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Endless Stream of Frustration and Reinvention
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Sat, 02/04/2012 - 1:28am
A lot of history has been blown up over the past half century as post industrial towns have struggled to "reinvent" themselves. There's a miserable lack of historical buildings, still standing, in many post industrial towns...Ford's original factories are gone or dissolving, nearly forgotten. Cuz it's progress to un-be what we've been. A reinvention to undo what we've done and start fresh. The dynamite,detonated at the base of our architecturally sinful past wipes the slate clean again...building after building after building. All to re-invent.
The lost buildings exist as ghosts in our collective memory. They still tower over the horizons of the community mind.
One specific building in Muskegon comes to mind, and to this very day it evokes feelings of anger and resentment at its destruction when its name or image comes up. The Occidental Hotel. The Occidental Hotel in Muskegon was a landmark. It was demolished in just one of a string of many attempts to revitalize the down town over the past 50 years.
Many folks from decades ago, including my father, tried desperately to save it. Tried desperately to keep our ties to the past. But the efforts were no use. Muskegon had to reinvent itself to stay afloat. That old phrase we hear so often when confronted with a failure of industry of manufacturing of our own economy. We need to reinvent ourselves. Once again. Again and again and again.
We had to blow the old building up.
We had to get with the times. And the times, at the time, was some ill fated mall that would itself be demolished 25 years later in a new effort in a long running meme known as post-industrial reinvention. The mall would eventually itself be bulldozed to the ground. Where the Occidental Hotel once stood. Where the Mall then stood. Then a sand pit. And then a cullinary arts college surrounded by sand pit.
They did the same to the court house and countless other buildings.
One building, however, did manage to miss the wrecking ball all these years.
The "Century Club"
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Daily Kos Elections Polling Wrap: Mitt Romney odds-on favorite in Nevada. How about nationally?
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 8:30pm
Things that appear certain, based on polling:
- Mitt Romney is on his way to a relatively easy win in tomorrow's caucuses in Nevada.
- Romney is also in pretty decent shape in the two late February primaries in Arizona and Michigan, two states that (on paper) set up pretty well for him.
- Gingrich's national standing, at least in the Gallup tracking polls, has taken a mighty dive.
What is quite a bit less clear, however, is if this really does portend the beginning of the end for the Republican presidential horse race. More on that after the jump. For now, the numbers from two days of polling (yesterday's Wrap having been sabotaged by a computer virus beating up my laptop):
NATIONAL (Gallup Tracking): Romney 33, Gingrich 25, Santorum 16, Paul 11NATIONAL (YouGov): Romney 29, Gingrich 23, Santorum 20, Paul 14
ARIZONA (Rasmussen): Romney 48, Gingrich 24, Santorum 13, Paul 6
GEORGIA (SurveyUSA): Gingrich 45, Romney 32, Santorum 9, Paul 8
MICHIGAN (Rasmussen): Romney 38, Gingrich 23, Santorum 17, Paul 14
NEVADA (PPP): Romney 50, Gingrich 25, Paul 15, Santorum 8
NEVADA (UNLV): Romney 45, Gingrich 25, Santorum 11, Paul 9
And ... as always ... the general election nums, as well:
NATIONAL (Rasmussen Tracking): Obama tied with Romney (45-45); Obama d. Santorum (46-44); Obama d. Paul (45-42); Obama d. Gingrich (49-41)NATIONAL (YouGov): Obama d. Paul (48-40); Obama d. Romney (49-40); Obama d. Santorum (50-40); Obama d. Gingrich (52-37)
GEORGIA (SurveyUSA): Romney d. Obama (51-43); Gingrich d. Obama (50-44)
MISSOURI (PPP): Obama tied with Romney (45-45); Obama d. Paul (45-43); Obama d. Santorum (47-44); Obama d. Gingrich (49-42)
Some thoughts as we head into the weekend, right after the jump.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Colbert: SuperPAC Top 22 List includes 2 Michigan GOP Top Funders
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Fri, 02/03/2012 - 2:53pm
The Colbert Report is making a bunch of noise since yesterday when Steven Colbert listed the Top 22 Super PAC donors revealing half of all Super PAC money came from their $67 million in contributions alone.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
"I am sure that the good government goo-goos out there are saying this is just handing all the power to the 1% when in fact 22 people in a population of 300 million: That’s 7 one-millionths of 1 percent," Colbert said, tapping away on his trusty calculator until it spewed smoke. "So Occupy Wall Street, you’re going to want to change those signs."
