This is the first time in my memory that a Committee Chair reported such a major philosophical issue, and the Speaker put it to vote, without a majority in their own caucus.  This is dirty hard ball politics that disregards the Party and cuts a devil's deal with the other Party.  We were not respected, and I was told that this morning by a leader in the Committee.  "We have 90,000 people in our districts and there are only so many tea party folks."

They state that Michigan businesses are paying $24 Billion a year to fund Medicaid so we need to get in line to get some of it back.  They state ObamaCare is reality, "O.K., you (Feds) are here so lets get the Feds to make some changes to our liking."  As if the Federal regime has ever cut slack for any state.  As if the feds have ever operated honorably.  The time to demand Federal concessions is BEFORE you pass the law.  Once you roll over and bare your belly, you gets at best scraps from the table.  I have been assured the law will be null and void if the Feds do not accept the conditions.  Then they watered the bill down to have less teeth to make it closer to the Fed plan.  We will see how quickly Michigan rolls over again when BHO tells Michigan where to go.

We will need to hang some heads on the wall to remain relevant.

Yup, we sure as hell do (but that's a separate article, already in draft).  And while we're at it, we need to consider the option of devoting some resources to supporting the legislators who twice voted against party leadership to preserve Michigan's state sovereignty and defend Michigan's economy against federal takeover.

Noteworthy in this is that -- comparing 2013 House Roll Call 11 (contained in 2013 House Journal Number 20, starting on page 3) on 2013 House Bill 4111 to 2013 House Roll Call 241 (contained in 2013 House Journal Number 59, on page 26) on 2013 House Bill 4714 -- we see that, though some of the names changed, 30 Republicans (~50.85% of the current chamber partisan caucus) voted "nay" on final passage each time.  Filtering the two lists for common "nay" votes from legislators who're eligible for reelection in 2014 (or promotion to the State Senate) we have the following "list of 26" (of whom 21 are eligible for reelection):

• Jon Bumstead (R) District 100, Newaygo
  
• Kevin Daley (R) District 82, Attica (termed-out)
  
• Scott Dianda (D) District 110, Calumet
  
• Jeff Farrington (R) District 30, Utica
  
• Ray Franz (R) District 101, Onekama
  
• Robert Genetski (R) District 80, Saugatuck (termed-out)
  
• Ken Goike (R) District 33, Ray Township
  
• Joseph Graves (R) District 51, Argentine Township (this is the cat who replaced the disgraced Paul Scott)
  
• Thomas Hooker (R) District 77, Byron Center
  
• Martin Howrylak (R) District 41, Troy
  
• Nancy Jenkins (R) District 57, Clayton
  
• Joel Johnson (R) District 97, Clare
  
• Tim Kelly (R) District 94, Saginaw Township
  
• Kenneth Kurtz (R) District 58, Coldwater (termed-out)
  
• Dan Lauwers (R) District 81, Brockway
  
• Tom Leonard (R) District 93, DeWitt Township
  
• Pete Lund (R) District 36, Shelby Township (termed out)
  
• Edward McBroom (R) District 108, Vulcan
  
• Tom McMillin (R) District 45, Rochester Hills (termed out)
  
• Paul Muxlow (R) District 83, Brown City
  
• Aric Nesbitt (R) District 66, Lawton
  
• Rick Outman (R) District 70, Six Lakes
  
• Peter Pettalia (R) District 106, Presque Isle
  
• Bruce Rendon (R) District 103, Lake City
  
• Patrick Somerville (R) District 23, New Boston
  
• Roger Victory (R) District 88, Hudsonville