Thank You Chris Dodd! It appears the cacophony of voices is moving for a heavily modified version of Mark Grebner's plan for a do over primary through mail-in ballots. Levin, Granholm, and even Bill Nelson of Florida are expected to push this plan to the state Democratic Party pretty soon. However, another voice has joined in with a different view.
In reference to my previous post, http://www.michiganliberal.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=11614, I spoke about a Professor at Wayne State who had a great idea: send the delegates, but split them 50/50 for Clinton and Obama. This is possible because delegates are in no way compelled to actually vote as they are originally apportioned, meaning that if we send 100 delegates for “Clinton” and 56 for “Obama”, they may get to Denver, and 100 will vote for Obama while only 56 vote for Clinton.
Today, Chris Dodd endorsed this plan at the International Association of Fire Fighters. He brought up all the key points: it is wrong to put this all on taxpayers’ bill again, it still would ‘punish’ us without totally disenfranchising us, and he is opposed to having any election be funded solely through, “a bunch of fat cats”.
I like Grebner’s plan for its simplicity of funding and the inclusion of a few physical polling stations. The talk I’ve heard about special fundraisers for the do-over and whatnot makes me concerned, let alone the fact that we would have to get the state House and Senate to pass a new law to make any do-over a possibility. This plan is simple, cost effective, and would force people to take a closer look at who they send to the convention, rather than take it for granted.
The article on Chris Dodd’s remarks can be found here: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080311/POLITICS01/803110417/1361/rss41
Call this a bad news/ good news sort of story. As reported by Peter Luke in yesterday's Grand Rapids Press, the Governor is proposing a billion dollar stimulus for higher education in the state. The bad news? None of the money is evidently going to be spent in W. Michigan.
What possibly could be good about this? Only the Press and The Detroit News had this on their pages. At this point, minimum coverage is our friend, but the damage has been done.
Once more, Lansing has confirmed a popular meme in West Michigan, that it doesn't care about the region. This lack of support from Lansing means that our elected representatives are marginalized as leaders both in Lansing and downtown Grand Rapids (not to mention Kalamazoo and Muskegon).
Of course this is not the final word. And that's just the problem
State lawmakers will hold a joint committee hearing on Tuesday, March 4, to put the finishing touches on a package that will put Michigan at the top of the nation for motion picture and commercial production.
Read more here Well you have about a month to make it happen. The Governor has proposed improving the tax incentives for the television and film industry. The timing is excellent but tight! Read about it and hear the testimony of Mitch Albom and other film industry experts at the Senate Democrats blog. Timing is critical because the annual trade show where states display their stuff is April 10th. Let's not miss our chance like we did last time...
Michigan's plan wasn't adopted until several years after it was designed -- allowing at least a dozen states to leapfrog Michigan with better offers, said Bob Brown, a movie producer and member of the Michigan Film Advisory Commission. "We were late to the party and by the time the package got signed into law, it was no longer competitive," he said.
Over the last decade film projects went over the border to Canada. But now with the drop in the dollar, it is more attractive to return to the US. Competition is tight. Many states are looking at the attractive payback that incentives bring to their economy. You can page down to look at our competition here. While I don't think Michigan can compete with NY and CA or even LA with Pitt and Jolie, I think we have better locations and could blast past any Midwestern or New England state if we can get the legislature behind this.
Find out how we can make this happen and why we must!
This time of year, there's one thing that really scares me - driving.
It's not the snow, the sleet, the ice, the deer/turkey/wildlife that always seem to aim for my car, or even my fellow drivers who seem to lose all of their driving skills as soon as the weather drops below 40 degrees. It's all those blasted potholes. This year it's gotten even worse. With all the heavy weather, road commissions are running out of salt and picking and choosing which roads get treated.
I think about the cost of alignments, new tires, struts and shocks, and the ever expensive axle rods and I feel a financial panic attack coming on. There's no such thing as a cheap auto repair, it's just the nature of the business.
Media outlets always seem to budget time and staff towards covering the craters in the road, and some even sponsor "find the biggest pothole contests'. It's a smart tactic actually, slow news day, go for the potholes. They always unite people in their anger and frustration and it's the classic us v. them example. We all fall for it, because, well, who really likes potholes?
People blame the weather, blame the law of physics, blame the government for under-funding MDOT and all of the above. To a certain extent, it's all true.
DriveMichigan, a group that is made up of various construction trade associations, MDOT, chamber of commerces, and labor unions, would like to see that changed.