Two of the 22 donors were Bob Perry (TX), who gave $3,600,000 to "Make Us Great Again" supporting Rick Perry, and Paul Singer (NY) donating $1,000,000 to "Restore Our Future" backing Mitt Romney's candidacy in the Republican Presidential Primary flooded with billionaire money.
But did you know that Perry and Singer are TWO of the Michigan Republican Party's Top 10 donors for 2010? Yep, that's a fact (Page 94).
To Michigan Republican Related PACs
DeVos, Richard, Sr. & Helen (FL) (Rich) $1,199,904
Lynas, Robert & Joyce $1,007,000
Perry, Bob (TX) $1,000,000
Koch, David (NY) $988,604
Singer, Paul (NY) $783,400
Cohen, Steven (CT) $482,604
Jandernoa, Michael & Susan $416,655
Weiser, Ron & Eileen $418,247
Johnson, Ruth (Campaign) $354,834
Mills, Ted $339,500
Meijer, Frederick & Lena $339,000
DeVos, Dick & Betsy $334,754
Moroun, M.J. & Nora $333,225
Nicholson, James & Ann $302,704
Actually, as you can see, if you add Koch and Cohen to the list, FOUR of the Top Donors to the Michigan GOP are billionaires from out-of-state.
You might just check in YOUR STATE.
Welcome to a new country, and states too, bought and paid for, thanks to Citizen's United and the 1% (inside and outside) your state, as this shows.
Cross-posted from Blogging for Michigan. If it's Michigan, it's on BFM.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Doubling the House: Michigan
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Thu, 02/02/2012 - 10:35pm
For any who may be reading this series for the first time: this is a thought experiment where I try to see what would happen if the size of the House of Representatives were doubled to 870 members from 435. And yes, I know Republicans have the trifecta in Michigan. This entire series is theoretical to begin with, gimme a break.
My neighbor to the north (I live less than a mile from the border), recently fell to the Republicans in the 2010 elections. And they have governed much differently than they promised. Here is a map that I think is fair, and represents the heavy Democratic lean of the state. I can't promise I followed the communities of interest especially well, not being a Michigander.
Link to the adopted plan.
Previous Doubling Diaries: FL, SC, WI, LA, MS, UT, NV, OK, AK, WY, IN, NJ, VA, OH, HI, ND, SD, NM, VT, DE and ID
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Fred Upton appoints Big Gas lobbyist to position on House Energy and Commerce Committee
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Thu, 02/02/2012 - 8:05pm
Another day, another lobbyist appointed to a Congressional position
Iraqi war vet and "Friend o' the (Eclecta)blog" John Waltz (pictured right) is running for Congress in Michigan's 6th district against the pro-Big Oil, pro-Big Business, anti-environment incumbent Fred Upton. This is a good thing because, honestly, Upton is everything we do NOT want in a Congressional Representative.
Upton is the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Given his anti-EPA/anti-environmental protection position, him having this position of power is both ironic and frightening.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Indiana Won't Be Last in 2012 Anti-Worker Push
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Thu, 02/02/2012 - 11:20am
Indiana became the 23rd state to institute a so-called “right to work” law yesterday. Across the country these laws have depressed wages for union and non-union workers alike, and have contributed to unsafe working conditions.
Unfortunately, anti-worker forces in other states are looking to follow Indiana’s lead.
An Ohio group has been cleared to continue its effort to push a ballot initiative that would keep workers covered by labor contracts from having to join a union or pay dues.Attorney General Mike DeWine on Wednesday said Ohioans for Workplace Freedom has provided a "fair and truthful" summary of its proposed right-to-work amendment.
In Minnesota:
A bill to put the right-to-work issue on the November ballot is being authored by state Republicans Sen. Dave Thompson from Lakeville and Rep. Steve Drazkowski from Mazeppa.
And in Michigan:
Some Michigan Republicans have been pressuring Governor Snyder to get behind a right to work bill in Michigan but he wants nothing to do with it, reiterating during congressional testimony yesterday that it would just bring everything to a grinding halt in Lansing.
The political situations in all of these states are different, but fortunately they are all tougher terrain for union-busting bills than Indiana.
