slave shall be imprisoned in any jail or other prison in this State; and any person having the care or control of any jail or prison, and knowingly permitting the imprisonment of such alleged fugitive slave therein, shall be subjected to the payment of a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><br />
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HB5768 was referred to the House Committee on Government Operations.<br />
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NO MATTER WHERE YOU STAND ON THE ISSUE CALL, WRITE, OR E-MAIL YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS AND LET THEM KNOW WHERE YOU STAND ON THE NULLIFICATION LEGISLATION:<br />
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SENATOR JUDY EMMONS&nbsp; (517) 373-3760<br />
REP. PAUL OPSOMMER&nbsp; (517) 373-1778<br />
RE. BEN GLARDON&nbsp;&nbsp; (517) 373-0841<br />
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NEW POLL QUESTION:<br />
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Should the Michigan Legislature pass legislation to nullify the federal </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">National Defense Authorization Act</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">?<br />
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Yes<br />
No<br />
Undecided<br />
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TO VOTE IN THIS POLL CLICK ON THIS LINK<br />
<a href="http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/should-michigan-legislature-pass-legislation-nullify-federal-%E2%80%9Cnational-defense-authorization">http://www.clinton-countygop.org/content/should-michigan-legislature-pass-legislation-nullify-federal-%E2%80%9Cnational-defense-authorization</a><br />
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(To enter your comments click on &quot;Add new comment</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&quot;</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> after you vote.)<br />
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PREVIOUS POLL QUESTION:<br />
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Should Michigan's minimum wage be raised from $7.40 to $10.00 by 2015?<br />
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YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 9%<br />
NO . . . . . . . . . . . . 91%<br />
UNDECIDED . . . . . . .0%&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />
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THREE COMMENTS WERE MADE ON THIS POLL QUESTION:<br />
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COMMENT #1:<br />
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Let's wait and see what the economy for small businesses is in 2015...anticipation of better times to come can put small businesses out of business in the meantime.<br />
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COMMENT #2:<br />
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During my career I have worked for less than &quot;minimum wage&quot; at times in the past but I was accumulating skills that I believe benefited myself and my future employers. I now earn considerably more than minimum wage but I &quot;earned&quot; it, it was not given to me.<br />
Now, every time the &quot;minimum wage&quot; is artificially increased, it is a direct dilution of the wage that I have earned. This country cannot afford more people with no jobs because their skills do not equal the cost to hire them. They do not have the opportunity to learn the job skills needed to be productive workers.<br />
Minimum wage laws just compound and increase the cost of living problem for every one, but especially those people who do have the lower paying jobs. It is just a vicious cycle that hurts the people the most that it is supposed to be helping.<br />
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COMMENT #3:<br />
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Each business knows what wage is appropriate in it's locale, for what the job entails, and what other similar businesses are paying etc. The government doesn't have experitise in this area, and should stay out of it.<br />
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