Daily Kos Michigan Feed

MEDC: "Creating More Job Announcements Than Real Jobs"

"Creating More Job Announcements Than Real Jobs": I couldn't have said it better myself. Oops, I did. And well before the conservative-leaning folks at the Mackinaw Center, and editors at the Lansing State Journal decided to jump on the bandwagon and actually wonder out loud how in the names of Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff it's possible to spend hundreds of millions of tax dollars on "job creation" programs and have a net loss of 750,000 jobs in our state.

Here at A2Politico, I've been questioning the claims of out-sized "job creation" and "job retention" "successes" made by the good old boys (and girls) at the local "job creation" front, Ann Arbor SPARK, for the past year. In response to this A2P post, a SPARK representative suggested in an email that I learn more about the good work SPARK does. I'd love to, so long as it includes recent 990 forms filed with the IRS, because I suspect folks at SPARK have been fibbing to Uncle Sam concerning the actual number of jobs created and retained.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Detroit is Burning - UPDATE 8

Detroit is ablaze with house fires in "at least 15 areas, according to WXYZ (Detroit).  On Detroit's east side, "at least twenty homes were fully-engulfed near Quinn and Van Dyke."  The cause of the blazes is not yet known.  Arson has not been ruled out.

If you are in the area, take care.  Winds are causing fires to jump to other houses.  Local officials are recommending that people hose down their houses, as a precaution.

Elsewhere, there are dangerous fires near Boulder, Colorado.  Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter declared a "state of emergency." Authorities have evacuated 70 subdivisions and made nearly 8,000 notifications," CNN reports.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

UPDATEx2: Purging "bad" Dems is fine AFTER the election. Let's GOTV! Howard Dean agrees!

Less than 60 days, folks. That's what we have left to get this done and prevent the GOPosaurs from shutting down Congress for the next two years.
 
Don't like Obama? Don't like the Blue Dogs? Don't like {fill in the blank}?
 
Fine. I'm with ya on some of it.
 
But right now is decidedly NOT the time to stand on the sidelines wringing your hands.
 
Howard Dean agrees and that's why he's appearing in Michigan on Wednesday to energize voters.
 

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

A new paradigm? "Main Street Banks" vs. "Wall Street Banks"

This is mostly a repost because I think the Dem candidate for governor in Michigan is on to something BIG in Michigan. "Main Street Banks" run by the state government rather than "Wall Street Banks" run by Chase, Bank of America, etc. The more I think about this, the more I think it's a winning idea and something states across the country should consider. It would force these Wall Street banks to get in line.

Read through and see if you don't agree.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Mich Dem Gov. candidate, Virg Bernero, takes on Wall Street AGAIN!

Trailing HUGELY in the polls, Michigan Democratic gubernatorial hopeful and Lansing Mayor, Virg Bernero decided to shake things up a bit this week. He announced a plan saying that, as governor, he would pull state investments in Wall Street banks that don't invest in Michigan.
 

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero drew the battle lines more clearly Thursday in what he describes as a war between Main Street and Wall Street.
 
Fed up that Wall Street banks are putting the credit squeeze on Michigan's businesses, the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful said that, if elected, he would stop investing the state's money with these banks.

 
Go, Virg!

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Dingell foe: "Vote for me, I'm totally inexperienced."

Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com.

Rob Steele, a wealthy cardiologist, is running against the "Dean of the House", Congressman John Dingell. His campaign is your typical ultra-right conservative blah-blah: cutspendingcuttaxesdemocratsareresponsibleforthedeficit...etc., etc.

But, I have to say, Rob Steele takes the whole "vote for me, not the 'career' politician" thing to a new level. Last night on Sean Hannity's Great American Panel, he accused John Dingell of having been in Congress since he was 12 and asked people to vote for him because he "went to [his] first county convention two weeks ago."

God forbid Michigan put its leadership in the hands of wealthy disgruntled citizens with no experience in public policy, running a huge government or of ... well ... leading.

Video with transcript after the jump.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Michigan Leads Economic Recovery

Last month, President Obama visited Michigan to tout the success of the GM/Chrysler bailout.  Despite criticism, the bailouts have been an unqualified success.

That success continued today with two new reports that indicate Michigan is leading the nation out of recession.  

The first report indicates that Michigan led the nation in job growth during July.  The second shows that Michigan's economic activity index increased by the largest amount in six years.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Some aquatic moonfilled

I wish I could express to you the scent outside. The sense closest to the brain. To memory.

It's a watery, algae, lake smell from off the coast of Lake Michigan in the August.

It's the smell of grandpa.

It's the smell of years grandpa spent transforming a World War II ship into a sailing vessel with his own hands. The Bohai.

It's the smell of sleeping on deck, rocked by the waves to the sound of adults talking of matters with a rhythm of comfort, and no meaning.

It's the sound and creek of an ancient door of a house build by great grandpa opening and closing with the winds off the lake.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Updated:"The Tea Party" excl.'d from Nov. ballot due to font size

Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com.

This might seem like yet another example of teabagger fail but it's not. Not really. In this case it's more of a Dem fail, unfortunately.

An effort to put "The Tea Party" on the November ballot in Michigan has failed. Not because it's a fake group trying to help Democrats at the polls by splitting far-right wing votes (which it is.)

No, it's because the font size of the word "the" was wrong. Totally not kidding.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

BREAKING: MI-08: SoS relents; Kande is out, way is cleared for Lance Enderle!

Yesterday I posted a Rec-list diary in which I (and Michigan's 8th District Democratic Party) accused Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's office of attempting to stonewall the removal of Kande Ngalamulume (the Democratic primary winner who dropped out of the race and left the state a week after the filing deadline) from the ballot, thus preventing the Michigan Democratic Party from replacing Mr. Ngalamulume with a new candidate, progressive Democrat Lance Enderle.

