The GOP believes they simply need to talk about issues that African Americans care about, not actually do anything about them Kentucky Senator Rand Paul came to Michigan today to be part of the opening of the Republican’s Detroit “African American Engagement Office”. No, seriously. Before the Republicans got their day started, Democrats had a press conference nearby where they […]

A couple of weeks ago I posted a detailed analysis of how Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) enrollments are going so far. Starting today, every Friday I’ll be posting updated numbers here at Eclectablog. Full details can be viewed daily at ACASignups.net. HOUSTON, WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!! Roughly 27,000 Americans signed up for insurance on the federal exchange on Tuesday, according […]

A vastly improved website made it much easier to compare plans and see the real benefits. Sharon Baseman always wanted to find coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). As a freelance graphic designer, she has to buy individual coverage and thought she’d save money thanks to Obamacare. As it turns out, she was right. In the beginning, Baseman wasn’t […]

Wifeproud The American Journalism Review recently relaunched itself as a web-only publication, a major move for a major publication. The central article on the newly launched site is a piece by Jackie Spinner titled “‘Identity Crisis’ in Photojournalism”. It’s a terrific piece that discusses the new trend of major print media outlets shedding photographers and having their writers taking photos […]

Every day this week I have been posting about the fundraiser for the legal fund for April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse who are challenging Michigan’s discriminatory marriage ban. Today is the last day. Over half of the residents in our state oppose this law and, equally as important, it is a case that’s likely to go to the U.S. Supreme […]

Because the Michigan GOP is letting them get away with it. And nothing about that is okay. UPDATE on a new petition launched by Michigan Democratic leaders to fight the Right to Life initiative below. There’s a good chance a petition signed by 4 percent of Michigan voters will become law, forcing women to purchase separate insurance in case they […]

Day-um [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] Today’s Detroit Free Press editorial “Snyder must uphold state’s constitutional protection of Detroit pensions” is direct and unflinching on Governor Snyder’s obligation as the state’s leader to protect the pensions of Detroit retirees as the city goes through bankruptcy. I’d love to reprint the whole thing. It’s that […]

Making Detroit into America’s very own Third World country is decidedly NOT the solution In the television series The West Wing, Republican candidate for president Arnold Vinick is asked in a debate about debt relief for impoverished countries. “Senator, are you saying you’re opposed to debt relief for impoverished countries?” Vinick is asked by the moderator. “No,” he replied. “We […]

Major issues facing public education range from the policy level to classroom practice. Achievement disparities, graduation rates, poverty, standardized education reform, changes in public school funding, online education, teacher evaluations, equal access to quality schools, teacher quality and retention all impact the profession. Of these issues, teacher retention most impacts public education, because teachers are the greatest in-school influence on […]

I want to introduce you to the legal team who is fighting to end the ban on same sex marriage in Michigan. These heroes haven’t received any compensation at all for their works but they deserved to be recognized.

Attorneys Carole Stanyar, Dana Nessel, Ken Mogill and Robert Sedler have years of experience trying criminal and civil cases both in state and federal courts. Ms. Stanyar, Mr. Mogill, and Mr. Sedler have all argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, while Ms. Nessel is recognized as one of Michigan’s premier attorneys for LGTB issues, having represented numerous clients over the years. Additionally, there are two nationally recognized, high-profile attorneys, Mary Bunauto and Leslie Cooper, who have signed on to consult for the trial. Mary Bunauto is the Civil Rights Project Director for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). Ms. Bunauto successfully argued Baker v. State of Vermont in 1999 which allowed for the first civil unions law in the country. Ms. Bunauto also worked on the DOMA case. Leslie Cooper is an attorney for the ACLU’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. She is currently challenging Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage in Whitewood v. Wolf.

These attorneys who are handling the DeBoer v. Snyder case have assembled a nationally recognized team of expert witnesses who…

Hear ye, hear ye I was on the Majority Report radio show with Sam Seder this afternoon. We discussed Detroit’s bankruptcy, the Education Achievement Authority, and other examples of the corporatist Republican takeover of Michigan. You can listen to it here: [ca_audio url_mp3=”http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/majorityfm/12-4-13-Chris_Savage-PUB.mp3″ css_class=”codeart-google-mp3-player” autoplay=”false” download=”false” html5=”false”] True story: the first time I met Sam Seder in person was when […]