Cross-posted to Enviro-Mich, DailyKos and Michigan Liberal
Governor Rick Snyder and Michigan Republicans have carried out a damaging and subtle stealth attack on Michigan's system of environmental permitting in the form of SB 275, which was signed on December 8.
Unemployment in Michigan continues to rise month by month and many in Congress are going out of their way to protect millionaires over workers - but Michiganders were granted a unique opportunity when two of our lawmakers in Washington were appointed to the debt reduction super committee. However it has quickly become evident that the priorities of Rep. Dave Camp and Rep. Fred Upton are not with their constituents.
On Sept. 1, Nurses from the Michigan Nurses Association asked Rep. Camp to support the Main Street Contract for the American People. The seven principles behind the Main Street Contract are jobs at living wages; guaranteed health care for all; a secure retirement, with the ability to retire in dignity; equal access to a quality education; good housing and protection from hunger; and a just taxation system where corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share. A small tax on Wall Street transactions would fund investments in these priorities.
Rep. Camp has given no indication as to why he refuses to support these common-sense reforms to rebuild America and invest in Main Street, but it certainly comes as no surprise given his history in Congress. The facts speak for themselves:
Rep. Camp has voted in multiple sessions of Congress to cut Medicare significantly, which roughly 125,000 of his constituents rely on for treatment and medication.
Rep. Camp has not held a town hall in his own district for months, although he had time over the summer to meet with constituents in Utah. Sen. Orrin Hatch hosted an economic forum at Utah Valley University on August 31 that Rep. Camp found time to attend.
Rep. Camp is worth about $6.75 million - meanwhile life for his constituents gets harder and harder. In Michigan’s 4th District, nearly 80,000 people live without health insurance, 25 percent of families deal with hunger daily, and about 20 percent of residents live in poverty. Michigan’s unemployment rate has increased four months in a row and now sits at 11.2 percent.
This morning, nurses from the Michigan Nurses Association are holding a rally in the rain at Rep. Camp’s office in Midland to demand that he give his own constituents the same courtesy he gave citizens in Utah and hold a town hall meeting in his district. If Rep. Camp refuses to put Main Street before Wall Street, he owes his constituents an explanation.
The Michigan attorney general’s office subpoenaed three mortgage processors including Lender Processing Services as part of a state probe of robo-signing.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said his office served Lender Processing, Fidelity National Financial Inc. (FNF) and CT Corporation System with investigative subpoenas as affiliates of DocX, a mortgage service support provider.
The attorney general said he is seeking information about documents signed by DocX employees as “Linda Green.”
I like the words “criminal investigation.”
The subpoenas are part of a criminal investigation into questionable mortgage documentation filed with Michigan’s Register of Deeds offices, Schuette’s said in a statement today. The subpoenas were approved by the state court in Lansing June 13 and require responses by June 30, Schuette said. The Michigan attorney general’s office subpoenaed three mortgage processors including Lender Processing Services as part of a state probe of robo-signing.
No kidding!
“Allegations of forged mortgage documents are very serious and require a thorough investigation,” Schuette said. “I will continue to work closely with federal and local authorities to find answers on behalf of Michigan homeowners.”
Why did it take a 60 Minutes program in April to start an investigation when the evidence of mortgage fraud has been hiding in plain sight all along? Does anyone know what we pay these people for?
Schuette said he started the investigation in April after county officials across Michigan said they suspected assignment of mortgage documents filed in their offices may have been forged.
County officials in Michigan reviewed files after a “60 Minutes” broadcast by CBS Corp. (CBS) showed that “Linda Green” was used to sign thousands of mortgage-related documents nationwide, with multiple variations in handwriting, Schuette’s office said in a statement.
The officials found similarly signed documents and Schuette is investigating whether certain mortgage processing companies permitted robo-signing of legal documents filed in connection with Michigan foreclosures.