The majority of Michiganders have been to at least one of the Great Lakes, if only once. In fact, a large number of Midwesterners have come to Lake Michigan, Huron, Superior, Erie, or Ontario to swim, boat, fish, or any number of other reasons.
Besides supporting Michigan’s tourism industry, which is the second largest contributor to our state’s economy after manufacturing, the Great Lakes are an important environmental resource, housing any number of freshwater fish and plants. Their freshwater reserves, the largest surface reserves in the entire planet, supply thirsty Michigan and mid-western agriculture (the third largest economic contributor), in addition to many thirsty Michigan citizens, the water necessary to live and grow.
However, what would happen if those lakes weren’t there anymore? What would happen if one or more of the lakes were put off limit to tourists and residents, citing high pollution levels? What if the water was unable to be pumped to the cherry producers in Traverse City or the soybean growers in Monroe, let alone to the pipes of thirsty mid-Michigan residents?
Some would tell you that this will never happen. They have the same false logic as many outside of the state: that Michigan is ‘awash’ in water. The water cycle, they say, ensures that the thousands of thousands of gallons wasted to water lawns and from table-water at restaurants will somehow comeback to the Great Lakes to be consumed again.
Why then are the Lakes at the lowest levels they have ever been? Why do certain areas of Michigan have to enact water moratoriums every summer to control dwindling water supplies amid drought conditions? The answer is: we do not have unlimited water to do with as we please. The wasteful practices that we have been indulging in for decades are combining with the effects of climate change to come back to haunt us. Unless we change our outlook on the Great Lakes and the environment, we will rapidly destroy the state many of us have come to treasure.
Hope is not lost though. Change is slowly beginning to happen. In 2005, Gov. Jennifer Granholm pushed the Great Lakes, Great Michigan! initiative through the Michigan Legislature. Constraints were placed on Dasani and other water-bottling companies, preventing them from sucking our lakes completely dry. In 2006 and 2007, the Legislature began to make progress on regulating aquifer tapping (the process of draining the ground-water that supplies the lakes, streams, rivers, tributaries, and us), another step in fighting low lake levels. Also, the public outcry was amazing when BP wanted to dump vast amounts of ammonia and sludge into Lake Michigan, with Facebook groups, websites, and the whole nine yards of grassroots activism coming into play to protect our most treasured resource.
Despite this progress, there is more that needs to be done. Michigan, while the only state to border 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, is only one of the seven American states that has territorial claims to them. Efforts need to be taken so that, when Michigan prevents a company from draining the lakes, they don’t just relocate to Illinois or Wisconsin to continue their destructive practices. The strongest attempt to do just this is the Great Lakes Compact, an eight-state legislative package that, when fully ratified, will put the power to control water withdrawals into the hands of the people, rather than a few legislators. This compact, though, is falling victim to the water-politics it is seeking to abolish. Two states (Illinois and Minnesota) have already passed it, while the other states and Michigan are considering it. Wisconsin and Ohio are presenting a challenge to this bill, wanting to amend it to allow more areas than just Great Lakes-basin areas to withdraw water. This is problematic as the compact only goes into effect if every state passes the same language. If one state refuses to agree, it acts as a veto, sinking the entire project.
There is no excuse for this. Politicians from both parties need to have the leadership necessary to fight politics-as-usual and make a decision with the interests of the people in mind, rather than their careers. It is at this point we, the people, need to stand up and show our elected officials that we will not support continuing the policies of the past that risk destroying the Great Lakes, the environmental jewel that sustains us and provides us great enjoyment.
There is much talk in Lansing and throughout the state about the proposed multi-million dollar expansion to Cobo Hall in Detroit. Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Kwame Kilpatrick, and Governor Jennifer Granholm seem to believe this will bring large amounts of trade shows and other expositions to Detroit, brining in tourism dollars and helping to revitalize the downtown area.
There is a big question: how? How will this bigger space allow so many more shows and conferences to come to Detroit? Most of the time, Cobo is mostly empty. By building more empty space, how do they expect to hook more companies and industry collectives into coming to Detroit?
Gov. Granholm et al need to look at Germany as an example. Virtually every semi-major city there advertises itself as “Messestadt”: basically, ‘convention city’. Rather than just build convention centers, the German’s try to offer the full package. The cities are centered on the principle of attracting and entertaining convention guests, with public transport designed to not only allow easy access to the convention center, but also to the rest of the surrounding area. In Detroit, without a car, a visitor has very little to actually do outside of eat and gamble. Going to The Henry Ford in Dearborn, the Fox Theater, or other attractions is difficult. Furthermore, transportation from Detroit Metro Airport to downtown in relatively hard and expensive, and there is no real way to get downtown with the train.
