I'm 4-6 for the playoffs, so there is no redemption here unless I want to pick the Pro Bowl (I don't).
So, I will take the.... (drum roll)...
Arizona Cardinals!
Simply because they are the underdogs. I've seen the Steelers win, I've never seen the Cardinals win. And I'm still ticked off at Ed "Sneaky" Rendell.
But honestly, I could care less about either of these teams... so may the best one win. Hope it's a good game.
In the news today...The idea, which came as a Senate panel moved this week to kill the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) surcharge, should go nowhere.
Federal and state earned income tax credits reduce taxes and supplement wages for low- and moderate-income workers. Michigan's Earned Income Tax Credit was worth up to $480 last year and could provide eligible families with twice that amount in 2009.
Roughly 700,000 Michigan households qualified for the state Earned Income Tax Credit in 2008, the first year it was available. Jansen says freezing the credit would save the state $175 million next year. But penalizing so many vulnerable families during perhaps the worst economy since the Great Depression isn't just unconscionable; it's bad economic policy for the whole state.
The governor did as well, mentioning it first thing in her radio address today.
Yes, Republicans, keep coming after the poor and working people on your "more tax cuts" strategy - it's a sure way back to victory in these tough economic times. Last year, 510,000 low-income Michigan children qualified for the Summer Food Service Program, but only around 69,000, 14 percent, had access to sites to receive meals in their neighborhoods. The program is administered by the state with funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
If there is an organization in your area that can help out, have them get in touch with the Dept. of Education at http://www.michigan.gov/sfsp or call (517)373-3347.Macomb County Republican Alan Sanborn calls the news a "ploy."
"That's what she typically does, threatens layoffs because she's not willing to make the truly tough cuts," Sanborn told Skubick. "That will raise a public outcry and I think that's what this is designed to do."
Hmmmm. When Mike Bishop wanted to let go of 14,000 state employees to balance the budget in '07, I don't seem to recall Sanborn having a problem with it. I even did a search and everything... nope. Wasn't an issue. Imagine that.Gov. Jennifer Granholm plans to offer a "no frills" speech in her seventh annual State of the State address. The Democratic governor will lay out her plan for the year ahead during an hour-long address Tuesday night at the Capitol.
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said Friday that the state's tight budget will require the governor to stick to three priorities: job creation, protecting families, and training and education.
BFM will be covering the State of the State Address - both with a live blog and Twitter updates! And this year I don't have a broken arm (knock on wood), so I will shoot the hell out of the thing!
A roundup of the Michigan news:And Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said it's irresponsible to speed the death of the surcharge without identifying ways to handle the loss of revenue that would cause: $166 million immediately and $593 million a year by the time it would be fully phased out in the 2010-11 budget year.
"What has happened to my fiscally conservative friends?" asked Sen. Mike Switalski, D-Roseville. "Do they really wish to return to the days of fiscal imbalance?"
No Senator, they want you to take the hit for the cuts. Just like they wanted you to take the hit for raising taxes. This is not about being "conservative", or even "responsible", this is about partisan brinksmanship.
This bill goes nowhere in the House, and is a total waste of the taxpayer's time, just like all the other times they pulled this stunt. (See: 2008)$404 million for weatherization and other energy programs.
$1.3 billion for roads, sewer upgrades and other infrastructure.
$2.5 billion for education, including K-12 and college repairs and modernization, Pell grants and child care block grants.
$4 billion for unemployment benefits, job training programs, public housing and emergency shelters, and similar programs.
$4.8 billion for state services, including Medicaid.
$5.7 billion for tax cuts, including $500 breaks for individuals earning no more than $100,000 annually.
The Freep's Ron Dzwonkowski already pointing out how this vote might spell trouble for the GOP in 2010. State officials hope to gain a platinum rating for the building, the highest standard awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. It would be the only platinum-rated building in Michigan, and one of only about five in the United States, Diebolt said.
A wind turbine, solar panels, smart sensors for temperature adjustments, ceiling tiles made from wheat, and insulation made from blue jeans. A great example and future case study of what can be accomplished. Go read.
Heard the news lately?
Major companies are announcing layoffs by the thousands on a daily basis. Last Monday saw 77,000 layoffs in one day alone, and unemployment claims hit a 26 year high. Caterpillar Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., Home Depot Inc. and ING Groep NV led companies today announcing at least 77,000 job cuts as sales withered and construction slowed amid a global economic recession.
In the U.S., the firings brought the number of job eliminations this month to more than 150,000, according to Chicago-based executive search firm Challenger Gray & Christmas.
The firings came as American jobless claims hit a 26-year high, reaching 589,000 in the week ended Jan. 17, as shrinking demand for products and services forced companies to lower costs.
Unemployment rose in every state in the union last month.Rising unemployment spared no state last month, and 2009 is shaping up as another miserable year for workers from coast to coast.
As a result, consumer confidence is at an all-time low. Consumer spending accounts for 2/3rds of the American economy.Americans' mood about the economy darkened further in January, sending a widely watched barometer of consumer sentiment to a new low, a private research group said Tuesday, as people worry about their jobs and watch their retirement funds dwindle.
The Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index edged down to 37.7 from a revised 38.6 in December, lower than the 39 economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected. In recent months the index has hit its lowest troughs since it began in 1967, and is hovering at less than half its level of January 2007, when it was 87.3.
46 out of 50 states are suffering from moderate to severe budget deficits, the estimate of the depth doubling in past two months alone.Estimates vary on how deep state budget shortfalls are right now, but the latest figures from a congressional watchdog organization show states and localities will have to close $312 billion in deficits for 2009 and 2010, nearly twice the group’s previous projection in November. “The current results represent a significant deterioration,” the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a Jan. 26 update to Congress.
A plan to address the worst economy since the Great Depression comes up for a vote.The White House-backed legislation includes an estimated $544 billion in federal spending and $275 billion in tax cuts for individuals and businesses.
Included is money for traditional job-creating programs such as highway construction and mass transit projects. But the measure tickets far more for unemployment benefits, health care and food stamp increases designed to aid victims of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Tens of billions of additional dollars would go to the states, which confront the prospect of deep budget cuts of their own. That money marks an attempt to ease the recession's impact on schools and law enforcement. With funding for housing weatherization and other provisions, the bill also makes a down payment on Obama's campaign promise of creating jobs that can reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
The Republican answer?
"No".The vote was 244-188, with Republicans unanimous in opposition despite Obama's pleas for bipartisan support.
They did have an alternative - more tax cuts. Or, as it was called just a short time ago, "more of the same".A GOP alternative, comprised almost entirely of tax cuts, was defeated, 266-170, moments before the final vote.
Any questions?
Today, the Senate Republicans will once again vote to eliminate the MBT surcharge, the monster they created in '07 because they were intent on making Democrats pay a political price for raising taxes, the monster they repeatedly brought up last year, said they would address, and never did, the monster that haunts their guilty subconscious in a way that only Lady MacBeth would understand.
They blew up the budget last February over it. They vowed to fix it at Mackinac in May. They blew up the budget again in October, using it for a political stunt a month before the election. When all they had to do was come up with the corresponding budget cuts or replacement revenue, they repeatedly refused to do the heavy lifting.
That brings us to today, where they will try the same thing again, and for some reason, expect different results. The deficit this would create reads as follows: $166.1 million in Fiscal Year 2009 (this year), $457.5 million in 2010 and $593.4 million in 2011. The sharp folks at MIRS pinned Senator Mark Jansen down this time, and asked him how the Republicans intended to pay for this - and the answer was a hanging curve ball of hypocrisy that left me wondering just how far I could hit it out of the park.
The Republicans, who are running around wagging their finger and insisting that the governor not use the federal stimulus money to plug holes in the budget, are now suggesting that we can use the federal stimulus money to plug holes in the budget. In their roundabout Republican way, of course.
First, Republicans will deny the problem is as big as the Republicans said it was just a short time ago.Jansen said that this is the year that Michigan has to consider real cuts to the budget, which looks to be running a $1.4 billion deficit. However, he said he wasn't sure if the number would be that high.
Next, bring up the boilerplate answers about cuts. Prisons. Destroy the growth in the film industry, the one thing that is creating nationwide excitement about Michigan and bringing jobs, money and that creative "youth" class with it. Gone. And oh yes, let's not forget the obligatory attack on the poor, because after all, you can't be a Republican without making sure the poor are made to pay so the rich can have their tax cuts. And state employees need more pain as well. You know, the usual suspects. He said there need to be more cuts to Corrections than were outlined in the Council of State Governments report, which clock in at $16 million of the $2 billion budget for FY '10. Jansen also said the film industry tax credits should be on the chopping block and the EITC, which helps low-income families, should be frozen. Other things to look at are consolidating state departments, state employee pay cuts and early retirements, he said. Jansen said he's also amenable to Speaker Andy DILLON's (D-Redford Twp.) idea to open up the entire tax structure and possibly put a measure on the ballot.
And when it is pointed out that the fix for the MBT be revenue neutral, that is where the fun begins...Although Republicans are dying to slay the surcharge, they recognize that there needs to be a deal with Dillon and the Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM administration. The administration has wanted revenue neutrality, but Jansen said that might not be necessary, even with the existing deficit. He notes that Michigan will be getting federal stimulus money. That could be used for the General Fund, Unemployment Insurance Agency fund and road fund.
There you have it - Republicans want to use the stimulus to fix the deficit.
Better tell that to Matt Marsden."We can't let the stimulus package distract us from fixing our structural problem. We should be taking steps right now to begin scaling back and righting this ship."
Might want to clue in Pete Hoekstra too."What it will potentially do is enable the state to walk away from some of the tough decisions it will need to make and it will push them off somewhere into the future," Hoekstra said. "It will pump intravenous budget dollars into the state budget which is hemorrhaging. We may get addicted to it, but I don't think it will stay around long-term."
The Holland GOP Congressman said his fear about the stimulus could lead states to take the easy way out.
