tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65041875000606517102024-03-13T18:05:33.439-04:00LivingBluePosts or comments are by individuals and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Livingston County Democrats.<p>
For the official Livingston County Democratic Party site, visit <b>www.livcodemocrats.org</b></p>Living Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01296343624554518968noreply@blogger.comBlogger1158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-2912009940072065182013-12-19T07:29:00.000-05:002013-12-19T07:29:47.561-05:00Pause on Christmas Eve to Remember Labor's Mottor After Mass Tragedy -- Justice, Not CharityMichigan has more than its share of big moments in labor history -- the Flint sit-down strike and the Battle of the Overpass stand out.<br />
<br />
Christmas Eve 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of another moment in labor history that must not be forgotten.<br />
<br />
In the early 20th century, copper mines in Michigan's Upper Peninsula were booming. Copper was in high demand as the United States electrified its cities, businesses, and homes. The Calumet and Hecla Mining Co. was raking in money off the backs of immigrants who were forced to work 10-hour days, six days a week in dark, dangerous conditions for subsistence wages. In 1913, the company came up with a way to make even more money by eliminating the jobs of about half the workers. It instituted the use of a 150-pound drill that would be operated by only one worker instead of two. Not only would jobs be lost, but a worker injured on the job would be alone in the dark mines. The job was already the most dangerous in the nation at the time, with fatality rates of one out of every 200 workers.<br />
<br />
The Western Federation of Miners organized the mine workers and in the summer of 2013 the local workers decided to strike. The work stoppage dragged on through the fall and into winter as C&H brought in scabs to try to break the strike. With just $23,000 in its strike fund when the stoppage began, the union was no match for the deep pockets of C&H, which was backed by an army of company thugs and the Michigan National Guard.<br />
<br />
Living in cold homes with nothing to eat, the strikers held on. To try to bring a little cheer to the families, a party was organized for Christmas Eve in the upstairs room at the Italian Hall in Calumet. As many as 700 people were crowded into the hall, singing Christmas carols as small gifts solicited from area merchants were given out to the children..<br />
<br />
Suddenly, someone came to the top of the steps and yelled, "Fire." There was no fire, but the alarm set off a stampede for the narrow stairway to the exit. Someone fell on the stairs and then more people, bodies piled up in the stairwell,suffocating those on the bottom.<br />
<br />
When it was over, 73 people had died, most of them children.<br />
<br />
The tragedy and the mass funeral attracted national attention. Even C&H felt a little ashamed and secretly tried to offer $5,000 to the families of the dead. Citizens in the town took up a collection and went around to the families offering them money. But the miners refused the money, saying, they didn't want charity, they wanted justice.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, the families and the miners received no justice. Union President Charles Moyer sent letters demanding an investigation into the mass murders, but thugs from an anti-union citizen group called the Citizens Alliance beat him and shot him. There was never an adequate investigation and the identity of those who raised the false alarm has never been determined, although Moyer believed the man wore a Citizens Alliance button. The strike ended in the spring. Miners went back to work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN4WeR17_h4Jm6x8tlxmSmOmCR-sTvkE_aDpFzia3Gf0ULIITQnrsptcZJAA9ilHLs4Chj7QFyz-lwfrLUGtojgGcQH_P5pIloUAydQ3c6idquPyirk9azlEmOloZxr8pfrBm3kNqWRI/s1600/Italian+hall+arches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN4WeR17_h4Jm6x8tlxmSmOmCR-sTvkE_aDpFzia3Gf0ULIITQnrsptcZJAA9ilHLs4Chj7QFyz-lwfrLUGtojgGcQH_P5pIloUAydQ3c6idquPyirk9azlEmOloZxr8pfrBm3kNqWRI/s320/Italian+hall+arches.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Italian Hall no longer stands. The city of Calumet tore it down, perhaps not wanting to look at the reminder of the tragedy anymore. But an historical marker stands between the arches of the front entry hall with a brief history of the tragedy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsMVq2Y534ssU5BE4zSZtShB8fer7gukUoib2_dNmLKNlkLXKSaNc0HJE__Bj6nqHuF1fAET93qUIF7TRbtUYedJQ4_wXDC2Ot4UUo6bWg8a1WjRiLLgEhevLeBqtBBDGVEEcE8nTHDI/s1600/Italian+hall+plaque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsMVq2Y534ssU5BE4zSZtShB8fer7gukUoib2_dNmLKNlkLXKSaNc0HJE__Bj6nqHuF1fAET93qUIF7TRbtUYedJQ4_wXDC2Ot4UUo6bWg8a1WjRiLLgEhevLeBqtBBDGVEEcE8nTHDI/s320/Italian+hall+plaque.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Ultimately, the mines closed as they found it hard to compete with cheaper open-pit copper mining in the Southwest. So there is no happy ending, no triumph for the cause of working people in this story.<br />
<br />
But there is one reminder. We can make the union's response to the company's $5,000 hand-out or own motto. We don't want charity for low-wage workers. We want justice.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-61496052811155718862013-12-16T09:30:00.000-05:002013-12-18T07:55:50.041-05:00Livingston's Shari Pollesch Will Challenge Joe Hune!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxmMJlublaL2zyNV9S25-TkOGuguX3dGLZR-IVwa69yWCQe5ZYmzIZ1Z-AinRafliZfnPQzPM1YMxD5Tv2TfSF5bystVzoLP1sJC9SleYc3lAVOoNe5m3hSI91kLBRacploShlekGiCA/s1600/Shari+Pollesch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxmMJlublaL2zyNV9S25-TkOGuguX3dGLZR-IVwa69yWCQe5ZYmzIZ1Z-AinRafliZfnPQzPM1YMxD5Tv2TfSF5bystVzoLP1sJC9SleYc3lAVOoNe5m3hSI91kLBRacploShlekGiCA/s200/Shari+Pollesch.JPG" width="160" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Extreme right-wing Senator Joe Hune told people a few months ago that he was "nauseated" at the thought of expanding Medicaid so that working poor people in Michigan could have access to health care. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine how sick to his stomach Hune must be to find out that he has just acquired a tough, smart Democratic opponent for his 2014 re-election campaign!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shari Pollesch is announcing that she is running for the Democratic
nomination for State Senate in the 22<sup>nd</sup> District and that she is starting her campaign nearly a year before the 2014 election. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike Hune, who is known as Mr. Free Lunch in Lansing for his frequent lobbyist-paid meals, Shari is
committed to policies that put people before special interests, our children’s
education before political agendas, seniors before corporate tax cuts and a
clean environment before big energy profits.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a voice of reason in Lansing, Shari will work to reverse policies that
are unfairly burdening the middle class and will fight for a smart government
that <b>puts people first</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a statement announcing that she has filed her nominating papers, Shari said:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I am running
because there has been no real progress in Lansing on issues critical to
people’s standard of living.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Unemployment
in Michigan was 9% three years ago and it is 9% today. Instead of focusing on revitalizing our
economy, protecting seniors or fairly funding our local schools, my opponent
has been sponsoring regulations on whether the local pub can sell me a beer in
