Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on January 30, 2007

Click here to view bill details.

Considering all of the problems our state faces right now, I'm STUNNED that a legislator has made THIS nonsense a priority! Today, any teacher can lead a class in the Pledge if they so desire. This "law" would make it a REQUIREMENT! Why? Do our legislators feel we need compulsory, Soviet style "citizenship building" excercises? What is the point here? Unless, of course, it's simply a ploy to have students mindlessly bellow "UNDER GOD" each day whether they mean it or not. Again, totally pointless, but religious zealots never quit, and will do anything, no matter now small, to advance their goal of making our public school system the equivalent of Christian madrassas (sp?). Even if I agreed with them, I would much rather advance FREEDOM by allowing teachers and students to recite the Pledge VOLUNTARILY, in a heart-felt way, rather than ORDERING them to do so from "on high." This ham-handed abuse of power and waste of the legislature's time should be dispensed with as quickly as it takes to swat a mosquito. Why don't you folks in Lansing concentrate on our BUDGET SHORTFALL, so we have schools to say the Pledge IN? Or do something to end the massive exodus of JOBS? This is what we're paying you for! Not to legislate First Amendment infringements, which this blatantly is. Compulsory speech is not free speech.

YES YES YES. Bring patratisn back to the schools.

Do we think this would fly if it were for all government employees? Are we only considering it because it imposes it on people under 18?

on re-hashing last years legislation? if so, why only pick on a FEW bills? why not 'go for broke' and re-hash ALL OF THEM? while you are at it, bring back the death penalty bill. THAT would bring some good to michigan. i'd rather see my money spent on ridding the state of heinous murderers than being spent keeping them alive in luxury.

Why does the pledge get people so upset? Most of us recited it every day ins chool and lived through it with our independent thought intact. Spending a minute at the beginning of the day thinking about our country and its freedoms is not a bad thing. In the 8th grade when we had a Jehovah's Witness in class who wasn't allowed to participate, it provoked an excellent discussion of our freedoms. Why are people afraid to say that, even with our differences, as Americans we hold some beliefs in common? Chill out. Saying the pledge is not the first horseman of the apocalypse!

saying the pledge makes some people "antsy". these people are usually liberals who believe that the average person will take whatever is told him and run with it to the utmost extreme. they fear "independent thought" when it comes to personal values and responsibilities, but revere it when it comes to new and different ways to "re-distribute wealth". they believe that reciting the pledge, and in any way believing in what it says and stands for is contrary to their mantra of "do what feels good". heaven forbid that a liberal should ever allow a man, with the help of his creator, to stand up and fend for himself, when his GOVERNMENT is there to help him.

sing your song O Troll-o Mio

make it MANDATORY to recite the Pledge of Allegiance instead of a free choice? ALLOWING the choice of whether or not to sing the National Anthem or recite the pledge? What is this - Russia? I'm all for a part-time congress. You folks have way too much time on your hands

make it MANDATORY to recite the Pledge of Allegiance instead of a free choice? ALLOWING the choice of whether or not to sing the National Anthem or recite the pledge? What is this - Russia? I'm all for a part-time congress. You folks have way too much time on your hands

This bill, because of its mandatory nature, is rife with constitutional questions. The courts have already ruled numerous times that the phrase "under God" is an endorsement of religion. Opt-out clauses don't pass constitutional muster either. Are they begging for a lawsuit? What a waste of government resources and what an insult to the cause of religious freedom!

mandated saying of the pledge of allegience a bad thing, with opt out clauses being unconstitutional, when mandatory vaccine, with an opt out clause is perfectly acceptable?

complete with a factual misrepresentation

The “under God” phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance remains controversial and the US Supreme Court has yet to rule on its constitutionality. As a conservative and traditionalist, my own belief is that the phrase – added by Congress in 1954 -- does not belong in the Pledge. Among other reasons for my belief is the fact that it is divisive, which is the antithesis of the Pledge’s unifying purpose. Are provisions in this (SB 113) bill that permit students to opt out of reciting the pledge unconstitutional? Most probably – almost certainly – NOT. Claims that the opt out provision is unconstitutional are based on a seriously distorted reading of a 2006 Federal court decision involving a Florida statute. The Florida law provided for a opt out from actually reciting the Pledge, but still required students to participate in the ceremony by standing and facing the flag as their classmates did the recitation. The Federal court ruled that coerced participation in the ceremony was unconstitutional.

disagrees with you a troll? I have never seen a more closed minded bunch than the god hating, degenerate loving libs.

Why is it legal to kill your unborn baby but illegal to smoke when he's around?

trolling, we see

singing of O Troll-o Mio, we see

At least you're not stomping your feet and wetting your diaper.

i see. what, does debate scare you? question phobia? come on, grow up.

disagrees with a liberal IS a troll. anyone who asks questions to a liberal is a troll. anyone who ISN'T a liberal is a troll.

:-)

eh, Troll?

your bait

and taxes. They go together.

misrepresentation is that?

the old adage right. liberalism IS a mental disorder.

Impeach it

students out there that don't want to say the pledge? are we talking millions? hundreds? ten? one? give us a number.

on earth would we want to do that? why should we impeach her? she just lied to us TWICE. then she told us that in five years we'd all be blown away. (she'd better get blowing.) after that she promised she'd keep an eye on our wallets for us, because she knows good and well we are all too stupid to do it for ourselves. she promised to cure the ills of michigan. she didn't do any of that in her first term, in fact, she didn't do ANYTHING in her first term. but dumbocrats being what they are, they voted for her again anyway. now, she hasn't done anything to cure the ills of michigan in her second term, and doesn't look like she's going to start any time soon. i'm surprised the dumbocrats aren't up in arms about being lied to TWICE.

every student already has the right to "opt out" of the pledge of allegiance. i'm not sure WHY anyone would want to. perhaps someone can enlighten me, what are the reasons the students are electing to 'opt out'? your children can't 'opt out' of attending school. your children can't 'opt out' of taking classes with which they disagree with the subject matter. do any of those children have a valid reason for wanting to 'opt out'? if so, let's hear it. maybe if the reason is good enough, we can do away with the pledge entirely.

last year when this legislation was introduced? it only stirred A LITTLE controversy then. are all the legislators locked in a big room trying to come up with solutions for the financial problems in this state? no, they're re-copying bills from previous sessions. why do we pay them?

herrings are certainly biting today.

Michiganistan Died

reciting the pledge of allegience when i was young. i still proudly stand to recite it today. you don't have to if you don't want to. i'm curious as to why you wouldn't want to.

some more :-)

eh?

the Trolls are verty active

biting left and right. what is the size for "keepers" around here?

for answers, as the liberals here don't have any.