The Germans also focus on signage and the placement of tourism offices to better inform and acclimate guests. The Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau is making progress, but without some serious infusion of funds, and the networking of DCVB with state agencies to provide guests with a networked ‘one-stop-shop’ of Michigan tourism as a whole, the city will still have to live with the reputation of having ‘nothing to do’.
Building more empty space is not the solution. Only through a serious analysis of what visitors and companies want in a convention destination can policy makers come up with policies necessary to attract visitors and help revitalize Detroit and the whole of south east Michigan.
Update: Due to a huge interest in the event, the registration deadline has been extended till Thursday evening.
(the schedule's below the fold)
There's been a lot of buzz around the ol Tubes of the Internets about this Saturday's upcoming Activate '08 Training/Bloggers Institute and Eric was kind enough to allude to it yesterday when discussing what constitutes good bloggers from the rotten eggs of the bunch.
As one of the volunteer trainers, I'm really excited about the training, resource-sharing, and networking opportunities that will be available for those who join us, and it's my hope that after reading this post, it's something you'll consider coming to.
For me, this training is about building a Farm Team, not just for the Granholm/Cherry folks, or even for the established party system. The Governor's Leadership Fund is kind enough to put the event together, but this is really about passing along skills that are very much needed in the entire progressive world, whether it's candidates, or organizations, or just a movement.
We've already seen how hard-hitting the '08 election cycle is going to be, and this is just the beginning. As the entire progressive movement speeds up and really starts rolling, there is an increasing need for well-trained, dedicated activists both on and off-line.
The Free Press is reporting that Granholm is leading an effort to stop the recall madness - on both sides:
Gov. Jennifer Granholm called for “a cease fire” on recall campaigns launched against lawmakers in the wake of tax increased they approved last fall to balance the state budget. “I think recalls are a terrible answer to moving forward,” Granholm told reporters. “It is a distraction, it’s divisive and we need to come together.”
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Drolet calls himself reasonable???
Leon Drolet, of Michigan Recall, the organization that is spearheading the recall campaigns, said he would halt recalls if Granholm rolls back the tax hikes. "I will cease collecting signatures if she agrees to undo the tax increases and return the money,” Drolet said. “It sounds like a reasonable offer, she’s not leading the recall (against DeRoche.)
Anything out of Mike Bishop's mouth is always good fodder for a snarky post. Following that stunning speech and delivery from Governor Granholm, I have no idea how Republican Senate Majority Obstructionist could possibly pooh-pooh it, but we all know he'll certainly find a way.
This little treasure just dropped in my lap thanks to the miracles of the Intertubes, and I thought you'd all like to see it. And yes, for those of you wondering, it's classic Mike Bishop (R-Extra Hair Gel tonight)
Greetings from the State Capitol located in beautiful downtown Lansing!
7:35pm - Be sure to check out the diaries with the transcripts of the address on the MichLib main page.
7:03pm - The Governor and First Gentleman have entered the House. Lots and lots of clapping, pomp and circumstance, and due credit for the Governor. All of which she deserves, clearly!
6:22pm - The official procession has begun, with Lt. Governor John Cherry leading the House and Senate are filing in and are joined by their guests, along with the State Supreme Court and various state officials including the Secretary of State and the Attorney General.
I'm here with hundreds and hundreds others as we eagerly await the Governor's annual State of the State. For those of you opting to watch via the Intertube vs. TV, you can watch along here at MGTV.
As for now, the legislators are starting to file in, and the official procession will begin exactly at 6:30, with the speech to commence at 7pm. Stay tuned!
(Less than 24 hours and counting - what do you want to hear? - promoted by LiberalLucy)
It's that time of year again. Time for all of Lansing to gather together on the floor of the State House of Representatives and hear what Governor Jennifer Granholm has to say about the state's accomplishments in 2007 and where we're headed in 2008.
Many of you joined us last year for our State of the State open thread, and it's our hope that everyone will come back next Tuesday. as apparently I'm glutton for punishment because I'll be joining the fray again as an official credentialed member of the press and live-blogging from the Capitol.
The Governor's laid out some hints at what she'll be talking about, and given the craziness that was 2007, expectations are high that anything could go.
What do you think she'll be discussing? What do you want her to address?
On the flip side -
Senate Majority Obstructionist Mike Bishop (R-Lifetime supply of hair gel) won't pass up an opportunity to face the cameras after her speech and I'm sure the yappy House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Still Irrelevant) has already started preening for his airtime.
