NOTE: This story has been updated HERE and HERE. In early June, a decision in the California court case Vergara v. California deemed the state’s teacher tenure laws to be unconstitutional because they deny children access to a quality education. The decision has sparked similar cases around the country. In New York, the parents group New York City Parents Union […]

Pennsylvania became the 27th state to expand Medicaid on Thursday. Though the agreement between the Obama Administration and Republican Governor Tom Corbett is far from perfect, it does mark a milestone worth pointing out. Call it the “270 Mark” or the “276 Mark,” to be exact. A Republican candidate for president can not take the White House without winning a […]

At the Michigan Democratic Party’s Nominating Convention this past weekend, Democrats passed an important resolution condemning the unethical and damaging foreclosure practices of Republican Congressional candidate David Trott and demanding a repeal of a law that allows vulture foreclosure firms like Trott & Trott, P.C. to immediately foreclose on homeowners. The resolution outlines a loophole that was passed by the […]

Gotta love a headline like this: “Schauer edges ahead of Snyder, 45% to 43%, in new governor race poll”. Mark Schauer is one of the most patient, methodical politicians I’ve ever seen. In my interview with him last fall, we had this exchange: Eclectablog: One of the things that I’m hearing from folks on my blog and elsewhere online is […]

NRDC Action Fund, the 401(c)(4) arm of one of the largest environmental organizations in the country, has selected the Top 20 #DirtyDenier$ and are rolling them out over Congress’s summer break. The #DirtyDenier$ are chosen because of they “allow polluters to foul our air by casting dirty votes and accept dirty money.” In the Top 20 are two Michigan Congressmen: […]

This new organization will keep Michiganders informed about legislation that could be hazardous to women’s health. Did you know that women in Michigan have to buy separate insurance for an abortion in case they’re ever raped or have a pregnancy that endangers their health — and that women who buy individual insurance on the private market can’t purchase that insurance […]

Democracy, deschmocracy First it was citizens overturning the majority vote of Michigan citizens to overturn our state’s anti-democratic Emergency Manager law. Then it was rape insurance. Then it was a drive to ban wolf hunting. Then it was the effort to raise Michigan’s minimum wage. In each instance, Republicans in the Michigan legislature decided that it wasn’t appropriate for us […]

I am reposting this as a reminder that there is a rally to support public education TODAY in Ann Arbor from 5:30-6:30 at Liberty Plaza. Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor Lisa Brown will be the headliner. Michigan Teachers and Allies for Change (M-TAC), a grassroots group of teachers and allies working on behalf of public education, is hosting a rally […]

Not much to add to this except that Terri Lynn Land and her handlers are very clearly petrified that someone might get a video of her speaking in public because we all know how well THAT usually goes. No wonder staffers from a Koch brothers front group are saying, “Michigan is a state that’s basically an uphill climb honestly.” Uphill […]

In May of 2008, the Republican nominee for president John McCain broke with George W. Bush to support a cap-and-trade system for limiting greenhouse gases, a position that nearly every major Republican thinking about running for president supported at one time. In 2014, there isn’t one major Republican who supports doing anything to stop the heating of the atmosphere that […]

This post has been edited to clarify that the fine arts program at Detroit’s Renaissance High School is being saved. Just a week after Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Jack Martin, announced draconian cuts to schools, higher class sizes, a second round of pay cuts for teachers, and the closing of 24 schools, he has changed his mind: After a […]