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Stick to the budget, Repubs.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Republicans across the country had a great election last year, and our state was no exception. Michigan citizens voted in a majority-Republican state House and Senate and also a Republican governor. These political victors talked only about jobs, jobs, jobs on the campaign trail and avoided saying anything about social issues – as if the mere phrase itself would bring Lord Voldemort back.
But now, said Republicans are working social issues into their budget plans.
They've inserted language that would mandate a report on university stem cell research, even though Gov. Snyder's legal counsel says doing so is unconstitutional and unenforceable.
They've also added in language that would force state universities with counseling programs to report how they are "protecting" Christian students' "sincerely held beliefs."
This is in response to the case of Julea Ward, a student in the graduate level counseling program at Eastern Michigan University, who was dismissed from the program after refusing to counsel gay students, citing her "sincerely held beliefs" that the Bible tells her homosexuality is wrong. Ward sued, and her case was dismissed. (How's that for deja vu?) Now she's appealing. EMU maintains that it must adhere to the standards of the counseling organizations that give it accreditation. If this amendment passes, we're not sure what it would mean for the Michigan schools that offer counseling degrees.
And, we can't forget that particular rep from a little west side town called Grandville who added in a five percent penalty to state schools who offer domestic partner benefits. Such benefits aren't technically called benefits – they actually allow a "plus-one" option for employees – but they do end up offering benefits to domestic partners. Somehow in the negotiations between Snyder and Republicans, that language was changed to remove the penalty while making clear that the plus-one benefits are frowned upon.
Yeah, that's right. Wag your finger, Rep. Agema. Because that's all you can do on that issue.
For all the confidence Republican lawmakers should have right now with all of their majority support, you'd think they'd feel comfortable openly pursuing whatever regressive social agenda they want to. They shouldn't tuck it in budget bills. Doing so is like hiding in plain sight: Painfully obvious. You know how toddlers, once they near potty-training age, might wander over to a corner to poo in their diapers? Yeah, it's like that. Everyone can see you, Repubs. We can smell you too.
In other words – in no uncertain terms, actually – we say to state Republican lawmakers: Go for it. No, really. If you want to pursue some religious, regressive social agenda, then just do it. Out in the open. Confidently. Like the crazy old privileged white guys that you are.
Unless, that is, you're afraid of something. Of a growing number of churches who are welcoming LGBTs with open arms, perhaps? Of a growing majority of twenty-and-thirty-somethings who support LGBT equality – and who are only growing older and more politically aware? Or maybe you're afraid that science, medicine, psychology, history and the entertainment industry aren't on your side anymore?
But we know that's just silly – y'all aren't afraid of anything. Wait a second… do you… do you smell something?

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