What do you expect? They spent 10 minutes on the job today. Senate Republicans showed up to work this morning and did absolutely nothing. Although the Detroit Free Press says the Senate Medicaid expansion work group is meeting privately twice a week to “tweak” the bill already passed by an overwhelming majority of the House, they still have nothing to […]

Michigan’s “stand your ground” law resembles Florida’s more than any other state Graphic by Chris Lozos The tragic death of unarmed Trayvon Martin in Florida was a direct result of that state’s odious “Stand Your Ground” law. The fact that George Zimmerman was acquitted of his death is a direct result, not of the six female jurors ignoring the law, […]

How do you attack a law that’s already responsible for covering millions of Americans, providing more than a billion in rebates from insurance companies and is literally saving kids’ lives? Republicans have two strategies: 1) make things up and 2) sabotage. The most constant effort to sabotage comes from the House GOP who are continually pretending to repeal the law. […]

It’s been a busy quarter! Hi, folks. We’re back again, asking for your support. I thought it might be useful to look back at some of what we brought to you since our last fundraiser in April. Here are some of the highlights: An interview with Michigan Teacher of the Year Gary Abud about being exploited by corporatist, anti-teacher groups […]

If only having a big heart could overcome having an afflicted neurological system…

The following open letter is by 28-year old Emily Todebush. Emily was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and faces a lifetime of medical problems and major health issues. But Emily is fortunate: she has health insurance. Thanks to her health care coverage, she doesn’t have to face catastrophic medical bills that would bankrupt families without health insurance.

In Michigan and every other state in the United States of America, millions of people who go to work to earn a living don’t have health insurance and don’t make enough money to pay for insurance on their own. These are the people that the Affordable Care Act, though the expansion of Medicaid, would be saved from bankruptcy, crippling diseases, and even death.

Despite the fact that she has health insurance, Emily understands the critical importance of expanding Medicaid in Michigan. While others would be preoccupied with their own problems were they in her shoes, Emily has a heart big enough to care for those not as fortunate as she is. She understands that upwards of a half million Michiganders — WORKING Michiganders desperately need this life-saving health insurance. This is a situation in which, though the tea partiers and conservatives would love to simply shout “GET A JOB!“, having a job is not enough.

Unfortunately, Emily’s senator, John Pappageorge does not understand any of this. Pappageorge is one of the many Republicans with hearts too small and ideologies too large to understand just how important expanding Medicaid is. He is far more concerned about harming our president’s legacy and making sure that he has no successes, even one that would help so many people.

So, Emily wrote to Senator Pappageorge. He has not responded.

You can read Emily’s important letter after the jump.

Scrub-a-dub-dub… Graphic by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Last January, I wrote first about the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) crowing about screwing workers with Right to Work. In fact, they corrupted our beloved “Pure Michigan” brand to do so. Shortly after that, I broke the story of how they scrubbed their Right to Work bragging from the state […]

Obama administration awards $3.8 million to provide enrollment assistance in Michigan. Here’s more proof that Obamacare is right on track — and doing exactly what it should. Last week, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $3,782,688 in grant awards to Michigan health centers. These funds will help the health centers enroll uninsured Michiganders in new health coverage […]

Support citizen journalism or democracy dies Have you ever read anything on this site that made you go, “Why didn’t I think of it that way?” or “Why am I not reading about this anywhere else?” or “I didn’t know that!” I hear from people all of the time that tell me that Eclectablog is literally their primary source for […]

Hmmm…where have I heard that company’s name before…? Team Services, LLC, self-described as “the leading provider of well services to the oil and gas industry throughout the United States”, has been caught spraying oilfield brines containing toxic solvents on unpaved roads in Benzie County. Brining is done for dust suppression. I was first alerted to this by Karla and Bryan […]

Nothing to see here, please hold your breath and move along As if they weren’t already dealing with enough in their daily lives, residents of downtown Detroit now have something else to contend with: exposure to toxic petroleum coke or “pet coke” dust. The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the state confirms that the dust is prevalent in the […]

Now THAT is a party!

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, Rene and Matt Greff, owners of Arbor Brewing Company and the Corner Brewery are huge supporters of Mark Schauer to be Michigan’s next governor. This past Saturday, they held a fundraising party for him at their home in Ypsilanti and it was a rousing success.

After the jump are some photos taken by Anne C. Savage along with some choice quotes from the evening. More photos can be seen on Anne’s Facebook page.