Really, people, what the hell did you think you were going to get when you voted for a Republican? Some excellent analysis with lots of numbers and lists of Ann Arbor-area folks who contributed to Snyder’s campaign at A2Politico. I’m just sayin’…

I have been writing pretty intensively about the dismissal of the Benton Harbor City Commission by the Emergency Financial Manager, Joe Harris. Like many of you, I am incensed at this draconian step being taken, a disenfranchisement of the residents of Benton Harbor and an abridgement of what I think most of us understand as democracy. Taxation without representation is […]

Dan Benishek is the Republican who replaced Bart Stupak to represent Michigan’s gigantic first district. Benishek was a typical tea party candidate, running on a typical tea party platform. He was endorsed by the major Michigan tea party groups and even Her Highness herself gave him her Wasilla thumbs-up. Like all tea partiers, Dan Benishek hates politicians so much that […]

Terry Jones, the Quran-burning nutjob is in Michigan news this weekend. Go read about it elsewhere if you want to know why, I won’t dignify the idiot by reporting on it here. However, this caught my eye. This is the photo on the front page of the Detroit News this morning: Tell me that’s not George W. Bush next to […]

I don’t have complete details at this time but it appears that there is an organized effort afoot to start a recall effort against Michigan State Congressman Al Pscholka. Who is Al Pscholka? In addition to being the state Representative from the area that includes Benton Harbor, Pscholka is a former aide to Congressman Fred Upton, a man who has […]

A few things to report today about Benton Harbor. First, Jesse Jackson made an appearance in Benton Harbor yesterday to highlight their situation. “Clearly we must prepare to file a major lawsuit to restore democratic rights in Benton Harbor,” said Jackson. He encouraged church and city leaders to form a coalition. ~SNIP~ “You don’t solve an economic crisis by decapitating […]

I’ve heard of onshore and offshore gas and oil spills but never before have I heard heard of a blowout at a natural gas facility. But yesterday in Pennsylvania, that’s exactly what happened (and is still happening): A blowout at a natural gas well in rural northern Pennsylvania spilled thousands of gallons of chemical-laced water on Wednesday, contaminating a stream […]

We could all learn a little bit about negotiating from the Republicans, I suppose. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s proposed budget eliminates the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which helps the working poor, especially those with kids. In a dramatic concession, he’s agreed to give qualifying families $25 per child . This represents 5.8% of the EITC the average family would […]

Based on some tips from folks who have contacted me about my blogging the Big Government TakeoverTM of Benton Harbor by Rick Snyder’s Emergency Financial Manager, Joseph Harris, I’ve been doing some digging into the development known as Harbor Shores. I have found an amazingly tangled web that involves a number of very powerful, very wealthy men. In the process […]

Color me shocked! The Republicans are unhappy with the effort of Michigan Citizens United (webpage firericksnyder.org) to recall Republican Governor Rick Snyder. They are trying to characterize it as being entirely the effort of the Michigan Education Association, the teachers’ union in our state, based on the fact that an MEA fax number is erroneously listed in some of their […]

Last night on her show, Rachel Maddow connected some very important dots in the situation that led up to the Big Government TakeoverTM of Benton Harbor, Michigan by Joseph Harris, aka “The Czar of Benton Harbor”. But she didn’t connect ALL of them. In her piece we learn these facts about Benton Harbor and its twin city next door, St. […]