Michigan’s once treasured Consumer Protection Act now sits in squalor thanks to the Engler dominated Michigan Supreme Court of the past few years. Last year marked the ultimate demise of any remaining teeth the law may have had when the Court, led by sleeping ex-Chief Justice Cliff Taylor exempted most, if not all, business regulated by state or federal law, such as home improvement contractors, mortgage companies, and plumbers.
In the midst of a housing fiasco the likes of which this society has never seen, consumers who were victims to the tactics of predatory mortgage companies find little solace in knowing that justice to the state’s highest court meant protecting big business instead of average citizens. Moreover, if you’re lucky enough to get financing for a new home, but you can only afford one that needs substantial renovations, you can forget about relying on the Consumer Protection Act as a guarantee that those roof shingles get fixed by builders.
With a new face on the state’s Supreme Court, and a chance to remove another justice (Robert Young) in 2010 who prefers corporate welfare over true justice, it’s time the Supreme Court roll up their sleeves and get to work on undoing the carnage of the past few years.
