President Obama at University of Michigan (updated with video of speech) plus good polling news

by: Neon Vincent

Fri Jan 27, 2012 at 07:58:32 AM EST

The speech covered both energy and education, so here are links to the relevant fact sheets from the White House's web site.

FACT SHEET: President Obama's Blueprint to Make The Most of America's Energy Resources

FACT SHEET: President Obama's Blueprint for Keeping College Affordable and Within Reach for All Americans

Video updates below the fold.

On The Question Of Virginity, Or, "Starter? I Can't Make Her Stop!"

by: fake consultant

Sun Dec 11, 2011 at 02:58:21 AM EST

He's had a crazy car problem, he has, and over the past few months he thought he had found a solution - in fact, he thought he had found the solution of his dreams - but in the end, he's discovered that the things you dream about often don't go according to plan.

The way it's worked out for him so far, it's been a lot of anticipation followed by a sudden wave of frustration, but I feel like he's a lot better off having his particular problem with his car...because if he'd had cancer instead, he'd surely be dead by now.  

Campaign Manifesto #1: In A World Of Phonies, It's Time For A Fake Candidate

by: fake consultant

Fri Feb 18, 2011 at 08:04:01 AM EST

We have a wavering President, far too many feckless Democrats, and Republicans that have decided to dive headfirst into total "insane mode" in a full-blown effort to destroy this country just as fast as possible.

To give but one example, in my own District, WA-08, we are represented by the absolutely useless Republican Dave Reichert, whose best-known legislative achievement is that he has virtually no record of any legislative achievement whatever.

Now we've had a very interesting relationship, you and I, over these past few years; in my efforts to "bring you the story" I've been a fake political consultant, a fake lobbyist, even a fake historian...and now, I think it's time to try to bring our relationship to a new level.

And that's why, America, I'm announcing my fake candidacy for Congress.

Last week's political news from Michigan's universities

by: Neon Vincent

Mon Sep 27, 2010 at 12:54:29 PM EDT

The most time-sensitive piece of news comes first.

Michigan State University: MSU to participate in national conversation about teaching careers

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University students interested in becoming teachers will engage in a nationally televised conversation about the teaching profession with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Sept. 27.

MSU is one of only four institutions across the country selected to participate in the MSNBC broadcast live from their campuses. The university's College of Education is known for its high-quality teacher preparation program, and U.S. News & World Report recently ranked MSU No. 1 in the nation for elementary and secondary education for a 16th straight year.

"We are pleased the Department of Education and NBC News recognize Michigan State University as a leader when it comes to preparing teachers to meet the challenges in our nation's schools," said President Lou Anna K. Simon. "The broadcast will give our students a tremendous opportunity to contribute to a national forum on the importance of teaching."

Participating students will be able to ask questions directly during the 2 p.m. program, which includes a special address from Duncan encouraging more young people to explore careers in education early in their college years. The one-hour special will be hosted by Tom Brokaw.

Only an hour-and-a-half for any Spartans or others in East Lansing to attend.  The rest of us can watch on tonight's news.

Now, on to Michigan election news.

Western Michigan University: Only a few days remain to register to vote

KALAMAZOO--With the Oct. 4 deadline to register to vote rapidly approaching, Western Michigan University is again making voter information easier to find with a Web page aimed at increasing political participation among students and the general public.

Elections are being held throughout Michigan Tuesday, Nov. 2, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The voter information page provides links to online answers for questions such as, "Where do I vote?" and "How do I get an absentee ballot?"

The deadline to register to vote in this year's general election is Monday, Oct. 4, which is also the deadline for changes of address or other information on voter registrations.

If any of you have political news from any of the rest of our state's universities, or just want to describe your volunteering efforts, please share in the comments.

More political news from Michigan's fine public universities plus some bonus national political coverage after the jump.

New Poll: Little Support for Dillon Plan

by: LiberalLucy

Thu Dec 17, 2009 at 09:29:42 AM EST

You probably remember the bomb that Speaker Andy Dillon dropped earlier this year with talk of consolidating the benefits for over 400,000 public employees including emergency personnel, public school employees, and current and retired state employees, in the form of House Bill 5345.

The East Lansing-based polling firm EPIC-MRA ran a poll regardless, and released the staggering results earlier this week. Only 22% of those surveyed would support such a measure if enacted. 

