Where, Exactly, Is Mike Rogers From?

He says he's from Michigan, but you really have to wonder...

Rogers recently hit a mean-spirited trifecta, topping off a busy week in which he voted against mothers and the military by voting against Michigan's unemployed.

It's not news to anyone that Michigan has the nation's highest unemployment rate. Since 2000, we've lost 350,000 jobs and our median income for households has fallen by 11.9 percent.

At the beginning of this year, Governor Granholm, Senators Levin & Stabenow and five Michigan representatives asked Congress for help with extended unemployment benefits and health care funding. They were trying to get support for our state at a time when people are really hurting -- and they were doing it in a very sensible way. The Congressional Budget Office has shown that extending unemployment benefits is a more effective economic stimulus than cuts in corporate tax rates or temporary tax reductions.

So what did Mr. Rogers do when his Governor, his Senators and his colleagues tried to help the citizens of Michigan? He turned his back on all of us and publicly stated

that Congress should not spend more on government programs like unemployment compensation, but instead should quickly get the rebate checks into the hands of taxpayers.

"We need to help the American people who are hurting by getting money in their hands," Rogers said, saying it will also improve consumer confidence.

Got that? Mike Rogers thinks that a check for a few hundred dollars is all you need to feel more confident. You don't need a job, or affordable health care for your family or any other frills.

Perhaps if Mr. Rogers visited the Eighth Congressional District as often as he does Iraq, he would have a better idea of what he can do to help us.

This toxic combo of inaction and bad attitude isn't exactly what I would call "representative." And it's certainly not worth $162,000 a year (plus gold-plated health insurance).

Mr. Rogers receives 'Public Enemy of Middle Class' Award

Just yesterday, we saw one more example of how out of touch Mr. Rogers is with Michigan's working class. Today, the evidence against Mr. Rogers continues to mount, and all his neglected constituents can do is run for the hills.

Mike Rogers has made the Top 18 Public Enemies of the Middle Class in Congress, according to Americans United for Change.

"More and more of America's working people are struggling to make ends meet, and our middle class is disappearing," said Jeremy Funk, spokesman for Americans United for Change. "At least two meaningful pieces of legislation to reverse this trend have already come before Congress this year - and, unfortunately, these eighteen Members were no where to be found when the middle class families they represent needed them most. Just last week, they each opposed the Employee Free Choice Act, which would give middle-class workers a fair shake by fixing a badly broken system for forming unions and bargaining with Corporate America for better pay, improved benefits and retirement security.

(emphasis added)

Mr. Rogers joins Michigan's Vern Ehlers on the dubious list. Of course, not just anyone made the Top 18

While more than 18 Republicans voted against both the minimum wage increase and the Employee Free Choice Act in the House, these 18 were selected as public enemies of the middle class because they either come from districts where these issues have gained added resonance because of the growing disparity between the wages of workers and corporate executives or because they had been identified as persuadable on these issues.

You can bet this is one award that Mr. Rogers won't be waving around come election time. In fact, we fully expect Mr. Rogers to bury this as far as he can.

The People of the Neighborhood will not forget, making sure the good folks of the 8th District remember what a true menace to society Mike Rogers really is.