a glass with a logo. </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Michigan needs a
new direction that will only come through new leadership; leadership that can
be trusted to work for people."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shari was raised by a single
mother who often worked two jobs to support Shari, her two brothers, and her
sister. Ultimately, Shari’s mother went
on to become a small business owner setting an example of hard work, courage and
determination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After receiving her Bachelor
of Arts degree from Olivet College in 1981, Shari taught preschool in the
Eaton/Ingham County Head Start program. Witnessing
the hardships and inequality of poverty suffered by her students, Shari
developed a passion for social justice, which led her to law school. She
graduated from Thomas Cooley Law School with her Juris Doctorate and entered
private practice in 1989. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a partner with Ken
Burchfield and David Park, Shari has used her strong listening, advocacy, and
negotiating skills to help hundreds of Livingston County residents and small
businesses, resolve their legal issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to her busy law
practice, Shari has served on the boards of the Michigan League of Conservation
Voters, the Key Development Center, which provides outpatient substance abuse
treatment, and the Livingston County Concert Band. She helped found the Community Unitarian
Universalists in Brighton, served as its second board president, and currently
chairs its Social Justice Committee. She also chaired the health care reform
initiative of the Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network and
served as a member on a coalition for implementation of the Affordable Care
Act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shari and her husband,
Rodger, live in Hartland Township where Shari raised her two daughters, both of
whom graduated from Hartland Consolidated Schools and from Michigan colleges. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shari will officially kick
off her campaign on January 15, 2014 at Cleary’s Pub, 117 E. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6504187500060651710" name="_GoBack"></a>Grand
River, Howell, Michigan from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
For more information about Shari’s campaign, visit Shari’s web site, <u><a href="http://voteforshari.com/">voteforshari.com</a></u>,
or her Facebook page, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharipolleschforsenate?fref=ts" target="_blank"><u>Shari Pollesch for Senate</u>.</a> To contact the
campaign, call (810) 224-0560. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The new
boundaries of the 22<sup>nd</sup> State Senate district were created as part of the
state’s legislative redistricting following the 2010 census. The district includes
all of Livingston County and approximately two thirds of Washtenaw County, west
of the city of Ann Arbor, including Lyndon, Webster, Northfield, Sylvan, Lima,
Scio, Sharon, Freedom, Lodi, Saline and Bridgewater Townships, plus the
Villages of Dexter and Manchester, and the city of Chelsea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-8071534037902197522013-07-19T07:48:00.000-04:002013-07-19T07:50:12.481-04:00Local Dem Working on Documentary on Mining and Threats to Water<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">If you live in Michigan, you know about the Great Lakes. You know that they hold 21 percent of the earth's fresh surface water.You know they're precious and special and need to be protected.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">But maybe you didn't know that mining companies pose a huge threat to their continued purity.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">A Livingston County Democrat is out to change that. Shana Burns is producing a documentary on the threats to the Great Lakes posed by hard rock mining in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Called <em>Trust,</em> the documentary is a feature-length documentary that looks at water, the treaty rights of Native American tribes, and politics. The film raises the alarm about the more than 40 active mines and exploration sites in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Many are located on tribal land, posing a threat to the subsistence lifestyles still practiced by many native peoples.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Shana has produced a trailer for the film and is raising money to continue the project. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Find out more about it here:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/trust-a-documentary?c=home"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/trust-a-documentary?c=home</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span>Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-70570428649793854162013-02-24T08:53:00.000-05:002013-02-24T08:53:18.565-05:00The wastewater bond is a waste of money!<b>To ALL Genoa Township Democrats and Republicans against wasting public money.</b><br />
<br />
Sign the petition. Stop the waste of money for the wastewater pipeline bond. Help me defeat this bond.<br />
<br />
A better, cheaper alternative exists. Here are the numbers:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bond Numbers:</b></span><br />
$300 a year or more: $4,300 total cost per household for the $6 million wastewater pipeline bond.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">VS the cheaper alternative:</span></b><br />
$ 240 a year for township provided soft water plus (for 1,000 homes in Northshore and Oakpoint Subs.)<br />
$ 88 a year for Oak Point wastewater plant improvements.<br />
$ 328 subtotal<br />
-60 a year savings in salt costs, and you<b> NEVER</b> have to<b> BUY SALT AGAIN!</b><br />
$268 <b>TOTAL</b> a year - <b>$32 a year cheaper than the wasteful pipeline bond.</b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">for household on wells:</span></b> (400 households in the Tri-lakes area)<br />
$ 240 a year for potassium chloride ($20 a bag at Costco).<br />
$ 88 a year for Oak Point wastewater plant improvements.<br />
$ 6 a year for inspection for salt at grinder pumps.<br />
$ 334 a year subtotal. <br />
-60 a year savings in salt cost - you are buying potassium instead<br />
$ 274 <b>TOTAL</b> a year - <b>$26 a year cheaper than the wasteful pipeline bond.</b><br />
<br />
<b>In addition to the cost savings, we get getter water in the deal. No unhealthy salt in our household water or in the Oak Point wastewater plant effluent.</b><br />
<br />
All democrats and all Republicans against wasting money help me defeat this bond buy signing and circulating in Genoa Township the petition so that a vote of the people will be required to issue this bond. We need 1,600 signatures or 10% of the registered voters on the petition to <b>STOP THIS BOND!</b><br />
<br />
Jim Delcamp<br />
jrdel@att.netLiving Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01296343624554518968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-87362885291610950622013-02-22T12:49:00.001-05:002013-02-22T12:49:33.118-05:00NO PIPELINE BOND!<b>To all Genoa Township Democrats and to all Republicans who oppose wasting money:</b><br />
<br />
The Genoa Township board voted (on February 18th) for a $5 million (really $6 million ) wastewater pipeline bond. But we can still stop it by signing a petition requiring a vote before the bond is issued. 10 percent of voters (1,600 of 16,000) must sign the petition to stop the bond.<br />
<br />
We should spend our money for improved water quality, not on the wastewater pipeline!<br />
<br />