This is in addition to an additional poll that MRG came out with in September showing virtually the same thing - opposition was strong at 57 percent to 37 percent, and within that, 72 percent of GOP voters opposed the bill. (Which is further interesting, particularly if rampant rumors of a possible Dillon gubernatorial run as an independent.)

According to Roger Martin, speaking for the group Citizens for Accountability in Reform, hearings in the state House on HB 5345 have stalled and key witnesses have been not been allowed to testify.

“House Bill 5345 is viewed as bad and risky public policy by Michigan voters, and legislators who support it will find it to be toxic in 2010 and beyond,” said Roger Martin, spokesman for Citizens for Accountability in Reform, a growing coalition representing taxpayers, police, firefighters, teachers, insurance companies and others who are concerned House Bill 5345 doesn’t provide the reform it promises at a price taxpayers can afford.

Martin noted that a House committee holding hearings on the bill has announced that today’s scheduled hearing will be the last for possibly months, even though 10 more bills were introduced late last week to implement the $4 billion to $5 billion state government health plan.

“With an election year just around the corner, given Michigan voters’ overwhelming opposition to this legislation, it’s no wonder the committee doesn’t want to hold more hearings,” Martin said. “During the hearings over the past two months, so many witnesses have either voiced opposition or raised serious concerns, opposition to the legislation among voters has skyrocketed.”

Back in Michigan

by: jcherry

Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 08:37:08 AM EST

We set our sights high when it came to advanced battery technology in Michigan.  We began by positioning Michigan to lead in advanced batteries just a few years ago, and the payoff was enormous.  Michigan received $1.2 billion of the $2 billion that the Federal Government allocated for advanced battery research and development.  This has resulted in a number of companies who will be manufacturing advanced batteries for the new generation electrical automotive engine making Michigan their home-- securing jobs for our future.  I believe we can do the same with water technologies bringing even greater benefits to our state.  

Following my stops in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, I travelled to Dubai, one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the Middle East. There, even this Wolverine was proud to be the first state official to visit MSU's Dubai campus (and yes, I heard the U-M/OSU score already!). I also visited the American University-Dubai where I addressed the class of Professor Youssef Beydoun.   One of Professor Beydoun's students is from Saginaw Valley State University where she is studying for a degree in Political Science, specializing in International Relations.  She expressed to me her concern for the future of the Michigan Promise which is assisting her in paying for her education.

Both schools are emerging as great educational institutions in Dubai.   Students at MSU's Dubai campus frequently travel back to East Lansing for at least a semester of classes, and receive the same degrees as students here in Michigan - and also pay tuition back to MSU as well. MSU-Dubai is helping all MSU degrees obtain more international exposure and marketability, and I was pleased to be able to visit its campus.

After a long week on the road, I'm thankful to be back home in Clio for Thanksgiving, where I'll enjoy the company of good friends and family. I wish your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Dillon's disciples drinking the Kool-Aid

by: Rayne

Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 22:59:17 PM EDT

Rumor has it illustrious state house leader Andy Dillon has thirteen disciples.

These folks are said to be willing to sign away both their Democratic and democratic values by voting along with Dillon, drinking his Kool-Aid.

We, the people of the state of Michigan, don't have a clue what Dillon has agreed to with Republican state senate leader Mike Bishop. Neither of these guys will share what they've brewed up together.

And there's no indication that Dillon's disciples have a clue what they are signing onto, either. None. We're just supposed to trust them all even if they might have drunk deeply of the sweetened fruity concoction Dillon's served up with Bishop's help.

So who the hell are these Kool-Aid drinkers who as far as we can tell are willing to tank our state's K-12 education system, our municipalities' public safety, our communities' health as long as Dillon tells them to do it?

Here's a guess below the fold -- but do you have different information? It'd be great to know whether some of these folks are tee-totalling and avoiding Dillon's Kool-Aid.

What do we tell the kids?

by: Rayne

Fri Sep 25, 2009 at 10:21:15 AM EDT

It was a fairly typical Monday morning, everything proceeding in a ritualistic fashion. My son had assumed his usual perch in front of the television, munching away on his bowl of cereal while watching the local morning news.

I'd already been listening to local news on my clock radio before I came down to get caffeinated and insert myself into the morning. Talking heads droned about more irrational and unexplained violence on Sunday, a household shot up.

And a nine-year-old child dead, shot in his sleep.