While it took Ngalamulume an absurdly lengthy period of time to finally get around to providing formal proof of his move out of Michigan to Pennsylvania (thus making him legally ineligible to run for Congress in Michigan), proof of his Pennsylvania voter registration was eventually sent to the Michigan SoS almost two weeks ago.

The Secretary of State's office declined at the time to remove Ngalamulume from the ballot, stating that they still hadn't received a notarized letter from him specifically requesting that he be removed from the ballot.

That documentation was provided to the SoS, via hand delivery, on August 20.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Congressional Candidates’ Views on Clean Energy, Climate Change: MI-07

This is the fourth article in a continuing series by the NRDC Action Fund looking at candidates’ environmental stances in key races nationwide.  

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

UPDATE x2: MI SoS obstructing Dem candidate from ballot in MI-08!

Note: For the backstory on the ongoing saga in Michigan's 8th Congressional District, see this diary from August 1st. Much more has happened since then, as you're about to see...

PLEASE REC THIS UP! This is bigger than just the ongoing saga of MI-08; this is about the Michigan Secretary of State's office playing games with the election process!

I just received the following press release, issued by the Democratic Congressional Committee of Michigan's 8th District:

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Old McDowell Had A Farm. M.O.N.E.Y.

A visit to Michigan Representative Gary McDowell’s campaign web site, and a casual observer comes away with the impression that Democrat McDowell is a folksy fellow who supports K-12 education, and is concerned with trade, healthcare and the right to keep and bear arms. State Representative McDowell, who was first elected to the Michigan 107th District House seat in 2004, wants to represent Michigan’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives—a seat vacated by U.S. Representative Bart Stupak.

On his campaign web site, McDowell stresses his background as a farmer. Visitors to the site read this: “For most of my life, I have started my summer by going out to our family’s fields and cutting hay — just as so many families here in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan have done for generations.”

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Mich Dems get a gift from State Supreme Court Justice Weaver

Former Republican Michigan Supreme Court Justice (and former Chief Justice) Elizabeth Weaver is announced today that she is resigning.
 
Follow me after the jump for why this is a gift to Michigan Democrats.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Michigan's Supreme Court to Wobble to the Left

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver is expected to resign her seat this afternoon during a noon presser with Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.

This resignation gives the Governor a rare opportunity to do something that most governors in the waning lame duck months in office usually don't get to do:  tilt the court to their party, in her case to the Left.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Jobs Justice Peace (why I'll be marching in Detroit Saturday)

"Rebuild America: Jobs Justice Peace"
As the final stop in a ten city bus tour of several Michigan cities, Rev. Jessie Jackson will be leading a march in downtown Detroit this Saturday August 28th at 10:30 a.m., followed by a rally at 11:30 a.m. The "Rebuild America: Jobs Justice Peace" march is being held to call on our nation's leaders to help working families across America and to commemorate the 1963 Walk To Freedom led by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Great Lakes Oil Disaster Waiting To Happen?  Again?

Enbridge Energy Partners is the Canadian oil company who stepped up the Gulf Oil Disaster story to ironic comedy status by adding its own version of the oil volcano in the largest Fresh Water region on the planet recently, even as BP and its minions were stumbling over themselves to cover up the damage they had done.

Now, they appear to be on the verge of making it an even more ridiculous commentary on the Oil Industry's inability to control their shit.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

The Politics of Retaining Gen Y: Why? Why? Why?

"Michigan is becoming the nation's ex," writes former Concentrate Media Gen Y blogger Katie Rose in a kerchief waving, not-so-tearful farewell/kiss-off to Ann Arbor. Off to a better job in California, Rose pens a blog entry in which she struggles to deal with her own decision to relocate from Google in Ann Arbor to a job at YouTube. Why she struggles with the decision would be a better blog entry, but nonetheless Ms. Rose struggles mightily and Concentrate Media, ever open to punctiliously promulgating blog angst from the Gen Y folks who allegedly trawl the site, duly posts the woman's "gut wrenching" decision.

Katie Rose spent her previous blog posts at Concentrate Media lecturing to the ether about exactly what Ann Arbor needed to do to make her life more scintillating, make her housing options more affordable and, generally, make her want to live in Ann Arbor.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Lake Michigan Wind Farm Update

For those who have been following the ongoing West Michigan offshore wind farm saga, and for those who have given some generous donations in our fight, I'd like to provide a little update of what's going on.

I think the Big Lebowski said it best:

I often choose the Big Lebowski to express myself about the wind farm issue because I feel like some random slob drinking white russians who managed to haphazzardly stumble into an epic struggle with some of my pals.

The struggle for offshore wind power, and for a new industry in West Michigan continues.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs

Clear choice in Michigan governor race: Snyder the outsourcer vs. Bernero the fighter

In the race for the Michigan governor's job, the choice is simple. The Republican is a former corporate executive who oversaw moving jobs out of the country while the state's economy tanked. The Democrat, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, presided over new economic growth in the past year that saw the creation of 3,100 manufacturing jobs in mid-Michigan.

According to state government data, the return of mostly unionized manufacturing jobs to mid-Michigan outpaced job growth in all sectors. Industry analysts have been pleasantly surprised by the new jobs creation and link it directly to new growth in the auto sector. Right now, Bernero's city trails only Detroit in manufacturing jobs growth.

In the state as a whole, since the implementation of President Obama's recovery act, Michigan's high unemployment rate has fallen by more than 2 percentage points. Michigan Republicans uniformly opposed the recovery act, and other job-creating measures, claiming a "do nothing" approach would be better.

Categories: Local and Michigan Blogs