Click through for video of my Netroots Nation mainstage announcement of the 2014 location of Netroots Nation.

A BFD in the D Last year at the Netroots Nation after-party, Anne and I, along with Marcy Wheeler (“Empty Wheel“) were chatting in a somewhat inebriated state with Netroots Nation board member Adam Bonin. “You should bring Netroots Nation to Detroit!” we told him. “Michigan needs to know that they haven’t been forgotten by the rest of the country,” […]

Hero of the Year more like it

The same day that my good friends Rochelle Noel and Betsy Coffia and their team were pulling off a highly successful rally to support public education in Michigan, Gary Abud was being crowned as the Michigan 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year. My interview with Gary last week has created what I think is an important conversation about merit pay and the use of Gary’s story and situation against his will to support an agenda he does not support.

Dale Hansen who blogs for the Detroit News wrote what I think is an important piece titled “Teacher of the Year: The merit pay disconnect” and was on Tony Trupiano’s Night Shift radio show to discuss it.

Last night, Gary Abud himself was on Tony’s show. It’s a fantastic interview and gives you real sense of just how eloquent, smart, and talented Mr. Abud is. Enjoy after the jump.

It’s much worse than you think

Democracy for America has released a powerful infographic that shows the devastating impact of allowing our nation’s student loan rates to increase.

I thought I understood how unfair this would be.

I thought I understood how damaging this is to families and students.

I thought I understood how big a negative impact this would have on our economy.

I didn’t understand.

Have a look after the jump. You’ll be glad you did.

Aye aye aye…

As I wrote last Friday, Republicans in the state House threw a bipartisan piece of legislation designed to help failing school districts back in the faces of Democrats who were trying to make improvements and ended up passing a bill that, once again, harms students and throws teachers to the curb.

Recall that, during the debate, Republicans acted like complete jackasses, absurdly blaming the teachers for the financial crises in places like Inkster and Buena Vista, calling them “hogs” and saying that “they should never try to get another job in education”. It was offensive to its core.

Well, there’s a bit more to this story and, unfortunately, Democrats played a major role in botching this up royally. Click through for details.

Really, it’s starting ALREADY??? Now that Mike Rogers has declined to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Carl Levin in 2014, the top contender is former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land (though she has yet to file her paperwork.) Although she’s member of the Republican National Committee, she is not the first pick of most […]

It’s not as easy as it looks… This week at Netroots Nation, in addition to my role as volunteer coordinator for the Netroots for the Troops CARE package assembly, networking, and attending sessions, I’m participating in a session myself as a panelist for a session titled “You Get Paid to Do This? Tips for Supporting Your Blog through Advertising and […]

The grassroots making things happen in Michigan

The rally to support public education in Michigan that happens at the state Capitol on Wednesday (details with links, etc. HERE) is getting bigger by the day. In a major coup, organizer Rochelle Noel informed me over the weekend that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer is now scheduled to speak at the rally.

Details after the jump.

This story has legs

After my piece on the exploitation of Michigan 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year Gary Abud by anti-union groups like the Mackinac Center and StudentsFirst to promote their anti-union agenda, I was interviewed by Tony Trupiano on his Night Shift radio show about it. The segment ran Friday evening and you can listen to it after the jump.

Here we go again… Since Democratic House Rep Jim Ananich was elected to the state senate in a special election, his House seat in the 49th district has been a hot commodity. There are several Democratic candidates who will face off in the August 6th primary but one of them sticks out like a bit of a sore thumb. Karyn […]

Solidarity

Over a year ago, Panera Bread bakers along the I-94 corridor Michigan voted to form a union. The parent company refused to recognize the union, forcing the workers to file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) demanding that the company recognize and bargain with their union, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM). The NLRB ruled for the workers. However, due to a decision in Noel Canning v. NLRB overturning President Obama’s recess appointments to the NLRB, Panera Bread has refused to comply.

Click through for more details and information about June 21st rally to support the Panera Bread bakers.