Heroes

by: Rayne

Thu Sep 24, 2009 at 10:49:37 AM EDT

As in, could have been heroes.

It didn't have to get to this. They didn't have to take our kids, K-12 / Community College / University students, and threaten to pull the trigger on the quality of their education, in order to start a conversation about revenue.

They could have talked all summer long about alternatives which improved the bottom line, like those laid out by ABetterMichiganFuture.org, and Michigan League of Human Services.

They could have started working on real budget reform immediately following the 2007 budget debacle, and implemented it immediately following the 2008 election, with the winds of change at their backs.

They could have pointed to studies indicating a crying need for investment in our education system from top to bottom, especially in urban centers, in order for our economy to grow.

But no.

They had to use the kids like human shields.

Poll: Cut Education Funding, Voters May Not Return You

by: LiberalLucy

Fri Jul 03, 2009 at 14:40:42 PM EDT

While Republicans appear to be running rampant with burning torches and pitchforks chanting "Slash and Burn!" through the state's budget, it might be worth their while to pay careful attention to a recent poll released last week.

Cut early childhood development and education funding and consider yourself on the chopping block.

From Monday's subscription-only MIRS-

Three-quarters of voters say it is personally important to them to protect early childhood development and education from funding cuts, with 44 percent saying it is extremely important to them and 31 percent saying very important. At least six out of 10 voters across demographic and political subgroups say it is extremely or very important to protect early childhood development and education from funding cuts.

A majority of voters say they would cast their vote depending on a candidate's position on this issue. Fifty-four percent of voters say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who came out in favor of maintaining funding for early childhood development and education, 31 percent were much more likely; 10 percent less likely; 32 percent no difference. Additionally, 54 percent of voters say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who came out in favor of reducing funding for early childhood development and education, 38 percent were much less likely, 15 percent more likely and 26 percent no difference.

Of course this comes on the heels of last week's axing of the Michigan Promise Grant by the Senate Republicans, but only a handful of the caucus are facing re-election. The rest are termed out, allowing them to show their true colors, i.e. kids be damned, or something to that effect.

So while they keep the slash and burn mentality, the rest of us are left repeatedly hearing news like this alternative high school that's being forced to close, providing a much-needed second chance for teens.

The Legislature is out for the summer recess, but between this poll and the findings of the Cherry Report in '04, you'd think that sooner or later that the Republicans would wise up when it comes to cutting off funding for education. That is, if they ever hope to gain power or seats again. 

Cherry and the Senate Dems get Creative (and Geeky!) in Fighting for Higher Ed Funding

by: LiberalLucy

Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 09:34:15 AM EDT

In the small chance you've been off the Tubes of the Internets for the last 48 hours, chances are you've heard a whole lot of noise about how the Senate Republicans slashed the state's Higher Education budget yesterday, which included the Michigan's Promise, the $4000 scholarship for Michigan students, which 96,000 students in our state receive and depend on.

As a geek, I love the online organizing tools -- but as a citizen, this is a great way to send a message that we won't stand for breaking Michigan's promise.

From subscription-only MIRS

Minutes before the vote on many of amendments that attempted to restore the Michigan Promise Scholarship, Lt. Gov. John CHERRY, who was presiding over the Senate was sending out messages on Twitter telling his followers to use an online tool to write local newspapers to stress why cutting the scholarship was wrong.

Not too long after I saw the tweets from the Lt. Governor, I clicked on one and was taken to the website from A Whole Lot of People Supporting Cherry, his exploration committee, asking me to make sure our state is 'Keeping Our Promises' by visiting an entire section of his website to take action on this one singular issue. 

Now that might not seem to extraordinary, but if you visit the page, you're apt to be a little more impressed. The page includes a You-Tube video, a petition to sign directed at the Senate Republicans, a link to the Facebook group for the issue, a link to a tool that allows you to automatically send a letter-to-the-editor about this particular issue (with suggested text), a "tell-a-friend" tool, and lastly a link to the news page with all of Cherry's press releases. From an online organizing/get-out-the-vote (GOTV) perspective, that's pretty sweet. 

To be fair, the Senate Democrats have done an impressive job of also using some of these very same online tools to keep folks informed and engaged through their website, blog and Twitter, and Facebook accounts, and have one of the most active and updated YouTube channels, with over 75 videos to date. 

On top of all of that, Cherry started using a new online petition tool, http://act.ly, the Twitter Petition, that just launched within the last 72 hours, to also drive the subject. 

