|
|
SD20 
Sat Aug 27, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT
|
|
2010 Status: Term-limited
Campaign Website
Biography:
Tom George was elected to the 20th District of the Michigan Senate in
2002 after serving one term in the House of Representatives. The
20th Senate District includes all of Kalamazoo County and Antwerp and
Paw Paw Townships in Van Buren County.
As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee Tom serves on five
sub-committees. He is Chair of the History, Arts and Libraries
(HAL) sub-committee and Vice-Chair of Capitol Outlay, Department of
Community Health (DCH), Family Independence Agency (FIA) and Commerce,
Labor and Economic Development. Tom also serves on the Senate
Health Policy Committee and the Joint Capitol Committee.
Tom has been active in the Kalamazoo County Republican Party for over a
decade and served the party as a precinct delegate and as a delegate to
the State Republican Convention.
Born and raised in Flint, Tom George graduated from Powers Catholic
High School in 1975. He received his M.D. from the University of
Michigan Medical School in 1982, where in 1985 he also completed a
post-graduate residency in the specialty of Anesthesiology. He is
certified by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine as
well as the American Board of Anesthesiology, and has held his State of
Michigan medical license since 1982.
A practicing physician in the Kalamazoo area for 17 years, Tom served
as the medical director for Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo from 1996
until 2001. Outside of his medical practice Tom has numerous
other interesting pursuits. He is the immediate-past president of
the Historical Society of Michigan, a long time volunteer at Portage
Cable Access, where he has produced several television programs, and
has participated overseas in medical missions to Africa and the
Caribbean.
Tom and Sandy George met at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor and
have been married for 21 years. Together they have three
children: Lauren, 17; Maria, 14 and Matthew, 8. The family
resides in Texas Township in Kalamazoo County.
(Republican
Caucus)
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
Sat Aug 27, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT
|
District
map
General election vote totals:
Year
|
Dem
|
Dem #
|
Dem %
|
Repub
|
Repub #
|
Repub %
|
2002
|
Ed LaForge |
34,327 |
43.5 |
TOM GEORGE |
44,642 |
56.5 |
Primary election vote totals:
2002 (R) George 15,452 (59.5); Jerry VanderRoest 10,496 (40.5)
Kerry % = 51.6%
|
|
There's More...
:: (0
Comments, 171 words in story)
|
|
Thu May 17, 2007 at 23:51:02 PM EDT
|
As we saw earlier, Medical Doctor and Senator Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Twp.) said cuts to Medicaid will cause physicians to drop low-income patients. As he told the Saginaw News..."Those people (Medicaid recipients) end up getting sicker and sicker and their prognosis gets worse and people die," he said. "Let's call it the way it is: Children die. Not so!, says the other Senate Republican Doctor, Tom George (R-Texas Twp.). In a fit of fury, he took to the Senate floor today to tell the world in no uncertain terms that cutting Medicaid assistance to poor people will NOT put lives at risk!
Well, which is it? Will they die or not? Looks like we could use a second...no, third...opinion. Oye ve! My head hurts.
Is Ex. Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) busy? Maybe he can offer his professional diagnosis via videolink.
UPDATE by Hazen Pingree: Petrolicide's comment made me think of a suitable graphic to add...
|
|
Discuss
:: (3
Comments)
|
|
Fri May 11, 2007 at 07:55:34 AM EDT
|
Unless
the Michigan Senate Republicans act, funding for public schools will
be slashed in 20 days.
Notes:
today we continue our series of posts taking a closer look at the
individuals in the Senate who are blocking the new revenues Michigan so
desperately needs.
 Name:
Tom George (R-Texas Twp.)
Senate
District: 20
Official
home page
Campaign
website
Office
phone: 517-373-0793
Education:
University of Michigan
Anesthesiology Residency, 1982- 85; University of Michigan
Medical School,M.D.,1982; University of Michigan
undergraduate, 1975-78.
Occupation
(before election): Physician, medical director for Hospice of
Greater Kalamazoo. President of the Historical Society of Michigan.
Awards,
etc.: Endorsed
by the Citizens
for Traditional Values. Member
of Sen. John McCain's "Straight Talk America" Michigan Legislative
Advisory Team. Appointed by Governor John Engler to serve on
the Michigan Commission on End-of-Life Care. Co-sponsor of Senate
Bill 3 of 2003, which would have required
campaign robocalls to include a statement that specifes who is paying
for the call.
Robocalls and
ads made on Sen. George's behalf in 2006:
Robocall
- drug testing for poor people
Robocall
- choice/same-sex marriage
Negative ad
- taxes
2006
vote total: 51.6% (48.4% for Alexander Lipsey)
Official
campaign finance reports (Tom George for State Senate)
Cumulative
political contributions for 2006 cycle [including in-kind]:
$1,027,283
(Total
amount raised by opponent
[including in-kind]:
$882,958)
Mailings made on Sen. George's
behalf in 2006:
See more
Michigan Republican Party campaign mailings made on Sen. George's
behalf at the Republican
Junk Mail repository.