This bond is for a $5 million dollar pipeline plus $1 million in improvements to the Genoa Oceola wastewater plant ($6 million total) to handle the new inflow from the Oak Point wastewater plant - which is slated to be shut down (but can be saved and improved). Salt from household softeners is going into the plant settling pond and then into groundwater causing a plume of salted groundwater south of the plant. The State has a standard that the plant wastewater must be below 150mg/l. The township wants a 5 mile pipeline to redirect the wastewater all the way to the Genoa Oceola plant.<br />
<br />
Better, and cheaper is to provide households connected to the OakPoint water delivery system (1,000 households) with softened water so they do not need to use water softeners thus saving all of the cost and difficulty of using salt and reducing the salt flow into the wastewater plant to within State limits. <br />
<br />
Households connected to the wastewater system in the Tri lakes area who are on wells (400 residents) can use potassium or switch (when their system gets old) to the new no-salt water conditioning systems. (No more salt or potassium bags to buy and lug home!). Buying potassium is still cheaper than the cost of the pipeline bond ($240 a year vs $360 a year - $300 for the bond plus $60 for salt) and the no salt systems at $2,400 are way cheaper than the $4,300 full cost of the 5 mile pipeline! (1,400 residents paying $6 million dollars).<br />
<br />
No Pipeline Bond!<br />
Use our money for better water, not a wasteful wastewater pipeline!<br />
Cut the salt, improve our water quality!<br />
Save the Oak Point wastewater plant!<br />
<br />
The township has petitions, or I have petitions you can sign and pass around calling for a vote on this before the bond can be approved.<br />
<br />
If you have questions or want to sign or circulate petitions, contact me for details<br />
Jim Delcamp<br />
<a href="mailto:jrdel@att.net" target="_blank">jrdel@att.net</a>Living Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01296343624554518968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-21622659243528789272013-01-11T12:29:00.001-05:002013-01-11T12:32:44.410-05:00<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Tell Genoa Township Trustees to vote NO on the Sewer Bond<span style="font-size: large;">!</span></b></span><br />
<br />
To anyone reading this blog living in Oak Point, Tri Lakes or North Shore (in Genoa Township) who are served by the Oak Point wastewater treatment plant, tell your township trustees to vote NO on the sewer bond. The bond will stick us with a 5 million dollar five mile pipeline to the Genoa / Oceola treatment plant - a cost of $3571 per household for the 1,400 households served by the Oak Point plant. The bond will likely be voted on in late January or early February by the Board.<br />
<br />
Township officials are pushing this bond and pipeline because groundwater below the Oak Point plant is being contaminated by salt from the water softeners of households connected to the plant. The Plant does not treat for salt, but lets it seep in settling ponds into the ground and groundwater. By connecting to the Genoa Oceola plant 5 miles away this salty water is directed there. The Genoa Oceola plant then discharges into surface water, namely the Shiawassee River system.<br />
<br />
There is a better and potentially cheaper alternative. <b>Ban the salt</b>. Hamburg Township has already successfully done so, and we can to. Hamburg Township allows the use of potassium chloride or any of a number of systems that use no salt or potassium chloride (thus saving the cost of buying salt or potassium chloride). These no salt systems can cost less than the $3571per household the bond issue costs (and you need never buy salt or potassium chloride again).<br />
<br />
Plus, many folks like myself have medical conditions like high blood pressure so we need to restrict salt in our diets. ( Our household does not use a softener at all, and this method works too. We filter our drinking water with a Brita - other filters are available for greater cost. We add washing soda to water for laundry and dishwater to soften it.) <br />
<br />
And, in the future environmental laws may ban discharge of salty water (brine from water softeners)<br />
into surface water. This is already the case in the Los Angeles County Sanitation District. Google their web site and read the facts.<br />
<br />
The future belongs to the no salt alternatives.<br />
<br />
(By the way, the cheapest place to buy potassium chloride is a Costco at $19 per bag. Also, though potassium chloride prices spiked several years ago they have declined since and should continue to decline).<br />
<br />
Jim Delcamp<br />
former candidate for Genoa Township Trustee<br />
<br />
<br />Living Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01296343624554518968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-47574313169677434042013-01-10T09:40:00.003-05:002013-01-10T09:40:59.416-05:00Hope There's More To It Than ThisSo Rick Snyder is planning to recommend a plan for dealing with Michigan's crumbling roads and bridges. That's long overdue, as anyone who drives in the state understands.<br />
<br />
According to the <i>Livingston Press and Argus</i>, <a href="http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20130110/NEWS01/301100307/Snyder-will-offer-plan-fix-roads?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News" target="_blank">the plan</a> to be unveiled in Snyder's State of the State message next week could include switching from a flat 19-cents a gallon tax on gasoline (15 cents for diesel) to a tax that is a percentage of the pump price. Theoretically, this would help road revenues keep pace with inflation, since collections would go up when the price of fuel went up or go down when the price of fuel went down.<br />
<br />
Inflation, though, isn't the state's main problem with road revenues. For proof, look at what happened to the price of the Latson Road interchange in Livingston County. The big problem, one that will get even bigger in the future, is that people are buying less fuel. Vehicles are more fuel-efficient. Some, such as electric cars, use little gasoline or diesel at all.<br />
<br />
That's why Snyder's plan, as laid out in the media, is disappointing. It doesn't ask drivers of alternatively-fueled vehicles to pay more towards roads. That is the real challenge for the future -- how to make sure everyone using the roads pays towards their construction and upkeep. There should be no free- or nearly free-riders.<br />
<br />
But as Snyder showed with his signing of right-to-work-for-less legislation, he thinks free-riders are just fine.<br />
<br />
<br />Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-9395723570517436092013-01-09T09:03:00.002-05:002013-01-09T09:03:40.008-05:00This Would Be a Nice Trend If It ContinuesA reporter is only as good as his or her sources.<br />
<br />
Anyone who has read about Woodward and Bernstein knows that. The two <i>Washington Post</i> reporters would never have been able to break open Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal without their sources.<br />
<br />
One thing that has bothered me about the<i> Livingston Press and Argu</i>s in recent months is the heavy reliance on the far-right Mackinac Center as sources for stories. Any report issued by the Mackinac Center usually shows up immediately as the basis for a story or editorial in the newspaper.<br />
<br />
It's not that the stories aren't "balanced." The stories generally feature comments from opposing points of view. It's that the stories always start with whatever premise the Mackinac Center report or study or news release is based on and everyone else is asked to react or rebut, as if the Mackinac Center was the exclusive possessor of the truth or their framing of the issue is the only way to view it.<br />
<br />
