Tonight, December 29, 2010, at 8 P.M., WKAR-TV presents 'An Evening with Gov. Granholm'. This will be Jennifer Granholm's last interview as Michigan's Democratic Governor. It was conducted by Tim Skubick, host of the public affairs program "Off the Record."
For details on this program, when you can watch it again, and how you can watch it if you are outside of Michigan, along with other political news originated by Michigan's research universities this month, follow me over the jump.
As you may have heard Detroit's school board president Otis Mathis resigned for masturbating in front of the district's superintendent. I think that matter speaks for itself. Everyone with a brain recognizes that Mathis is obviously disturbed or degenerate or both, and needs serious help of the mental health variety.
This brings me to Mathis' colleague, Reverend David Murray, who apparently lacks anything resembling gray matter. Some quick background, He changed his name from David Murray to Reverend David Murray some years ago. He also lost custody of his adopted children after a judge found him to have neglected and abused them. Murray's comments to WDET's Craig Fahle during an interview last summer are at the bottom of this diary.
Today Murray not only defended Otis Mathis, but Murray defended Mathis' behavior. And that makes him unfit to serve on a school board. Or serve in any other capacity around children. Let's go to the tape:
This column has been written about already here, but Jack Lessenberry completely misses the point in faulting Governor Granholm for signing a bad budget to prevent a government shutdown. The only thing worse than a bad budget would be a complete shutdown of Michigan government.
Think of the consequences -- and imagine what people like Lessenberry would be saying had the Governor refused to sign a budget and let the state shut down, in the ultimate Halloween nightmare. No Medicaid reimbursement. No inspections of Michigan agriculture. No pay for tens of thousands of state employees, who count on a regular paycheck to take care of their bills and families. Doing more damage to Michigan's credit rating. Adding uncertainty for businesses looking to locate here or that do business with the state. Limited state police protection (just imagine if something awful were to happen as a result).
Does Lessenberry really think these were viable options for the Governor? There's wide-spread agreement that we need to make long-term changes to the way Michigan does business. Lessenberry inaccurately states that the Governor "didn't make the faintest effort to move this state to a graduated income tax." However, just this March the Governor floated a graduated income tax to replace the Senate Republican-designed MBT surcharge - an idea Lessenberry wrote about at the time and supported!
Lessenberry's missing the point. Andy Dillon and Mike Bishop spawned this terrible budget, and left the Governor and the people of Michigan with no options with their eleventh hour nonsense. Lessenberry quotes Dillon as calling this year's budget "child's play" - with the damage they've done to our state already, we can only be thankful for one sane leader in Lansing... Jennifer Granholm.
He is right about one thing, though. Citizens should get vocal about this year's budget, and should contact their legislators (particularly obstinate Senate Republicans) to demand a budget that protects Michigan's future.
It's far past time to stand up and fight - and to place the blame squarely where it belongs, on Bishop and Dillon's "deal".
The tipoff that Right Michigan is a bit, um, credulous is that they think Jim Comey, another white Catholic male, is really a serious contender to replace David Souter on SCOTUS (look, I respect Comey, for an ultraconservative lawyer, but he ain't gonna be picked here).
So it should come as no surprise that they're making a big story claiming Jennifer Granholm has tax problems. Without actually checking to see whether it really is a big story.
What Nick doesn't tell you, in his breathless story reporting a tax lien against Granholm and Cherry is that that lien was released, last year.
Oops.
Don't worry--I'm sure Nick will find some other reason to convince himself Republican Jim Comey is going to be picked to be SCOTUS.
I've spent the last 18 hours trying to figure out how to verbalize the rage, the frustration, and the deep sadness I feel after the asinine vote by the Senate Republicans in Congress that killed the auto industry bailout. And then I saw this quote by Lt. Gov. Cherry that seemed pretty spot on -
"We are witnessing Congressional unraveling of the American Dream and the demolition of the very foundation of our national security. A few beltway insiders who are completely out of touch with the struggles of American families decided to settle old political scores at the expense of millions of jobs and our national economic security. While bankers get the keys to the Treasury our manufacturers get a one-way ticket to bankruptcy and American families are left unprotected."
