Sometimes it’s hard to be proud to be an American

I saw this sign today about an hour and a half northeast of Houston, Texas.

Yes, it says “USA UNDER SEIGE BY FOREIGN LEADER — OBAMA”.

And yes, “siege” is spelled wrong.

See it in all its hideous glory after the jump.

We don’t do this very often — it’s a big deal

Regular Eclectablog readers will know that (a) I’ve only brought on a new writer one other time (LOLGOP) and (b) lately Amy Lynn Smith has been guest-posting some dynamite content at Eclectablog. Today I’m extremely pleased to announce that we have brought Amy on as a regular contributor to Eclectablog. This means she will share in blog revenues with me, Anne, and LOLGOP and, more importantly, you’ll get to enjoy her excellent writing on a regular basis.

Amy and I have followed each other on Twitter for quite awhile. However, our mutual friend and organizer extraordinaire, Sarah Burris sent me and email last February saying, “If you ever need someone who is very very well versed in health care policy to write something for the blog [Amy would] be a genius at it. I think she should start blogging in more high profile places. She’s brilliant!”

This connection led to Amy guest posting a few pieces, much of which was about Medicaid expansion in Michigan, something near and very dear to my heart. Amy’s style fits in perfectly at Eclectablog. She brings a unique voice while at the same time fitting into our overall vibe absolutely perfectly.

I’m thrilled to have Amy on the team and I know that you’ll all enjoy her creative content as well. In addition to her writing here, you can learn more about Amy’s professional writing by visiting her website ALSwrite.com and following @alswrite on Twitter.

Our interview is after the jump.

This is how you get people to actually think

This video is five years old but it just came to my attention and I think it’s got a lot to teach us about communicating with straight people about being gay. It’s important because too many people are against equality for LGBTQ people because the very honestly believe it’s a lifestyle choice, not a characteristic you are born with. While this is absurdly irrational — who would choose a lifestyle where you are shunned, often in physical danger and where your rights are severely limited? — it does inform these people’s opinions on the expansion of rights for the LGBTQ community on things like marriage equality.

Travis Nuckolls and Chris Baker from Colorado Springs went around asking straight people if they thought being gay was a choice. If the person said yes or they weren’t sure, they then asked them very casually, “When did you choose to be straight?” and “Do you think it’s the same for gay people?” As Nuckolls and Baker say on the YouTube page for the video, these interviews “prove that asking the right question can be more important than anything you can tell someone.”

It’s brilliant.

Watch after the jump.

CorporationsFirst

The move by Michigan Republicans to tie teacher pay to their students scores on statewide tests is being portrayed by the corporatist, anti-teachers’ union group StudentsFirst as a system to “reward excellent teachers”. The recently sent out a deceptive email encouraging people sign a petition to support these bills which are simply an effort to depress teacher salaries even further.

Click through to see the deceptive email.

I’m sure another corporate tax cut is all that is needed

I mentioned this briefly in my post this morning about Buena Vista schools being closed for the fourth consecutive day but now the Detroit News is reporting it as a near-certainty: the Pontiac School District is out of money and will not meet their next payroll. They also have no money to pay vendors that provide custodial, transporation, and other services.

Click through for more.

Actions speak louder than words

As Michigan Republicans continue their corporatist agenda of eviscerating the middle class, destroying unions, harming public employees and taking women’s rights back to the middle of the last century, Michigan Democrats are proposing important pieces of legislation that solve actual problems.

The first comes from Representatives Jim Townsend, Vicki Barnett, and Andy Schor. They are introducing a package of legislation designed to reduce gun violence in our state and to increase public safety. A separate package of bills will be introduced by State Representatives Gretchen Driskell, Jeff Irwin, Adam Zemke and state Senator Rebekah Warren that will reverse some of the restrictions Republicans have put on women’s health care, educate women about health care options, support rape survivors and address health care inequities women face.

Details after the jump.

I’m verklempt This is one of the most beautiful expressions of love I have ever seen. After 5 years together, what better way to tell our story than to have it told by some of those who played a large role in it. I secretly recorded Mike’s reaction while he watched the video, which I presented to him as part […]

Just not raining hard enough in Buena Vista Township, I guess… This is front page of the Buena Vista School District website this morning. While it says that school will be closed on Thursday, apparently nobody has been to work yet today, either, because the school is still closed today. This is the fourth day the school has been closed […]

Democrats are working together. Don’t wake me up.

Yesterday education leader John Austin, the President of the Michigan Board of Education and potential candidate for Lt. Governor in 2014, stepped back to clear the way for a gubernatorial bid by Mark Schauer.

Today, another potential Democratic contender did the same. Bart Stupak, former Congressman from Michigan’s enormous 1st Congressional District threw his support behind an as-yet unannounced Schauer candidacy.

His statement after the jump.

Oh, I see how this works

Over the past two years, Michigan Republicans have stripped over a billion dollars from schools and are working to defund them another $825.1 million this year, as well. They’ve also reduced teachers’ benefits and made their ability to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions more difficult.

Now that they’ve done so much to make a teacher’s job so much more difficult, one Republican is ready to make their pay primarily based on student progress. Current law says that teacher pay should be using job performance and job accomplishments as a significant factor. House Bill 4625, introduced by Republican Pete Lund, would make teacher pay based primarily on these factors.

More after the jump.

One more step toward a Schauer gubernatorial candidacy

This morning John Austin, President of the Michigan State Board of Education, announced that he will not run for Governor of Michigan, something he has openly shown interest in over the past six months. Instead, he released a statement throwing his support behind yet-to-announce candidate Mark Schauer.

Click through for President Austin’s statement.