I recently wrote about Michigan Republicans’ ulterior motive when they eliminated the ability to vote a straight ticket ballot with one mark. Although they laughably claim it is intended to force Michigan voters to do more research, the actual reason is very politically-motivated: People like me frequently say that “Republicans control every aspect of government in Michigan”. However, that’s not […]

Back in 2013, I penned a piece titled “Multibillion dollar Meijer, Inc. finds another way to screw Michigan cities and kids” that went somewhat viral, getting over 60,000 hits. The gist of the piece is that Meijer, along with other so-called “big box” stores in Michigan, have used something called “dark store” valuation when determining the value of their store. […]

Michigan Attorney General has a long history of being on the wrong side of issues that matter most to the citizens of our state, something I have documented extensively here at Eclectablog (HERE and HERE, for example.) This week, he’s back in the news with more of his hypocrisy and wrong-headedness. First, Schuette issued a press release saying that he’s […]

The following guest post was written by Ned Staebler, founder of the Michigan Talent Agenda. I’ve hesitated to write this for several reasons, not the least of which is that I hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. I hoped that, at some point, Republican Party voters would come to their senses. I hoped that GOP leaders would step up and be […]

The following post was written by Sean McBrearty, Campaigns Organizer for Clean Water Action. Flint Rising, the coalition of community groups who have been combating the water crisis, has officially launched its website, FlintRising.com. The site is packed with stories from Flint residents and continues the great work that local activists have been doing on the ground to meet the […]

Champion for equality says Michigan Legislature should focus on real problems, urges Michiganders to voice opposition to bigoted bill. Never one to mince words, Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) is particularly blunt in his condemnation of the “bathroom bill” introduced by State Senator Tom Casperson. I spoke with Rep. Kildee the day after Senate Bill 993 was introduced in the Michigan […]

This transgender teen is thriving in a nurturing school environment. This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here. When he was in 10th grade, Reid Ellefson-Frank realized he could no longer stay at the public school he attended. He had come out as transgender to his parents at the end of […]

Early this month, in a piece about Republican attacks on State Board of Education President John Austin, I noted that State Senator Tom Casperson was moving forward with introducing one of his own here in Michigan. Sure enough, as he promised, today that bill was introduced as Senate Bill 993. In that piece, I also said this: Sen. Casperson’s yet-to-be-introduced […]

Earlier this month, Donald Trump reached an agreement with the Republican National Committee to form a joint fundraising committee called “Trump Victory”. The fund will allow donors to funnel as much as $450,000 each into Republican coffers. The agreement is between Trump, the RNC, and the state Republican Parties in Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, […]

By expressing her authentic self, this transgender woman learned the meaning of true acceptance. This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here. For much of her life so far, Sara thought she had to change herself. But once she started living authentically, she realized that the people who matter most value […]

Actress Melissa Gilbert created a momentary stir last August when she announced her candidacy for the 8th Congressional District. However, since then, she’s remained all but silent and recently began cancelling appearances and declining to debate incumbent Republican Mike Bishop. Last night, Gilbert’s campaign announced that, a month past the filing deadline, Gilbert is dropping out of the race. She […]