Ohio’s Gov. John Kasich has not expressed interest in making “right-to-work” a priority, especially after his similarly anti-worker Senate Bill 5 got overwhelmingly spanked last year at the polls. "If people in this state feel that you need right-to-work, I don't think people even know what that is," Kasich said. That’s politician code for “please, leave me out of this.”
Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder is trying to position himself as the moderate of the freshman bunch. Talking about the backlashes in Wisconsin and Ohio, Snyder indicated he doesn’t want a similar situation in Lansing. "If you want to draw it as a contrast, you look at now that they've had those things happen, do they have a productive environment to solve problems? Not necessarily,” he told the Huffington Post, “They're still overcoming the divisiveness, the hard feelings from all of that."
And thanks in part to Working America pounding the pavement in 2010, Minnesota working families have an ally in Governor Mark Dayton, who opposes right to work. However, he doesn’t have the power to veto constitutional amendments proposed by the majority of the legislature. The current effort by Republican legislators is to put the issue on the November ballot.
All these efforts pale in comparison to Arizona’s blitzkrieg against public unions that caught workers by surprise this week. A series of bills were introduced late at night on Monday and passed out of committee just 48 hours later – including a Wisconsin-style bill that would ban unions from representing any state, county, or municipal employee.
A high profile New York Times piece talked about Republican governors moderating their agendas in 2012. We’ll believe it when we see it. For now, all we’re seeing is a continuation of 2011’s all-out war on workers, and a complete nationwide negligence of the jobs and unemployment crisis.
by Doug Foote - Reposted from Working America's Main Street Blog
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Wednesday afternoon Michigan Emergency Manager news round-up
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Wed, 02/01/2012 - 12:48pm
It just goes on and on and on again...
- Decision to close Highland Park school not made by Emergency Manager Jack Martin
Contrary to what some outlets have reported, the decision to close Barber Focus school was NOT made by new Emergency Manager Jack Martin During a parent meeting on Monday, superintendent Edith Hightower announced that Barber Focus School would merge with Ford Academy. The decision to close Barber was made prior to Martin's arrival without his knowledge, contrary to other published media reports.At the meeting, tempers flared with one attendee saying, "I'm sick of them in Lansing sending these black men in here to take over", before being escorted out.
Martin told parents that the school district wasn't going to be dissolved so long as attendance doesn't drop any further.
But he reassured parents that the entire district would not shut down -- if enrollment is contingent with current figures."If we tank on enrollment this year like we did last year, then I don't know what we're going to do," Martin said. "If everybody decides they want to go to Detroit, we can shut the doors and turn out the lights."
Huffington Post Detroit reports that there is also talk of "plans to demolish three currently empty school buildings: Willard, Ferris and Midland."
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Michigan's Berserk Legislature Continues Attack on Workers
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Tue, 01/31/2012 - 9:40pm
Union busting
Indeed, union busting techniques range from legal to illegal. And over the past 13 months, we've seen them all. From the over-the-top tactics in Wisconsin and Ohio, to the stealth war in Michigan, the war on workers rights has taken place.
Today, Michigan took another potential step backward as a series of anti-worker bills surfaces in Tom McMillin's committee.
Tom McMillin is the same guy who was appointed to head the House Education Committee after disgraced Chair Paul Scott was recalled in November.
Tom McMillin is the same guy who has been accepting public lobbying from the conservative Mackinac Center (in violation of their tax documents).
On a party line vote, the House Oversight, Reform and Ethics Committee passed on Tuesday House Bills 5023-5026, a package of anti-union bills meant to curtail the powers of labor unions:
- HB 5023 fines striking public employees one day's pay and their union $5,000 for each day of the strike, expanding the penalties beyond the current rules that only apply to public school employees.
- HB 5024 sets fines and restrictions on members and their unions for mass picketing.
- HB 5025 requires an employee's annual written authorization to have their union dues deducted from their paycheck by employers.
- HB 5026 eliminates the prohibition against employers advertising for strike breakers.
It is pretty clear what their intent is. Make it harder for unions to keep and protect their members.
What is unfortunate is that many of the things the GOP controlled legislature is trying to do, can already be done.
For public school teachers in Michigan, it is currently illegal to strike. 5023 simply raises the fines on union members who would be unable to pay their bills.
5024, I don't understand how this one is constitutional? The right to peaceably assemble is a right that is specifically enumerated in the first amendment. Somehow, by joining a union I am supposed to be denied my rights?