"You think given our current leadership, that's what's going to happen?" MIRS asked Hoekstra.
"Yes."
Those are just two recent examples. You can find many editorials and other snide comments from the DeVos Flying Monkeys all over the place when it comes to how we will use the stimulus money, when the truth is - it's the governor who is saying that we are going to cut, cut, cut this upcoming budget and not rely on the stimulus money.
Really. I've been trying to ignore her because she was seriously harshing my Obama buzz, but in light of Senator Jansen's statement and Hoekstra's pre-emptive strike of blame, it's time to point out who is on the side of fiscal responsibility here."A real strategic part of this is a careful investment in the things that will create permanent jobs," Gov. Jennifer Granholm told The Associated Press in a phone call from Washington on Monday. "You want to have lasting impact. ... You cannot use this to fix a budget problem and in two years find yourself in the same position."
---
Granholm has said to expect cuts when she makes her budget proposal for the 2009-10 fiscal year next month. "It's not going to be pretty," she said last week.
And this-"For this year, we are not going to prorate K-12," the governor said during a late-morning news conference. "But all bets are off for next year."
And this January 9th radio address, where she invokes FDR, and said this-Despite already making more than $130 million in budget cuts this year, we face an additional budget deficit of more than $1 billion that must be addressed in coming months.
Some may argue that the economic stimulus package being debated in Washington will solve these problems for us, but that just is not the case.
...
We have to continue to cut, reform, streamline and downsize.
Everyone get the message? Cuts. She is going to cut the hell out of the budget - and that will leave the Legislature in the position of having to vote to cut their local schools, cities, cops and firefighters, and health care access by huge amounts that they could not bring themselves to do back when we were facing about the same budget hole two years ago. It will be '07 flipped on its head.
Unless, of course, you want to use that stimulus money, like the Senate Republicans are suggesting. Just remember who it was that wanted to address the structural deficit, and who it was wanted to opt for the “one time” fix, because right now the Republicans want you to believe otherwise.
Turtle Power Pete, praising the stimulus plan on 12/26/08. U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, who expects the state to get "a couple hundred million dollars" for roads and bridges alone, said the stimulus bill "really potentially becomes a bailout for the entire state."
Here is Pete yesterday, after the Congressional House Republican leadership decided they do want "more of the same", as in, bipartisanship means giving them everything they demand, or they take their toys and go home.Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, says he would vote against the package as currently written.
"I'm really concerned that it's a giveaway, not a stimulus," Hoekstra said. "Will it do anything for Michigan's economy in the long run? I am very skeptical. Right now, I'd vote no. But the president is coming, to talk with House Republicans and if he takes Republican input, we'd have to see then."
Go ahead and vote "no", Pete. Seriously, I think you should. Stand up for those hard-core Republican principles of "more tax cuts" and a government that "can't fix it".
THAT is the "change" we voted for, right?
Matt Marsden, taking a shot a Mark Schauer, 8/13/08. All from MIRS- "Mark Schauer might want to get off the campaign trail and start paying attention to what's going on in Lansing," Marsden said, referring to Schauer's race in the 7th Congressional District against U.S. Rep. Tim WALBERG (R-Tipton).
A fun fact - the Senate only met twice in July of '08 (17th and the 24th), and twice in August of '08 (13th and the 27th). Not exactly sure what Mark Schauer was supposed to be "paying attention to" when the Republicans were at the beach and ignoring the energy legislation, but apparently he should have been there just in case they decided to show up and work. Or something.
Fast forward to today, and the accommodations that can be made... if you're a Republican. Committee assignments are being switched around; McManus is off of Finance and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education... McManus said the process wasn't official, so she declined to comment on specific assignments, but she stressed that she's chairing for the next two years the joint Capital Outlay Committee, which she said will be "very time-consuming." She'll also remain Chair of the Campaign and Election Oversight and Natural Resources committees.
... and the Senate Republicans concede they are looking to the next election cycle."It's important that we have returning members on committees to create a seamless process as we move into 2010," said GOP caucus spokesman Matt MARSDEN. "Sen. McManus can also focus more on her Secretary of State run."
Already ahead of ya there, Matt. McManus is definitely all about McManus."I'm not worried about who's running; I'm worried about Michelle McManus and what I intend to do as the next Secretary of State," she said.
Priorities, you see. Being the Senator from the 35th might figure in there somewhere in the next two years, but it's obviously not at the top of the list.
This needs to stop.A pathologist said a 93-year-old Bay City man froze to death inside his home - his body found days after city workers said they limited electricity flowing to the house.
Marvin E. Schur lived alone, wife died several years ago. No kids. Neighbors say he was hard of hearing and had "a little bit of dementia". The city had applied a "limiting" device to his power supply in advance of a shutoff; a customer has ten days to make arrangements on overdue bills before they shut the power off completely. You draw too much power, and the thing shuts down, cutting off your power. Neighbors were unsure if he knew how to reset the device, so essentially this was a shutoff, even though the power company can claim otherwise.
Sad thing is - he was going to make the effort to pay the bill.George Pauwels Jr. said Schur owed almost $1,100 in electricity bills to the city of Bay City, though Pauwels said he noticed money clipped to those bills on Schur's kitchen table the day he found Schur's body.
And the really tragic part about all of this - the exact same thing happened last year. 90-year-old Phyllis Willett of Vicksburg was found dead in her home, her mentally disabled daughter suffering injuries from exposure and frostbite, four days after their electricity was shutoff by Indiana Michigan Power. She also had the money to pay her overdue bill - but no one had contacted her in person. IMP paid a "settlement" with the Michigan Public Service Commission of $127,250, which was divided up between two charities that service the elderly. The company acknowledged that they failed to properly notify of shutoff - and as of this month, they are being sued by Willet's brother.
Last year, the House Dems introduced a "package of bills" to stop this from happening - and it went nowhere. HB5593 would have required notice in person or certified mail of a shutoff. That was the only one formally introduced at the time - if there were more later, they weren't reported.
Something stronger than that is required when it comes to protection for the elderly. The House Dems had a good plan in print...
... whatever happened with this?
There will be an outcry over this needless death, just like last year. Let's hope there is further follow-up this time, and prevent this from happening again. Shutting off power and heat to the elderly in wintertime is never justified.
Takes money to make money and the jobs that come with it, so this was a bit of good (and surprising) economic news for Michigan: Venture capital investment in Michigan companies soared last year, reaching a level not seen since the peak of the technology boom in 2000, a report released Friday shows.
Michigan also improved its standing as an attractive place for venture capital. It ranked 16th among the states in terms of venture capital investment last year, up from No. 25 in 2007, according to the MoneyTree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.
Wait, something's not right. Could have sworn that someone was out there talking about how horrible this state was for business, about how no one in their right mind would ever want to come here.
Hmmm. Who was that again? Oh well, never mind. Guess they were wrong.Last year, venture capital firms invested $245.7 million in 43 Michigan companies. That's more than double the activity of the previous year, when 22 Michigan companies received $104.7 million from venture firms.
Even during the big 4th quarter bust, Michigan was drawing the $$. We still gained while the rest of the nation was scrambling. That might be because of the effort we made to attract the growth industries, so it's a real good thing we didn't listen to those that wanted to dismiss them as the "latest trendy idea".Michigan's strong performance came despite a national slowdown in venture capital investment last year.
Nationwide, $28.3 billion went into 3,808 deals in 2008, down 8.4% from $30.9 million in 3,952 deals in 2007.
The only sectors to gain investment dollars were clean technology, information-technology services and media and entertainment. Clean technology refers to alternative energy, pollution and recycling and power supplies and conservation.
Unfortunately the Bush Recession will probably deny us a repeat performance in '09, but maybe after that...
When the money people come to town, you know it shows that we were headed in the right direction after all. Just got to weather this storm and we will be back to it, provided we stay on the path and not get side tracked by the nay-sayers who would denigrate our state in an attempt to serve their own selfish special interests.
Seems there is a little mistake in today's column from a respected Lansing journalist.
Well, more than a little. Big, actually. And easily corrected by anyone with a library card.Last year the House and Senate spent around 100 days in Lansing. While they are technically back in session this month, they are not exactly getting off to an urgent start.
You can thank the governor for that, in part.
Lawmakers need to see her blueprint for action, but they'll have to wait until Feb. 3 to hear her State of the State Address.
It was not always thus.
Previous governors spoke within the first two weeks of January.
Under this governor, it's always late January or early February.
Um, no. Dates of the State of the State Addresses of John Engler, 1998-2002, are as follows:
January 29th, 1998
January 28th, 1999
January 19th, 2000
January 31st, 2001
January 23rd, 2002
And one Peter Luke column from 1/20/2002 indicates that Big John's first address in 1991 didn't come until February 11th. It's hard to find records online beyond that; last year Dome Magazine indicated that it was Blanchard who turned it into the really big show that it is today. Previous governors simply wrote a message to the legislature that "frequently went unnoticed".
So, I'm not trying to pick on Engler here, just pointing out a factual error that is easily corrected with a simple search. Hard to tell when the date started getting pushed deeper into January because most of this stuff is located in deep archives that you have to go to the library to see, but my guess would be that it started with Blanchard.
One other thing. I've certainly been one to skewer the legislature for their long vacations, did it just recently as a matter of fact, so I don't have a lot of room to talk, but, the statement indicating that they have to wait for a "blueprint for action" gets totally blown out of the water by the House activity that occurred yesterday.Legislation significantly altering how property taxes are assessed, banning certain write-in candidates from the ballot and instituting state contract and economic development incentive preferences for Michigan workers were among the some 119 bills and five constitutional amendments introduced in the House on Thursday.
The House did not introduce bills during its first session day last week, unlike the Senate. But the number of House bills introduced Thursday significantly dwarfs the Senate's own 18 bills and one constitutional amendment introduced thus far this term.