So it was refreshing Wednesday (Jan. 9, 2013) to see the<i> Livingston Press and Argus </i>base one of its <a href="http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20130109/OPINION01/301090312/Snyder-ought-skip-world-free-facts?odyssey=nav|head" target="_blank">editorials</a> on a report from the centrist <a href="http://thecenterformichigan.net/" target="_blank">Center for Michigan's Bridge Report</a>.The editorial encourages Republican Rick Snyder to stick to facts when making decisions, as he promised to do when elected, and takes him to task for relying on phony claims about Indiana's supposed economic successes after it passed anti-union legislation.<br />
<br />
As the editorial notes, the <a href="http://bridgemi.com/2013/01/indiana-reaction-belies-pro-right-to-work-claims/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=indiana-reaction-belies-pro-right-to-work-claims" target="_blank">Bridge report</a> revealed that claims of businesses relocating to Indiana due to the anti-worker "right to work" legislation were vastly exaggerated.<br />
<br />
This approach is refreshing -- and useful for readers interested in multiple points of view<br />
<br />Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-39963485499836696782012-12-29T08:42:00.002-05:002012-12-29T08:42:40.788-05:00Snyder's Abortion Signing Dispels Last of 'Moderate' PretenseIf there was any doubt after Rick Snyder's about face on anti-working family legislation, Snyder has totally thrown in his lot with the far-right fringe of Michigan Republicans.<br />
<br />
The latest piece of evidence was <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/28/michigan-abortion-law-_n_2377744.html" target="_blank">Snyder's signing of a bill Friday</a> that make it almost impossible to obtain an abortion in Michigan. The bill would impose operating room regulations on abortion clinics, require doctors to screen women for coercion, ban tele-conferencing between doctors and patients for prescribing medication abortions, and regulate the disposal of fetal remains.<br />
<br />
Those regulations will make it much more difficult to obtain an abortion in Michigan because facilities will end of closing. But Snyder vetoed another bill that would have barred Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Michigan from offering abortion coverage in its standard health insurance plans.<br />
<br />
So with one stroke of a pen, Snyder makes it nearly impossible to obtain an abortion in Michigan. And with another stroke of his pen, Snyder says insurance companies have to cover the procedure. And this is supposed to make sense?<br />
<br />
Snyder may have been trying to salvage some of his "moderate" credentials by claiming that the insurance coverage bill would have penalized women who were victims of rape or incest, but that doesn't undo the damage that his signing of the other bill does.<br />
<br />
There's no fooling anyone anymore. Snyder has shed whatever moderate trappings he put on in order to win the votes of independents in 2010. He now is strictly a puppet of the far-right wing of the Michigan Republican Party.<br />
<br />
And people need to be reminded of it day in and day out until 2014.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-46859881556017627912012-12-28T07:00:00.003-05:002012-12-28T07:00:45.187-05:00What Has Livingston Gotten for SPARK Investment?The <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ann-arbor-spark-begins-livingston-county-work-collaboration-141053113.html" target="_blank">one-year anniversary</a> of the deal between Ann Arbor SPARK and Livingston County is coming up. Isn't it time for the Livingston County Board of Commissioners to ask what the results have been so far?<br />
<br />
The county last winter approved a three-year deal to pay Ann Arbor SPARK $333,880 annually to promote economic development in Livingston County. That' on top of thousandsmore chipped in by a dozen townships and cities. With almost a third of that spent, what have taxpayers gotten for their money?<br />
<br />
It doesn't sound like too much, based on <a href="http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20121228/NEWS01/212280318/Latson-Road-Interstate-96-Interchange-Ann-Arbor-SPARK-poised-make-economic-impact?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News" target="_blank">this story</a> in the <em>Livingston Press and Argus,</em> especially this quote: <br />
<br />
<em>"We're just really looking forward to ramping up our retention and economic work within the county," said Mike Kennedy, chairman of the EDC board. "We're extremely excited."</em><br />
<br />
Almost a third of the contract is up and the staff is still "looking forward to ramping up" work? I would think the "ramping up" would have been done in the first few months and that by now things would be in "full swing" mode."<br />
<br />
This is disappointing and not a sign that taxpayer dollars have been well-spent so far.<br />
Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-55264308498331516602012-12-20T11:36:00.000-05:002013-01-11T11:56:16.531-05:00<div style="text-align: left;">
<b> <span style="font-size: large;">Governor Snyder vs <b><span style="font-weight: normal;">American National Security</span></b></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe letting technology meant for warfare get into the wrong hands, whether totalitarian regimes or disturbed young men will be the destruction of our civilization.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Japan and Germany before World War 2 modernized technologies that they later used for war with the help of British and American companies. These companies sold it to make a quick buck. Today American companies sell or partner with Chinese companies to share our most advanced technology including technology that has military uses. Mike Rogers, our Congressman has brought up this issue in the media. Maybe he ought to look into the activities of our Governor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here, from the web site www.china-threat.com is the connection with our governor.</span></span></div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Governor Snyder's China Connections</h2>
<span class="imgPusher" style="float: left; height: 0px;"></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 10;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6504187500060651710"><img alt="Picture" class="galleryImageBorder" src="http://www.china-threat.com/uploads/7/6/7/4/7674794/6415753.png" style="border-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 5px; padding: 3px;" /></a></span>
An
American Company, NeoPhotonics, Morph's into a Chinese Company. It was
well publicized during the election that Rick Snyder moved Gateway Computer's
manufacturing to China along with thousands of jobs but those were yesterday's jobs. He has also given China technology, developed by American
companies and Universities that will give China the edge to compete for
tomorrow's jobs and is helping China build a superpower military. Rick
Snyder's venture capital company, Ardesta, bought a telecommunications
technology company named NeoPhotonics. This company was rich in
technology patents but with little manufacturing. Rick Snyder merged
this company with one in China, which essentially changed an American
Technology Company into<br />
a Chinese one.They then became part of an alliance between Chinese telecommunications companies and Sprint/Nextel that proposed to build the next generation telecommunications network for America, which raised national security concerns for many in Congress.<br />
<br />
<b>NeoPhotonics merges with a Chinese company:</b><br />
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http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_July_6/ai_n14713142/<br />