5025, even drew opposition from the Michigan Association of School Boards. MASB lobbyist Peter Spadafore testified against that bill, saying that payroll deductions are bargained in contracts, and requiring an annual check-off goes around the process that is already in place.
So, the GOP legislature is trying to help school districts with 5025, but school boards don't need the help. This one is a backdoor way to prohibit the collection of union dues by school districts. That bill is also in the House.
And 5026, this one opens the door to advertise for scabs. Nice.
What do you think of the latest round of attacks by Michigan's berserk legislature?
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Jobs revival lifts Midwest economies
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Tue, 01/31/2012 - 6:00pm
(Ford Motor Company) Bloomberg reports that the Midwest is undergoing a jobs revival. Michigan, for instance, gained 66,000 jobs in 2011, "the first gain in the state since the turn of the century," while "Ohio added 72,400 jobs last year. That included 18,300 manufacturing positions after losing 419,400 such jobs from 1999 to 2009, federal data show." That's good news. It's great news, stretching from the revitalization of the American auto industry to an applesauce snacks manufacturer adding 94 jobs in Michigan.
It's also good political news, as the economies of key states pick up in advance of the 2012 elections, with the auto industry a central part of the improvement in Michigan and Ohio at least.
The bad news is that a lot of the jobs are coming in non-renewable energy industries, keeping not just our energy use but our jobs economy mired in the past rather than moving forward. With the right investments and policies, as many jobs could be created in wind and solar and weatherization and energy-efficient products as there are now being created in making seamless tubes for fracking, something currently creating 350 jobs in Youngstown, Ohio, or in manufacturing and distributing oilfield equipment in Ohio and Pennsylvania. A manufacturing revival that helps Obama get through 2012 is good; one that's built to last is better.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Monday afternoon Michigan Emergency Manager news round-up
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Mon, 01/30/2012 - 3:47pm
Lotsa Emergency Manager tidbits to report today.
- Highland Park schools Emergency Manager takes the reins
As I reported last Friday, a new Emergency Manager has been appointed in Michigan, this time it's the Highland Park school district that has been taken over. You can read about Jack Martin HERE. He's also on the team that is looking over Detroit's finances which has raised some eyebrows.A community group has formed to oppose the imposition of a Emergency Manager for Highland Park schools:
Community leaders opposing Highland Park Schools new emergency financial manager held a news conference Monday to make sure their thoughts were known.The group announced the formation of the Financial and Academic Reinvestment Commission. The group says FARC “will take a holistic approach to solving local governance issues through the development of forward-thinking public policy to address investment, cost-savings and new models of educational access and providing essential services. “
Sen. Bert Johnson, D-Detroit, said the group will find ways to help the city without the aid of state-appointed emergency manager Jack Martin.
“You’re not going to see cities rebuilt. You’re not going to see school districts repaired and ready to teach children if there’s going to be no reinvestment,” Johnson said.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Michigan 12-2 Democratic Gerrymander
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Mon, 01/30/2012 - 12:00pm
This is my first map of Michigan in which I try to find the limits of what Democrats could do if they controlled the process, ignore Michigan's statutory compactness guidelines, and only complied with the VRA. I also tried to give all 5 Democratic incumbents seeking reelection a logical district to run in. As a result, 11 of the districts are at least 59% Obama and the last Dem district is the ancestrally Democratic 1st.
This map uses a lot of touch point contiguity unfortunately. I usually try to avoid touch-point, but Michigan's square precincts were perfect for it. There are 10 instances where two districts cross over each other, although only two districts do so more than once. Furthermore, I used a slight amount of water contiguity on the great lakes.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
The (Real) Truth About Cyber Schools
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Sun, 01/29/2012 - 1:43pm
Earlier in the week, the Detroit Free Press published an article: Advocates for online charter schools bill testify that legislation would provide more education choices, which discussed Michigan's Senate Bill 619. SB 619 would allow for unregulated and uncapped charter growth in Michigan.
While other damaging legislation for Michigan students has passed unchecked, a bill to turn over millions of dollars of tax-payer money to for-profit education firms has not moved forward. For months, SB 619 has sat on the table of the House Education Comittee.
Advocates for a bill that would lift the cap on online charter schools testified today in Lansing that the legislation would go a long way toward providing more choices for children's education."Parents demand choices. They're looking for choices. They're certainly looking for virtual choices," said Dan Quisenberry, president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, a state charter advocacy group.