It is a small start and just the fact the pressure has built to the point that the problem can no longer be ignored is a victory in itself. We will, of course, have to make sure that if these criminal allegations turn out to be true the offenders are put behind bars. Civil fines and penalties would only signal there is a two-tiered justice system. Contact the Attorney General and make sure he understands prison is the remedy for fraud.
The Michigan attorney general’s office subpoenaed three mortgage processors including Lender Processing Services as part of a state probe of robo-signing.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said his office served Lender Processing, Fidelity National Financial Inc. (FNF) and CT Corporation System with investigative subpoenas as affiliates of DocX, a mortgage service support provider.
The attorney general said he is seeking information about documents signed by DocX employees as “Linda Green.”
I like the words “criminal investigation.”
The subpoenas are part of a criminal investigation into questionable mortgage documentation filed with Michigan’s Register of Deeds offices, Schuette’s said in a statement today. The subpoenas were approved by the state court in Lansing June 13 and require responses by June 30, Schuette said. The Michigan attorney general’s office subpoenaed three mortgage processors including Lender Processing Services as part of a state probe of robo-signing.
No kidding!
“Allegations of forged mortgage documents are very serious and require a thorough investigation,” Schuette said. “I will continue to work closely with federal and local authorities to find answers on behalf of Michigan homeowners.”
Why did it take a 60 Minutes program in April to start an investigation when the evidence of mortgage fraud has been hiding in plain sight all along? Does anyone know what we pay these people for?
Schuette said he started the investigation in April after county officials across Michigan said they suspected assignment of mortgage documents filed in their offices may have been forged.
County officials in Michigan reviewed files after a “60 Minutes” broadcast by CBS Corp. (CBS) showed that “Linda Green” was used to sign thousands of mortgage-related documents nationwide, with multiple variations in handwriting, Schuette’s office said in a statement.
The officials found similarly signed documents and Schuette is investigating whether certain mortgage processing companies permitted robo-signing of legal documents filed in connection with Michigan foreclosures.
It is a small start and just the fact the pressure has built to the point that the problem can no longer be ignored is a victory in itself. We will, of course, have to make sure that if these criminal allegations turn out to be true the offenders are put behind bars. Civil fines and penalties would only signal there is a two-tiered justice system. Contact the Attorney General and make sure he understands prison is the remedy for fraud.
Today, we remember U.S. service members from Michigan who lost their lives in Iraq, and Afghanistan. And as always, we take a moment to remember all those who served in wars past, and lost their lives in service to their country.
Spec. Shane H. Ahmed
Hometown:Chesterfield, Michigan, U.S.
Age:31 years old
Died:November 14, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Back in January of this year, Newsweek ran an article that listed Grand Rapids, Michigan on a list of America's 'Dying Cities.' This didn't sit well with those of you who call world's office furniture capitol 'home.'
Grand Rapids has issued a response to the Newsweek article in the form of a record-setting lip dub to Don McLean's "American Pie" that involved 5,000 people and "marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and helicopter take offs."
Someone may have to revise their 'Dying Cities' list...
Newsweek was quick to respond on Facebook to the video:
To the Grand Rapids crowd:
First off, we LOVE your YouTube LipDub. We're big fans, and are inspired by your love of the city you call home.
But so you know what was up with the list you're responding to, we want you to know it was done by a website called mainstreet.com--not by Newsweek (it was unfortunately picked up on the Newsweek web site as part of a content sharing deal)--and it uses a methodology that our current editorial team doesn't endorse and wouldn't have employed. It certainly doesn't reflect our view of Grand Rapids.
The Macomb Daily recently reported, what seems to me, a small sampling of the hits taken by Michigan's public institutions after being sold toxic - read fraudulent - securities by Wall Street Banks.
Meanwhile, the big banks’ shenanigans hit Michigan taxpayers hard, in a roundabout way, because several public institutions got burned by engaging in “toxic” deals that were sold as solid investments but actually hinged on risky financial products. These “interest rate swaps” have reportedly taken their toll on government budgets:
Detroit, a loss of more than $94 million;
the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, more than $23.8 million;
Michigan State University, $10.4 million;
L’Anse Creuse school district, $2.8 million;
and Highland Park, $1.2 million.