Mea culpa to the House, looks like you have been busy after all. I'm willing to eat some crow on that one.
How about you, Tim?
Another day, another op-ed from a Michigan Republican who thinks that we can simply cut taxes and everything will magically be fixed, all our problems solved by the philosophy that got us into this trouble in the first place. Cox claims that we have a budget surplus and that we should refund it - the same trick that was tried by House Republicans last year that was shown to be erroneous and quickly dismissed from consideration. That won't stop Mike from pulling it out again though, proving that Cox is as clueless as he is unoriginal.In an interview Wednesday, the attorney general said state policymakers will never make the tough choices to deal with the state's longstanding structural budget problems as long as surplus money is available.
"I think tax rebates and cuts are effective ways to stimulate the economy," said Cox, who is seeking the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination.
Cox said he hasn't hammered out details of how a rebate might work or how much an individual taxpayer might receive.
No, Mike doesn't hammer out the details in his fantasy scenario, and that is the problem. He wants to give back this budget "surplus", while every. single. lawmaker. from the governor on down is telling us that we are already looking at drastic cuts to cover a looming $1.4 billion budget deficit for 2010. Cox even grabs the old DeRoche quote about the state needing to go "on a diet" - an oldie but a goodie that didn't fly the first time around and only shows that there is nothing new in this "plan" of his.
If you need further proof that Mike is more than just a few cards short of the deck here - even ever-reliable rightwing loon Matt Marsden notes that he is way off-base. "With all due respect to the attorney general, to suggest we have a surplus to return to taxpayers is not accurate," said Matt Marsden, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester.
"It would be great if we could supply some relief. That money is needed to draw down deficits (in 2009 and 2010) so we might right the economic ship long-term."
Enough. From here on out, any Bush Republican who suggests that the answer is "cut taxes", should also be made to put up the corresponding budget cuts to pay for that plan. Until they do, they are just wasting our time and should be laughed off the stage.
Let's hear the consequences of your idea, Mr. Cox. How many prisons do you want to close? We might have to do that as it stands. Going to stop revenue sharing to cities so local officials will be forced to raise taxes to maintain police and firefighters? Want to cut higher education spending and watch tuition go through the roof, putting college out of reach for Michigan students? Kick everyone off of Medicaid so the burden falls on doctors and hospitals, who will raise the rates charged to private insurance? Cuts to our own third-rail issue, K-12 funding?
Tell us. Tell us where the cuts should come. Tell us how you would sell your "back-door" tax increases to the public in a time when they are increasingly looking to government for help. Tell us how you would deal with the outcry from mayors, educators, police and public safety officials, and health care providers when they demand for you to come up with the answers to mountain of problems you would lay at their feet.
Until then, you are simply passing the buck on making those "hard choices" yourself, the same thing you so indignantly accuse the legislature and the governor of doing.
This is going to be bad enough as it is. "Dig faster and deeper and make others clean up the mess" is not the answer.
Back to Bush Recession reality today. George may be gone, but the aftermath of "conservative" economic policy still hits our state pretty hard.The state announced Wednesday that its seasonally adjusted jobless rate for December soared to 10.6 percent. That's up from 9.6 percent in November and the highest monthly rate recorded in the state since December 1984.
The slide has continued with the downfall of the national economy that increased speed last September, the last two months of the year being exceptionally bad. Michigan's jobless rate has increased by nearly two percentage points since September. Job reductions were widespread in December, throughout nearly all of Michigan's major industry sectors. Payroll jobs fell by 97,000 in November and December alone.
Rick Waclawek, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, said job losses accelerated in the second half of 2008 in Michigan and the United States.
The national average jumped from 6.8 to 7.2, putting a strain on state unemployment agencies all across the country. Three states totally crashed, others are experiencing the high volumes and long waits that we have seen here in Michigan.About 4.5 million Americans are collecting jobless benefits, a 26-year high, so the Web sites and phone systems now commonly used to file for benefits are being tested like never before.
Even those that are holding up under the strain are in many cases leaving filers on the line for hours, or kissing them off with an "all circuits are busy" message. Agencies have been scrambling to hire hundreds more workers to handle the calls.
Systems in New York, North Carolina and Ohio were shut down completely by technical glitches and heavy volume, and labor officials in several other states are reporting higher-than-normal use.
California has reported a record number of calls; Kentucky's lines were "overwhelmed". Staff and expanded services are being added in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington - and those were just the states that were provided as examples for ABC's story.
It is happening everywhere. And naturally, the people in Michigan who complain the most about "state spending" are the first to complain when services aren't available. Even though this is a nationwide problem, with numerous examples that indicate it as such, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce is pretty sure this is all Granholm's fault."With unemployment steadily climbing, the Unemployment Insurance Agency and governor's office should have seen this problem and taken appropriate steps to be prepared," said Block, the state Chamber's director of health policy and human resources, in a statement.
She criticized the agency for worrying about a name change, and proposing new ergonomic rules, as "misplaced priorities."
And speaking of "misplaced priorities", the MCoC wants the Legislature to start an investigation into the matter, as if it isn't glaringly obvious as to what is going on here. Nothing like wasting lawmakers time and taxpayer money to score partisan points when improvements to the system are already on the way...
50 employees have been added since July, 90 more are coming by the end of the week, server capacity has been expanded, internet use has been encouraged and is up by 30%. They are doing this as quick as they can, and other improvements were announced today to further help eliminate the problems.• in addition to the 50 staff hired last July, UIA is hiring another 276 employees to staff Remote Initial Claims Centers (RICCs) and Problem Resolution Offices (PROs), beginning January 26;
• RICCs, which are call centers, will remain open three hours longer each day, until 6:00 p.m. on weekdays.
• PROs will be open two additional hours each day, and staff will work each night until 7:30 p.m. to process additional claims.
• expanded hours for automated telephone system (MARVIN), including adding availability on Saturdays, beginning January 29;
• opening an additional call center in Lansing that will add an additional 200 lines to assist citizens;
• launching an internet version of MARVIN, allowing individuals to certify for their benefits online instead of by telephone, beginning January 21;
• adding additional computer servers to enable the UIA to process up to five times the normal volume of claims filed electronically, effective immediately;
• adding additional server capacity to the UIA’s online web account system for unemployed workers, which allows them to check the status of their claims online to further reduce call volume, beginning January 26;
• adding further main frame capacity to increase the number of claims that can be processed during the day;
• seeking and receiving union agreement to contract with former and retired agency staff who can quickly come on board to assist;
• increasing already mandatory overtime for all UIA staff – compulsory nine-hour work days and three Saturdays per month, beginning January 26;
• re-assigning current DELEG staff to assist the UIA with adjudications;
• enhancing the Employer Web Account Management (EWAM) system to allow employers to manage their accounts online, including free access to the UIA employer handbook to promote online services;
• condensing training for new staff hires to one week with supplemental on-the-job training and expanded training hours including evenings and weekends
The state has been pretty proactive about addressing these problems, especially given the speed that this all came on.
Question now is: Will the Michigan Chamber of Commerce be willing to help pay for the expanded state services? Or are they going to continue to call for more tax cuts for business and reduced state spending? The hope is they will join us in the real world and work toward solving the problems, rather than continue on with the "cut and spend" failed economic policy and calls for useless money and time wasting investigations. Lawmakers have better things to do.
Mr. SCHAUER. Madam Speaker, I came to Washington to be a voice for those in my State who are hurting.
H.R. 2 will help children and families who are victims of our economic crisis; 100,000 children in Michigan lack health insurance. That is immoral and weakens our economy. This bill ensures comprehensive health care coverage for children, and is an investment in prevention and approved overall health status for America.
With Michigan's economy in crisis, with our Nation's economy struggling, with our families losing health insurance due to this recession and unfair trade, now is exactly the right time, colleagues, to act, to cover 11 million children with the health care coverage they deserve and need.
Right now, Smilin' Terri Lynn is the acting governor of Michigan. No kidding. With Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM and Lt. Gov. John CHERRY both in Washington, D.C., for President Barack OBAMA's inauguration, that leaves Secretary of State Terri Lynn LAND in charge. Michigan's Constitution stipulates that when the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are out of the state, the Secretary of State fills in as acting Governor.
Granholm and Cherry hosted a fundraiser in D.C. on Monday and are expected at the Michigan Ball this evening.
Land stepped into the role on Sunday evening and will relinquish her duties at 9 a.m. Wednesday, spokeswoman Kelly CHESNEY said.
File this one under: Things you wish you didn't know.
Hey, at least it's not Cox.
I can't remember exactly when, but sometime in 2004 I found a java script countdown clock and put it on my blog. Titled "Bush by the Second", I had programmed it to count down to noon on January 20th, 2005, and watched it with growing anticipation as the days peeled away throughout the year.
There was no way this country was going to re-elect this guy, right? I knew it would be a close election, but there was no doubt in my mind that Kerry would win. It just didn't seem possible that we would vote to return this criminal to office. Well, you know how that turned out. I went to bed sometime in the early hours of November 3rd, 2004, feeling sick to my stomach. Literally nauseous.
Mark Morford. I was into him at the time.It simply boggles the mind: we've already had four years of some of the most appalling and abusive foreign and domestic policy in American history, some of the most well-documented atrocities ever wrought on the American populace and it's all combined with the biggest and most violently botched and grossly mismanaged war since Vietnam, and much of the nation still insists in living in a giant vat of utter blind faith, still insists on believing the man in the White House couldn't possibly be treating them like a dog treats a fire hydrant.
Shock. Over the next few days, searching for anything to make me feel better, I blogged some good stories: Cincinnati repealed its anti-gay law, California voted to fund stem cell research. Ashcroft quit, as did Betsy DeVos. But the bitter taste remained, and got worse: Bush proclaimed he was going to spend his "political capital", reports from Ohio indicated problems with the electronic voting machines, Americans flocked to Canada's immigration web site, the violence in Iraq continued, a man committed suicide at Ground Zero, Jerry Falwell was to form a group to "guide an "evangelical revolution", based on the results of the election.
