As part of the Obama administration’s ongoing “We Can’t Wait” program, they announced today an aggressive new initiative to spur the creation of job-creating startup companies. It’s a two-pronged approach. First, they are launching a $1 billion Early State Innovation Fund which provides matching capital to small business investment companies. This is part of an existing program called Startup America. […]

I have a piece published at Think Progress this morning that covers one of the next phases of the Occupy movement: Occupy Our Homes. I have a close friend who is one of the founders and organizers of the newly-formed group that is getting a LOT of attention. On Tuesday this week, Occupy Our Homes held an event in Michigan. […]

Detroit Free Press Deputy Editorial Page Editor Brian Dickerson has an op-ed this morning titled What’s really driving state takeovers: It ain’t race. In his piece, he argues that the disparate impact of Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law on minority populations isn’t related to race but rather to the shrinking populations of the cities involved. As the prospect of some sort […]

By now, you’ve probably seen or at least heard about Rick Perry’s latest ad called “Strong”. In the ad, Perry accuses President Obama of waging a “War on Religion”. If you haven’t seen it, here it is: I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Christian, but you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s […]

Tonight, the school board of Muskegon Heights voted to ask the Snyder administration to assign an Emergency Manager to the district. Muskegon Heights school officials will ask the state to appoint an emergency financial manager to take over operations of the district after Superintendent Dana Bryant retires at the end of this month. The school board met Wednesday in a […]

In October, 37 attorneys general from across the country sent a letter to Congress (pdf) urging them to support the nomination of Richard Cordray to head up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This included ten Republican AGs. Not among them: Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. The letter gives Cordray and the fledgling bureau itself glowing reviews. The undersigned state […]

My, my. THIS is interesting. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is reviewing whether the state of Michigan can legally appoint an emergency manager to oversee the Motor City’s finances, Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, said late today. Conyers said he spoke to Holder about his request that the government move to block the law. “(Holder) said, ‘I’ve got my lawyers working […]

My son, Cameron, is working hard on his senior thesis film, Oculus, for his degree from Ithaca College in New York. In order to make the project happen, he’s doing what all film producers have to do for their projects: raise funding. And that’s where YOU, my awesome readers, come in. Here’s a note from the writer/director/producer/editor himself: Hi Everyone, […]

This is unlikely to get much fanfare but it’s big new for the fight to protect the LGBT community all over the world. It’s an Presidential Memorandum mandating that U.S. Government agencies step up their efforts to protect the rights and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people all over the world. The memorandum directs agencies to: Combat […]

Buried in the lede of the news about Flint Emergency Manager Michael Brown firing seven staffers and essentially firing the the Mayor and City Council, as well, is this little tidbit: In his first orders as emergency manager, Michael Brown on Friday fired seven City Hall staffers — including the mayor’s second-in-command — and eliminated pay and benefits for the […]

Today we get some unsurprising news: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s poll numbers are crashing. Less than 20 percent of Michigan residents believe Gov. Rick Snyder is doing an excellent or good job running the state, a survey to be released Monday afternoon shows. The Fall 2011 State of the State survey conducted by the Institute for Public Policy and Social […]