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| Latest hand-selected Michigan political news and analysis headlines |
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environment 
Wed Jul 07, 2010 at 07:58:43 AM EDT
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It's been a while since we had to have a real heart-to-heart, the Obama Administration and I, and last time it was because Rahm Emanuel had been a bit snippy toward those of us who are carrying the water for this Administration.
We need to have another one of those conversations today; this time the circumstances are a lot more positive-in fact, if the Administration follows my suggestions here, we have a real chance to put the Democrats on the road to victory, not just this November, but also in 2012.
What I'm proposing will create hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs, and it will stimulate millions more as we create a national source of discount electrical power that can be used by business and consumers alike.
Here's the best part: it's no "pie in the sky" promotion I'm offering here; we've already done the same thing before, it's been working out well for almost three quarters of a century...and even better than all that...my idea first pays for itself, and then...it actually makes the Federal Government a profit, forever after.
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Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 07:55:28 AM EDT
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Brighton, Colorado (FNS)-Attorneys from the Republican Study Group (RSG) descended upon the 17th Judicial District courtroom of Judge John T Bryan today to present an amicus brief and associated oral arguments in order to prevent a settlement in a lawsuit related to an automobile accident in this Colorado city.
The intervening attorneys claim the settlement reached between the two parties to the accident is a "shakedown" because the plaintiff had not yet exhausted all possible legal remedies when the agreement was finalized, and because the agreement was executed in the presence of the plaintiff's brother, a well-known local attorney.
They hope Judge Bryan will decline to approve the settlement in today's hearing, and that he will order the parties to move forward to trial.
"What we have is government transferring property from one party, an admittedly unattractive one, to others, not based on preexisting laws but on decisions by one man, a car czar", said Crush Mimbaugh, attorney for the RSG, "and we are here today to protect all Americans from this legally sanctioned rape of an innocent driver."
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Mon Jun 21, 2010 at 05:10:49 AM EDT
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Honestly, I am absolutely sick of commercial air travel these days. Just dealing with security is bad enough, but then there's the airlines, and...hey, all you really need to know here is that there has to be a pretty good reason for me to fly cross-country.
Well, I had one Saturday night, which is how I came to be in the Colonnade Room of the Fairmount Hotel, Washington DC with about 250 of my closest friends, in a classic shawl-collar tuxedo, attending one of the most exclusive "passing of the torch" ceremonies in recent Washington memory.
And when it was all over, Douglas Feith was a happy man.
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Thu Jun 17, 2010 at 09:16:48 AM EDT
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Netroots Nation will be in Las Vegas in just a few weeks; with that in mind we are going to play “piano bar” and fulfill a couple of requests, one today and one tomorrow, from folks who would like to bring a couple of things to your attention.
Today’s topic: climate change.
As you know, there is a lot of legislation floating around Capitol Hill that would begin to use some sort of market-based mechanism to reduce the amount of carbon we emit.
None of it will move unless it moves through the Senate, and today, that’s what we’ll be talking about.
Matter of fact, they will be too.
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Wed Jun 16, 2010 at 01:54:48 AM EDT
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It is by now obvious that even after we stop the gentle trickle of oil that's currently expressing itself into the Gulf of Mexico (thank you so much, BP) we are not going to be able to get that oil out of the water for some considerable length of time--and if you think it could take years, I wouldn't bet against you.
While BP is the legally responsible party, out on the water it will be up to the Coast Guard to manage the Federal response, and to determine that BP is running things in a way that gets the work done not only correctly and safely, but, in a world of limited resources, efficiently.
Which brings us to the obvious question: can the Coast Guard manage such a complex undertaking?
While we hope they can, you need to know that the Coast Guard has been trying to manage the replacement of their fleet of ships and aircraft for about a decade now...and the results have been so stunningly bad that you and I are now the proud owners of a small flotilla of ships that can never be used, because if they go to sea, they might literally break into pieces.
It's an awful story, and before we're done you'll understand why Deepwater was already an ugly word around Headquarters, years before that oil rig blew up.
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Sun Jun 13, 2010 at 07:17:13 AM EDT
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Dear The United Kingdom,
I just wanted to take a minute to say hello and to see how things have been for you lately, and to maybe bring you up to date on a bit of news from here.
Well, right off the bat, we hear you have a new Conservative Prime Minister and that his Party and Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems are in partnership, which I'm sure will be interesting; you probably heard that us Colonials are again having Tea Parties, which has also been very interesting.
I have a Godson who's getting married this September, so we're all talking about that, and I hear Graham Norton was even better than last year at hosting Eurovision, despite the fact that it's...frankly, it's Eurovision.
Oh, yeah...we also had a bit of an oil spill recently that you may have heard about-and hoo, boy; you should see how the Company that spilled the oil has been acting.