That clock on my site mocked me. I was disgusted with the Democrats, disgusted with the country, just plain disgusted with everything. I toyed with taking the damn thing off, or just quitting blogging altogether, walking away from the fight. But Molly Ivins gave me an idea of what was to come...Now, you know you cannot keep a dog that kills chickens, no matter how fine a dog it is otherwise. Some people think you cannot break a dog that has got in the habit of killin' chickens, but my friend John Henry always claimed you could.
He said the way to do it is to take one of the chickens the dog has killed and wire the thing around the dog's neck, good and strong. Leave it there until that dead chicken stinks so bad that no other dog or person will even go near that poor beast.
The thing'll smell so bad that the dog won't be able to stand himself. You leave it on there until the last little bit of flesh rots and falls off, and that dog won't kill chickens again.
The Bush administration is going to be wired around the neck of the American people for four more years, long enough for the stench to sicken everybody. It should cure the country of electing Republicans.
That sounded so prophetic to me. She was right. Given their attitude after the election, it was certain that these people would continue on with the madness that would lead us to ruin, and therefore, eventually, change. I reset the clock to January 20th, 2009. I forget the exact numbers it read at that moment, over 1500 days though, and there it sat for the next four years, counting down the days, hours, seconds...
My life was radically altered in 2005 with the death of two of my closest friends. Long story short, over the course of four years, everything I knew was slowly stripped away from me - the band, the job, the people I loved. Still I blogged though. It helped. Got into photography. Started reading Kos religiously. Learned how to blog "better"; creating the thread of an argument with multiple stories, and writing straight from the heart (thank you Maryscott) - and pumped all that rage and grief onto the electronic page. I had this governor I liked a lot, you see, and I decided to stick with this through the 2006 election, because dammit, they weren't going to get her too... and the rest, as they say, is history. Pretty wild stuff for an ex-drunken bass player/artist who had very little inclination to get that interested in the political world. I set out on a mission.
You can thank George Bush and all his disciples in this state for that. Disastrous Republican "conservative" policy, coupled with your smug arrogance and faux righteousness, turned me into the fighting machine that I am today. At the time this publishes on BFM, the clock will say "0 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes...." and the goodbyes are finally, finally starting for real. Meteor Blades summed it up the best...Good-bye to your rip-offs, your malice, your arrogance, your ignorance, your outlawry, your denial, your deceit, your cronyism and your stubborn refusal to cease pushing the envelope in the department of shameless villainy. Goodbye to the administration you constructed of turdiness and explained with truthiness. To your smirk and your snarl. To your conscienceless cruelty. Good-bye to your corruption, your vanity, your world without grays. Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye, you insufferable despots, and good riddance.
But never farewell.
... and the feeling of excitement, anticipation, and of sweet, blessed relief, will continue to grow until that magic moment when Bush is on the plane out of town, and a new era dawns in this country.
Change is coming to America, but change doesn't happen overnight. There still will be those out there clinging to Bushism, to divisiveness, to failed policy, to the old way of thinking. Like the last bits of rotted flesh on that skeletal chicken, their stench will be around to remind us to be vigilant for the infection that wants to remain in the body politic. Their incessant avarice, ignorance, and desire for a people divided and conquered will cause them to say things like this:We believe that a Democrat is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man -- a debt that he proposes to pay off with other people's money -- our taxes.
...
We fear that no Michigander's life, liberty, or property is safe when a Democrat-controlled Legislature is in session.
Or this:I do not support no-reason absentee voting. Anything the Democrats want so badly, I am naturally suspicious of and almost always opposed to.
That would be Mike Bishop and Michelle McManus, uttering those words that seek to destroy our positive sense of purpose, our coming together to make this a better state, a better world. They are just two examples of the attitude that still lingers and wants to keep hold - and there are so many others, as you probably know.
Don't let them in. Don't let them win. It will take time, maybe years, to heal from this sickness, to return our state and country to full strength. Our task now is to keep fighting until the last traces of the infection can no longer threaten to destroy our lives and the lives of others, to stop it in its tracks before it can grow and make us ill again.
I'm going to reset my clock after tomorrow to a countdown to spring training, and do my best to look forward to a positive future, and I hope, some "change" for myself as well. But I will still be here, still be watching and calling out the warning when the need arises, and, given some of the statements already made that indicate some people haven't learned the lesson yet, the need to do so will be frequent.
24 hours more of darkness. Say your goodbyes. Tomorrow, the light starts shining once again.
Philadelphia @ Arizona
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
Even though the idea of an all-Pennsylvania SB sounds interesting, I'm going to take the upstart birds today. Just for kicks.
Having a bad playoffs - 3-5 record. Bah. And then they went and fired Chucky.
When does baseball start?
Mike Bishop - 12/29/08."There's going to be a transformational change in state government," he said in a Dec. 29 interview. "We are cutting important stuff, no question about it. People in this state are going to be asked to accept a different form of government."
OK. Whatever you say, Mike.Governor Jennifer Granholm is apparently beginning the process of a massive overhaul of state government to "transform" it so government is more flexible and responsive to new economic realities, sources have said.
She may make the restructuring announcement part of her State of the State address on February 3.
While details are sketchy, Ms. Granholm apparently is naming Lt. Governor John Cherry to chair a new executive committee of her cabinet, with top officials acting as secretaries to oversee the multi-year effort that will extend through the rest of her term and go possibly into the first term of her successor.
One source, and all spoke on background, said Mr. Cherry has signaled this announcement at several interviews where he has said Michigan's government structure is now based on a 1950s manufacturing model when it must be based on 21st Century realities that reflect an economy that is now largely services-based.
You wants reform? You want cuts? You want to fix the ongoing "structural" deficit problem that comes up year after year? That is what you are gonna get. And this is the time to do it.But the economic crisis the state is undergoing, with the need for cuts to help keep government's budget balanced, helps put officials in a position to undertake the overall review, sources indicated.
There are indications that legislators, universities and others will be asked to be part of the review process.
The review process will look at how to eliminate duplication of functions, standardize operations and procedures, sources said. Those would be in keeping with other efforts Ms. Granholm has taken to streamline some operations, they said.
The process is expected to take years because of the complexities of adjusting law, moving personnel, closing offices let alone agencies and departments (and one source said eventually departments will be consolidated and eliminated) and re-establishing functions.
Gongwer cites the split between the DNR and the DEQ as an example - that took seven years.
Between Dillon wanting to overhaul the tax system, and the governor wanting to overhaul the entire government (who gave these people Wheaties for Christmas, anyway?) - we are going to find out just how serious the Republicans are about "reform".
Good luck everyone. Look forward to seeing how this all shakes out.
Someone pass Sen. Grassley some tissues.A push by congressional Democrats to make good on Barack Obama's pledge to provide millions more American children with health care coverage has Republicans accusing them of breaking the president-elect's promise of bipartisanship.
Senate Finance Committee Republicans said legislation approved by the committee on Thursday that would expand a popular children's health insurance program violated a spirit of bipartisanship that went into earlier versions of the legislation.
That "spirit of bipartisanship" Grassley refers to is the red meat the Republicans wanted to throw to their special interest groups: big insurance, and those folks on the right who don't like dem foreign people. Or their kids.Grassley blamed Democratic leaders rather than committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, for producing a bill that he said omits a number of items sought by Republicans including provisions aimed at preventing the government run program from "crowding out" private insurance plans.
....
Republicans also opposed an amendment that would drop a five-year ban on providing the children's health benefit to legal immigrants, which Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas called a "poison pill" that injects immigration, a divisive issue for Republicans, into the children's health debate.
"We've been thrown underneath the bus," Roberts said.
Better get comfortable down there, Pat. The days of your thievery are over.
And they're off! Senate Republicans introduced bills in yesterday's session - and the first three out of the box were all we need to know about the direction they are taking.
SB001 - Eliminate the surcharge on the MBT by '10, a problem they created in '07 with their partisan nonsense, a problem they still haven't been able to fix, even though they spent all last year saying they would do so. So easy to just cut that revenue without saying how you would replace it, or what you would cut to mitigate its loss. From MIRS:As for replacing the roughly $700 million in revenue that the surcharge brings in, Jansen said he's open to the idea. But he said the most important thing is to send a message to the business community about the surcharge.
Former House Tax Policy Chair Steve BIEDA said he'd like to see the surcharge go the way of the dodo, as well, but it has to be done in a "realistic" manner by filling the budget hole.
"Show me the money," he said. "It's kind of like eating your dessert before your vegetables."
Wow, does that sound familiar. Once again, when it comes time to do the heavy lifting or make the hard choices on this sort of action, the Senate Republicans take a pass. They still don't have a clue when it comes to dealing with the consequences of digger the hole deeper, or they don't want to take responsibility for it, one of the two.
SB002 - Create a small business ombudsman's office and compliance advisory panel as an autonomous entity in the department of management and budget. Actually this sounds like a good idea - but it creates "more government" at a time when we are facing a huge deficit for '10. How are we going to pay for it? Members of the advisory panel would not be paid, but can be "reimbursed for expenses". Go read the bill - sounds like a powerful government office that would require a lot of support staff to accomplish its goals.
And behind Door No. 3, here is the bill that shows that the Republicans are still under the control of the extreme rightwing forces in this state. We will take this one verbatim-
SB003 - Sec. 3. In the construction of the statutes of this state, the rules stated in sections 3a to 3w 3x shall be observed, unless such that construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the legislature.
Sec. 3x. The word "individual" shall be construed to mean a natural person and to include a fetus.
Get that? It's the first step to eliminating freedom of choice.
Republican priorities are exactly as the title above states: increase the deficit, grow the government, attack abortion rights.
