BREAKING: Michigan approves illegal $50 million for Copperwood — take action NOW!
BREAKING!
Michigan Strategic Fund approves ILLEGAL and UNCONSTITUTIONAL use of 50 million taxpayer dollars for Copperwood Mine.
TAKE ACTION TO SAVE DEMOCRACY IN MICHIGAN.
Last Tuesday the Michigan Strategic Fund — a body of unelected businesspeople — approved the hotly-opposed $50 million taxpayer-funded handout to the foreign-owned Copperwood Mine proposal.
As you'll recall, this funding has been three times denied by state lawmakers due to pushback from tens of thousands from around Michigan and beyond. But this time, fed up with tiresome democracy, the forces behind Copperwood led a conspiracy to bypass the votes of our elected officials through a backdoor loophole by reallocating old funds from an unrelated, obsolete project.
This is illegal and unconstitutional. Article IV, Section 30 of the Michigan Constitution clearly states:
"The assent of two-thirds the legislature shall be required for the appropriation of public money for local or private purposes."
And how many votes did this funding receiving from our elected legislature? ZERO VOTES.
At the meeting, 42 in-person speakers gave testimony against the funding, while the only speakers in favor were the usual corporate-captured lawmakers: McBroom, Cavitt, Bohnak, Fairbairn, Markkanen, each competing to out-lick the boots of their Canadian overlords. But a motion was filed to delay 127 virtual comments until after the vote, thus disenfranchising dozens of local voices and completely undermining their case for "community support."
We can't let them get away with this.
Please visit the ProtectThePorkies Take Action page ASAP to complete the following steps:
- Contact your state lawmakers
- Contact the Michigan Attorney General and demand an investigation be conducted
- Contact specifically the state senate appropriations committee
- Contact the State Ethics Board to demand that Quentin Messer, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, sit for a hearing to answer for his crimes against democracy
You'll find contact information and sample messages at the Take Action Page. Please complete these steps this week, if not today.
Out-of-state residents are encourage to participate in steps 2 through 4: Let Michigan know that the eyes of the world are watching. Will the principles of democracy be sacrificed for the sake of copper shipped out of country, boom-and-bust jobs, and the enrichment of a foreign mining company?
Please remember that past generations fought for decades to see the Porcupine Mountains protected. Now it's our turn to pick up the torch to keep them protected for the future.
In solidarity,
Tom and the Protect the Porkies team
ProtectThePorkies@gmail.com
*** Protect the Porkies is a volunteer-run initiative in a remote rural location. Your donations are essential to our mission!
*** Change.org raised $172,000+ off of our petition, and how much do you thing went to our frontlines campaign? ZERO. Upon requesting revenue sharing, they offered us a $75 gift card. Please help us at this crucial juncture in our fight to protect these precious lands and waters.