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SAN JOSE, Calif. & SHENZHEN, PRC -- NeoPhotonics Corporation of San Jose today announced the completion of their merger with Photon Technology Co., Ltd. of Shenzhen. The new NeoPhotonics expects revenues to exceed $50M in 2005, has more than 1200 employees, primarily in China and the U.S., and has more than 100 customers, many of which are tier one network equipment suppliers.<br />
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Photon Technology Co., as China's largest active component manufacturer, has a solid history of continued growth and profitability since its founding in 1993. Combining Photon with NeoPhotonics, the leading developer of integrated component solutions using planar lightwave circuits (PLC), creates a company with the broadest and deepest optical component capability in the industry today. The company's advanced solutions combine active and passive components into products and modules for long-haul, metro and access optical networks.<br />
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<b>The Chinese company was largely owned by the Chinese government</b><br />
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20051101/handson-global-entrepreneur.html<br />
<br />
Photon's 14 shareholders, including a government agency in Shenzhen that owned about one-third of the company.<br />
<br />
The main customer for NeoPhotonics was the third largest telecommunications company in the world, Huawei.<br />
<br />
NeoPhotonics listed Huawei as 53% of its business in 2010 (SEC filing)<br />
http://blog.connectedplanetonline.com/briefingroom/2009/03/19/neophotonics-huawei-confers-top-award-for-product-quality-customer-support-in-2008/0costliving.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13604179552572284619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-45684490266355992802012-12-19T07:31:00.002-05:002012-12-19T07:31:53.596-05:00Livingston Dem Casts Vote in Electoral CollegeA Green Oak Township woman helped make President Obama's re-election official.<br />
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On Monday (Dec. 17, 2012), JoAnnMurphy, a long-time Democratic activist and United Auto Workers member, cast one of Michigan's 16 votes in the Electoral College for Obama during a ceremony in the Michigan State Senate chambers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcj2i7y5Dx8u1tGtx-LJmUqIxuM1NxdYXw6yvAlYPqUg2leZlNXXJ4K1WLzfvNsWyoXTX1KD66pSRMj8vQcs_FVvtD77hiXSBSVJjrLgC9LsQ8J2q_8aT0bzNblFwB5NGSQ377EhKJxI/s1600/photo%5B2%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcj2i7y5Dx8u1tGtx-LJmUqIxuM1NxdYXw6yvAlYPqUg2leZlNXXJ4K1WLzfvNsWyoXTX1KD66pSRMj8vQcs_FVvtD77hiXSBSVJjrLgC9LsQ8J2q_8aT0bzNblFwB5NGSQ377EhKJxI/s320/photo%5B2%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Of course, first the spelling of President Obama's first name had to be corrected from "Barak" to "Barack." Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer pointed out the <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20121218/COL05/121218078/Michigan-Secretary-State-misspelled-Obama-s-name-electoral-college-form" target="_blank">spelling error made by Secretary of State Ruth Johnson's office.</a> That doesn't inspire much confidence in Johnson's ability to oversee our elections with precision.<br />
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-23489169834137098462012-12-16T08:33:00.002-05:002012-12-16T08:33:10.367-05:00Snyder Needs to Disavow His Fund-Raiser's RemarksWhen will political candidates learn that what you say in private doesn't stay private anymore?<br />
<br />
Ron Weiser, finance chairman of the Republican National Committee and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, is the latest politician to be caught saying something outrageous. In remarks to a tea party gathering in Milford <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20121216/NEWS15/312160307/Top-Republican-official-Ron-Weiser-s-comments-about-Detroit-on-videotape-are-causing-a-stir?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE" target="_blank">recorded on videotape</a>, Weiser characterized Detroit voters as people who are dragged out of pool halls and barber shops to vote multiple times. Showing shockingly little political knowledge, ghe also disparaged President Obama's get-out-the-vote operation and predicted it would be unable to get Detroiters to vote.<br />
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Weiser has close ties to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. Weiser raised millions of dollars to help Snyder and Republicans take control of the statehouse in 2010. And at the time he made those remarks, Weiser was running for a seat on the University of Michigan board of regents on the Republican ticket. <br />
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We already know Weiser holds racist views. His words prove it. Does Snyder agree with his colleague's statements? Michigan voters deserve to know. You can call Snyder's office, Monay through Friday at 517-373-3400 or 517-375-7858, or you can use this <a href="https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/ShareOpinion.aspx" target="_blank">form </a>to submit your views online.<br />
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Ask him to disavow Weiser.and Weiser's views.<br />
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-16995488192318939282012-12-15T08:44:00.003-05:002012-12-15T08:44:57.483-05:00After Newtown, Does Teaching Qualify as a 'Dangerous' Job?Rick Snyder and the rest of the Lansing Republicans offered up a lot of phony resons for rushing through their anti-working family legislation but one of the phoniest had to be that <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20121206/NEWS15/121206030/right-to-work-legislation-Rick-Snyder-Republican-leaders" target="_blank">police and firefighters should be exempted from the legislation because of the "dangerousness of their jobs."</a><br />
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Teachers don't have dangerous jobs, in Snyder's view.<br />
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It didn't take long for those words to come back to bite Snyder, did it?<br />
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The shooting of 27 people at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school on Friday should remind us all that teaching, at least since Columbine, is a dangerous profession. Some schools have metal detectors.Some have police in their buildings. Classrooms at the University of Michigan have instructions on the wall regarding what to do if there is an "active shooter" in the area. But teaching is not a dangerous job, according to Snyder.<br />
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Teaching <em>shouldn't</em> be a dangerous job. But with a nation awash in semi-automatic weapons and a culture that glorifies violence, every job is a dangerous job. Snyder made it evenmore dangerous by signing <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/12/sweeping_changes_in_michigans.html" target="_blank">legislation allowing guns in schools</a>. Just what we need in the wake of Newtown.<br />
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Snyder needs to be held accountable.<br />
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-73160896179507736782012-12-13T07:12:00.002-05:002012-12-13T07:12:33.243-05:00Courthosue Crowd Trying to Insulate Itself from DemocracyIs the all-Republican clique that runs the Livingston County Courthouse trying to insulate itself from democracy?<br />
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A vacancy created by the resignation of Jay Drick, who was just re-elected in November, means the county commission can appoint his replacement within 30 days. But then voters get to weigh in on the pick. Under current law, a primary would be held, tentatively set for May 7, and then the general election itself, on Aug. 6. <br />