Last time I checked, the United States included Michigan, although with the way we've been slapped and kicked around in DC, you wouldn't know it.
If only Congress were as sharp and cared as much about working families as we do, they'd realize what letting the Big Three fail really means: not being able to retire, not being able to have health care, not being able to put food on the table - not being able to enjoy even a hope of achieving the American Dream.
These aren't just "workers". Every time I hear this topic discussed on the airwaves, I wonder how many people truly understand that these "workers" are actually people like my dad, my aunt, my neighbor, your friend, even you. Do they get that there are actual people behind this very in-personal collective group term, also used to describe honeybees and ants??
We owe American workers, who had nothing to do with the onset of the economic crisis or the strategy of auto management, the benefits and pay they agreed to, and we owe it to them to fight for their jobs and well-being.
Do Senate Republicans know what it's like to lose a job for no reason other than credit markets seizing up? We bailed out the financial institutions that got us into this crisis with much less rancor than providing much less money in a LOAN, not a bailout, to one of our most important manufacturing industries.
And has Congress been to Michigan lately? Have they seen the job losses we've already suffered, and the pain workers have already faced as the Big Three restructure?
Democratic presidential candidates have had the advantage in our state since 1992, when Bill Clinton won our state and made the climate favorable to Al Gore and John Kerry. Surprisingly however, while all three previous presidential candidates had leads 5-6 points higher than the national margins, Obama leads our state with only a 1-2 point margin. Why isn’t Obama doing as hot as the other previous candidates?
After all, McCain is the one who scorned our embattled struggle to revitalize the auto industry, and it’s Obama who shows a more genuine concern for the common people of Michigan–those stuck in their foreclosures, suffering from escalating heath care costs and hopeless from job loss.
From the viewpoint of a young Michiganian, I think this standstill will quickly change in the upcoming weeks.
(Let's get out and help Gary Peters take back the 9th Congressional District! - promoted by LiberalLucy)
Join the Granholm Cherry Ground Crew, a grassroots effort to support great Democratic candidates in Michigan!
We're traveling across the state to keep Michigan blue in 2008. Knocking doors and talking to voters is the most effective way to win elections, so we'll be going door-to-door for Gary Peters in Oakland County this Sunday, September 7. With a strong showing of support, we can make a major difference in Gary's closely contested race.
We'll be meeting at the Peters for Congress Volunteer Center in Clawson at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and will be out canvassing until 4:30.
Why won’t he just give in? Governor Jennifer Granholm just started the hearing to remove Kwame Kilpatrick from the mayor’s office today. It is unbelievable that he still has not resigned despite all the pain and embarrassment he has put Detroit and the rest of Michigan through, not to mention the stagnation he has brought to the city’s and region’s growth and development ever since the whole scandal erupted.
To the best of my knowledge, they aren't taking odds yet in Vegas or on the political sites on how
and when Kwame finally leaves the stage. But if they do, my money is that he will quit on September 2 - just before the Governor's much-anticipated removal hearing.
Kwame quit? Ha! Balderdash! Why should he quit now?
Well, certainly for no altruistic reason. If he had any iota of genuine concern for the people of Detroit left he'd have resigned long ago. No, I think Kwame quits out of something much more in keeping with his character: spite.
It's been no secret that hizzoner's relationship with the Governor has never exactly been warm and fuzzy. That's why at the last possible minute - after Sharon McPhail's continued attempts to stall the process fail (hey, remember her electric chair?) and it becomes clear a cosmological event is not forthcoming - I think he'll resign. He simply won't want the Governor to have the personal satisfaction of kicking his sorry butt off the cliff - an act which can only serve to boost her popularity among Michigan voters not part of the Cheeks-Kilpatrick families and/or on their payroll.
Anyway, that's my hypothesis. Of course I wouldn't be hugely surprised either if Kwame's martyrdom complex overwhelms his spitefulness and he stays around till the bitter end.
Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus!
What's your prediction? Vote in the poll below the fold...
Michiganians are stuck on automobiles in more than one way. Not only is our economy dependent upon the Big 3 automakers, we rely solely on automobiles to get around our state–and now it is taking its toll.
