Senate Republicans today blocked a vote on yet another one of the components of President Obama’s jobs plan today. This one would have invested $60 billon in building and repairing our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and was fully paid for by a 0.7% (!!!) surcharge on income over $1 million. A bridge too far for Republicans, apparently. Republicans in the Senate […]

Back in August, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder sought to bypass the normal court process and asked the Michigan Supreme Court to make a decision on the lawsuit challenging Public Act 4, the so-called Emergency Manager Law. (Details on the lawsuit filed by the Sugar Law Center and the Center for Constitutional Rights can be found HERE.) Sugar Law Center proceeded […]

During her time as governor, Jennifer Granholm made significant investments in diversifying and expanding Michigan’s economy. These things take time to have their impact but, according to a new study, they are. Michigan is second in the nation in recovering from the recession. Michigan’s economy is recovering from the recession at the second-fastest pace in the U.S., lifted by reviving […]

I’m begining to come to the sad realization that our Republican-led US Congress is completely hopeless. They haven’t introduced a single jobs-creation bill but have time for all sorts of frivolities like honoring cheap, crappy fast food. Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) on Tuesday honored White Castle with a congressional tribute to the “tasty little burgers” and the company that serves […]

In one of the sickest and most vile acts of irony yet seen in Michigan under the current Republican regime, Michigan Republicans yesterday passed a bill that lays out specific pathways for legalized bullying in our schools. It is effectively a “Blueprint for Bullying”. The bill passed 26-11 along party lines. It now goes to the House of Representatives. Legislation […]

It’s been a busy week for President Obama. On top of news that his administration (via the FBI) has busted up yet another domestic terrorist plot (sorry, no Muslims this time, Mr. Conservative), we got this: Obama general counsel Bob Bauer emails lawyers and law students that the campaign is setting up an “unprecedented” new “voter protection” program — a […]

For as long as I can remember, Detroit has been a pit of malfeasance, corruption and general ineptitude. When I was a kid, Detroit Public School board members were in the news for taking taxpayer-paid limos to board meetings. Since then it’s been one tale after another of embezzlement, waste, and theft. Closed schools full of computers, science equipment and […]

I travel a fair bit for work and have found that, in the South especially, the only radio stations that come in loud and clear are generally AM talk shows. Which means I dip my toe into the insanity that is Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Glenn Beck from time to time. I look at it like scoping out the […]

Saugatuck Township on the shore of Lake Michigan has been battling against developer and natural gas tycoon Aubrey McClendon for several years to prevent the development of sensitive dune land in the community. They were subject to countless lawsuits, essentially draining the Township coffers until, last summer, they finally capitulated and came to an “agreement” with McClendon’s group, Singapore Dunes. […]

Another of Capture Me Films most-excellent videos, this one from the Occupy Niles protest in Niles, Michigan last Saturday. The group Occupy Southwest Michigan is very clearly not a bunch of dissatisfied hippy kids, venting their spleens as is too often portrayed in the media surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement. This is a group of articulate, angry adults, pissed […]

It was the invention and subsequent abuse of sub-prime mortgage securities that crashed our economy. Now these idiots are trading sub-prime auto loan securities. Private equity firms are investing in chains of used-car lots, and auto loans are being packaged into securities much like subprime mortgages. They’re attracted by the industry’s average profit of 38% for each car sold. […] […]