Quisenberry spoke this morning before the House Education Committee, which is considering a Senate bill that would lift the cap on the number of online charter schools that can open in Michigan and the number of students who can enroll. The Senate bill is part of a broad package of bills designed to give parents more choices for their children's education.
Choice at what cost? Quizenberry represents a group of charter school operators and management companies that are poised to make millions on the backs of Michigan tax-payers if this legislation passes.
The bilking of the Michigan-tax payer continues.
The expansion of Cyber Schools (Virtual Learning Academies) is the result of a nationwide lobbying effort, marketed through the State Policy Network (SPN) and its state affiliates (including the Mackinac Center), using language written by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Too bad there's no proof that virtual learning or unregulated charter schools will improve learning outcomes. If education is such a priority, why are we willing to gamble on such an unproven commodity?
I know...money.
Money that was paid in political donations to candidates for state house in 2010 being returned in the form of legislation that will further monetize, privatize, and destroy public education.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Help Pass a Library Millage.
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Fri, 01/27/2012 - 10:36pm
Most of my website clients are small or medium-sized businesses, but I also cater to a handful of progressive political candidates and/or causes.
One such client here in Michigan is the Grosse Pointe Public Library. Well, OK, technically it's not the library itself who's my client; it's the Grosse Pointe Library Millage Committee, formed to help pass an upcoming millage vote for the library.
As everyone here knows, public everything is under attack across the country, including libraries (presumably because they help people to, you know, learn stuff and read things; can't have all that learnin' and readin' nonsense going on!)
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Daily Kos Elections Polling Wrap: New polls offer mixed messages in the Mitt-Newt GOP cage match
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Fri, 01/27/2012 - 8:45pm
Mitt Romney is resurgent!
(Unless he's not.)
Even if he's not, though, the schedule favors Mitt Romney. After all, he is coming up on a series of contests in places like Arizona and Michigan, where he should have a real advantage.
(Unless he doesn't.)
There are two very contradictory themes developing as we head into the weekend before the Florida primaries. On one hand, it is becoming more and more likely that Newt Gingrich will lose Florida, by what looks like it will be a margin in the high single digits. On the other hand, Gingrich's hand seems to still be strengthening elsewhere, especially in national polling.
The evidence lies, as it often does, in the numbers:
NATIONAL (Gallup Tracking): Gingrich 32, Romney 24, Paul 14, Santorum 13ARIZONA (American Research Group): Gingrich 32, Romney 32, Paul 12, Santorum 10
FLORIDA (Dixie Strategies/First Coast News): Gingrich 35, Romney 35, Santorum 9, Paul 7
FLORIDA (Quinnipiac): Romney 38, Gingrich 29, Paul 14, Santorum 12
FLORIDA (VSS/Sunshine State News): Romney 42, Gingrich 32, Santorum 12, Paul 9
MICHIGAN (EPIC-MRA): Romney 31, Gingrich 26, Paul 14, Santorum 10
On the general election front, the president still has an edge, and perhaps more importantly, a new poll showed Obama reclaiming the lead from Mitt Romney in a blue-leaning state with special ties to the GOP challenger.
NATIONAL (Rasmussen Tracking): Obama d. Romney (45-42); Obama d. Gingrich (48-41)MICHIGAN (EPIC-MRA): Obama d. Romney (48-40); Obama d. Gingrich (51-38)
How to explain Romney's Florida renaissance with his softening numbers elsewhere? Actually, I suspect that there is a very simple explanation, which I will explore after the jump.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
UPDATED with full video of speech: President Obama at University of Michigan
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Fri, 01/27/2012 - 7:39am
UPDATED: And now, the speech itself.
The speech covered both energy and education, so here are links to the relevant fact sheets from the White House's web site.
FACT SHEET: President Obama’s Blueprint to Make The Most of America’s Energy Resources
Original diary below.
Anticipation is high on the University of Michigan campus with President Obama set to give a speech on Friday. The Detroit Free Press reports that the President's speech at University of Michigan will focus on skills, college affordability. President Barack Obama will focus on "American Skills and Innovation," including college affordability, when he takes the stage at the University of Michigan this morning in front of more than 3,000 students, faculty members and staff members.
Obama will talk about affordability and getting students and workers the education needed to develop a competitive work force, a White House official told the Free Press. It will be a follow-up to his State of the Union address earlier this week, in which he touched on the same topics.