Who will the Senate Republicans sacrifice for their official response? Last year Sen. Tom "Milk Toast" George wore the deer-in-headlights look very well, but I doubt that we'll see him again. Personally I'm hoping for Sen. Michelle McManus (R-We're not in Kansas anymore Toto) because if nothing else, it'd make for some entertaining TV, but they are unlikely to put a woman up there to follow Granholm.
You decide - take the poll below and if your candidate for the Republican Response isn't listed, add yours!
Voters from across Michigan chose Governor Granholm's drive to grow the alternative energy in Michigan as the defining moment of 2007. From her jobs missions to Sweden and Germany to her series of alternative energy meetings across the state, Governor Granholm has continuously focused all her energy on diversifying our state's economy by fostering rapid growth in this emerging industry.
And, for Michigan, green energy means great jobs. Experts predict that by 2030, one in four U.S. jobs will be in the alternative energy and energy efficiency industries. They forecast the hottest areas of growth will be solar, wind, ethanol, and fuel cell development. When she first took office five years ago, Governor Granholm immediately got to work on developing those very same industries here in Michigan. Thanks to her efforts, Michigan is now emerging as a world leader in those key areas. United Solar Ovonics, creators of revolutionary new solar energy technology, have expanded their Michigan operations and created hundreds of new jobs. John Deere launched a new wind farm to produce clean, renewable energy in the Thumb. Several Michigan companies have partnered with the governor to open over 20 new ethanol retail locations statewide - not to mention doubling the amount of ethanol produced right here in Michigan. And, in the UP, exploration is underway to develop a new plant to produce biomass-based fuels made from wood.
All across Michigan, the governor's push to make our state the green energy leader is producing results. Thousands of new jobs have been created with hundreds of millions in new investments for our state. But the true potential of alternative energy is only beginning to be realized. In the next 20 years, the green revolution will spawn a multi-trillion dollar industry. Thanks to Governor Granholm's bold vision and aggressive approach, Michigan is poised to lead the way.
The governor's focus on green energy and great jobs in 2007 is only the beginning. Her comprehensive economic plan demands continued action and aggressive policies to keep Michigan moving forward. Governor Granholm's alternative energy strategy defined 2007, and it will continue to define Michigan's future well into 21st century.
Amway chief Dick DeVos, the 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate, has sent holiday greetings to supporters that read much more like a campaign announcement than a Christmas card.
In the one-page, Dec. 13 e-mail entitled "A message from Dick DeVos," he highlights state budget shortfalls and tax increases as problems and solicits ideas from readers, saying "we need to get all the good ideas we can, 'cause we can't count on them coming out of Lansing." The e-mail disclaimer said it was paid for by the DeVos for Governor campaign committee.
DeVos also attacked Gov. Granholm and legislators who voted for tax increases during the recent legislative session. "The Democrats were even successful in getting a few misguided Republicans to go along with them on the hike in state spending and increased taxes," he wrote, "and so it became law."
Granholm defeated DeVos for governor in 2006 by a margin of 56 percent to 42 percent. Granholm painted DeVos as a strong supporter of President Bush and his policies, and maintained that as head of Amway, DeVos outsourced 1,400 jobs from Michigan to China.
DeVos wrapped up his year-end message with a holiday greeting to those of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths, saying: "To all our Muslim friends, we wish you a successful Eid Al-Adha," the festival honoring Abraham's sacrifice to Allah.
"The story here isn't that DeVos is running again," said Joe DiSano of Main Street Strategies, a Democratic political consultantin Lansing. "That's a foregone conclusion. The real story is if DeVos will have a primary challenge. I see another DeVos candidacy splitting the GOP in half and metro Detroit Republicans finding a candidate to challenge DeVos."
"The most important thing I learned (this year) is I'm not ever going to raise taxes again. It's too hard. It's too impossible," Granholm told The Associated Press.
"Especially in light of our economy and what we've been through, I just don't think that there's anybody who's interested in proceeding down that path again. And I'm first at the head of that line," she added.
I realize that raising taxes is a very difficult thing to do, especially given the economy, but what sense is there in taking solutions off the table without knowing how things might turn out? I have to confess to being disappointed that this isn't just something she's taken off the table, but that she's at the head of the line to do so.
No one is interested in going down that path again, just as there isn't anyone who is interested in paying higher -- any, for that matter -- taxes. But, aside from calming the nervous jitters of conservatives afraid that even a dime's worth of extra will cause bureaucrats to literally explode from the top of the Cass Building, I can't see the value in taking a solution off the table for problems that won't present themselves for maybe a year or two.