Obviously the Obama campaign set the bar pretty high last year for similar online action, but this early in the 2010 game it's pretty impressive. 

As someone who makes monthly student loan payments equivalent to what some pay for a mortgage, I appreciate the fight that the leadership of Cherry and the Senate Democrats are taking on with this issue. As a giant geek, I think it's great to see public officials really grabbing this online technology by the horns and using it for a very worthy cause. 

MEA Bipartisan Stimulus Plan Makes Plenty of Cents for the State and Students

by: LiberalLucy

Wed Jan 28, 2009 at 10:40:34 AM EST

Let's face it, everyone's hurting, and it's not restricted just to our pocketbooks. Some of the more innocents really taking a hit in this time of economic crunching and squeezing include our kids and our schools; both of whom are usually some of the first cuts to be made come time to reconcile the state budget.

Thankfully, help and hope have arrived nicely packed up in a stimulus packaged by the Michigan Education Association, protecting both students and our workforce. In case you missed the news in this morning's Freep via Chris Christoff, Obama and Congress aren't the only ones trying to bring the country out of the red.

Thousands of public school employees would retire with sweetened pensions under a plan by the state's largest teachers union to trim costs from school districts and allow them to hire new, younger teachers.

The plan, to be announced today by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, would save schools statewide nearly $411 million next year and $1.7 billion over 10 years, according to the Michigan Education Association.

It would encourage an estimated 9,000 teachers and other school workers who are eligible for full pensions to retire with a onetime bump in their monthly benefits.

-snip-

The proposal, which requires legislation, would offset a potential $400-million shortfall in the state School Aid Fund next year, according to the MEA. The Senate Fiscal Agency pegs the school fund deficit at $246 million.

This morning's press conference at the Capitol was attended by Rep. Fred Miller, D-Mt. Clemens; Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland; Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw; Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge; Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton; Rep. Barbara Byrum, D-Onondaga; Sen. John Gleason, D-Flushing; and Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City.

It's a solution that works for current teachers, college students looking to find new teaching jobs, school districts and the entire state as whole.

X's and O's: The importance of economic fundamentals

by: danscripps

Fri Aug 15, 2008 at 11:26:37 AM EDT

As I noted last week, every Thursday between now and the election I will lay out one piece of a comprehensive economic strategy to get Michigan back on track and get our people back to work.  Today, I'm starting with the basics - the importance of getting the fundamentals right.

Fundamentals are important.  While every 4th grader wants to learn how to run the fancy ”Statue of Liberty” play in Pop Warner football, it's the blocking and tackling that wins games.  Same thing for Coach Dale's "four-passes-before-you-shoot" rule in Hoosiers.

When it comes to the economy, the fundamentals include fiscal discipline to encourage investor confidence; establishing a fair, competitive and predictable business environment; and making targeted investments in human capital - especially in education - to create the globally competitive workforce necessary to compete in today's knowledge economy.  These aren't the sexy, headline-grabbing announcements that politicians love; rather, they represent the nuts-and-bolts, behind-the-scenes hard work necessary to spur long-term economic growth and create jobs now.

CD07: Walberg Explains Head Start Vote

by: Fitzy

Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 13:17:13 PM EDT

... I remain unimpressed. From the Jackson Citizen Patriot's Chris Gautz:

Tuesday morning I sat in with our paper's editorial board on a wide-ranging interview with Walberg and along with rising gas prices, the economy and healthcare, we got his take on this much-maligned vote.

His only concern was that it didn't exempt communities of faith from the hiring restrictions that other groups with Head Start classrooms must adhere to.

"It didn't allow communities of faith to hire who they wanted to hire," Walberg said. "I was called a racist several times, a bigot."

Ebling and You: Lansing School District Makes Mass Layoffs

by: Jack Ebling

Mon May 12, 2008 at 10:20:02 AM EDT

Jack talked Friday afternoon, with T.C. Wallace Jr., superintendent of the Lansing School District, for his first live radio interview after Friday's mass layoffs. 

Listen Here

School Reform and Grassroots Politics

by: yvette248

Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 12:06:56 PM EDT

Okay, so we've heard a dozen proposals over the past dozen years about how best to fix our failing schools and improve the quality of education for all children. We've seen the dropout statistics for the City of Detroit and grimaced as the rest of America falls perilously close to third world status in education all of our children. It appears even suburban school districts habitually graduate seniors without the ability to perform complex math functions, string together a complete sentence or find the state of Kentucky on the map.