Like most of the issues the President covered in his State of the Union Address, educational affordability is a sustainability issue. This is part of a pattern. As I pointed out the last time I blogged about President Obama visiting Michigan, "President Obama...really likes the idea of sustainable development packaged as making America competitive." Based on the reaction to the State of the Union, a lot of Americans do, too. An overwhelming majority of Americans approved of the overall message in President Obama's State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, according to a CBS News poll of speech watchers.According to the poll, which was conducted online by Knowledge Networks immediately after the president's address, 91 percent of those who watched the speech approved of the proposals Mr. Obama put forth during his remarks. Only nine percent disapproved.
As for how the positive reaction to the State of the Union and other actions Obama has taken are playing out in Michigan, I'll let WOOD-TV on YouTube tell you.It's paying off very well, thank you.
As for Willard:
Romney was expected to have a hometown...advantage in the state that [his] father once governed. Romney barely has an advantage in the primary, but right now he's getting crushed in the state where he grew up in the general. Of the five states he calls home, Michigan, Massachusetts, Utah, New Hampshire, and California, he'll probably win all of their primaries, but at most two, Utah and maybe New Hampshire, in the general. The last candidate who didn't win his home state in the general election was Gore, and we all know how he fared in 2000. He wouldn't have needed Florida if he had won Tennessee. That's not a good sign for Romney.Video updates below the fold.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Mackinac Center to Michigan Gov Snyder: Strike Colors, Hove To... Recieve Boarders on Right to Work
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Thu, 01/26/2012 - 5:49pm
In one of the boldest, brashest moves seen in Michigan in quite some time, Ken Braun the recently 'former' Managing Editor of CapCon at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, has threaten Republican Governor Rick Snyder to either join the "Right to Work" (for a lot less) forces, or be circumvented by 'citizen' introduced legislation that will completely bypass the Nerd using the Tea Party Republican majorities in the Michigan State House and Senate and a loop-hole in the Michigan Constitution.
Just out from Ken Braun of the Mackinac Center:
Michigan's tea party activists are suffering right to work envy while watching the Indiana governor march his Legislature relentlessly to the finish line on that issue. Our Republican governor recently said right to work is too divisive and he doesn't want the Legislature to send a bill to his desk.(Break)
Article 2, section 9 (of the Michigan Constitution), provides citizens (like the Tea Party) with the power to initiate laws and send them to the Legislature for approval. If both chambers vote by simple majority to approve the bill within 40 days, then it becomes law.
The governor has no role in the process and can neither sign nor veto the measure.
What? Read Braun's FULL POSTING HERE.
Within the posting(s) are links to articles on Rick Snyder’s statements on his reluctance address any "Right to Work" (for Less) legislation, saying he doesn’t want it 'on his desk' and that the issue is 'too divisive'.
Also mentioned in the piece are references to the efforts of the Michigan "Tea Party" to recall Michigan Republican Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville for his statements on the controversial legislation also being pushed through in Indiana by Republican Governor Mitch Daniels.
Richardville is characterized by Braun as being too ‘skeptical’ and ‘outright hostile’ on the issue, which if brought up this year would certainly put just about everything on anyone’s agenda but the already troublesome, dictatorial “Emergency Manager” Law out of sight and mind completely.
The ties between the Mackinac Center, American for Prosperity (AFP), both with shared funders, supporters and participants, and their ties to various “Tea Party” organizations in Michigan are well documented, and no secret. The head of AFP in Michigan, Scott Hagerstrom, claims to be supported by, or is providing support to dozens of Tea Party groups in the state.
Ken Braun, while at the Mackinac Center, personally has been seen and actually videoed leading wayward Tea Partiers during marches in Lansing. The Mackinac Center media outlet Capital Confidential is wall-to-wall with "Right to Work" (for Less) articles and content.
Some have speculated about Snyder’s relationship with the Mackinac Center before, and the Mackinac Center has both privately and publicly attempted to lay down the law to Snyder.
It is getting more and more clear that Snyder Administration is the "first totally irrelevant 'Republican' Administration in Michigan history", but this strategy of completely ignoring the governor to pass any bill they please… well, that’s a new one.
Driven by Heritage Foundation subsidiary in Michigan, the Mackinac Center and Americans for Prosperity, funded and led by mega-wealthy individuals like Koch, Olin, DeVos and business interests in the State, supported by tons of out-of-state, pre-written legislation by the Koch funded American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC, this tactic could really mean "Prefabricated Corporate Michigan (Government) Courtesy of Koch & ALEC" with or without Snyder’s involvement at all.