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Sat Jun 05, 2010 at 12:24:09 PM EDT
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We're now into day way too many of the BP oil spill, and the President has just yesterday been down on the Louisiana coast-again.
There have been suggestions that the Administration should take action to essentially push BP out of the way and take over the work itself, particularly as it relates to the cleanup.
It may have even occurred to you that an official declaration of some sort might be needed, in order to bring the full power of the Feds into play.
That's some good thinking, but before we go jumping right into declaring things we better understand the law, because if we don't, we could actually make things worse.
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Thu May 06, 2010 at 14:22:55 PM EDT
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Comments are open to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding hunting gray wolves in Michigan. The fear mongering about wolves is beginning in Michigan. The papers report, “A few have been spotted in the lower peninsula.” So is MI DNR suggesting that we hunt wolves to keep them out of the lower peninsula? The implication that the wolves will wreak havoc with farm animals, kill dogs and cats, which would be more than likely coyotes, is purposely misleading. Since there are a little over 4,000 wolves in the combined western Great Lakes, to think there are only a few in the LP is ludicrous. Michigan’s own 50-year study of predator/prey behavior on Isle Royale confirms a direct ratio between wolves and moose. Michigan’s DNR should surely know this. Michigan’s LP is full of deer. So there are probably more than a few wolves in the LP that have been there all along without incident. http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/defenders_magazine/fall
_2009/royale_challenge.php.
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Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 04:21:32 AM EDT
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Baton Rouge (FNS)-Facing both a massive oil slick from a sunken offshore drilling platform and a second year of declining tourism revenues along the Louisiana Gulf Coast caused by high gas prices, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal today introduced a new tourism promotion that he reports is going to "...make lemons into lemonade".
Jindal, flanked by British Petroleum's Director of Marketing Dick Timoneous and the Executive Director of the Louisiana State Tourism Board, Jenna Talia, announced that the "All The Oil You Can Carry Festival" would officially commence today just east of New Orleans, and last at least through the month of May.
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Wed Apr 07, 2010 at 16:25:57 PM EDT
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I find it extremely amusing that David Joos, departing CEO of Consumers Energy and "Michigan's 2010 Fossil Fool of the Year" sees his title as an "unwarranted personal attack." Not only does it show he's feeling the pressure from environmentalists calling for Consumers Energy to back off their folly of an investment-- a 930 megawatt coal plant proposed for Bay County, Michigan, it also clearly shows he doesn't understand that coal is a personal attack on all of us! Read more about how coal is an attack on our wallets, our health, and on Michigan's clean energy future!
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Mon Feb 15, 2010 at 17:24:37 PM EST
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Anyone that has been stuck behind a diesel truck in traffic or stood on the side of the road as one has passed by can recognize the black smoke and horrible smell associated with diesel vehicles. Right now, diesel emissions from trucks, buses and construction vehicles are poisoning our water and the air we breathe. Diesel exhaust causes a number of health problems, including lung disease, heart disease and a cancer risk that is 7 times higher than the combined risk of all the 181 air toxics tracked by the EPA. In Michigan alone, in 2010, diesel pollution is estimated to cause the early deaths of 443 people, more than 15,000 asthma attacks, 648 non-fatal heart attacks, and over 57,000 work loss days. To see the health risks associated with diesel pollution where you live check out: http://www.catf.us/projects/diesel/dieselhealth/
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Tue Jan 26, 2010 at 15:15:47 PM EST
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It seems nearly everyone in the Great Lakes states is concerned about what will happen should the Asian Carp make it into the Great Lakes water system. Michigan’s own Attorney General Mike Cox even sued the state of Illinois to get them to close the river locks. This would prevent the carp from entering Lake Michigan. But Chicago was not keen to have a major artery for commerce shut down, costing them millions of dollars in revenue through shipping fees. And lucky for Chicago that the U.S. Supreme Court wouldn’t issue an injunction to close the locks. This is unlucky for the rest of us, who are worried about the potential for Dire Consequences. People don’t seem to think there’s anything more to be done now except wait around until a summit next month at the White House. But there is one thing we can do: the state of Michigan can buy the rivers where the locks are located. Then we would be free to close and open the locks as necessary, and charge access through the rivers just as the city of Chicago currently does. "Crazy!" you say? Not in the least. You see, the Chicago Way isn’t just about putting guys in the morgue. It’s also about getting paid, handsomely.
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Sun Nov 29, 2009 at 20:02:06 PM EST
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We’re diving deep into “geek world” today with a story that combines economic hardball, the periodic table of the elements, and a barely noticed provision of the Defense Authorization Act that seeks to break a monopoly which today gives China near-absolute control over the materials that make cell phones, electric cars, wind turbines, and pretty much every other tool of modern life possible.
