No. Seriously. The author of the Coathanger Amendment to the House version of the health insurance reform bill himself is considering a run for Michigan governor in 2010. Dude, you can not be serious. Michigan’s gubernatorial race, particularly on the Democratic side, is shaping up to be an utter clown show as it is: Lt. Governor John Cherry has dropped […]

Lots of good news coming out of Michigan this week in the area of electric vehicle manufacture. First, today marks the first day of production for GM’s lithium-ion battery pack at its Brownstown Pack Assembly Plant. “This is an important milestone for GM — and a critical step in bringing the Chevrolet Volt to market,” GM CEO and Chairman Ed […]

This morning Michigan Public Radio did a segment on a new proposal being put forth by Michigan State University Law Professors Adam Candeub and Mae Kuykendall that they call “E-Marriage”. They have created the Legal E-Marriage Project. Their project was announced in late October with this press release. Professors Candeub and Kuykendall argue that states should permit a couple to […]

To paraphrase Roberto Clemente (and Garret Morris), Michigan summers have been berry, berry good to us. For years now, my wife and I spend time each summer picking black raspberry, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, peaches and other fruits from Michigan’s wonderful summer bounty. Then, each fall we process them into homemade jams and yesterday was such a day. [All photos by […]

Sarah Palin is in Michigan today. Lucky us. Her devotees started lining up last night, in fact. The Sarah! Bus – photo by Rex Larsen | The Grand Rapids Press Why Michigan? Well, according to Palin, it’s because Michigan is where she first “went rogue”. [Michigan is] “the state where I ‘went rogue’ trying to reach out to during the […]

In Sunday’s edition of the combined Detroit Free Press and Detroit News (they publish jointly on Sundays), Detroit News Editorial Page editor and all around numbskull Nolan Findlay had an editorial titled “Bet on it: ACORN will be back”. The mind-blowing thing about it is that man like Nolan, immersed daily in the news of the day/week/year, still manages to […]

It’s no secret that Michigan’s economy is in big trouble. We lead the nation in unemployment. Wages are going down for those that remain employed and, according to Republican Senate Maj. Leader Mike Bishop, that’s a good thing: State Senate Majority Leader Michael Bishop (R) says…[t]he state…needs to change its image and “create an environment where taxes are low, labor […]

I am sponsoring the Michigan Liberal website for a couple of days. It’s a terrific site for anything related to progressive issues in Michigan and I highly encourage you to (a) visit and (b) support it with a little financial help. Totally worth the investment, in my opinion. I’m just sayin’… P.S. If you are feeling eclectafriendly, please vote for […]

The American Planning Association has chosen Ann Arbor’s South Main Street as one of its Top Ten “Great Places in America: Streets“ And to those of us that live here, that’s no surprise. I’m just sayin’…

From the Recommended List at Daily Kos. Something happened in Detroit on Wednesday this week that flew beneath the radar of many Americans. Nearly 35,000 Detroiters converged on Cobo Hall to get one of the 5,000 applications for federal aid to people in poverty. Via the Detroit News: They came by foot, wheelchair, bicycle and car. About six left by […]

Michigan leads the nation in unemployment. Our businesses are closing their doors, our food banks are running out of food and our workers are facing firings, layoffs and, when they actually keep their jobs, many, like me and all of my coworkers, face wage cuts. The Republican Senate Majority Leader’s answer? “…create an environment where…labor costs are low…” Oh sure. […]