Braun’s piece appeared on the Detroit News neo-conservative web portal (which feeds Mackinac Center content), the Michigan View on the morning of January 26, 2012. A link at the bottom of the posting goes to the personal blog of Ken Braun “Charlie Marlow’s War” which has this disclaimer tagged to it:
"These are the rantings of Ken Braun alone and do not necessarily represent those of his employer, friends, family, and so forth. (However, one of his dogs is convinced he can do no wrong.)"Charlie Marlow is a character in Heart of Darkness a novella written by Joseph Conrad published in 1903 about an Englishman’s travel during the Belgian colonization of the jungles of the Congo at the turn of the century.
Ken Braun has definitely entangled himself with this one, and just may be up the water of the Zaire without a paddle… or is he? Maybe he’s bored with his 'puppy training' of Michigan politicians which he suggested in this Braun classic "Politician Puppy Training: What the tea parties can learn from the dogs":
"Training legislators, as with training puppies, must be done with care and common sense. Puppies don’t learn to bark before going outside because their masters have set an example by peeing in the backyard themselves. That type of “communication” would just confuse a puppy (to say nothing of the neighbors). Instead, an external system of rewards and punishments is used to guide the puppy toward doing the right thing."(break)
"Like the trained puppy, your lawmakers will follow the training that has been driven into them beforehand. Trying to teach these at the last minute is usually as effective as racing out and peeing on your own back yard as soon as you see the puppy lift his leg on the rug. Representative democracy, like puppy training, means you teach the big idea well in advance and then trust the politician or the puppy to do the right thing with the specific details when the big moment arrives."
Is this some lap dog with years at the Mackinac Center that has got a case of rabies and is working alone in some sort of stupor, OR is this really the thinking and planning of the brain trust of the Mackinac Center in Midland, who knows.
One thing is certain, we all will know soon enough.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
EXCLUSIVE: The cost of privatization - Pontiac has water contamination issues under United Water
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Thu, 01/26/2012 - 8:10am
This past year, the Emergency Manager of Pontiac at the time, Michael Stampfler signed a five-year contract with United Water to run their water and wastewater treatment systems. The move was said to save Pontiac an astonishing $2.8 million per year.
I broke a story that made national news about the fact that, by hiring United Water, Stampfler had hired a company facing a multiple felony counts by the U.S. Justice Department for violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Michigan Republican has solution to Michigan's financial crisis: cut the state income tax
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Wed, 01/25/2012 - 8:39pm
Republican state Senator Jack Brandenburg has an idea with what to do with the budget surplus created by taxing seniors' pensions, cutting funding to cities and stripping $1 billion from schools: lower Michigan's income tax.
I'm not kidding.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
AWESOME News on the Solar Power front!
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Tue, 01/24/2012 - 6:06pm
Six months ago I posted the following diary:
THIS is how you get business types to invest in alt energy!
July 6, 2011DTE Energy to build solar installation on Mercy High School roof
Farmington Hills high school participates in SolarCurrents program
DETROIT – DTE Energy and Mercy High School in Farmington Hills today announced the signing of a 20-year agreement that will provide the utility’s customers with renewable energy generated from the sun.
The 400-kilowatt, $2.5 million photovoltaic system will be installed using 125,000 square feet of roof on the high school at 11 Mile and Middlebelt roads. The solar array should be operational in September after design and construction is completed.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs
Mitt Romney's "Michigan Problem"
Daily Kos Michigan Feed - Tue, 01/24/2012 - 12:06pm
Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney has a problem. A Michigan Problem. It's not just that he penned an op-ed for the New York Times calling for the bankruptcy of our domestic vehicle manufacturers. It's not just that he then doubled down on that statement in one of the presidential debates. It's not just that, as former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm put it, if he had been president in 2009, our state would be far worse off than it is now (and it ain't in very good shape at the moment as it is.)
No, it's also because just last December, he mocked the technology behind latest piece of awesomeness to come out of Detroit: the Ford Fusion.
What's the Ford Fusion? Just the car that won Autoweek's Best in Show vehicle at the Detroit International Auto Show a couple of weeks ago. It's a plug-in hybrid electric car and it is beautiful.
Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs