A Real Choice

In a post at The Hill, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has a great summary of the differences between Democrats and Republicans.

Throughout the 111th Congress, Republicans have opposed every effort to help Main Street Americans, while supporting those corporate interests that wreaked havoc on Wall Street and unleashed disaster in the Gulf. When it comes to the best interests of the American people, the contrast is clear: Democrats are taking serious action on important issues, such as Wall Street reform, the economy, healthcare and fiscal responsibility; Republicans are trying to block progress and change, hoping that this will be to their advantage in the November election.

Hoyer neatly sums up the real choice for voters this fall. Here's a sample of his points on Wall Street reform:

Democrats fought to protect American taxpayers by proposing fair rules of the road that put the referee back on the field.

Republicans fought for big Wall Street banks and maintaining the same failed system that resulted in the financial crisis.

Definitely worth a read!

Come March with Livingston Dems on Monday!

The 4th of July is a great time to show your patriotism -- not just with fireworks and barbecues but my marching in a 4th of July parade!

Join Livingston County Democrats on Monday, July 5, for the Brighton 4th of July parade. The parade begins at 10 a.m., but we will begin assembling at 9:30 a.m. at the Brighton Education and Community Center, Main and Church Streets, in downtown Brighton. Look for our mechanical donkey float, "Chicago." Wear a blue shirt or one with patriotic colors.

Many of our candidates for state and county offices will be joining us. This will be a great time to meet some of them. And we'll have candy to hand out to the kids, too.

See you there!

Sudden Change of Heart for Commissioners

Livingston County Commissioners all of a sudden are taking an interest in trying to get the county's economy moving again.

Livingston County Commission Chair Maggie Jones participated last Friday (June 18, 2010) in a planning session for developing a county strategic plan in which county leaders tried to envision what they would like the county to look like in the future.

That in itself is interesting, since Republican Party Chair Mike Murphy said recently the county doesn't need no stinkin' vision because everything is perfect in Livingston County. Never mind the 10 deaths in the Pinckney area from heroin overdoses in the last three years. Forgot the millions in debt the county has taken on for subdivisions that were never finished. And let's not talk about the miles of dirt roads we still have in this county.

Apparently, Jones doesn't agree with Murphy. She finally has gotten off her duff to take an interest in something besides paying the electric bill at the courthouse and expanding an airport that taxpayers pay for but most don't even know exists. That's a switch from a few months ago when the commission never even got around to telling the public that $24 million in bonds were available for local businesses under the federal economic recovery act.

Could it be the county commissioners don't like the looks of seven Democrats running against them in November?

GOP Communication Strategy

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/tomtoles/?nid=roll_toonsvid

Let's Be Done With Bob Young

Bob Young has been as big a disaster on the Michigan Supreme Court as the "sleeping judge" Cliff Taylor was. In fact, the two were ideological twins. Voters showed Cliff Taylor the door in 2008 once they learned about his decision against a woman whose children died in a house fire due to faulty wiring.

Young voted with Taylor on that case, and that's bad enough. But Young also has voted against Michigan citizens and in favor of big oil companies.

The Michigan Democratic Party has produced a video laying out Young's decisions favoring corporations over citizens who want to protect the environment, and it's powerful. If enough voters see this, come November there will be a lot of voters making sure they flip their ballot over and vote the non-partisan judicial section -- against Bob Young.

You can view the video here.

Father-less Father's Day

How do you spend your first Father's Day without a father?

Whom do you call to hear how he is spending his day, to find out if the card you picked out specially for him got there in time?

Maybe you call your siblings, to see how they're doing, and to wish them a Happy Father's Day instead.

But mostly, you spend the day with your memories -- memories of how having had a father for decades shaped your life.

Some of the memories are cliches -- examples of working hard rubbing off on you, for instance.

But some are unique and special, like the advice offered as you were contemplating college, "No matter what you do, get a good education because that's one thing no one can ever take away from you." All the more meaningful because it came from a child of the Depression who watched his family home and all their possessions -- including his own BB gun -- auctioned off, and who never got a chance at college and the English degree he had hoped for.

And dozens more.

So you spend the day with your memories, and try to understand why memories once so wonderful inflict such pain and hope for the day they just go back to being wonderful.

Happy Father's Day. May this one be the best ever!

Michigan Film Credt Critics Foiled Again

More bad news for those who love to hate the Michigan film credit program.

ABC will begin filming a weekly crime drama in Detroit, "Detroit 1-8-7." Producers say the series, which focuses on the officers in a homicide unit, will bring millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs to the city. A studio and stage sets are being constructed in Highland Park.

The Detroit Free Press has the details. And ABC has scenes and more info on its website.

Good news for our struggling economy. Bad news for those who love to hate the film credit program. Anyone heard from Nancy Cassis?

Democrat Party defending Israel against US citizens?

Stephen Zunes: Democratic Party Defends Israeli Attackhttp://act.commondreams.org/go/995?akid=79.83922.LVaq_V&t=26

This article names Democratic leaders who are defending the Israeli Attack on the flotilla. Chuck and I heard former Ambassodor Edward Peck and Joe Meadors-Survivor of the USS Liberty- speak in Livonia on June 5th and they spoke because they were on the flotilla and knew that Israel would paint the humanitarians on board as terrorists and they want the American public to know that that was not the case.

In the photo:
Chuck& Mares Hirchert, Joe Meadors-Survivor of the USS Liberty, Diane& Larry Cooper, Edward Peck-Former US Ambassador.

http://www.gtr5.com/ link to cover up of killing of US Sailors by Israeli Navy in 1967.

Blame the Hamburg Voters? Not So Fast

How quickly we forget.

There's a suggestion that the mess in Hamburg should be blamed on the "voters."

Have we forgotten what led up to the 2008 election? It wasn't the "voters" who sat on the Hamburg Township board of trustees in 2008 and engaged in intra-party fighting over the duties of the supervisor and other matters. It was local Republican leaders who were fighting with each other. Some members of the current board -- trustee Bill Hahn comes to mind -- even promoted the candidacy of former treasurer Patrick Evon before he proved to be such a disaster.

No, this wasn't the voters fault. This train wreck was brought to the people of Hamburg via the local Republican Party leadership. Voters will remember that.