<br />
But as WHMI radio points out, a bill passed by the Senate, SB0204, would eliminate the requirement for a special election if the vacancy occurred in an odd-numbered year. That would set up a situation where Livingston County Republicans could perpetuately appoint their own successors -- run for re-election as an incumbent, resign right after the election, and then the rest of the board gets to appoint the replacement, who then gets to run in two years as an incumbent.<br />
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This is an insult to democracy. Special elections cost money, that's true. But democracy is priceless.<br />
Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-54577814946918775762012-12-09T08:33:00.004-05:002012-12-09T08:33:37.205-05:00Snyder Can't Hide AnymoreDuring his 2010 campaign for governor, Rick Snyder kept his views well-hidden. People could believe he was a moderate Republican if they wanted to, with little solid evidence to contradict them.<br />
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During his two years as governor, he has kept up the facade, saying this or that was "not on my agenda" when asked about hot-button issues that he didn't want to take a position on at the moment.<br />
<br />
But Snyder's true colors are obvious.<br />
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When he says something is not on his agenda, Snyder really is inviting whatever far-right group is pushing it to come in and talk to him about putting it on his agenda. It doesn't mean no. It means he's open to being persuaded otherwise.<br />
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It's the position of a person who has no core principles whatsoever, who can be pushed around by elements of his party rather than trying to work for what's best for all Michigan residents.<br />
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At last, people can put a label on Snyder and it's not "moderate." It's "tool of extremists."<br />
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-89796183978852638952012-12-07T07:30:00.003-05:002012-12-07T07:30:55.594-05:00Shame on Lansing Republicans! Lansing Republicans should be embarrassed.<br />
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Locking people out of the Michigan State Capitol on Thursday in order to keep the public from watching the GOP assault on working people was disgraceful. <br />
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If Republicans are so proud of what they are doing, why did they keep the people out? What do they have to hide?<br />
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Bob King, president of the United Auto Workers, hit the nail on the head with this interview. Passage of so-called "right to work" legislation is really about punishing unions for supporting Democrats who fight for legislation that benefits all workers. It's not about bringing jobs to Michigan or whether or not someone wants to join a union. People exercise that right when they vote on whether or not to join a union in the first place. Majority rules.<br />
<br />
Here's King's interview:<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMsyJFGtw-I&feature=plcp">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMsyJFGtw-I&feature=plcp</a>Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-88834165727604154032012-12-05T07:20:00.001-05:002012-12-05T07:20:09.378-05:00Election Results Show Need for Redistricting ReformNow that the dust is beginning to settle from the November election, those poking into the numbers are finding some interesting things.<br />
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Of course it's obvious that President Obama and Senator Debbie Stabenow had big victories statewide in Michigan. They ran terrific campaigns with messages that resonated with the views of most voters.<br />
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And so did Democratic congressional candidates and Democratic candidates for the state House. Democratic candidates for Congress won 50 percent of the vote statewide. Yet at the end of the day, that translated into only 36 percent of the state's congressional seats, or 5 of the 14 seats.<br />
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In the state House races, Democratic candidates won 53 percent of the total vote cast statewide in those races. That earned them only 46 percent of the seats, or 51, of the 110 seats in the Michigan House.<br />
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How is it that the party that receives a minority of the votes for Congress and the Michigan House is able to walk away with most of the seats? It's called gerrymandering. The lines drawn for the congressional and state House seats by the Republicans in Lansing lumped Democratic voters into as few districts as possible.The result is districts that are nearly completely safe for the Republican Party. This robs voters of true choices at the ballot box.<br />
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A priority for the 2014 election cycle should be redistricting reform, creating a non-partisan way of re-drawing district lines that is less influenced by partisan politics and more focused on the voters' best interests. Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-33792128550028117812012-10-08T08:00:00.003-04:002012-10-08T08:00:50.705-04:00Livingston County to Get $400,000 For Enbridge Easement?Does it look right?<br />
<br />
At one meeting, Livingston County residents are complaining to the all-Republican Livingston County Commission about their treatment at the hands of Enbridge as it builds a new pipeline through Livingston County.<br />
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At a later meeting, Livingston County is considering a $400,000 payment from Enbridge for a permanent easement across the Spencer J. Hardy Airport property for the same pipeline -- a payment that the airport desperately needs to make good on a deficit-reduction plan it was required to submit to the state to explain how it would cover a hole in its budget. The county airport had been asking for $500,000 to cover the airport red-ink.<br />
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The payment, to be considered by the County Commission's Finance Committee at its 7:30 a.m. meeting Wednesday, is for 11.72 acres of airport land, as well as for the temporary use of 6.98 acres of airport property during construction and reduced use of the airport during the construction period, according to the <a href="http://co.livingston.mi.us/commissioners/pdf2/121010F.pdf" target="_blank">resolution </a>prepared for the committee.<br />
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How hard did the county negotiate, since Enbridge knew the county needed the money from selling off airport assets in order to cover its past deficits?<br />
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Meanwhile, at its Sept. 26 meeting, the commissioner heard complaints from residents along other portions of the pipeline route about Enbridge, as well as from an Enbridge official. Although the minutes say that commissioners "asked that they (Enbridge) deal with the citizens fairly," is it possible one side carried more weight?Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-229692048617272632012-10-06T10:42:00.003-04:002012-10-06T10:42:30.938-04:00Town Hall Monday in Howell on Ballot ProposalsThe 2012 ballot is crowded with proposals. Don't be confused by all the television ads. Come to the town hall on ballot proposals sponsored by Livingston County Democrats to get the facts!<br />
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The event will be Monday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Howell Opera House, 123 W. Grand River, in downtown hall.<br />
