It’s a team thing… Photo by Chris Savage | Eclectablog AFSCME has been doing a terrific job of being on the front lines, protecting Detroit workers from draconian cuts as the city works through the bankruptcy process. One of the things they have done is to put up the website Stand With Detroit that helps show the human side of […]

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 […]

Even when he has the choice to do the right thing, Gov. Snyder doesn’t Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Yesterday during his testimony in the court hearing to determine Detroit’s eligibility for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder revealed an astonishing fact: although he had the opportunity to shield Detroit retirees from cuts to their […]

Borrowing from Peter Barclays to pay Paul UBS and Bank of America As the trial to determine Detroit’s eligibility for Chapter 9 bankruptcy begins today, Emergency Manager and bankruptcy specialist Kevyn Orr has found a way to ensure that banks are paid off before the tens of thousands of retired city employees with modest pensions earned through their years of […]

Why indeed? Graphic by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Steven Rhodes, the federal judge in charge of determining whether Detroit’s bankruptcy filing is legal, asked a fair question of state officials this week regarding the Republicans’ disregard for the will of the people in overturning Public Act 4, Michigan’s Emergency Manager law. The law was overturned in the 2012 […]

Hallelujah and take your racist crap with you when you leave Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Detroit Chief Financial Officer Jim Bonsall, the man who asked if he could “shoot someone in a hoodie” on Angels’ Night patrol in the city, has resigned from his $225,000 a year position. Bonsall, an appointee of Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, […]

Where are your actual loyalties, Mr. Schuette? In a Detroit Free Press article yesterday, two legal experts suggest that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s claim that there is no conflict of interest between his representation of the State of Michigan at the same time he’s defending the rights of retired pensioners in the Detroit’s bankruptcy. Indeed, many people (including me), […]

Gee, why would ANYONE be offended by THAT? After several years of rampant vandalism and arson on Devil’s Night (the night before Halloween) in Detroit, Mayor Dennis Archer created “Angels’ Night” in 1995 which enlisted the help of Detroit citizens in the evenings around Halloween to help law enforcement stem the tide. As part of Angels’ Night, city officials have […]

Sometimes ya just gotta laugh The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has put together a website that tells the story of Detroit’s financial crisis. While most of what your read these days is peril and gloom and desperation, AFSCME has taken a more light-hearted approach, telling the story using humorous animated GIFs. It’s called “GIFtroit” and, […]

Pay no attention to the hypocrite behind the curtain [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] Last Friday the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union issued subpoenas for Governor Rick Snyder, Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, Michigan treasurer Andy Dillon, and “transformation manager” Richard Baird, compelling their testimony regarding the Snyder administration’s […]

What Detroit needs is an actual expert Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog. The following is a guest post by Roger Kerson and is Part 2 of a 2-part series. You can read Part 1 HERE. Roger is a Michigan-based media consultant for labor unions, environmental group and non-profit organizations. He was director of public relations at the […]