Da Yoopers

The Free Press recently gave front page space to the advocates for the Upper Peninsula (U.P.--for non-natives, it's that section of Michigan above the mitten, separated by Lakes Michigan and Huron) seceding from Michigan and becoming the 51st state.  The U.P. is a largely rural area, fairly conservative (though Bart Stupak, a conservative Democrat, did represent them for many years) that's known mostly for being cold (some areas average over 400 inches of snow a year) and barren (less than 3% of Michigan's 11 million citizens live there, and it represents 30% of our land mass).

Needless to say, before I had read the article, it was, "Gee, I wonder what goofy redneck reason they have for that desire?"  but after reading it (it remains highly unlikely that the U.P. will secede) you can see that they are raising legitimate concerns that the republicans in Lansing are overstepping their bounds when it comes to mining rights in the U.P.--the article doesn't mention it, but one has to believe the republicans are trying to kiss some corporate ass somewhere on this deal, even though taxes being collected by Lansing are part of it as well. 

What was interesting, though, is that it isn't just down here where Gov. Snyder isn't all that popular.  I would have figured that the U.P. was one of his safe havens, but judging from the people's reactions (and Gov. Snyder's spokesman's defensive response) he isn't all that popular up there, either.

I still think it's a very longshot that he is defeated in 2014 (too much money, too much of the major media believing the hype that Snyder has actually accomplished something, all evidence to the contrary), but it does give some hope that we might be able to at least make his campaign have to work for it.

Peace,
emaycee