Back in September, I wrote about how Michigan Republicans, facing massive pressure from across the state – including from the business community they worship with such reverance – started discussing updating the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include civil rights protections for the LGB community. They had no intention, I had heard at the time, of including protections for “gender […]

Remember when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came to Michigan to visit Governor Rick Snyder in March? And when he came back again in September? At the time, everyone assumed that it was because he was fundraising as part of his role as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association. It turns out that it may have been as much as […]

It only took 20 minutes to sign up her 63-year-old mother for coverage she could afford. The Healthcare.gov website has gotten all the attention — for better and for worse — but when Ruma Salhi needed to find health insurance for her mother, she just picked up the phone. “I wanted to talk to a real, live person,” says Salhi, […]

Faith is not rational — remember that because we will be coming back to it. This column has been long delayed for a variety of reasons, which matter not to the essence of what I have to share today. An autopsy of the November 4, 2014 election continues to manifest itself in many publications and television shows the world over. […]

The MNA is working with Michigan health systems to protect nurses and patients, even as Governor Rick Snyder stalls on meeting about statewide standards. On Wednesday, registered nurses from the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) held a press conference in front of Governor Rick Snyder’s office to discuss Michigan’s ability to safely care for an Ebola patient and demand a state […]

On Monday, President Obama came out in strong support of net neutrality, the idea that large telecommunications companies should not be allowed to create “fast lanes” on the internet for their partners or companies willing to pay for the benefit. Republicans quickly jumped all over this, suggesting that President Obama wants to “regulate the internet”. For example, presidential candidate Ted […]

Republicans are having the time of their lives and they’ve never felt this way before, at least not since 2010. The GOP has taken the Senate and now they’re ready to stop historic climate deals, provoke war with Iran and demand maximum deportations. How’d they do it? They took advantage of massive crises (which have mostly disappeared from the headlines), […]

There’s no denying that Americans showed outrageously schizophrenic behavior last week on Election Day. While progressive initiatives on things like the minimum wage and pot legalization were passed around the country, Republicans still scored big wins everywhere. Here in Michigan, Terri Lynn What’s-Her-Name got trounced by double digits and two pro-wolf hunt ballot proposals went down in flames but, outside […]

Her story demonstrates how critical health insurance is for many people — and disproves the myth that small companies aren’t going to provide employee insurance under the ACA. For Emily Todebush, going without health insurance simply isn’t an option. In early 2013, the 29-year-old was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system […]

Yesterday, President Obama announced 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. One of the recipients is Dean of the House, Congressman John Dingell. Here is what the official announcement had to say about Congressman Dingell, known affectionately by his staff as “JDD”: John Dingell is a lifelong public servant, the longest serving Member of Congress in American history, and […]

Saving big money was just the beginning of the good news. In November 2013, I struck gold — literally. I found a Gold plan on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace that saves me $900 a month on my premiums for the same coverage. With 2015 open enrollment starting on November 15th, it’s a good time to take a look […]