(Emphasis mine)
This can’t be a complete list. There are a lot of people who read this blog that can add to this list of toxic securities sold to Michigan's public institutions - including Michigan Pension funds - that are now causing budget cuts, cuts in pension benefits, cut-back of civil services, layoffs and outright financial martial law. I encourage anyone who has knowledge to compile them and add them to the list through your own diary or even in the comments here. It is time to make our mark and compile a public and concrete record of fraud perpetrated against Michigan's public institutions by Wall Street.
From Karl Denniger's Market - Ticker comes a bit of good news for Michigan. Thank goodness we still have some independent minds in the judiciary.
It is a short post so I'll put the whole thing up. Market - ticker also has a copy of the court ruling should anyone want to read it.
That's That
Defendants were entitled to judgment as a matter of law because, pursuant to MCL 600.3204(1)(d), MERS did not own the indebtedness, own an interest in the indebtedness secured by the mortgage, or service the mortgage. MERS’ inability to comply with the statutory requirements rendered the foreclosure proceedings in both cases void ab initio. Thus, the circuit courts improperly affirmed the district courts’ decisions to proceed with eviction based upon the foreclosures of defendants’ properties.
MERS cannot foreclose without judicial process as it does not own the indebtedness or an interest in it, nor is it a servicer.
First state to do this, I believe. The reasoning, incidentally, implicates exactly what I have brought up repeatedly: If the party that is the real owner of the debt is not the one who forecloses, you could potentially be exposed to having to pay TWICE.
Engineers and IT pros who have left Michigan in search of work— it's time to come home!
In an unexpected turn of events, the new Job Hub 2011 planned by economic development departments from cities across Oakland and Macomb counties has more jobs than applicants, especially in the engineering field.
The Oakland Macomb Job Hub 2011 will be held on Thursday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Oakland University. Candidates have until Feb. 17 to preregister for the event. Preregistration is required.
Laurie Johnson, economic development coordinator for the city of Auburn Hills and an event organizer, says 54 employers are signed up thus far and 300 applicants.
“The majority of employers who have signed up to participate in the Job Hub 2011 are seeking engineers and information technology professionals. Bright Automotive, for example, hopes to fill its previously announced 200 engineering jobs largely through the Job Hub,” Johnson said. “Many of Michigan’s engineers left the state in 2008 and 2009 for new career opportunities when they lost their jobs here. We want those former Michiganders to come home and apply their skills in our state and our region again.”
Other engineer-seeking companies signed up to participate in the Oakland Macomb Job Hub 2011 include Dow Corning, FANUC Robotics, Magna eCar, Gibbs Technology, ALTe, and Rayconnect.
Johnson said there will be employers looking to fill non-engineering positions at the Job Hub as well.
"Health care jobs in customer service and patient care are available from Wright and Filippis; The Art Institute is hiring for faculty, sales and admissions positions; State Farm has a need for insurance agents; and Arvin Meritor has openings for analyst, manufacturing and marketing positions,” she said. “While there may be an emphasis on engineers, the need for other specialty areas is still significant.”
Out-of-state job seekers that cannot attend should forward their resumes to gentrym@rochesterhills.org so their credentials can be reviewed by participating employers.
**Update: The phones have been ringing off the hook all morning in Senator Bishop’s office. The staff answering the phone have been very pleasant. Please take 30 seconds and make your voice heard.**
Call-in Day for Michigan Rail - Tuesday, Nov. 30!
Please call Senator Bishop TODAY, Tuesday, November 30, and ask him to make HB 6484 a top lame-duck priority.
A train from Chicago to Detroit in less than four hours? It could be coming, if the Michigan Senate votes for HB 6484! The Department of Transportation has pledged at least $160 million to Michigan to buy and improve railroad track connecting Detroit-Ann Arbor-Jackson-Kalamazoo. That is IF the state provides the required 20% local matching funds.