A task force appointed by Governor Granholm recently released a report declaring that Michigan must double spending on roads and bridges otherwise “many will keep deteriorating and become unsafe.” The state spends about $3.2 billion a year on road and bridge maintenance, and now the task force recommends it to spend $6.1 billion a year for “good” conditions or $12.6 billion a year for “better” conditions. It is ridiculous how much taxpayer money goes towards fixing roads. The main propagator for this crisis? The lack of an adequate mass transit system anywhere in the state.
Our own Jennifer Granholm speaks at about the 6:30 mark in this video speaking to some of the issues central to this election. Kathleen Sebeilius of Kansas is the main speaker in this clip.
Greetings, fellow travelers!
As y'all know by now, the Guv is recuperating from her emergency abdominal surgery. Since the G's office says not to send any more flowers, it occured to me there's another way to send get well wishes. Here's a call to bloggerland to share some of your funniest and favorite viral videos. Some of my favorites are below the fold. Add yours in the comments!
Just want to pass along my wishes for a speedy recover, Governor Granholm and hope that you're back at work soon for the people of the state of Michigan. Hopefully you're well enough and the hospital has wireless access so you can keep up with all the news while you recover.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm underwent emergency surgery Tuesday evening to treat a bowel obstruction and has canceled a trip to Israel and Kuwait, her office said today.
Granholm’s press secretary Liz Boyd said the governor started feeling sick on Sunday, but attended the NAACP dinner in Detroit that night as planned. She experienced flu-like symptoms on Monday, but carried out her daily schedule.
Tuesday morning, she went to the doctor, tests were run and she was admitted to Sparrow Health System in Lansing on Tuesday afternoon.
From the story, it sounds like the surgery went well. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. Get well soon, Guv. UPDATE by Hazen Pingree: A poignant observation by phikapbob from the comments:
This time, the Senate Republicans have gone too far! These obstructionists have crossed the line, obstructing our beloved Governor's digestive system. Shame on you, Mike Bishop!
Ironically, Bishop himself was once treated for a similar condition, only to discover that it was Saul's head up there.
Like I said, get well soon, Guv.
UPDATE by ScottyUrb: WOOD TV8 says she is comfortable and that the trip to Kuwait and Israel will be rescheduled. This appears to have stemmed from an accident 15 years ago.
MPI's expansion in Kalamazoo, the governor says, is a reminder that regionalism works.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm, almost giddy Tuesday in announcing business expansions she said would create nearly 9,000 new direct and indirect jobs, pointed to Kalamazoo as a model for regional economic development.
"They have identified a niche and they have focused on that niche very well," said Granholm, whose term as governor has been beset by years of net job loss. "The state overall has to have a diverse economic portfolio. So we encourage diversification and developing niches."
Coinicidentally, I think it was maybe the Upjohn think tank a couple of years ago that released an economic report saying that this much is true. Successful economies, the report concluded, are those that operate regionally rather than statewide.
AP: Judge's ruling keeps Michigan do-over Democratic primary in limbo. "We need those lists to prevent people who voted in the Republican primary from voting in the Democratic do-over. Those are DNC rules," said Michigan Democratic Party spokeswoman Liz Kerr, referring to the Democratic National Committee. "This is basically the final straw in preventing us from having a do-over election."
Michigan Messenger: It's dead. No, it isn't -- but time is fast running out for a Democratic primary do-over. "Each day that goes by, the political momentum to find a solution is lost," said Dave Woodward, chair of the Oakland County Democratic Party. "The conventions have been canceled because there is a conversation to say, 'Is there is a different way to select these delegates to ensure they could get seated?'"
AP: Court says Moore did not defame Iraq war veteran with documentary. "A federal appeals court has ruled filmmaker and Michigan resident Michael Moore did not defame an Iraq war veteran when he used a clip from a television interview without his permission in the anti-war documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11.'"
WXYZ: Mayor Kilpatrick Taking Online Donations. Channel 7 has a list of Kwame's major donors.
DetNews: Brown eyes run for mayor, Congress. "Flush with $3 million from a whistle-blower settlement, fired Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown is taking aim at the family of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, mulling a run for his job or the congressional seat occupied by his mother."