Here is the kicker in all of this: Andy Dillon comes out yesterday, proposing sweeping changes to government. Not sure what has gotten into him, but it appears he really wants to get some things changed and make this all work for the better for our people and our state, even "choking up" at one point in his speech yesterday talking about a family in his neighborhood that lost their home. Details on his plans are sketchy at this point - but he wants to see action before summer, the biggest items being revamping our tax structure and creating a catastrophic health care plan to deal with runaway costs. Monster issues. He wants to tackle property taxes, business taxes, and there are rumblings about a graduated income tax. The News has a pretty good rundown on the items, but this quote in MIRS sums it up: "Our tax system is too complicated and stifles economic growth," the Speaker said. "Property taxes are too high and can rise even while values are dropping. We must act aggressively to improve our business tax, repeal the surcharge and cut property taxes to help create an environment of job retention and creation.
"However, meaningful tax reform can only come through a ballot initiative, so we can address constitutional provisions that prevent us from legislating comprehensive reform. For this reason, I ask the Senate and the Governor to join us in crafting a job-creating, comprehensive tax reform measure that we can put before the voters."
Big ambition from the Speaker. Don't know how he intends to do all of this, but if he can figure it all out and protect our quality of life - go for it. Let's cheer him on.
Response from the Senate Republicans? Bet you couldn't predict this one, in the Freep..."Enough with the cutesy stuff like ballot proposals," said Senate GOP spokesman Matt Marsden. "The Legislature was elected to do a job."
Or this, again from MIRS:"Why doesn't Dillon send his salary in with it," Marsden said. "I mean -- if he wants the voters to do the job he was elected to do."
Yes, the Legislature was elected to "do a job", but I'm pretty sure that job doesn't entail fiscal irresponsibility, focus of divisive issues, and petty, personal attacks on a leader who wants to try and get things done. Now that Marsden has attacked both the governor and the Speaker of the House, does he really have room to talk about the "tone" of this conversation?
Apparently this is all the Senate Republicans have to offer us; no real answers to our problems, and more partisan bickering. It’s starting to look like this will be a long, hard year if that is the prevailing attitude that we will have to deal with as we attempt to move our state forward in these trying times.
Leaked from the Michigan Film Office today, with apologies to Frank Darabont:
SCENE - INT - Lobbyists ring the circular balcony in the Capitol Building, looking down to the first floor below. The 95th Michigan Legislature, smartly dressed, is marched in single file, stacks of papers in their hands, apprehensive looks on their faces, wondering why they ever ran in the first place.
CROWD ABOVE CHANTS: Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Fresh fish!
LOBBYIST ONE: Here fishee, fishee, fisheeeee!
VOICE OVER:...and when they put you in that cell, when those bars slam home, that's when you know it's for real. Old life blown away in the blink of an eye...a long cold season in hell stretching out ahead...nothing left but the next two years to think about it.
LOBBYIST TWO: You're gonna like it here, new fish. A whooooole lot...
CROWD CONTINUES: Fresh fish! Fresh fish!
VOICE OVER: Most new fish come close to madness the first night. Somebody always breaks down crying. Happens every time. The only question is, who's it gonna be? The 2009-10 Legislature starting Wednesday features 46 new members in the House. The 110-seat chamber is led by Democrats who padded their advantage in last November's election.
Democrat Andy Dillon of Wayne County's Redford Township will again be the House speaker. Kevin Elsenheimer of Kewadin is the new Republican leader.
Republicans are the majority party in the 38-seat Senate. Mike Bishop of Rochester returns as the Republican leader and Michael Prusi of Ishpeming takes over as the Democratic leader.
CROWD: Fresh fish! Fresh fish! Fresh fish!
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Lansing. We hope you enjoy your stay.
EXTRA DVD Bonus! Andy Dillon speaks to the press! Go Andy!“We must live within our means while at the same time protecting education, investing in job creation and worker training, assuring access to health care for our most vulnerable citizens and maintaining police and fire protection for our communities,” Dillon said.
That will be a neat trick. Show us how to do it!
My first reaction to this Freep piece featuring John Cherry was an entirely selfish one. "Thank God. I won't feel so horribly alone on the internet anymore", my thinking being that I would be the only one out here for the next two years highlighting the positives from the Granholm administration and sticking up for the Michigan Dems. My second reaction was, "Wow. Here is a guy that is willing to stand up for the good things that we have done, for the progress we have made, and not cower in fear from the Republican talking points that dominate the media and the public discourse". And then I get all pissed off that the Democrats have allowed that to happen in the first place, but, moving on...
John Cherry has to know what is going on out here. He's not stupid. He hears the "chattering class" loud and clear I bet. And yet, he proudly points to the accomplishments that have been made, despite the challenges of this economy. Dzwonkowski hits him with a big dose of Saul, and he easily bats it down....
Cherry: I think, for one, some of the things we've done, a great deal of the things we've done in the Granholm administration, is going to have a positive impact on building Michigan's future economy, in terms of attracting new businesses, in terms of building the kind of higher education system that we need to develop talented people, improving the Great Lakes to make sure that we attract people, making sure that we have alternative energy so that we are energy independent from the Middle East and can export the technology that we develop in this state.
A number of good things are happening, so, I'm one that, first of all, will defend our record, and suggest that the type of change that we are going to have, and Michigan will change, is the kind of change the I represent, one that recognizes that we have to stop this downward spiral that we are seeing as the auto industry changes and grapples with its future challenges, we have to begin to invest in this state's future, protecting those institutions that will make Michigan strong in the future like education, the Great Lakes, alternative energy, and those are the things that the governor has stood for.
And then he tells the truth about the Republican Party and their ideas- pay attention, because this is where they will lose the game...
Cherry: I would suggest that what the Republican will have to offer is really quite frankly not much different from what President Bush has offered, or what we have saw occur here at the national level, when we talked about the auto loans that were important for saving Michigan's basic industry...
Dzwonkowsi: The Republican Senators who opposed...
Cherry: They turned their back on Michigan, and I don't think we need to have someone who will turn their back on us, lead us.
And there it is. The Republicans once again will try to run against Granholm...
Republican pollsters said Cherry may have just handed the GOP its basic campaign message: " 'Do you really want eight more years of a one-state recession?' I can see the slogan now," said Lansing political consultant Tom Shields of Marketing Resource Group. "If the lieutenant governor wants to run on a record of losing a half-million jobs, the Republicans will certainly welcome that."
... and offer up their extremist Norquist/Bush ring-wing ideas as the "solution": the elimination of "government", which causes government to be dysfunctional, more tax cuts for business and the wealthy, cuts to programs that citizens want and need, more focus on divisive social issues like equal rights for gays and abortion, etc. and so on.
That worked so well in '06 and '08, didn't it? Not only did we win the governor's chair in huge numbers in '06, we took back the House, increased the numbers in '08, and now have started to take back the Supreme Court. Yes, you just keep on bashing Granholm, Pubs. It's a proven winning strategy. For us.
While John Cherry might have to deflect criticism of the Michigan economy by the boxcar load, at least he doesn't have to defend an entire failed philosophy of governing, and that is all the Republicans will have to offer, and you know it. We are doing the right things and moving in the right direction - all it takes is for the Democrats to have the courage to stand up and point it out. And if they do, maybe some of that will start to stick in the media for a change, and we can finally drown the "drown government" crowd in the bathtub. Or one of the Great Lakes, I don't care which. Just get it done because I'm tired of listening to them.
It is either that, or we can continue to let Saul set the tone as we wring our hands and always wait for that "perfect" progressive candidate that never, ever materializes. For me, I'll stick with the fighters who fight now, because I know we are doing the right things here.
Thank you Lt. Governor. I don't really want to start to play Election 2010 yet, but my hope is that if we have to, we start setting the stage this year with positive talking points and action with an eye towards the future. After all, I want to sweep the Senate, too.
You can watch the full interview below and see what we are up against- and by the way, kudos to the Freep for their video work lately. It's getting better all the time.
Watch the major over-reaction from Matt Marsden here, and ask yourself just who has a problem with being reasonable about the state budget.
The budget for '09, which started last October 1st, is only $196 million short at this point. Yes, that seems like a lot to you, but in the big picture of the state budget and the coming deficit of $1.6 billion for '10, cuts in other areas for now are preferable to taking away money from the schools, yes? Of course. The governor took school cuts off the table for this year, with a caveat..."For this year, we are not going to pro-rate K-12," the governor said during a late morning news conference. "But all bets are off for next year."
And Marsden freaks. Totally freaks.Matt Marsden, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, countered that "it's outlandish" to suggest there may not have to be budget cuts this year.
"The legislature will hold education harmless if possible, but we have to be careful of taking anything off the table," Marsden said.
"We can't let the stimulus package distract us from fixing our structural problem. We should be taking steps right now to begin scaling back and righting this ship."
Marsden added that "the governor is not in a position to take anything off the table." Lawmakers will work with her governor in balancing the budget, as is required by the state constitution, he said.
"The governor is not starting the conversation off on a good tone," he said.
No one mentioned the stimulus package. No one mentioned the "structural problem". We aren't talking about those things yet - but Senate Republicans once again tip their hand as to how this is going to go down this year: wild accusations as to motive, over-reaction about "tone" on the simplest of statements, and general crying and flailing about like a child told they would have to finish their vegetables before they get their desert.
The governor's radio address last week acknowledges that the stimulus is not the be-all, end-all answer to our budget issues. And while new Senate Minority Leader Mike Prusi is making reasonable suggestions about closing loopholes and things of that nature, it is rather curious that Bishop's spokesperson is insisting that cuts to schools should be "on the table" for this minor piece of the current budget shortfall. Say, you guys get around to cutting your own salaries and benefits yet? Didn't think so.
Someone needs to ask the Republicans for a list of their ideas on cuts. Seriously, get them out here. Let's see what their priorities are. As if this over-reaction from Marsden doesn't tell you.
