How can you deny what’s in front of your eyes? [CC photo credit: Michael McCullough (ex_magician) | Flickr] In the mid-1990s, an outbreak of pine mountain beetle infestation began in the western United States up through Canada and has decimated a truly phenomenal number of forests. In Colorado this year, an estimated quarter million acres of forest are affected, down […]

“This is about treating all people fairly, with honor, dignity, and respect.” Today the U.S. Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that would end discrimination based on sexual orientation. It seems unlikely the House Speaker John Boehner will even allow it to come to a vote in the House. Being this close to equality for all Americans in the […]

“The laws right now are written to mete out punishment to local officials, but there need to be clear partnership requirements for the state to address fiscal stress.” Flint, Michigan is rare in that it has not had just one Emergency Manager. It has had four different managers and the current “emergency” is the second one for the former manufacturing […]

The Michigan GOP succeeds in rigging the court system to make sure Republican judges hear the cases they want to win. It’s a disgrace, a mockery of democracy and Michigan’s justice system — and a legislative maneuver that puts even more power in the hands of Republicans. On Wednesday afternoon, the Republican-led Michigan House voted 57-52 to pass Senate Bill […]

Call your Representative today. Senate Bill 652 has already passed the Senate and could get a House vote on Wednesday. Michiganders know what happens when Michigan’s Republican legislators ram a bill through at lightening speed. It means citizens and the democratic process get railroaded by a bill that wouldn’t withstand the scrutiny of a thoughtful, measured debate. That’s exactly what […]

In America? Really? NOTE: This post has been updated and the title corrected to give the correct duration of Mr. Ekert’s ordeal. The update is at the end of the post. NOTE 2: This story has been updated HERE with another man coming forward with a similar nightmarish story to David Eckert’s. In September of 2012, David Eckert was stopped […]

“We had hundreds of people involved. There was a real community appetite for this process…they wanted their voice to be heard and they were prepared to come out and be a part of it.” NOTE: Part 2 of this interview can be found HERE. When Dayne Walling was elected to be the mayor of the struggling city of Flint in […]

Cor·po·rat·ism (noun) – \ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rə-ˌti-zəm\ – The organization of a society into industrial and professional corporations serving as organs of political representation and exercising control over persons and activities within their jurisdiction. [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] After I reported on NERD Fund donor CVS Caremark receiving a multi-million dollar prescription drug benefit contract with […]

As we try to judge the short-term winners and losers from the Affordable Care Act, you can’t deny that it’s terrible to find out that your insurance plan has been cancelled. It happened all the time before Obamacare when it was a much worse fate, as there was a chance that no insurance might cover you again because of a […]

The story’s still unfolding, but this could be one heck of an interesting race. In breaking news on Friday, Inside Michigan Politics (IMP) reported that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has been calling members of Michigan’s congressional delegation to say Jocelyn Benson is running in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. The information came from two “highly placed” Democrats, but a […]

Isn’t this EXACTLY why Kwame Kilpatrick is sitting in jail? [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] NOTE: This story has been updated HERE. When Kwame Kilpatrick went to jail this year on corruption charges, it was because he basically used the city of Detroit as a personal ATM machine to dispense money to his friends. […]