HB 6484 provides that match by allowing state bonds to be used for rail improvement. The new rail bonding authority can also provide critical funds for other local projects such as Woodward Light Rail in Detroit, the Detroit-Ann Arbor Commuter Rail, WALLY (Livingston County) and other pending projects.
This bill has received strong bi-partisan support so far and was co-sponsored by five Republicans and five Democrats in the House. The House voted for it, the Governor supports it. Now the Senate must pass it - before they go home on December 2!
Ohio and Wisconsin are on the verge of giving back $1.2 billion of federal money for high-speed rail projects. New York, Illinois, Georgia and California are among the many states clamoring for this money. With our struggling economy, we can’t afford to give hundreds of millions of dollars away.
This money will not only improve our public transportation, but will also bring thousands of desperately needed, good-paying jobs to Michigan. Rail companies such as Amtrak and CSX are hiring hundreds of workers in other states constructing rail lines and manufacturing train parts.
Successful funding and completion of these projects means trains hitting 110 mph on more than 200 miles of track along southern Michigan’s corridor. This is a game-changing opportunity for our state. Republicans and Democrats, labor, local governments, chambers of commerce, and environmental groups are now on the same page;
On Tuesday, call Senator Bishop at 517-373-2417 and ask him to please pass the rail bonding bill!
Also call your state senator to urge their support, especially:
* Senator Randy Richardville at 517-373-3543 (Monroe County, Saline, Pittsfield, Manchester, or Milan)
* Senator John Pappageorge at 517-373-2523 (Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Clawson, Madison Heights, Royal Oak, or Troy)
Thanks for your support. Let’s get Michigan moving again!!!
In response to your Nov. 4 editorial, "Snyder needs to keep big GOP majority on target":
When did the Free Press decide that Michigan's newly elected attorney general will not hold a policy-making office in this state? In pushing his tough-on-crime agenda, Attorney General-elect Bill Schuette is acting in the tradition of all his predecessors of the past 50 years.
The state attorney general is a constitutionally elected officer and possesses all the inherent powers of an attorney general. As the Official Record of Michigan Constitutional Convention stated: "The activities of the attorney general's office range over the entire breadth of state government. His scope of interest is as great as that of the governor."
Prisons, public safety, taxes and many other issues are important to the citizens of Michigan, and they need a strong attorney general to weigh in.
Richard D. McLellan A member of Bill Schuette's transition team, Lansing
(From our friends at Progress Michigan. - promoted by Eric B.)
Over the past few months, you’ve probably been bombarded with messages about voting. Perhaps some have even come from Progress Michigan. Obviously, we believe that voting is important – your vote is your voice in the dialog about the future of our state.
So we worked with Michigan’s leading progressive organizations to produce a 2010 Michigan Voter Guide. We think of it as one-stop shopping for highly informed recommendations about the races on your ballot, making it easier than ever to make smart, informed choices based on progressive values.
No the Lions didn't win. Kwame hasn't admitted to lying. Nor has Virg Bernero surged to a 5-point lead.
Michigan, our Michigan, automotive capitol of the world, home of the "just buy a car and put gas in it -- that will fix the economy." THAT Michigan, has finally joined the 21st century.
Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Michigan a $150 million federal grant for high-speed railroad passenger service between Detroit and Chicago.
The grant provides money to purchase tracks and upgrade rail infrastructure along a 135-mile corridor between Dearborn and Kalamazoo. The result will be a trip from Detroit to Chicago in about 3 hours and 45 minutes - shaving 90 minutes off the existing travel time.
Policy and transportation planners across the globe have ranked the Detroit-to-Chicago rail corridor as one of the most viable route in the nation. MDOT has said that it could complete this corridor within 24 months, putting Michigan in the position of doing high-speed rail faster and more cost-effectively than any other region.
The grant application was endorsed by a bi-partisan group of 61 state legislators who signed a letter of support that was delivered to the U.S. Department of Transportation by Congressman Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek.
Here in Michigan, we have been fortunate enough to have strong bi-partisan support for high speed rail. Our congressional delegation on both sides of the aisle understands fully how important this money is to creating jobs and jumpstarting our economy.