If we successfully break the monopoly, we’ll be able to create millions of new manufacturing jobs in this country—and if we don’t, somebody else owns the 21st Century.
Ironically, the global warming we’re trying to fight with new green technologies might be an ally in our efforts to make those very same green technologies happen.
There’s a revolution in industrial processing going on, rare earths are at the center of it all...and in today’s story, the revolution will be televised.
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Mon Oct 12, 2009 at 00:25:59 AM EDT
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Cap and trade is an administrative approach to reduce green house gas emissions. The controlling body sets a Cap on the total amount of emission for a given period of time. Each group or firm than receives emission credits, the total of all credits issued is equal to the Cap for the specified amount of time. Firms that need to emit more than the credits they received are able to buy credits from firms who emit less than they are allowed. This system punishes firms who emit a great amount of pollutants and benefits those who can reduce the amount they emit. http://mi-wire.blogspot.com/
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Thu Aug 06, 2009 at 19:13:29 PM EDT
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The long, lazy days of summer are upon us, and it’s time to have a little fun—but it’s also a great opportunity to volunteer a bit of spare time for a good cause.
So imagine how cool it would be if you could combine the two...and even better, do it in a way that doesn’t take a bite out of your wallet...and even better yet, if it was something you and the kids could do together.
Imagine no more, because it has been done; which is why today we are going to be talking about lead in the soil of New Orleans, Operation Paydirt...and Fundred Dollar Bills.
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Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 21:04:32 PM EDT
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(Meanwhile, in DC... - promoted by Eric B.)
The text below is part of an e-mail I received from Ashley Dowser, who is now working for the Alliance for Climate Protection (she formerly was with the Obama campaign in Birmingham). I am appalled that Gary Peters would even consider voting against this bill. It should be a no brainer. Please call his office and let him know how important this bill is to our future and the future of the world.
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Fri May 22, 2009 at 10:32:06 AM EDT
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It’s great to see that people are starting to think about hybrid vehicles, but so far, they really haven’t been for me.
You know why?
Because for the most part, they have no...style.
The Prius?
If you look at it sideways, and squint, it looks more like a pepita than a car.
The Insight?
They say it’s stylish...but it looks like a Prius to me.
You know what I want?
I want someone to build the biggest, nastiest, most oversized hybrid the world has ever seen.
Something drenched with chrome, with seating for...many, and a convertible top; and maybe, if all my dreams come true: tail fins.
Something crazy.
Something ridiculous.
Something...American.
Well, guess what?
Somebody’s already gone out and had one built—and ironically, that somebody is Neil Young, Canadian.
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Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 08:20:51 AM EDT
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(What did YOU do on Earth Day? - promoted by LiberalLucy)
Even though 70% of the Earth is covered in water, only 3% is fit for human consumption -- and two-thirds of that is frozen! Here in Michigan, we're fortunate to have access to the Great Lakes, containing 22% of the world's fresh surface water. That means we have a special obligation to protect our waterways -- but also a special opportunity to be the global center of transformative economic possibilities based around water.
Yesterday, for Earth Day, I announced the "Green Jobs for Blue Waters Initiative" to target opportunities for economic growth and environmental protection centered around our most precious resource: water. By developing new technologies to conserve water here in Michigan, we can export those technologies around the globe to places where water is far more scarce: helping Michigan's economy and global environmental protection. Michigan can, and will be the place where the water technologies of the future are developed, thanks to our access to the Great Lakes, university research, water management experience, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and our strong history of environmental stewardship. We can create the same sort of dynamic based around a Blue Water Economy that we've started to build in alternative energy here, with component manufacturers and researchers flocking to set up shop here in Michigan, diversifying our economy, creating jobs, and helping our environment.
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Thu Mar 26, 2009 at 15:35:39 PM EDT
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Yes .....CSI-Michigan-Asbestos....it is time to bring in Jerry Bruckheimer to talk about the future of Michigan cities, towns as crime scenes and sites of emergency, acute and chronic asbestos contamination and human exposure with adoption of the Fiscal 2009-2010 budget removing all asbestos inspections and enforcement against asbestos emissions.
The only problem is that under Jennifer Granholm's budget, the crime scene investigators get axed before the television
series gets off the ground....too bad, I had really looked forward to seeing Granholm in full asbestos HAZMAT drag.
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Wed Mar 25, 2009 at 11:43:04 AM EDT
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According to the recent BBMG Conscious Consumer Report: Redefining Value in a New Economy that asked which companies come to mind as the least socially or environmentally responsible companies, Wal-Mart topped the list as the worst:
"Wal-Mart also topped the list of the least responsible companies (9%), along with Exxon Mobile (9%), GM (3%) and Ford (3%), Shell (2%) and McDonald's (2%). Interestingly, 41% of Americans could not name a single company that they consider the most socially and environmentally responsible."
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