Anything less than a wave will be a victory for Trump You probably don’t need nightmare juice. Sorry, but here’s a shot: “Elections are about choices,” [Vice President Mike Pence] said in the interview, in which he discussed his midterm outlook in detail for the first time. “If we frame that choice, I think we’re going to reelect majorities in […]

Teachers can’t get their schools to pay for the professional development they need for the jobs they have now. Most teachers I know are paying out of pocket for travel to and from conferences, registration fees, professional membership dues, and graduate courses. Where’s the money going to come from to purchase each teacher a weapon and provide the training needed […]

Before I get started today, I’d like to thank our loyal readers for their patience as I have worked through a rather extended saga of diverticulitis. It started in late January and involved two stays in the hospital as well as an outpatient surgical procedure. It also featured me having a nearly-lethal anaphylactic allergic reaction after the installation of a […]

“I have been training with rifles and pistols since the first time my Dad took me to shoot. Age 8. I know the laws to carry. I have spoken with LEO’s about it. I have a lawyer who works with concealed carry cases only. Truth is I’m more responsible than just point and shoot. I know to identify my target and […]

Republicans never gave a shit about the deficit, but they’ll definitely pretend they do again. Let’s be ready this time. You may be shocked to learn Republicans are eagerly exploding the deficit after a decade of using fears of financial imbalance to stunt our recovery. It’s shocking in the way the sun coming up or a Burrito Supreme giving you […]

Most governors with a history of poisoning an entire city of Black people, an administration full of corruption and ineptitude, and with a laundry list of pro-corporate policies that have harmed the state in myriad ways would probably spend their final months in office being as non-controversial and quiet as possible. Not so with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. Despite his […]

Shri Thanedar, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Bill Cobbs, Gretchen Whitmer, and Abdul El-Sayed, photo by Anne C. Savage This past weekend, the Washtenaw County Democratic Party hosted a gubernatorial forum for the top four candidates for governor in the 2018 election cycle: Bill Cobbs, Abdul El-Sayed, Shri Thanedar, and Gretchen Whitmer. The event was so popular that we had to stop […]

His knows his supporters want to be lied to and he loves giving them what they want Here’s one lesson of 2016 that we can’t ignore: Just because you see through Donald Trump’s bullshit, you can’t assume it isn’t working. Trump isn’t meant for you. In fact, you should just assume that the more upset he is making you, the […]

I have largely avoided writing about Michigan’s gubernatorial this cycle. We interviewed both Gretchen Whitmer and Abdul El-Sayed on The Sit and Spin Room podcast early on but I have been watching the primary unfold without saying much. Partly because it’s so early and partly because I haven’t been “wowed” by any of the campaigns. However, this week, the campaign […]

Michigan State University is the faculty, staff, and students, not “Communications and Brand Strategy,” teams of overpaid lawyers, and “University Advancement,” whatever that is. The purpose of these groups is to support the work of the faculty and students, not to make decisions that direct the mission of the institution. A university is an academic institution, not a corporation. The […]

In his groundbreaking novel Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace (R.I.P.) extrapolated the concept of naming stadiums and arenas after their corporate sponsors to the annual calendar. He called “Subsidized Time“: In the book’s future, advertising’s relentless search for new markets has led to a world where, by O.N.A.N. dictate, years are referred to by the name of their corporate sponsor. […]