Every year at the Netroots Nation conference, a group of very hard-working, compassionate and caring people step up to help our men and women in the armed forces in an impressive way. They spend the year raising funds and soliciting contributions and then, in a several hour frenzy of activity, they assemble CARE packages to be sent to our troops […]

It’s not often I am rendered completely bewildered and speechless by a news item but this morning, I am. And, big surprise, it’s because of news coming out of Arizona. What would you think if you read this? …[A]rmored vehicles, including a tank, rolled into their neighborhood to make the bust. Neighbor Debra Ross was so worried she called 911 […]

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The fun never ceases in Michigan these days, does it? What now? This: Republicans in the state House have introduced legislation to fine striking teachers and even revoke their licenses. State Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Genoa Township, on Tuesday introduced legislation creating penalties for public schoolteachers and the Michigan Education Association for inciting or participating in strikes. House Bill 4466 would […]

You may recall me writing about how the Michigan city of Allen Park planned to layoff their entire fire department. Well, they have reversed that decision. But not before wringing concessions out of their fire fighters. Of course. The Allen Park City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to rescind layoff notices that were sent to the city’s 26 firefighters last […]

Yes, you read that right: outlawing workplace safety rules. Governor Rick Snyder has, apparently, identified one of the chief reasons Michigan businesses aren’t successful and why businesses refuse to come to Michigan: they are afraid we’ll pass a law requiring businesses to implement ergonomically safe workplaces. Well, they need not worry anymore. Today, Snyder signed a bill outlawing laws that […]

THIS is positively astounding. In 2007, Judy Taylor, an artist based on Mount Desert, won a competition to create a mural for the lobby of the Department of Labor (MDOL). The work was to depict the “History of Labor in the State of Maine,” and was commissioned by the Maine Arts Commission. Taylor’s work is of 11 panels which you […]

Ouch. That’s gonna leave a mark. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has quickly fallen out of favor with the citizens who elected him, reaching levels of unpopularity lower than first term Republican governors in neighboring states and almost as low as the end-of-term numbers reached by his Democratic predecessor [Jennifer Granholm], according to a new poll. The poll by Public Policy […]

Unemployment and job creation numbers are, apparently, better than previously reported Job growth may be stronger than it appears. Another healthy drop in unemployment claims reported last week is the latest clue that job gains might be more robust than the Labor Department’s monthly reports show. Some economists say jobless claims and other recent data show that employers likely added […]

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder laid out his plans to force encourage local municipalities and agencies to consolidate services to become more efficient. He’s going so far as to withhold state revenue-sharing funds to force their hand. Gov. Rick Snyder called Monday for local government employees to pay at least 20% of their health insurance premiums, and for less expensive retirement […]

Ever get the feeling that society is winding down, like an unwound clock? Here’s what I mean: Road-crunching trumps repaving in more counties LANSING — Half of Michigan’s 83 counties are expected to turn paved roads to gravel this year due to insufficient funding — three times the number from 2007. Before 2007, only 12 counties had converted paved roads […]