Today is Motown Day in Detroit, as declared by officials from the city, county, state and federal government this morning at a press conference at Detroit's Motown Historical Museum on the 50th anniversary, to the day, that Berry Gordy received the $800 loan with which he launched his record company.
The festivities at Hitsville -- which included Detroit Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr., U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick, D-Detroit, and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano -- launched a year (at least) of activities commemorating Motown 50 all around the world. Today from noon to 4 p.m. and the rest of the week during those same hours, Motown luminaries -- like Duke Fakir of the Four Tops, Rosalind Holmes of the Vandellas, and musicians Uriel Jones and Dennis Coffey -- will be stationed around the museum telling stories about their Motown years. Martha Reeves of the Vandellas (also a member of the Detroit City Council) was in Germany, but will take part in the tours this week as soon as she gets back in town.
Upon learning the Supremes had chosen to record "Where Did Our Love Go", the Marvelettes warned the girls to stand up for themselves and not just take anything H-D-H would give them. As a result, when the song was recorded on April 8, 1964, there was a bit of animosity on the part of the Supremes towards singing the song. Lamont Dozier was forced at one point to redo the arrangement of the background vocals, replacing the original, more complex backing with simple repetitions of the word "baby".
One of the most famous aspects of "Where Did Our Love Go" was its rhythm section, comprised primarily of footstomps. The sound effect was performed by an Italian-American teenager named Mike Valvano, who stomped down upon two wooden boards suspended by strings, to create the aural illusion of a group of foot-stompers. Handclaps were overdubbed for the 45 RPM single mix of the song.
Since the lead vocal was originally written to be sung by the Marvelettes' lead singer Gladys Horton, it was arranged in a register lower than the Supremes' lead singer Diana Ross' natural register. The resulting vocal track had a sensual appeal not present in Ross' earlier songs, and she elatedly rushed to Motown chief Berry Gordy's office, and dragged him to the basement studio at Hitsville U.S.A. to hear it. Upon hearing the finished song, Gordy remarked that the song had potential, possibly enough to make it to the top ten.
A major win for Michigan. This is huge. Via the NY Times this morning-GENERAL MOTORS will announce Monday that it will make lithium-ion battery packs to power the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and other extended-range electric vehicles at a new facility in Michigan. With the announcement, to be made during press preview days for the North American International Auto Show by Rick Wagoner, the company’s chairman and chief executive, G.M. becomes the first major automaker with a commitment to producing the advanced battery packs in the United States.
G.M. is also is expected to announce the opening of a new advanced-battery test facility at its global electric-vehicle engineering center in Warren, Mich.
This announcement, combined with the A123 announcement last week to build a lithium ion battery facility in Michigan (pending a DOE grant), marks America's first ventures into the mass production of advanced batteries, and we got it right here, baby. Tax credits for battery production, passed by the Michigan Legislature in December, created this opportunity for our state...Full details, including the battery-pack plant’s specific location, are not expected to be released in the Monday news conference. G.M.’s announcement comes three weeks after Michigan’s legislature approved tax incentives worth up to $335 million aimed at attracting advanced-battery manufacturers to the state. The credits will be apportioned depending on production volume and other factors. Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm is expected to sign the legislation.
“This is very important, and it’s beyond symbolic,” said Brett Smith, speaking of the plant’s significance. Mr. Smith, assistant director for manufacturing, engineering and technology at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., explained that it is critical for the Detroit Three automakers to create an infrastructure in the United States for volume production of batteries for electric, plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.
... and, by producing the batteries here in America, this means that we won't be "effectively trading dependence on imported oil for dependence on imported batteries." Most battery production is currently being done in Asia.
Not to mention all the jobs that will be created in Michigan, so, thank you GM. More will come out on this tomorrow, but Mlive has a video of the governor talking batteries and what this mean for the state and the country, filmed at the auto show today.
This new found popularity prompted Motown to release the song as a single in the United States, where it became a number-one hit on both the pop and R&B charts within two months of its release. Despite the fact that The Miracles had been one of Motown's premier acts in the early and mid-1960s and its first successful group act, "The Tears of a Clown" was their first and only #1 hit while Smokey Robinson was lead singer.
Baltimore @ Tennessee
Arizona @ Carolina
Philadelphia @ NY Giants
San Diego @ Pittsburgh
2-2 last week, playing it safe this week.
Get ready for a winter blast of warm nostalgia. A slew of anniversary activity is afoot, including events at the Motown Historical Museum, on the airwaves and on record store shelves.
For Detroit -- the city that gave the label talent, a work ethic and its very name -- the good vibes come at a good time. While the city has maintained a dicey relationship with Motown since the label's departure for California in 1972, the bonds remain deep.
The 50th commemoration will remind the world that Detroit isn't all mayoral scandals and auto industry crises.
"This time, we get to celebrate," said Detroit City Councilwoman Martha Reeves, the veteran Motown star. "Maybe we get to heal some of the tension, ease some of the bad feelings. It's good timing."
The original Temptations version of "Get Ready", produced by Smokey Robinson, was designed as an answer to the latest dance craze, "The Duck". The Temptations' falsetto Eddie Kendricks sings lead on the song, which Robinson produced as an up-tempo dance number with a prominent rhythm provided by Motown drummer Benny Benjamin. In the song, Kendricks informs his lover to "get ready" because "I'm bringin' you a love that's true". The song made it to number one on the U.S. R&B singles chart, while peaking at number twenty-nine on the pop charts.
Just landed in the inbox:Chris De Witt: "Over the last several months, hundreds of people have encouraged Lieutenant Governor Cherry to run for Governor. They have cited his record of fighting for people; his ability to lead and manage change; and, his ongoing efforts to bring, keep, and grow jobs in MI, as just a few of the reasons to support him."
"Because of this support, Cherry has authorized that an exploratory committee be created for a possible run for governor. The committee is aptly named “A Whole Lot of People Supporting John Cherry.”
A new Facebook group with the same title has popped up as well - check it out here, and sign up for updates.
As our regular readers know, Lt. Gov. Cherry has done extension work on Great Lakes issues, best summed up in this diary from Nov. 10th - "The Blue Economy - Great Lakes Protection and Michigan's Economic Transformation". He also wrote for us as he toured the Great Lakes last year; you can read those diaries here. (And yes, he wrote those himself, and they are darn good.)
One thing is for sure - this guy has got the chops for the job. He's been involved in Michigan politics for a long time, and amazingly enough he's still sane. From an AP bio (now archived) -After graduating from the University of Michigan with a political science degree in 1973, he worked for then-state Sen. Gary Corbin of Clio. He later became political director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. His ties to organized labor remain strong today.
He won election to the House in 1982 when a seat opened up in northern Genesee County. He moved to the Senate in 1987, serving as Democratic minority leader from 1995-2002.
State budget director Bob Emerson, who served in the Senate with Cherry and was a groomsman at his wedding, shared a Flint apartment with Cherry in the 1970s when both worked as legislative staffers in Lansing. Other than playing the early video game "Pong" on Atari, Cherry usually spent his time drafting bills.
Emerson teased Cherry that he was the only young guy he knew who frequently listened to all-news WJR radio.
"He always preferred news to anything else," Emerson says. "He was a political junkie from high school on. He loves politics more than anyone I know."
Best of luck, Lt. Governor. Keep us updated!
This is described on the front page of the Detroit News as Weaver getting even with her three Republican colleagues by voting to elect a Democrat to the top slot. Fill in the blank: Paybacks are a _____.A divided Michigan Supreme Court has chosen Marilyn Kelly as its new chief justice.
The court voted 4-3 Thursday to elevate the Democrat to the position that came open when Republican Clifford Taylor was defeated in November during his re-election bid.
Republican Robert Young Jr. received three votes for the top job.
Diane Hathaway will get a ceremony this afternoon, welcoming the "court's first new justice in nearly a decade".
Let the change begin!
Congressman Mark Schauer.
I'm still getting used to the sound of saying that. Congressman Mark Schauer. Then I smile a really big smile.
Way back on July 13th, 2007, I took a trip down to Lansing. Nothing special, just a sunny day and lunch with a few people, but I did have one goal in mind - I wanted to meet this guy that was standing up to the Senate Republicans. There are very few politicians I feel that way about, that I go out of my way to meet, but this one - yeah. Gotta say hi. Didn't even know if he would be around, but lo and behold, there he was, working on that beautiful Friday, when most every other legislator was gone. And the moment I met him, I had this very strong feeling: this guy is a Congressman. I'm sure I had read the rumors that he was thinking of running by then, but the sense was overwhelming - the way he looked, talked, smiled, shook your hand, just screamed "Congress" to me. He was open, honest, inviting, inquisitive about blogs and bloggers, one of the first ones to see the potential here and embrace this medium from the start, and he was glad to see that we were paying attention to what was happening in Lansing in a time when most everyone was ignoring the reality of the situation that had been unfolding through that year.
And from there, it was a roller coaster. From the Senate Dems posting here, to the censorship episode where he stood up for this "aggrieved community" (still love that line), to the endless budget battle that lasted to almost the end of the year, Senator Schauer stood up time and time again for the people of Michigan, so much so that he was Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the paranoid Senate Republicans. He took the heat, and he came out on top in that chamber. I hung out in his office for the State of the State Address the following January, met a few more of the Senate Dems, and never felt more welcome in that town. The people he surrounds himself with are the best, hands down. What a great team.
We come to '08. Taking on Tim Walberg in a Republican-leaning district was no small feat. In a year that promised a blue tidal wave, MI-07 was still going to be tough to win - especially for someone who had to fight for the dreaded "t" word in a legislature whose approval ratings were in the tank. But he did it, pounding the pavement and the fields from one end of the district and back again in a grueling, mud-filled race, and he came out on top there, too. I was so happy to tag along at a few events and watch as the months went by, and, even though I was incredibly nervous election night, there was no place I would have rather been than in Battle Creek to see this one through to the end, no matter how the chips fell.
What a ride. The guy paid his dues, that's for sure.