Skubick: Ride'em Cowboy. A suburban Republican offering to "help" Detroit? There's always a catch.
Bay City Times: Rep. Jeff Mayes (D) files for re-election. "I am proud of my involvement in the 21st Century Jobs Plan and in efforts to reform Michigan's energy policy to improve our state's economy; however, we still have work to do," Mayes said in a news release.
State Government/Legislation
AP: Counties to Get Detroit Zoo Tax Authority. Granholm signed the bill yesterday. Now it's up to Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to keep the Detroit Zoo alive.
AP: Mich. Senate tries to boost home sales with tax changes. "Many Democrats supported the bills but some criticized the GOP for reducing tax revenue without making corresponding spending cuts."
AP: Mich. Senate votes to make state government use green energy. "It's a very low-hanging piece of fruit," Sen. Liz Brater, an Ann Arbor Democrat, said of making government buy green power. "We see this only as a first step."
AP: Granholm signs bill putting more children in safety seats. "We know that deaths related to motor vehicle accidents are the No. 1 cause of deaths for children in Michigan," Granholm said during a bill signing ceremony at the Capitol. "We want to make sure that our children are safe."
Democratic Edge: Dean Calls on GOP-led Senate to Increase Higher Education Access. "As the Kalamazoo Promise continues to prove successful, State Representative Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) today called on Senate Majority Leader Michael Bishop to pass the Michigan Promise Zone Act, which will ensure access to higher education for thousands of students throughout the state who want to go to college."
AA News: Lack of health care reform is killing us. "A stunning one in three people surveyed said they have skipped getting medical care because of cost. Nearly a quarter of the roughly 26,400 survey respondents said they had serious problems paying for needed health care."
Environment, Energy & the Economy
Saginaw News: College numbers to shrink. "After years of receiving an annual deluge of applications, higher education institutions will over the next decade recruit from a pool of public high school graduates projected to decline roughly 10 percent or more in non-Hispanic white students, the population that traditionally is most likely to attend four-year colleges."
DetNews: Detroit scores with March Madness. "This rolling revue of sports spectacles hosted by Metro Detroit the past few years is slowly changing the image of the region, say political and business leaders."
Odds & Ends
Michigan Messenger: FBI informant organized racist Kalamazoo rally, group says. "Turner's rally drew about 60 white supremacy supporters, sporting swastikas and Confederate flag motifs on their clothing. The rally cost the city of Kalamazoo more than $80,000 for police protection and tied up more than 400 officers from several police agencies."
Let me know if I forgot anything. Drop your links in the comments section...
Dear Gov. Granholm, Recently you have received ideas and advice: both solicited at your TownHall meeting and My unsolicited advice to the governor here at Michigan Liberal. I have been thinking a great deal about the growing decline in the U.S. economy and specifically about the economy of Michigan.
The US Tresasury has announced that it will lower the minimum price for buying bonds from 1,000 to $100 to encourage savers. My suggestion is that the State of Michigan issues a series of Build a Better Michigan Bonds. These bonds would be sold for $100 and could be purchased in one of two ways.
Bonds could be bought directly for $100 or they could be bought over time by purchasing $1, $2 and $5 bond savings stamps. These stamps would work similar to the stamps purchased for war bonds during WWII. A booklet of stamps could be redeemed for a $100 bond.
Bonds would be issued in a specific series: Environment Bonds, Education Bonds, DNR Bonds, and Transportation Bonds, for example. The state would use the revenue generated from the bonds to create projects in the specific area of the Michigan economy. For example revenue from Environment Bonds would be used for projects that would green public buildings and public transportation and train unemployed MI residents in green technology. Projects should not only fix the infrastructure but create jobs.
Bonds purchasers would be saving, getting interest on their investment and investing in their community at the same time. Unlike the 6 Million plus that Michigan residents have spent on the Presidential Primary, bonds would have a guaranteed return. Bond stamps could be given as gifts instead of Lottery tickets. See below for more details on this idea.
Observer & Eccentric: High school freshman's blog makes a case against McCotter. The Congressional watch blog "Mad at Thad" got a nice profile in yesterday's paper.