Some of the state's most unlikely allies are coming together in a winning fight for Michigan's economy and environment. The result could mean 34,777 new jobs in the state and a better and brighter future for Michigan's environment. They are called the Blue-Green Alliance, and no, we're not talking about Wolverines and Spartans.
Today the Blue-Green Alliance, the public policy partnership of the Sierra Club, and the United Steelworkers, and Environment Michigan released a new report, Michigan Road to Energy Independence, detailing the thousands of new green jobs that could be created by manufacturing components for wind turbines, solar panels, sand other renewable energy equipment. The study, prepared by the Renewable Energy Policy Project, found that 2050 firms in Michigan could benefit and add 34,777 news jobs - including 24,350 from wind turbine manufacturing and 6,644 in solar manufacturing.
"Why order wind turbines from Denmark to put up in Lansing when we know that Michigan has the workers and the factories to make them right here in the state?" said Sue Browne, organizer for the Blue/Green Alliance.
"Turbines and solar panels made in Michigan make sense for both the environment and the economy. Michigan's been blessed with the natural resources to help America fight global warming, now it's time for us to take advantage of Michigan's human resources to help put these smart energy solutions—and our citizens—to work."
As Michigan continues to recover from the economic slump of the automobile manufacturing industry, renewable energy manufacturing can revitalize communities across Michigan that have lost jobs, as well creating a whole new generation of good-paying manufacturing jobs. States across the country, such as Iowa, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania have already seen thousands of new jobs created in the clean energy manufacturing sector. Let me say that again, just in case you missed it - thousands of new jobs.
A great example of this happening here in Michigan is Greenville's United Solar Ovonics plant. After the Electrolux refrigerator plant closed sending thousands of employees into unemployment, United Solar Ovonics, in cooperation with Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and United States Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin announced plans for a high-tech manufacturing plant in Greenville. The move has brought 2 plants to Greenville and 500 new jobs, with the possibility to expand with up to 5 more plants and 1,000 new jobs in the future.
It is this combination that is so crucial to keeping Michigan vibrant. "There are two things on Michiganders minds today - jobs and the environment. Bringing and keeping environmental manufacturing jobs to Michigan not only be would beneficial to Michigan's working families and economy but would directly correlate with Michigan's long standing tradition of being stewards of the Earth, specifically one of America's crown jewels: the Great Lakes," said Michigan State AFL-CIO president Mark Gaffney.
So what's the secret here? Skip below the fold for the recipe for success.
The possibility of a government shutdown has us all thinking about how life would be without these services. Services we take for granted.
If we get a product or service from a corporation we expect to pay for it. Yet we are unwilling to pay for vital government services. It is time to be RESPONSIBLE!
So far this year we have seen cuts and reforms. The only responsible action now is to raise taxes.
I can't afford to not have my taxes raised.
_________________
Madden
Bishop's unwillingness to accept new revenues stems from his long-time love affair with the anti-tax radical Grover Norquist and the American's for Tax Reform!
Those leading the charge for continued cuts in the Michigan budget are the same retarded folks who have signed the the Americans for Tax Reform pledge. This is a pledge sent to all candidates running for public office in which these candidates agree to NOT represent the best interests of their constituents, but instead pledge to represent Grover Norquist... creator of the pledge and founder of Americans for Tax Reform. These Norquist representatives should be the first on the list of which seats to target in the future elections.
The Pledge states:
I, ____________, pledge to the taxpayers of the _____ District of the State of _________ and to all the people of this state, that I will oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.
Here are the elected officials who are proudly listed on the Americans for Tax Reform website as having signed this pledge. In essence, by signing this pledge they have vowed to NOT represent the people of Michigan, but to represent the irresponsible ideals of Mr. Norquist.
Att. Gen. Mike Cox
5 Senators of 38 (13%)
Jim Barcia (S-31) Michael Bishop (S-12)
Wayne Kuipers (S-30)
Michelle McManus (S-35)
Alan Sanborn (S-11)
8 House members of 110 (8%)
David J. Agema (H-74)
Jack Brandenburg (H-24)
John P. Garfield (H-45)
Jacob W. Hoogendyk (H-61)
Marty Knollenberg (H-41)
Kim Meltzer (H-33)
David Robertson (H-51)
Rick Shaffer (H-59)
Glenn Steil (H-72)
These are the folks who have caused the eight months of stalls and delays in the budget process. These are the folks who should be recalled, not those who vote for a common sense tax increase!
