Cor·po·rat·ism (noun) – \ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rə-ˌti-zəm\ – The organization of a society into industrial and professional corporations serving as organs of political representation and exercising control over persons and activities within their jurisdiction. [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] After I reported on NERD Fund donor CVS Caremark receiving a multi-million dollar prescription drug benefit contract with […]

Isn’t this EXACTLY why Kwame Kilpatrick is sitting in jail? [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] NOTE: This story has been updated HERE. When Kwame Kilpatrick went to jail this year on corruption charges, it was because he basically used the city of Detroit as a personal ATM machine to dispense money to his friends. […]

This is why NERD Fund opacity is such a BFD Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog NOTE: This story has been updated HERE and HERE. I (and so many others) have talked a LOT about Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s NERD Fund, financed by unknown corporate entities and wealthy individuals. Because they have been paying for Detroit Emergency Manager […]

“What I learned from my military experience is that…there’s no way this is sustainable and there’s gonna be one day when we go back and die for this stuff.” I meet a lot of really terrific people in my travels but Gordon Soderberg is one of he most selfless, compassionate men I’ve met in a very long time. He has […]

Even when he has the choice to do the right thing, Gov. Snyder doesn’t Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Yesterday during his testimony in the court hearing to determine Detroit’s eligibility for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder revealed an astonishing fact: although he had the opportunity to shield Detroit retirees from cuts to their […]

Borrowing from Peter Barclays to pay Paul UBS and Bank of America As the trial to determine Detroit’s eligibility for Chapter 9 bankruptcy begins today, Emergency Manager and bankruptcy specialist Kevyn Orr has found a way to ensure that banks are paid off before the tens of thousands of retired city employees with modest pensions earned through their years of […]

Why indeed? Graphic by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Steven Rhodes, the federal judge in charge of determining whether Detroit’s bankruptcy filing is legal, asked a fair question of state officials this week regarding the Republicans’ disregard for the will of the people in overturning Public Act 4, Michigan’s Emergency Manager law. The law was overturned in the 2012 […]

Hallelujah and take your racist crap with you when you leave Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Detroit Chief Financial Officer Jim Bonsall, the man who asked if he could “shoot someone in a hoodie” on Angels’ Night patrol in the city, has resigned from his $225,000 a year position. Bonsall, an appointee of Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, […]

Where are your actual loyalties, Mr. Schuette? In a Detroit Free Press article yesterday, two legal experts suggest that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s claim that there is no conflict of interest between his representation of the State of Michigan at the same time he’s defending the rights of retired pensioners in the Detroit’s bankruptcy. Indeed, many people (including me), […]

Gee, why would ANYONE be offended by THAT? After several years of rampant vandalism and arson on Devil’s Night (the night before Halloween) in Detroit, Mayor Dennis Archer created “Angels’ Night” in 1995 which enlisted the help of Detroit citizens in the evenings around Halloween to help law enforcement stem the tide. As part of Angels’ Night, city officials have […]

The conference united more than 700 entrepreneurs, visionaries and activists who believe in Detroit’s future. If you needed a boost of optimism about where Detroit is headed, you should have been at TEDxDetroit. The one-day conference held October 2 at Cobo Hall’s new Grand Ballroom overlooking the Detroit River wasn’t just sold out. It was overflowing. Overflowing with great ideas […]