And here we are today, at the fruition of this long journey. You can watch CSPAN starting at noon and be there for the swearing-in ceremony of the 111th Congress, and welcome both Congressman Schauer and Congressman Peters to the new battle, one that I'm sure they both are qualified to take on. Matter of fact, Congressman Schauer has already found a bigger and meaner batch of Senate Republicans to conquer, as this recent editorial in the LSJ points out-If General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler could develop a car that ran on nothing but hot air, the U.S. Senate might have generated enough power last week to sustain the Detroit Three for at least a decade without spending a dime of taxpayers' money.
Love it. Look out Senator Shelby.
I couldn't make the ceremonial Michigan events last week, but here is a YouTube of the Jackson swearing-in from WILX-
Yeah, baby. Via the Freep, with a sidetrip to Truthout, comes a story from the LA Times about how Obama's "Green New Deal" can create jobs, ease global warming and lessen our dependence on foreign oil all at the same time - and they point to the success of both Hemlock and United Solar Ovonic in Michigan as examples of how it will happen.
Between this and our burgeoning movie industry, those folks out on the west coast might start to think that we are OK after all.On Dec. 15, the same week that General Motors Corp. and Chrysler begged $17.4 billion from taxpayers to stave off collapse, Hemlock announced a $3-billion expansion that could create hundreds of jobs. It's a rare piece of good news for this battered Rust Belt state, whose 9.6% unemployment rate is the nation's highest.
In contrast to Detroit iron, Hemlock's quartz-based polycrystalline silicon is in such demand that workers in white smocks and protective gear toil around the clock to get it to customers around the globe.
Will Congress work to make this happen? They would be foolish not to.President-elect Barack Obama wants to spend $150 billion over the next decade to promote energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources as well as energy conservation. Plans include raising vehicle fuel-economy standards and subsidizing consumer purchases of plug-in hybrids. Obama wants to weatherize 1 million homes annually and upgrade the nation's creaky electrical grid. His team has talked of providing tax credits and loan guarantees to clean-energy companies.
His goals: create 5 million new jobs repowering America over 10 years; assert U.S. leadership on global climate change; and wean the U.S. from its dependence on imported petroleum.
Besides Michigan, the article cites other examples across the nation of an industry that is hiring while other companies are downsizing. It also points out that government involvement has grown the industry (and the jobs that come with it) in other nations.Worldwide, investors poured a record $117.2 billion into alternative energy in 2007, according to London research firm New Energy Finance. The costs of wind and solar power are dropping fast.
But the industry slowed in late 2008 as the U.S. financial system imploded. Plunging oil prices and frozen credit markets have derailed a number of renewable-energy projects. Some advocates say U.S. government support is needed to keep the sector moving forward.
That strategy has worked for Germany and Japan: Neither is blessed with abundant sunshine, yet these nations boast more rooftop solar arrays than anyplace else, thanks largely to government subsidies. That has created vibrant domestic markets for solar power and tens of thousands of jobs. Asian and European solar module makers dominate the industry.
Training workers figures in the success of the industry, and we get a mention there as well.Michigan has started its own Green Jobs Initiative to retrain displaced factory workers for careers in renewable energy.
"If we can bend sheet metal for car fenders, we can bend it for windmills," said Ken Horn, a Republican state representative from hard-hit Saginaw.
A tavern owner, Horn said his regulars had been buzzing about green energy -- a sign that the industry was no longer considered fringe or radical.
Michigan's brightest renewable stars are in solar. United Solar Ovonic, a major producer of thin-film photovoltaics, operates three manufacturing facilities in Michigan and has two more under construction in the state.
Hemlock Semiconductor is a joint venture of two Japanese firms and Midland, Mich.-based Dow Corning Corp., which owns a majority stake.
Given California's high unemployment and budget woes, stories like this might cause us to see a migration of people back here. Word of warning: you probably won't like the weather.Hemlock employs 1,400 full-time and contract workers in Michigan and expects to add 500 more in the next few years. The plant operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a week, never stopping, even in a recent blizzard.
Snow and ice couldn't keep Rich Steudemann from sliding into work on a recent morning. A mechanical engineer with more than two decades in the auto industry, Steudemann jumped at the chance to join Hemlock last fall as a quality-control expert.
"This is like the era of Henry Ford," said Steudemann, 45. "This industry is just starting to take off."
Want recovery? Get that stimulus passed, and get investing in green energy. The story also mentions how solar power was invented here through Bell Labs and NASA, and we let it get away. Let's not make that mistake again.
Very heartening to see positive news about Michigan being reported for a change.
In a surprise move today, members of the Obama transition team indicated that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was on the short-list as a possible appointee for the position of Queen of England. Citing the Queen's advancing age and "desire to winter on Tortola", the president-elect has compiled a list of candidates and is currently running them though the vetting process, which includes such questions as, "Can you get used to driving on the left hand side of the road?", and, "How do you take your tea?" It is not known whether the governor's Irish ancestry, or frequent lapses into speaking only French, would present complications for the citizens of the island nation; calls placed to the country found that everyone had already retired for the evening.
Spokeswoman Liz Boyd dismissed reports that the governor would consider an offer. "The governor has repeatedly said that she intends to finish out the remaining two years of her sentence."
Boyd pointed to the "scapegoat vacuum" that would be created if the governor left Lansing. "Who would these people blame for our problems then? They might have to start looking in the mirror, and, with the exception of Mike Bishop who is only checking his hair, that is something they really aren't used to doing. The mass introspection and realization of their complete lack of character would cause a run on local psychiatrists that this town isn't prepared for."
MIRS news service in Lansing declared this a "PR victory" for Senator Bishop, but other members of the media who are currently sober weren't quite sure how that was possible, and were unclear as to what these endless rumors had to do with anything that's actually relevant to the current affairs of the state.
Other positions mentioned for the multi-talented governor have included: Attorney General, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Secretaries, judicial slots such as a spot on the Federal Bench, the Supreme Court or the TV show "The People's Court", quarterback for the Detroit Lions, replacement for Christine McVie on Fleetwood Mac's latest reunion tour, commander of the first manned space mission to Mars, and director of the upcoming 81st Academy Awards show.
Remaining Lions coaching staff, contacted at their current undisclosed location, downplayed scouting reports that indicate the governor "throws like a girl".
"That didn't stop Joey Harrington", officials said.
Neither Joey Harrington nor Queen Elizabeth II could be reached for comment at press time.
President-elect Obama, after meeting with Nancy Pelosi this morning:The reason we are here today is because the people can't wait. We have an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us.
Must be that he missed the Ren and Stimpy Reid and Steney Show yesterday. Instead of the message of "Yes, We Can!", Democratic leaders on the talking head shows indicated their game plan was, "Maybe, We Will. Someday. But Not Now". Here's Stimpy:“It’s going to be difficult to get the package together that early,” he said. Instead, he told “Fox News Sunday,” lawmakers hoped to have it to the new president by mid-February.
Here's Ren, a little better:Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, was more cautious about any deadline, saying simply, “We will work this just as quickly as we can.” As to the amount of a stimulus package, he said only, “It’s whatever it takes to bring this country back on a fiscal footing that’s decent.”
Sensing the opening that is being presented here, Mitch McConnell goes after the unemployed and uninsured first. Got to be able to pick up the easy meat with your eyes closed, right Mitch?But Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, agreed with Hoyer that the Jan. 20 goal was impractical.
Mr. McConnell also expressed reservations about the ideas of extending unemployment benefits to part-time workers or expanding government-assisted health care insurance. “Those are very big systemic changes,” he told ABC’s “This Week,” and so warranted public hearings and deliberate bipartisan discussions.
And of course we need to revisit the idea that "tax cuts will solve everything", because that is the only way Republicans will ever agree to do anything for this country.He also urged Obama to support an immediate middle-class tax cut — possibly lowering the 25-percent rate to 15 percent — saying, “This is the sort of thing we could have bipartisan agreement on.”
Was going to just let all this slide and chalk it up to impatient pre-inauguration overreaction on my part, but then Paul Krugman raised an excellent point:Look, Republicans are not going to come on board. Make 40% of the package tax cuts, they’ll demand 100%. Then they’ll start the thing about how you can’t cut taxes on people who don’t pay taxes (with only income taxes counting, of course) and demand that the plan focus on the affluent. Then they’ll demand cuts in corporate taxes. And Mitch McConnell is already saying that state and local governments should get loans, not aid — which would undermine that part of the plan, too.
OK, maybe this is just a head fake from the Obama people — they think they can win the PR battle by making bipartisan noises, then accusing the GOP of being obstructionist. But I’m really worried that they’re sending off signals of weakness right from the beginning, and that they’re just going to embolden the opposition.
When Krugman backs up your paranoia, you know you have a problem. Let's hope we are both wrong about this.
Two weeks to go. Let's put a little more effort into our message in the meantime, OK Dems?
... when I let them outside.
There are none so blind as those who will not see, and there are none so dangerous as those who insist on clinging to their failed partisan ideology in the face of the need for real, comprehensive reform in state policy. And just like the budget battle of 2007, Mike Bishop is setting the Republican Senate up to dig in their heels and ignore reality, common wisdom, and expert reports on reducing Michigan's prison costs, and instead is focusing on the Richard Shelby solution to all of life's problems; busting union contracts and cutting worker pay.
First we have to highlight this laughable and disingenuous statement. If Bishop doesn't really like "cuts", then why has it been his answer to every single problem that we face? "I don't like to say we've got to cut, cut, cut. I never thought I'd be in government to say that. But it is the reality of our times. This is the discussion we have to have."
And why does Bishop think that the Senate should be in control of that discussion? Voters made their wishes clear this past November on which party they would like to see take the lead on policy, would have cleaned out the Senate if they could have, but Mike, in all his arrogance, dismisses the House as "rookies" who need his guidance.