Representatives listed as voting for high-speed rail funding includes:
• Mark Schauer -D
• Gary Peters -D
• Candice Miller -R
• Sandy Levin -D
• Vern Ehlers -R
• John Conyers -D
• John Dingell -D
• Fred Upton -R
Let's give these fine folks a hand. And bask in our good news for a while.
A few days ago, I posted a diary in support of Lance Enderle's campaign in which, along with several other key points, I pointed out his opponent, 5-term incumbent Republican Mike Rogers' extreme position on reproductive rights for women:
4. MIKE ROGERS WANTS RAPE VICTIMS FORCED TO CARRY RAPISTS' OFFSPRING: The whole nation is abuzz about Alan Grayson's opponent, "Taliban Dan" Webster. Well, guess what? Republican Mike Rogers is also so extreme on abortion that he wants women who are the victims of rape to be forced to give birth to their rapist's offspring. I can't imagine the injustice of police detaining & supervising rape victims for 9 months until their rapists' spawn are born. Yet that is the necessary consequence of Mike Rogers' position.
(A Bible salesman who says, "To Hell with them." - promoted by Eric B.)
Congressional candidate "Top Kill" Tim Walberg has taken over $57,000 from Big Oil and other dirty energy companies while voting time and again to hand out tax breaks to BP and Big Oil.
Our lawmakers shouldn't be subsidizing BP and Big Oil but they should be protecting our Great Lakes. Yet Walberg is on record supporting oil drilling in the Great Lakes. Michigan shouldn't be a place where we need "junk shots" and "top kills" to plug giant oil spills.
With the effects of the Enbridge oil spill into the Kalamazoo River still being felt, we know that breaking our dependence on Big Oil is key to keeping our waterways safe. Now, as Tim Walberg says he wants to represent Michigan in Congress - again - we think it's time he broke his dependence on oil, too. Sign our petition telling Tim "Top Kill" Walberg to shut down Big Oil's pipeline of influence today!
We're tired of seeing people like Tim Walberg take money from Big Oil and then vote for huge tax breaks for those same companies while blocking incentives for clean, job-creating energy like wind and solar.
Those of you who read this (if anyone actually does), or know me, know that I’m interested in the small business and entrepreneurial community in Michigan. I want our state to be a place that’s friendly to innovate and grow in. You also know that I’m staunchly progressive in my social issues – and I think that that progressivism creates a friendly place for companies who are forward thinking to move to.
So, I’ve been asked a few times already — “Well then why don’t you support Rick Snyder?” The reason? He’s absolutely the wrong choice to fix/move Michigan forward.
Snyder’s backwards looking social views like this will literally drive businesses who care about equative rights for their employees from the state of Michigan. Preventing jobs from coming to the state with backwards policy is no better than shipping jobs to China, which he already did.
I can’t support a man who has proven he doesn’t support fairness for those who aren’t straight, doesn’t support a woman’s right to control the decisions about her own body, only favors “limited” stem cell research, and has a history of shipping jobs out of the USA. He may be “better” than the rest of the GOP choices, but he is still a poor choice for the best interests of *everyone* in this state.
I support Virg Bernero because of his experience at keeping his city’s budget balanced, bringing jobs to his city, and his unequivocal support of the social issues that I (and believe me, many others in my age group and beyond) care about. Michigan doesn’t need a cold-blooded CEO with ambivalence towards social issues. Michigan needs a warm-blooded, hearty, and energetic leader who will toe the line with the Legislature to balance our budget while making this state a place that EVERYONE (not just sections of people) feels comfortable living in.
Michigan Republican Attorney General Michael Cox is running in the Michigan GOP primary for Governor.
What's his storyline?
"I'm a Marine."
The fact is that U.S. Marine Corps has changed a lot since Cox was a short timer, one enlistment, non-rate, brawling leatherneck. The question is now; does Mike Cox have the character and core values of today's Marine? This analysis takes a look at Marine Corps Values and Mike Cox, his history, background and personal potential as Michigan's next "Marine" governor.