Teachers are blaming parents, parents are blaming school boards, the media is the public school system and public schools are blaming charter schools for the virtual breakdown of our public education system. It seems as though quality education is being doled out according to a caste system, divided mostly along the lines of the haves and have nots.

Now The Detroit News publishes a story today about a man who is making a difference. A grassroots organizer by trade, he purchased a failing school in a Los Angeles ghetto and dramatically increased student test scores within a short period of time. He is currently duplicating this success in Chicago.

There are two really, really odd things that gives a twist to this usually predictable story about lone wolf success:  

1. This guy is a community organizer who has garnered the support of teachers, school administrators AND UNIONS in accomplishing this goal. (And no, the man's last name is not Christ.)
2. A group of teachers from DPS (yes Virginia, that's Detroit Public Schools) took a bus to Chicago recently in an effort to bring him here to do the same thing. (No, I'm serious. The man really isn't Jesus.)

Building brand recognition: Your local school district

by: Eric B.

Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 13:55:25 PM EST

Here's how kindergarten 'round these parts works ... kids are broken into two groups.  One group goes with a teacher in the morning, and the other group goes into a classroom for structured activities that isn't technically teaching (the person leading the group isn't a teacher).  At some point during the day, they switch.  The group with the teacher in the morning goes in for structured, non-teaching activities; and the other group goes into the actual educational component of the day.

It's not technically an all-day, every day program, but a hybrid that provides half a day's worth of education, and half a day of what is essentially day care for the kids.

Here's why the Mt. Pleasant School District went with this program.  A few years ago, they noted that a local charter school was siphoning off lots of students.  The reason for that is that the charter actually offered daycare services so that parents who worked all day long didn't have to make other arrangements and worry about transportation during the day.

And, it worked.  Because the charter that was siphoning off students is located several miles outside the city limits, parents instead opted to send their kids through the local public school system rather than dealing with the hassle of driving them down often-times icy back roads to the charter.

The sizes of kindergarten classes went up, the district recovered its investment costs, and the program turned into something of a money maker -- a powerful incentive for working parents in neighboring districts that don't have all-day, every day kindergarten programs.

Michigan's Issues: Really on Display in Primary?

by: TomChoske

Tue Jan 15, 2008 at 10:56:00 AM EST

Higher Education Heresy

by: asagady

Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 01:58:10 AM EDT

It seems to me that parts of our network of public university educational institutions and the public support for them in the state are in need of reform and reorganization.

While the public university systems in Michigan  probably have some well deserved autonomy in governance from decisions of the State Legislature in governance, I'd like the public and taxpayers to consider that maybe we ought to re-organize major portions of our public university system in Michigan.

First, I think that the largest, most prestigious  major research institutions are fine the way they are.  By those institutions I mean University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University.

It is all of the other public university entities that really ought to be re-organized.  By these I mean EMU, WMU, NMU, Lake Superior State, Grand Valley State, Oakland University, CMU, Ferris State, Saginaw Valley State....did I miss any other state supported universities?

First, look at all of the administrative expense at maintaining all of these institutions, all of which compete with each other for state funds.  All will duplicate executive functions, boards of control and many other types of administrative expenses.

Next, all of these institutions are maintaining competing academic departments and educational specialies.  While there is wide geographic diversity in the system and general higher educational emphasis for a liberal arts education needs to be maintained throughout the system, do we really need to repeat all of the academic specialties everywhere? 

Why not create a single Michigan regional university system under a single board of control and a single administrative structure?  You would have something where there would be academic specialty planning over the entire system. 

There is no need, for example, to maintain every academic university specialty at every one of these regional university sites in a better organized system of a regional university system.  Want to study environmental science, for example??...then go to the unit where that is an academic priority.

Transfer of academic credits and movement of students throughout the entire system would be made simple and easy.

What do you think about this, Michigan?

Michigan Policy Summit Post-Mortem

by: PerfectStormer

Sun Sep 16, 2007 at 19:23:39 PM EDT

Last Saturday in Lansing I had the privilege of attending the Michigan Policy Summit, a first-of-its-kind gathering of Michigan progressives. Since it was the first event and since I'm fairly new to the political activism scene in Michigan I wasn't sure what to expect, and for the most part I was pleasantly surprised.