Read
Sen. George's responses for the 2006 Michigan Family Forum voter guide here.
Under
term limits, Sen. George is NOT
eligible
to run again in 2010.
20th district fiscal crisis media coverage:
Area
legislators expect cuts in school funding - Kalamazoo Gazette, 5/10/07
Medicaid
cuts could put more burden on employers - Michigan Business Review,
5/10/07
Poll:
Michiganders ready to raise taxes - WOOD-TV Grand Rapids, 5/8/07
WHAT
SHOULD MICHIGAN DO? The Kalamazoo Gazette asked 10 area lawmakers to
come up with solutions to the state's projected $2.2 billion budget
deficit - Kalamazoo Gazette, 4/29/07
Area
lawmakers say tax hike likely - Kalamazoo Gazette, 4/29/07
What
are the ways to cut spending? - Kalamazoo Gazette, 4/29/07
State
government budget update - Associated Press, 4/27/07
State
cuts may hurt Medicaid funding - Detroit News, 4/26/07
Jack
Lessenberry: Budgetary woes the tip of Michigan's iceberg of a crisis -
Toledo Blade, 4/20/07
GOP:
Cuts before new taxes - Kalamazoo Gazette, 4/14/07
Amount
20th district schools stand to lose on June 1 unless
Sen. George votes for
new revenues (Senate
Fiscal Agency):
| Kalamazoo City
School District | $-1,340,673 | | Portage
Public Schools | $-1,075,264 | | Mattawan
Consolidated School District | $-444,143 | | Gull
Lake Community Schools | $-352,521 | | Vicksburg
Community Schools | $-333,676 | | Comstock
Public Schools | $-319,026 | | Paw
Paw Public School District | $-284,921 | | Parchment
School District | $-229,470 | | Kalamazoo
RESA | $-217,866 | | Galesburg
Augusta Community Schools | $-148,473 | | Schoolcraft
Community Schools | $-146,212 | | Lawton
Community School District | $-136,339 | | Climax
Scotts Community Schools | $-81,849 | | Paramount
Charter Academy | $-77,220 | | Kalamazoo
Advantage Academy | $-38,552 | | Oakland
Academy | $-21,747 | | TOTAL | $-5,247,952 |
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
Thu Oct 19, 2006 at 14:29:02 PM EDT
|
Just added to the Republican Robocall Repository (poor sound quality):
Click here (mp3 format)
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 15:18:23 PM EDT
|
(From the diaries. Cute. BTW, Dick DeVos' middle name actually isn't George - it's Marvin - promoted by matt)
Check out www.curiousgeorges.info to see exactly how alike Tom George and George Bush really are. Dick Devos' middle name MUST be George...
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mon Sep 25, 2006 at 21:44:12 PM EDT
|
(From the diaries. Sandy Lipsey is gonna make a great senator! - promoted by matt)
A letter from Rep. Sandy Lipsey (D-Kalamazoo). Lipsey is term-limited and is running for state Senate - www.LipseyforSenate.com.. We have been bombarded by political ads questioning the leadership of our governor; questioning her ability to find solutions to Michigan’s economic problems. The ads imply that if we only accept the Republican “business†approach to government we will escape the financial wilderness and will be rewarded with jobs, jobs, and more jobs. I submit that the real leadership vacuum is not in the executive branch of government but in the legislative branch. Since 2000, we have suffered state budget deficits and cuts in services. We have been on a more-or-less steady decline in the health of our state government. This has resulted in our inability to address state issues, like job losses, as our resources have dried up. This decline has occurred under both Engler and Granholm administrations. These losses have occurred despite major attempts to lure job providers
to this state and to encourage our home grown businesses to expand. These losses have
occurred despite passing over 200 tax cuts. What is the common thread through all these years of economic malaise? We need to look, not to the executive branch for our culprit, but to the legislature. Specifically, to the legislative leadership. In 1998, the Republican Party took over control of both houses of the legislature. One of the first things they did was to cut our income taxes. At the time it seemed like a safe thing to do. We were in the midst of the Clinton booming economy and state revenues were high. But then something happened. The economy slowed and revenues started to dry up. Many states suffered a mild recession and had to adjust budgets. The legislative leadership in Michigan decided that they would continue to cut taxes. Surely, they reasoned, we would attract business as we lowered the cost of government. Like lemmings, the rank and file Republicans followed their leadership. We continued to reduce our income tax rate, even as we were cutting vital services. The mantra of the Republican Party was that cutting taxes would produce jobs. While this might be theoretically attractive, it was not working in Michigan. The Republican answer — cut taxes some more. They insist that if we continue to do the same things we have done for the past eight years we will get a different result. It is clear that we need a change in legislative leadership. It is equally clear that the Republican members of the legislature believe their leaders are on the right track.
I believe they are on the wrong track. I believe that if we continue down this path we will permanently hurt our state. I believe that Democrats who are willing to support our governor and work with businesses are the only salvation for this economy. The Republicans have tried their theories for the past 8 years and we’ve seen the results. Under new Democratic leadership, I believe we can stabilize state government and provide the roadmap for businesses to succeed in Michigan. But the only way we can change the leadership is to change those who are voting for the leaders.
