I became a journalist almost 17 years ago because I wanted to dig for the truth and tell important stories, especially in politics. In the decade-plus I’ve spent in Lansing, I’ve watched most of my Capitol press corps colleagues retire, leave for better-paying jobs or get laid off. There are so many issues to cover and stories to tell — […]

The Trump Tax scam is likely to result in a fair number of us seeing a tiny bit more money in our paychecks starting next month. It is, of course, a scam. You shouldn’t get used to the extra funds because some time in the next 8-10 years, they’ll go away. The extra money that the über wealthy are going […]

There’s no question that Donald Trump is working around the clock when he’s not golfing at one of his many golf clubs using millions of our tax dollars to dismantle our country’s democracy, our institutions, and the laws and policies we have in place to protect ALL Americans, not just those at the top of the economic food chain. On […]

When I woke up Saturday morning, it was Day Six of our 4th Quarter fundraiser here at Eclectablog and we hadn’t received a single donation. It was pretty demoralizing. We’ve had slow weeks in the past but nothing quite this slow. I generally hope to get enough in donations each quarter to pay for at least two months. Our annual […]

That’s not something I have ever wanted to write. But we’ve been doing this quarter’s fundraiser for six days now and have received precisely zero donations. That’s not a sustainable model because I’m not a wealthy guy who can just plow his mortgage money into a website.

As the saying (curse, actually) goes, “May you live in interesting times.” And we certainly do. Like many of you, I wake up every day, pour my first cup of coffee, and switch on the TV to see what outrageous thing the current inhabitant of the White House has done, or tweeted, overnight. And when I want to know how […]

Regular readers of the blog or listeners of the Sit and Spin Room podcast know that we are big on the Resistance these days. We recognize and exalt the import work being done by Indivisible Groups, NationalADAPT and their various chapters, and all the other incredible grassroots organizers who are changing the conversation when it comes to the debate about […]

I’m the sort of weirdo that actually listens to pledge drives on public radio. Partly it’s because I have gotten to know many of the reporters and on-air folks at my local NPR affiliate and enjoy hearing them beg me for money. But mostly it’s because, even though I am monthly sustainer, I appreciate how hard these people work day […]

In these days of turmoil and strife, the odds are stacked against the average American. We’re in the fight of our lifetimes to save Medicaid and Medicare from Donald Trump and his Republican supplicants in Congress. We’re up against prosecutors and judges who think it’s more important to save welfare dollars than to keep a woman raped as a child […]

If we don’t stand up for our progressive values, who will? Some blog posts are more difficult for me to write than others. This is one of them. “One Fair Wage” is a coalition of pro-worker organizations who are working to ensure that all workers are paid a fair wage. Yesterday they announced they will introduce a ballot proposal to […]

Anne and I are friends with Nikki Joly from my hometown of Jackson, Michigan. On Thursday of this week, the home she shares with her partner, Chris Moore, was destroyed by a fire, killing their two German Shepherds and three cats. In addition to being a nurse and a veteran, Joly is the director of the Jackson Pride Center and […]