WMR: Report from the Kent County Democratic Party March Meeting. Check out Phil's ridiculously detailed report. Wouldn't it be cool if more county parties started doing posts like this?
Media Mouse: Levin Tells Iraqis to Pay for Reconstruction. The Mouse has some criticisms about Sen. Levin's latest remarks about Iraq.
Freep: Mayor would attack text messages' authenticity. "There will be a lot of conversations about texts and the authenticity of all of it," he said Tuesday in a brief exchange with reporters. "So I'm looking forward to having that conversation at a later date."
Susan J. Demas: A recall worthy of ridicule. "I asked Drolet if he really believes Dillon spends every waking moment plotting to raise taxes again. 'It doesn't matter if I think he'll rape someone again,' he told me breezily. 'He has to be held accountable for the rape he did commit.'"
State Government/Legislation
Michigan Messenger: Anti-bullying forces to descend on Capitol to get Senate to pass bill. "Hundreds of educators, students and community members are expected to descend upon the State Capitol next week to demand the Senate pass a comprehensive bill aimed at stopping bullying in schools. The bill passed the state House a year ago, but has since languished in the Senate awaiting a hearing."
House Dems: House OKs $40 Million Expansion of No Worker Left Behind Program. "Under the leadership of State Representative Richard E. Hammel (D-Mt. Morris Township), the House today passed the governor's plan to expand Michigan's program to retrain thousands of displaced workers so they can land good-paying jobs available now in high-demand fields."
Jackson Cit-Pat: SmartZone bill clears big hurdle. Jackson could be eligible for a new SmartZone under a bill being pushed by Rep. Simpson and Sen. Schauer.
WOOD: Granholm Town Hall Meeting Video. Here's your chance to watch the Governor's town hall, in case you missed it (link via BFM).
Freep Editorial: Great Lakes states must protect every drop they can. "How long can Michigan and the other Great Lakes states afford to let such problems spiral out of control? Somewhere, a potential water disaster is lurking, much as a transportation disaster struck when a Minneapolis freeway bridge collapsed last August."
LSJ Editorial: Crumbling: Michigan needs investment in roads, not more gravel. "Businesses look at public infrastructure when deciding where to invest. If they see Michigan going backward, will it increase or decrease the chances new firms will land here?"
Environment, Energy & the Economy
Tri-Cities Biz Review: Alt-energy grows like a breeze, thanks to corporate purchasers. "Sustainability is finally becoming more than a buzzword, and morphing into a real business imperative. We salute the SC Johnsons and Steelcases, those corporations doing the right thing and proving the financial worth of alternative energy sources." You can read more stories on renewable energy in the Business Review publications here and here.
Flint Journal: UAW's Gettelfinger blasts American Axle in local speech. Give 'em hell, Ron! "We don't have a national health care program when every other country takes care of their citizens," Gettelfinger said. "We pay more and get less... But that's why we have 47 million uninsured Americans in this country."
WLNS: City Named as One of the Best to Live and Work. "Forbes magazine has named Jackson one of the best metropolitan areas to live and work." Yes, you read that correctly.
[con]serving Michigan: CDC Report Adds to Growing Evidence of State's Toxic Burden. "Under pressure from the public and from Congress, including U.S. Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak, both Michigan Democrats, the CDC finally released the report this last week. The recently leaked report finds that thirteen Michigan communities have elevated rates of infant mortality, cancer and other health problems."
Great Lakes Guy: X Doesn't Mark the Spot in MI. Sixty-four teams to date have entered the $10 million competition to see who can produce a market-ready automobile capable of 100 mpg. None are from Detroit, and only one is from Michigan (Ann Arbor).
Michigan Messenger: Metro Airport expansion plan doesn't fly with neighbors. "A planned expansion of Detroit Metropolitan Airport is threatening to uproot thousands of people and dozens of businesses, but local officials and residents are fighting back."
Odds & Ends
Phil Power: We must change bad attitudes. "What Michigan needs to realize is that the auto industry has transformed its manufacturing basis from a brawn-based to a brain-based model. It's no longer enough for a new hire to get to work more or less on time and not get into fights with his or her foreman."
Let me know if I forgot anything. Drop your links in the comments section...