OK, Private. Shit-hot and square? Chinese field day time.
Dump ruck, junk on bunk. Urah?
In other words... Mr. Cox, if that's the premise; let's explore what that might mean, for you, your campaign, and for the citizens of Michigan.
OK, first off, this is a very strange situation, so please bear with me. More importantly, please *rec this diary up*; we need as much exposure as possible, as quickly as possible.
Michigan's 8th District has been "represented" (if you can call it that) by a Republican named Mike Rogers since 2000, when he won a squeaker of a race by just 111 votes to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Debbie Stabenow when she was elected to the U.S. Senate.
You might be thinking that, given the closeness of the race, that MI-08 should be a district that the Dems could take back if they put their minds to it. Unfortunately, up until now, that hasn't happened. He won 68/31 in 2002, 61/37 in 2004, 55/43 in 2006 and 56/40 in 2008.
The closest anyone has gotten to him was Jim Marcinkowski in 2006, a former CIA agent and Naval Operations Specialist--and that was in an extremely Dem-friendly year (Marcinkowski, a former Republican, actually ran for Congress mostly because he was furious about the outing of Valerie Plame, who was a friend of his from his CIA days).
(While MichiganLiberal.com does not officially endorse candidates, our readers are more than welcome to advocate for whomever they wish. (And really, did you think anyone here is voting for Michelle McManus?) - promoted by PerfectStormer)
On May 20, 2008, NBC's Andrea Mitchell warned that then-Senator Barack Obama would have to “figure out a way to get a fair vote” because of the potential for “Katherine Harris-type” Secretaries of State to tamper with election results. That remark, virtually unthinkable before 2000, epitomizes the cloud of suspicion that has hung over every hotly contested election race ever since.
The “Katherine Harris effect,” refers to the former Florida Secretary of State who, amid great controversy and hanging chads, certified disputed election results that declared George W. Bush the winner of Florida and the presidency. Harris’s decision to certify the election results while also serving as the co-chair of the Florida Bush/Cheney Presidential campaign shattered voters’ faith in the integrity of the democratic process. It also invited the broader suspicion that Secretaries of State, the chief elections official in most states, work behind the scenes to ensure that their political party gains power and wins elections by hook or crook.
If our democracy is to stand, voters must have confidence that elections are an accurate reflection of the will of the voters. You would think it would go without saying that the Secretary of State, who oversees statewide recounts and certifies election results, must operate their office in a nonpartisan manner. They should not co-chair any campaigns or endorse any candidates in elections over which they serve as the final certifier of results. Whether elected as a Democrat or Republican, Secretaries must make decisions based on state and federal law and constitutional principles, not partisan gain.
In the years following the 2000 election, a handful of states have enacted legislation requiring that their Secretary of State remain neutral in all state and federal races. A Louisiana law specifically “prohibits a Secretary from being involved in any political race except his own.” I guess it would surprise no one that Michigan is not one of those states. That's why, I was taken by surprise when Jocelyn Benson, the Michigan Democratic Party’s endorsed candidate for Secretary of State, pledged last week to take an oath to operate the office in a neutral and nonpartisan fashion. And called upon other candidates for the office to do the same.
{{{{{crickets....}}}}}
That stunning silence from the other declared candidates should really tell you all you need to know. It's one thing for candidates who are long shots and underdogs to make campaign-style promises in a desperate attempt to gain attention. It's another thing entirely when the frontrunner - who's been a virtual shoo-in from day one - makes the promise. When you do the right thing simply because its right, then that says something about your character. When nobody, but nobody else steps up to show the same moral leadership and sense of conviction, well, that says something about their character also.
Michigan citizens deserve to have full confidence that their elections are clean, honest and fair. Ensuring that the next Secretary of State takes an “Oath of Nonpartisanship” is a direct way to reach that goal.
My name is CeCe Grant and I unabashedly endorse Jocelyn Benson for Michigan Secretary of State.
