Meta, meta, meta… I just wanted give folks a bit of an update on what’s been happening on the blog lately. First of all, thanks so much to everyone who contributed during our Third Quarter Fundraiser. We had folks contributing via PayPal, by check, and by purchasing a TinyPass. Your donations help pay for the website hosting and upkeep along […]

“Show up, stand up, and speak up”

As I have written about before, grassroots organizing on behalf of Democrats is already well underway in Washtenaw County.

Last night, in the Blog Role segment of the Night Shift with Tony Trupiano radio show, I talked with Tony in depth about what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and where we are headed in Washtenaw County with regards to creating a network of neighborhood teams working to turn out the Democratic vote in 2014.

You can listen to it after the jump.

“This new scheme flies in the face of the Constitution.” Washtenaw County Clerk Larry Kestenbaum is rather legendary in the Ann Arbor area for his incredible grasp and deep understanding of Michigan election law. He is passionate about it, in fact. Which has led him to being put in a rather interesting situation this week. Six out of the seven […]

The 1960s called, they want their racist rhetoric back I know we’re not a true “post racial” society. I want us to be. But I know we aren’t. But, at least in most public discourse, it’s definitely no longer acceptable to say racist things or to make derogatory remarks about specific races. Call it ‘political correctness’ if you want but […]

Two days of hearings yield a disappointing lack of action. The Senate Government Operations Committee spent two days hearing testimony on Medicaid expansion and debating three possible paths forward. It voted for all three — which means there will be yet more debate and delay on legislation that could make a life-or-death difference for nearly 500,000 Michiganders. The committee did […]

Just a totally harmless cloud of heavy metal-laden black dust, no problem at all The large piles of petcoke that have been stored on the banks of the Detroit River delivered a little surprise to the residents of Windsor across the border last weekend in the form of a thick black cloud of dust kicked up by a storm. Here’s […]

The quest to become a more perfect union always upsets the less perfect As the son of the first parents in my subdivision to divorce, I recognized all the less-than-subtle signs of a family falling apart. Doors slamming, people staring at their toes as they grab the mail, days when it seemed as if the house was empty — yet […]

I would See the update below for a rally to support fast food workers in Detroit at 10 a.m. this morning. Arnobio Morelix, a student at the University of Kansas, did some figuring recently and determined that, if McDonald’s employees earned a living wage of $15 per hour, the cost of their “famous” dollar menu would only increase 17¢. This […]

Frugality is apparently NOT a job requirement Kevyn Orr scored a pretty sweet deal when he signed on as the Emergency Manager for Detroit. In addition to a car, a driver and a body guard, he’s also got a nice suite in the posh Book Cadillac hotel. This is on top of his $275,000 annual salary. Orr’s contract (pdf) also […]

Government Operations Committee to discuss Medicaid expansion on Tues. and Wed. Speak out in support. There are at least half a million reasons to support Medicaid expansion in Michigan: providing healthcare coverage to nearly 500,000 uninsured Michiganders, largely the working poor, plus bringing more jobs and revenue into the state. The only reason to oppose Medicaid expansion? Trying to sabotage […]

Color me skeptical The Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette will file papework in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit to defend state constitutional protections of the pensions of city retirees. Invoking his role as “the people’s attorney,” Schuette said he will file in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit on Monday to intervene in the city’s […]