— Sandy Lipsey
|
|
Discuss
:: (4
Comments)
|
|
Fri Aug 18, 2006 at 12:51:08 PM EDT
|
Interesting phenomenon I noticed in in today's papers: across Michigan, Republican legislators who rammed through a $1.9 billion business tax cut (without
saying how they plan to pay for it) are whining that Governor Granholm
line-item vetoed their pork barrel projects. Here's a few I've
uncovered so far...
- We go first to Michigan's glorious northland - to Petoskey -
where there's a hole in the harbor breakwater. Fixing this would
ordinarily be the responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Unfortunately, the Corps is a bit short of cash these days and the project
has been delayed. Gee, I wonder who is in charge of funding the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers? Anyway, State Senator and parking deck
enthusiast Sen. Jason Allen (R-Traverse City) proposed having the State
of Michigan pick up the $400,000 tab (because we're just loaded with
cash these days) until "The Decider" and his Republican Congress come
through with the moolah (which would - in all likelihood - be never). No dice, says Governor Granholm. Here's Allen's response in the Petsokey News-Review:
“It's unfortunate that the governor chose to veto this funding tool for the Petoskey harbor,†he said.
Remember, this is a guy who just voted to gut funding for nearly a
quarter of the state general fund budget to pay for a $1.9 billion
business tax cut. Here's a clip from his official statement:
“I see absolutely no logic in why the governor vetoed this funding,†Allen said. “I’m stunned to say the least.â€
Stunned. Yeah, that's the right word. OINK!
(More - oh, yes, there's more - below the fold...)
|
|
There's More...
:: (7
Comments, 817 words in story)
|
|
|
|
Fri May 05, 2006 at 02:21:38 AM EDT
|
|
As reported by Progressive Liberal Democrat state Representative Alexander "Sandy" Lipsey will drop out of the race for Attorney General. He will now be the Democratic candidate for state Senate in the 20th district (Kalamazoo).
State Senator Tom George (R-Kalamazoo) is the incumbent and won the seat in 2002 narrowly defeating former state representitve Democrat Ed LaForge.
Lipsey's campaign released the following press release:
***Citizens for Alexander Lipsey***
WHO:
State Representative Alexander Lipsey (D-Kalamazoo) and
United States Senator Carl Levin (D-Detroit) and
Various Kalamazoo Community,City, and County Leaders
WHAT:
Press Conference concerning Rep. Lipsey's future political plans. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
WHERE:
Kalamazoo County Democratic Party Headquarters
3254 South Westnedge
Kalamazoo, Michigan
WHEN: SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2006 AT 10:00 A.M.
http://www.CitizensforAlexanderLipsey.com/
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
Tue Nov 29, 2005 at 11:09:16 AM EST
|
|
As Cox and Fieger get all of the attention and press, Alexander Lipsey keeps working. I have it on very good authority that Lipsey recently attended a county party meeting in the norther lower penninsula and did very well. It looks like they will support his run for AG.
There also is an effort to get him to run against Thomas George in the 20th Senate District. This is a Dem leaning district that went 51.6% for Kerry. Lipsey is a very popular Rep. who would do very well in this district. It will be interesting to see what happens.
|
|
Discuss
:: (1
Comments)
|
|
Sat Aug 27, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT
|
Alan Fox (interview
with Matt Ferguson, September, 2005):
MF: Tom George has another term left in Kalamazoo County
AF: Tom George beat Ed LaForge. I think at the time George
was a sitting state Representative and LaForge had been out for two years, and
beat him fairly decisively - he got over 56% of the vote. But Kerry got 51 ½ %
in 2004. It's a district dominated by Kalamazoo. And in a good Democratic year
with a good Democratic candidate, Democrats have got to think that that's
awfully winnable. They may end up - if they can't find someone or can't spend
the resources - taking a pass on it for
four years. But it's hard to come up with a strategy that calls for Democratic
control that doesn't include picking that seat up. So I think they're going to
be looking for a candidate and looking to put some resources into that.
MF: Tell me some more about the district.
AF: The Kalamazoo area, like a lot of university towns, is
trending Democratic. It went to Kerry over issues that are not economic issues
- it was perceptions of Republicans as anti-government and anti-public
education. I think there's certainly evidence that that sense of the sense of
the parties has deepened since the 2004 election. The critical question in that
district is whether a gubernatorial and state Senate race can motivate people
to vote the way they did in the presidential race. In East Lansing and Ann
Arbor, I think the feeling is so strong and so overwhelming and stretches out
beyond the student body so much that if the student turnout dropped some it
wouldn't have much of an effect on both races. This is one where the parties
are more evenly divided. Where Western Michigan and Kalamazoo College don't
really dominate the district the way Michigan State and Michigan do. And so
losing a couple of thousand students who aren't motivated to vote becomes more
of an issue there. So it'll be an interesting test of whether the passions of
2004 carry over to 2006.
|
|
Discuss
:: (0
Comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
