Wednesday Coffee Talk/Open Thread

by: BZP

Wed Sep 05, 2007 at 07:38:41 AM EDT

Happy Hump Day! Lots of links this morning... enjoy!

• AP: Michigan governor signs law setting Jan. 15 presidential primary. The Governor did the right thing. Heck, even the folks in New Hampshire have come to the realization that our primary system is broken.
• AP: Senate approves changes aimed at saving school health costs. "Republicans hoped the measure, one of their key cost-saving proposals, would break the stalemate over higher taxes and prompt a response from Democrats who control the House. The GOP wants any tax increase proposal to originate in the House. The state faces a potential government shutdown if a deal is not reached." The countdown to chaos continues.
• K-Zoo Gazette: State work program gets good response. No Worker Left Behind is a hit. That's right... the same program Senate Republicans tried to cut funding for just two weeks ago.
• Muskegon Chronicle: Threats are a sorry substitute for governance. "Here in Michigan, our state faces a tsunami of fiscal hurt should the funding pool on which our state government operates be drained any further. Our universities, schools, cities, public safety and health care services would all be at risk if legislators who live in the real world and serve real people don't ignore the belligerent bluster of ideologues like Drolet and the government-haters."
• Ann Arbor News: Schools start off year with less money. "District cuts include limiting bus service, privatizing services, cutting teaching positions and increasing or instituting pay-to-play fees for athletics." Sorry kids, but this is what happens when Republicans refuse to raise the revenue that is necessary to fund education.
• D-News: School's back: Readin' and writin' and belt-tightenin'. A similar article from the News. Here's what UM economist Paul Courant has to say: "The ability to fund education is crucial to the state's future to the extent that the economic problems hinder our ability to produce a work force that can compete in the global economy." Got that? Poorly funded schools = slower economic recovery. It's a simple equation.
• Ann Arbor News: Paying tuition a battle EMU students to pay 8% more this semester. "It's difficult to put anything back into the economy when you graduate, because you're so focused on paying off your loans." Thanks for the hike, Mike!

• Among the Trees: Sequestration a load of hoo-hah? Does sequestering carbon underground amount to simply sweeping the problem under the carpet? Eric's not the only one who thinks so.
• Bay City Times: Environmental Film Festival highlights problems on Great Lakes while seeking ideas to solve them. This sounds like a really cool idea: "The films should focus on the Great Lakes region and address what people can do to help the environment. It can be a documentary, a cartoon, even a music video, as long as it gets the message across. Films, in DVD format, are due Dec. 15 and will be judged by a panel of local community leaders."
• DEQ: Michigan Air Quality. There's an Ozone alert for Grand Rapids and Ludington today. The DEQ says to "Make clean air choices. Defer using gas-powered engines. Walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit if possible. Link errands into one trip. Conserve energy."
• Great Lakes Guy: Ohio Gov. Strickland Unveils "Advanced" Energy Strategy. "Ohio Governor Ted Strickland earlier this week unveiled an 8-point strategic initiative to diversify his state's energy portfolio with renewable power, generate tens of thousands of jobs, and modernize Ohio's economy for the 21st century." Gee, wouldn't it be nice if we could get this done here in Michigan? Sen. Barcia's RPS legislation is still languishing in the Michigan Senate.

• Liberal, Loud, and Proud: Local Treats that make you say Yum! Liberal Lucy has a follow-up to Monday's new MichLib feature Make it Michigan. She's got info on four different Ingham County Farmers' Markets.
• DFP: Beware Iran. Surprise, surprise. One of the biggest cheerleaders for the Iraq war, Mike Rogers, is beating the drums for war with Iran: "While Congress wastes time on scoring political points, Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and backing terrorists, North Korea continues its nuclear-weapons program, and attacks by radical Islamists are taking place across the globe from London to Islamabad." Sounds like North Korea is next on his list.
• NY Times: Hardly a Union Hotbed, Toyota's Kentucky Plant Is a Test for Organizers. "Organizers have seized on leaked Toyota internal documents that show the company wants to cut $300 million in labor costs in North America by 2011. They have joined forces with community activists, local politicians and workers' rights advocates to make their case... Unionizing the Georgetown plant would be an enormous victory for the U.A.W., as it would be the first time it had organized a factory wholly owned by a Japanese automaker."
• Stateline: Md. launches first statewide living wage. "Maryland is the first to require government contractors to pay their employees at least $11.30 per hour in urban areas and $8.50 in rural regions of the state. Maryland's so-called living wage law, signed by first-term Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley in May, is scheduled to take effect Oct.1."
• Vanity Fair: Going After Gore. An interesting piece on "the Goreacle," and how the media (mis)handled the coverage of his 2000 presidential campaign.