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Livingson County Democrats have taken positions on five of the six ballot proposals. Speakers have been invited to speak in support of those positions. <br />
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On Proposal 1, the referendum on the Emergency Manager Law. Livingston County Democrats recommend you vote NO in order to reject the law. Speaking on that position will be former state representative Nick Ciaramataro, now legislative director with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 25.<br />
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On Proposal 2, Livingston County Democrats are suggesting that you vote YES in order to protect working families. Mary Aldecoa, president of the Fowlerville Education Association, will speak in favor of that position.<br />
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On Proposal 3, Livingston County Democrats have taken no position. This proposal would amend the Michigan Constitutional to require 25 percent of the state’s energy to be generated by alternative means by the year 2025. Robert Marc Gordon representing the Sierra Club will speak in favor of Proposal 3 and James Harrison, national representative for Region 4 of the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, will speak against.<br />
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Proposal 4 would amend the Michigan Constitution to set up a home health care council. Livingston County Democrats recommend a Yes Vote. Speaking in favor of it will be Andrew Krebs Coalition Organizer for Keep Home Care A Safe Choice.<br />
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Proposal 5 would amend the Michigan Constitution to require a two-thirds vote of the Michigan Legislature for passing any tax increases. Livingston County Democrats recommend a NO vote. Lynn Jondahl, a former state representative from East Lansing, will speak about why you should vote NO.<br />
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Proposal 6 would amend the Michigan Constitution to require a public vote for construction of a new international bridge. Livingston County Democrats recommend a NO vote. Jordan Genso, a member of the Livingston County Democratic Executive Committee, will speak on that position.<br />
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The event is free. Call (810) 229-4212 or email <a href="mailto:livcodems@gmail.com">livcodems@gmail.com</a> for more information.<br />
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Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-37477249544858596552012-10-02T19:16:00.002-04:002012-10-02T19:16:59.833-04:00Democratic House Candidates Shine in Livingston DebateThe following is a guest post from Livingston County's Communications Guru.<br />
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The Livingston County Press & Argus sponsored a debate on Tuesday, Sept. 25th, at Cleary University featuring candidates for the Michigan House from Livingston County’s 47th District and the new 42nd District.<br />
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<br />
Unfortunately, this will be the only debate now that Livingston County no longer has a League of Women Voters chapter. Shawn Lowe Desai, the Democratic Candidate for 47th District was the clear winner over the Republican incumbent. He was knowledgeable, energetic and framed his arguments well. <br />
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I thought it was a tie between Shanda Willis, the Democratic candidate for the 42nd District and incumbent Republican Bill Rogers; at least until near the end of the 60 minute debate. I have known and respected Mr. Rogers since he was on the Livingston Board of Commissioners, but I was disappointed and shocked at his take on Proposal 2 on collective bargining and the Governor’s veto of the three voter suppression bills in July. His spin on the worst two-year budget in Michigan was short on facts, but there is a big difference between lies and spin. <br />
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Mr. Rogers claimed his office got a call from a unionized police officer who said he heard Prop 2 would shrink their ability to collective barging by eliminating binding arbitration, and his office confirmed it was true. That is simply not true. He also has no idea how a union forms or he is misrepresenting it. He should be aware that workers can fire a union and decertify a union at any time with a simple majority.<br />
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His most egregious claim came when he was asked what action the Governor took that he was most disappointed over. He said it was the Governor’s decision to veto Senate Bills 754 and 803 and House Bill 5061 that were part of a package aimed at suppressing the vote that most disappointed him. He claimed the Governor vetoed bills that won unanimous support. That is, again, not true. All three bills were hotly contested, and the bill that got the most support only passed by a vote of 67-43. <br />
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The two-year budget cycle has led to an unprecedented tax shift from business to individuals; specifically the middle class. The change in the business resulted in a $1.8 billion business tax cut. On the other hand, the changes to the individual income tax resulted in a tax increase of $1.7 billion. The elimination of most all of the tax’s credits and deductions and taxing pensions will resulted in a net tax increase for individuals. Funding for K-12 education was reduced by more than $800 million, reflected primarily in a $470 per pupil cut in the foundation allowance, and funding for Michigan’s universities saw a 15 percent reduction in the first year Republicans controlled the House. The current budget restored what amounts to an increase of $100 in the foundation grant, but $470 minus $100 is still a cut.<br />
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That one reason a recent poll last week for the Detroit News and WDIV-TV showed voters want Democrats to take over the House in November. The poll showed generic Democratic candidates outpacing generic GOP ones by 13 points. However, with gerrymandering that does not mean Democrats will take over the House. <br />
<br />Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-16608778353311408572012-09-16T08:42:00.001-04:002012-09-16T08:42:51.967-04:00Livingston County Commission Snoozing on "Fracking" IssueLivingston County is one of the purest pieces of Pure Michigan. State recreation areas, bike trails, and dozens of lakes for fishing and boating add up to a wonderful quality of life that's hard to find anywhere else in Southeast Michigan.<br />
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So it's a little surprising that our elected officials have done nothing to protect that quality of life from the latest environmental threat -- deep hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as "fracking." The state of Michigan's Departmenht of Natural Resources has sold drilling rights to land underneath the Brighton Recreation Area and Lakelands Trail to oil and gas companies that open up the area to "fracking."<br />
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"Fracking" would allow companies to drill deep underground and inject millions of gallons of water, chemicals and sand into rock formations to release fossil fuels stored there. The process is not regulated by the federal government under the Clean Water Act, and companies are not required to disclose what chemicals are being used. The mixture of water, chemicals, and sand should be properly disposed of once used. A spill could ruin a lake, pollute drinking water supplies, and devastate our property values along with our recreational opportunities. Even without a spill, the presence of active wells will mean more noise, odors, and vastly increased truck traffic on roads that are already in dismal condition.<br />