Speaker Dillon, care to respond to this one while it is fresh in everyone's mind?In 2009, he said, the budget will be the dominant topic of discussion. The Senate will have to take the lead, Bishop said, since one-third of House members will be new to the job due to term limits.
Yes, let's turn this all over to the people who screwed up the MBT and brought the government to the point of shutdown because their main goal in life was to make Democrats pay a political price over a tax increase that everyone knew was going to happen no matter what. We can throw in all the other endless examples of Senate Republican incompetence and obstruction as well, if we had the time. It would make a perfect case study of how not to run government.
Bottom line is: If we want to see real government reform, the last person we should turn to for leadership is Mike Bishop, and his statements on the issue of cutting prison costs is just one example of why. He has a one-track mind, and that track is simply “cut”.
Every single study so far has indicated that Michigan's problem is mainly our high rate of incarceration as compared to other states. From prison policy experts, to state budget analysis, the number of people we lock up and the length of time we lock them up for are seen to be the culprit for escalating costs. In the interest of brevity, let's look at the report on state budget priorities from Public Sector Consultants for the Detroit Renaissance group. Big names like Sikkema, Lannoye and Rustem wrote this up, so you can’t really claim a liberal or union bias.Changes to criminal statutes and sentencing guidelines are difficult political pills to swallow. Legislators tend to be wary of proposals that would reduce sentences and make them look “soft on crime”—a stance that is typically reinforced by the law enforcement community and victim’s rights groups. However, Michigan’s prison incarceration rate is 45 percent higher than the average of the Great Lakes states. In order to reduce spending now, as well as for the long term, changes must be made to the state’s approach to dealing with criminal behavior. By resolving to reduce the prison population to meet the Great Lakes average, Michigan’s legislators will demonstrate their commitment to appropriate fiscal practices and recognize cost avoidance annually, up to roughly $400 million per year.
An important consideration when cost savings are achieved by lowering the prison population or reducing the time that a prisoner stays in prison is the reinvestment cost of releasing prisoners back into society. Initiatives to reduce the prison population and control spending must be balanced with reinvestment dollars (such as the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative), which will improve the likelihood that prisoners who are released are not returned to the custody of the state system.
Basically, get them out, and have a support system in place so they stay out. That is where your biggest cost savings can be found - significant reform in the way we handle prisoners, both in sentencing, and reintegration with society. That is what the pros tell us to do. This report, and others like it, does take a look at state employee benefits as far as health care and pension concerns go, but you are hard-pressed to find examples where employee pay (except for overtime costs) are a major factor in reducing overall prison costs.
So, in the face of this evidence, why is Bishop insisting that employee pay is the problem?Departments may have to close or merge and some of the state's 50,000 employees may have to take pay cuts, Bishop said. As an example, he points to the state's corrections budget, which amounts to more than is spent on education. Indiana, he said, pays its corrections workers half as much as Michigan.
"The solution is not just to close prisons and release prisoners. ... The solution is how we can afford our corrections employees," he said. "This isn't about hard-working people. This is about a system ... that isn't working."
And who does Bishop sound like when he lasers in on union employees, while conveniently ignoring the rest of “the system”?It's the same message auto workers are hearing from Congress and many others in the private sector are facing.
And somewhere out there, with the dog-whistle that only the extremists on the right can hear, Betsy DeVos still whispers in the night, “Michigan workers make too much money”.
We have a report coming by the end of the month from the Justice Center at the Council of State Governments that will show us the "series of steps to create a more effective and affordable crime fighting strategy for Michigan". Sensible reductions, such as overtime pay and restructuring of benefits will probably be included, and unions will probably be willing to take a look at any reasonable proposal put forth. After all, auto workers and other union members across the country have made concessions and demonstrated that they can be flexible given the current state of the national economy.
Question now is: Will Senate Republicans also demonstrate the willingness to compromise and apply some common sense when it comes to prison reform? Given Bishop's statements so far on the issue, it's not looking good for those who yearn for true leadership from the Senate. Bishop indicates that he thinks that the governor is looking to pass the solutions on to the next adminstation; it's too bad for us that his obstructionist and partisan behavior might be the reason why we end up having to do just that.
Should be some good games.
Atlanta at Arizona
Indianapolis at San Diego
Baltimore at Miami
Philadelphia at Minnesota
To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow, we will double renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient. To build a 21st century economy, we must engage contractors across the nation to create jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools. To save not only jobs, but money and lives, we will update and computerize our health care system to cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help reduce health care costs by billions of dollars each year. To make America, and our children, a success in this new global economy, we will build 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries. And to put more money into the pockets of hardworking families, we will provide direct tax relief to 95 percent of American workers.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voiced skepticism today about the emerging economic stimulus plan, applying a brake to Democratic plans to quickly pass up to $850 billion in spending and tax cuts soon after President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.
"As of right now, Americans are left with more questions than answers about this unprecedented government spending, and I believe the taxpayers deserve to know a lot more about where it will be spent before we consider passing it," McConnell said in a statement, which will be publicly issued later today.
There were times last year when I was a bit miffed with Mark Brewer for seeming to be single-mindedly obsessed with the removal of Cliff Taylor from the Michigan Supreme Court, but this "goodbye to conservative rule" article from the AP tells me that maybe Brewer had the right idea in getting this guy gone. We all knew Taylor was a bad egg and the Court was stacked in favor of the wingnuts; a synopsis of Cliff's last days in office, his parting shot, and his plans for the future really tell the tale of the last nine years of rightwing judicial "activism", all in one piece.
Change is coming to the Court in Michigan - and that is a real good thing.Conservatives' nine-year reign on the Michigan Supreme Court ended this week when Republican Chief Justice Clifford Taylor worked his last day, clearing the way for a more liberal judge who beat him in the November election.
Democrat Diane Hathaway's swearing-in next week likely will lead to different rulings by the high court, but it remains unknown if the shift will be sweeping or narrow. GOP justices still hold a 4-3 advantage, and the outcome in key cases will be controlled by a swing justice: Republican Elizabeth Weaver.
The thought is that Weaver will be more sympathetic to the "little guy" when it comes to taking on insurance companies and big business interests. Time will tell. For now, we can wave goodbye to this behavior-With the change in power nearing, the court in December issued a number of decisions earlier than normal. Justices ruled in 19 of 23 cases they heard since the term began in October. Seven were 4-3 rulings with Taylor and three Republicans in the majority and Weaver and two Democrats in the minority.
Taylor, 66, acknowledges the timing of the decisions was intentional, saving litigants from having to reargue their cases and putting his stamp — not Hathaway's — on more cases.
In some of those cases, that "stamp" was to deny a rental home owner insurance coverage on fire damages, worker's comp for an employee with a busted leg, and the long-running denial of pain and suffering damages to auto accident victims. Real man of the people was 'ol Cliff.
Taylor then pulled out the standard Republican boilerplate hypocrisy when it comes to the future of the court. Make sure you accuse others of what you have done yourself..."The court is going to be now composed of a majority of judicial activists," Taylor said.
Critics counter that conservatives have been no less activist in their determination to protect big business and insurance companies at the expense of the little guy.
... as you ride off to Monaghan's Wingnut Retirement Ranch in Florida to train future extremists on the art of how to serve only the people that share, and financially contribute to, your narrow (and now thoroughly discredited) worldview.Taylor and his wife, Lucille — who was Engler's chief legal counsel — will become visiting professors at the Ave Maria Law School in Naples, Fla. He also may look at advising parties on appeals strategies.
Be sure and check out the Everglades, Cliff. Bet you will feel right at home with the other creatures that live by the law of the swamp. For us, it's time to bring some long-deserved legal justice to the citizens of Michigan, and not the kind that is dictated by the Chamber of Commerce only.
A round-up of state editorials on the New Year.Somehow, all this adversity has to become opportunity. And that is entirely possible. Why? Because more and more people in Michigan have stopped looking in the rearview mirror and started figuring out the road ahead. It has taken awhile -- and a lot of pain -- but we understand now that what was will not be again, and our focus is finally shifting to what's next.
Their prescription for the state sounds vaguely familiar... where have you heard all this before... wait, it will come to you...That can be Michigan. Maybe not in 2009, but 2010 is not out of the question if we lay the groundwork this year.
How?
By applying our vaunted work ethic to improving and expanding education at the child and adult levels so we have a population smart enough for the jobs of tomorrow.
By leveraging our health care institutions and world-class university system to make Michigan a center for treatment, cures, research and progress on the amazing frontiers of science and medicine.
By fostering the small businesses that are actually creating jobs and attracting the young, college-educated people that Michigan desperately needs to retain.
By using our natural resources and brainpower to truly become a center for the one thing, guaranteed, the world will need in the 21st Century -- energy from sources other than oil.
If you answered Michigan Promise Scholarship, the Kalamazoo Promise and subsequent legislation that will create more "promise zones" throughout the state, No Worker Left Behind, 21st Century Jobs Fund, Centers of Energy Excellence, MEDC recruitment and MEGA credits, the RPS, the passage of the stem-cell ballot proposal, and many other examples of how we are already doing all of the above... congratulations, you have been paying attention.
Cut taxes! Cut government! Fix the roads! Gee, and here we thought that maybe they learned something from last year. Or the year before that. Or the year before that. Guess not.The trend for Michigan's future has become obvious. In almost every respect, it involves energy.
Very nice editorial. Grit, determination and common sense.Michigan has always played a pivotal role in the events that changed the course of the nation. Every once in a while, particularly now, it's important to remember that.
Don't you love columnists that take some pride in our state, and provide examples of why they do so? That is why Peter kicks the rest of the Lansing's "chattering class" in the butt everytime he puts fingers to the keyboard.Q: Mommy, will there ever be a black president?
A: Not till the day General Motors goes broke, honey.
— What my mommy might have told me, c. 1958
19 more days of Bush. Let's hit the ground running.
Happy New Year everyone!
www.flickr.com
|
Posts
© Blogger templates The Professional Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