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Other elected officials have taken steps to address fracking. <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20120912/NEWS03/309120087/Oakland-County-commissioners-hosting-town-hall-meeting-on-controversial-fracking" target="_blank">Oakland County commissioners</a> have held a<a href="http://birmingham.patch.com/articles/oakland-county-takes-on-fracking-during-town-hall" target="_blank"> townhall meeting explaining "fracking" and its impact on the environment </a>when something goes wrong, as it has elsewhere. <br />
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Yet Livingston County Republicans have sat on their hands and done nothing. No townhall meeting is scheduled. It's not on agendas of the county commission. <br />
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That loud snore you hear? Our Livingston County Commissioners asleep at the switch yet again.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-69646320276323009562012-09-03T07:03:00.003-04:002012-09-03T07:03:44.826-04:00Standing Up for Workers?This Sunday's church bulletin at a local Catholic church has a stirring statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the rights of workers as we celebrate Labor Day.<br />
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The bishops' statement, borrowing a quote from Pope John Paul II, calls for wages that allow a worker to support a family, legislation to "block shameful forms of exploitation, especially to the disadvantage of the most vulnerable workers, of immigrants and of those on the margins of society."<br />
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And it demonstrates strong support for labor unions.<br />
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"Unions and other worker associations have a unique and essential responsibility in this needed economic renewal. Our Church has long taught that unions are 'an indispensable elemnt of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies' and are examples of the traditional Catholic principles of solidarity and subsidiarity in action. At their best, unions demonstrate solidarity by bringing workers together to speak and act collectively to protect their rights and pursue the common good. Unions are a sign of subsidiarity by forming associations of workers to have a voice, articulate their needs, and bargain and negotiate with the large economic institutions and structures of government."<br />
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That's the church I remember from the 1960s, and I'm glad it's back.<br />
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I look forward to the church's on-going campaign to persuade the faithful to live according to the words of the bishops. I plan to attend the informational meeting our church will host on the Protect Our Jobs constitutional amendment expected to be on the ballot this fall. I will read the pastor's column in the bulletin about the need to "inform our consciences" on this important issue. I will listen carefully to the sermons preached about how labor unions demonstrate "traditional Catholic principles" and are "essential" in today's economy. I will read the Michigan bishops' op-eds in the Detroit area newspapers. I will give generously to the people who will be standing at the doors as I leave Mass selling flowers to raise money for striking workers somewhere or to collect donations for out of work families. I will read the flyers placed on the windshield of my car in the church parking lot the weekend before the election.<br />
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I look forward to doing all that, but then I remember that we're not talking about fetuses here. The chuch will do all that and more for them. But for those of us who are post-fetuses, well, we'll have to see how much the bishops really mean it when they say labor unions demonstrate Catholic values. Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-4494111779863776022012-08-30T07:47:00.000-04:002012-08-30T07:47:03.180-04:00Whose Side Is Livingston County Goverrnment On?Some Livingston County residents are seeing the power of big oil right in their own backyards.<br />
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Residents along a 50-mile stretch of an Enbridge Oil Company pipeline are being intimidated by the company, which has posted armed guards on the easements and in at least one case cut down trees on a resident's property near the pipeline.<br />
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But the latest display of power is Enbridge's ability to buy the power of government to intimidate property owners. The Livingston Press and Argus <a href="http://www.livingstondaily.com/article/20120830/NEWS01/208300307/Enbridge-s-deal-deputies-questioned?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage" target="_blank">reports</a> that the company has a contract with the sheriff's department to post deputies along the pipeline construction areas allegedly to "keep the peace" between property owners and the pipeline construction crew. But since there have been no actual incidents between property owners and Enbridge, what's the point? Intimidation.<br />
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What's especially galling is that the off-duty deputies are wearing uniforms, despite being paid for by Enbridge.<br />
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That's what happens when corporations have huge amounts of money to spend. They buy whatever they want, including the services of our taxpayer-supported law enforcement.Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504187500060651710.post-53232393004674901982012-08-28T07:56:00.001-04:002012-08-28T07:57:33.945-04:00All (Bad) Roads Lead to HomeLast weekend, I was lucky enough to get away for 48 hours, driving more than 500 miles to northern Michigan and back along the shore of Lake Michigan. What a great reminder how beautiful Pure Michigan is!<br />
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But after eight hours or more in the car, it was when we hit the border of Livingston County that things literally went to pot. The roads in Livingston County were worse than anywhere else that we drove during those two days, and we were on a number of back roads going from one beach town to another.<br />
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That's why the Democratic candidates for Livingston County Commission made improving our roads one of their top priorities in the 2012 campaign platform, released Monday. As the coverage in <a href="http://hartland.patch.com/articles/democratic-candidates-for-livingston-county-commissioner-laid-out-a-bold-plan" target="_blank">Hartland Patch</a> points out, the plan is a bold one for moving Livingston County forward, rather than standing pat.<br />
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Besides calling for improvements to our roads, the platform also calls for protecting our environment in Livingston County by backing a moratorium on deep drilling until reasonable regulations are in place, more services for senior citizens, improvements to public safety, more transparency in county government, and closer oversight of the agreement on economic development with Ann Arbor SPARK.<br />
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The Democratic candidates are offering a bold choice -- move foward or stand pat. Voters in August kicked out two of the "stand pat" incumbents. They'll have a chance to do it again in November.<br />
<br />Judyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03043207478406165457noreply@blogger.com0