I wonder if the Tea Party Republicans know what their elected officials in Livingston County are up to regarding the Ann Arbor SPARK contract.
Livingston County officials seemed to be trying to sneak the $1 million, three-year deal in the backdoor when nobody was looking by holding closed door meetings to have it explained to them. After that was exposed, the deal has been slowed down enough so that people can at least ask a few questions. Not that the answers from the economic development corporation with strong ties to Republican Rick Snyder have been very illuminating.
But the power point presentation made to Livingston County government officials suggests that grants and loans to private businesses are part of the deal. When Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm did it with the film industry, Republicans attacked it as "picking winners and losers."
But it looks like that is some of what Ann Arbor SPARK does. The power point presentation, no longer available on the Livingston Press and Argus website, says that its services for start-up businesses include "microloans" and "pre-seed investments."
In 2010, Ann Arbor SPARK says it awarded "12 pre-seed investments and 30 microloans" to start-ups. Between 2006 and 2010, Ann Arbor Spark reported it made 54 pre-seed investments in 52 companies, at an average of $225,000 per company, and it made 48 microloans to 46 companies, averaging $39,000 per company.
Ann Arbor SPARK's power point presentation didn't explain where that money came from, but since private business is only kicking in $60,000 of the $335,880 a year that Ann Arbor SPARK wants from Livingston County, the question should be asked whether taxpayer funds will be going to private companies or whether there is another source of funds for these "pre-seed investments" and "microloans."
In other words, will Livingston County be picking winners and losers with our tax dollars? Given that Republicans hated that idea so much when Granholm did it, it's pretty remarkable that no Republicans are putting up a fuss over that possibility.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
With a Wink and a Nod, Republicans Defend Emergency Manager Law
Republican Rick Snyder is falling all over himself to reassure Detroiters that race has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that his administration has taken over or is about to take over the goverments of cities home to half the minorities in the state -- Benton Harbor, Pontiac, Flint, Ecorse, and possibly soon, Detroit.
His latest attempt is the interview with Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley in Sunday's paper.
Some Tea Party Republicans may not have motives that are so pure. People who attended a town hall meeting in March in Fowlerville says that Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, reassured the audience that the law was meant to apply to the "Detroits" of the state. Those who were there say that Rogers winked when he said "Detroits," which is dog-whistle speech for "minorities" in the ears of many people in Michigan.
So you can believe Snyder that taking away the elected governments of so many minority-dominated cities is absolutely pure coincidence. Or you can make sure you sign a petition repealing the draconian emergency manager law. For more information, visit Michigan Forward, the group circulating petitions to repeal PA4, the emergency manager law, for a list of petition-signing sites.
His latest attempt is the interview with Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley in Sunday's paper.
Some Tea Party Republicans may not have motives that are so pure. People who attended a town hall meeting in March in Fowlerville says that Rep. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton, reassured the audience that the law was meant to apply to the "Detroits" of the state. Those who were there say that Rogers winked when he said "Detroits," which is dog-whistle speech for "minorities" in the ears of many people in Michigan.
So you can believe Snyder that taking away the elected governments of so many minority-dominated cities is absolutely pure coincidence. Or you can make sure you sign a petition repealing the draconian emergency manager law. For more information, visit Michigan Forward, the group circulating petitions to repeal PA4, the emergency manager law, for a list of petition-signing sites.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
War is over if you want it-flyer Detroit Area Peace with Justice
Flyer from Detroit Area Peace with Justice: War is over if you want it!
http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/9225335/663529889/name/War%20is%20over%20if%20you%20want%20it%20-%20flyer.doc
http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/9225335/663529889/name/War%20is%20over%20if%20you%20want%20it%20-%20flyer.doc
Friday, December 9, 2011
Don't Let the Grinch Steal the American Dream!
Tis the season to be on the lookout for the Grinch. Not the holiday season, but any time when the Michigan Legislature is in session considering bills that will steal the American Dream.
The Grinch already has taken millions from K-12 education, from higher education, and from needy families. The Grinch has raised taxes on our senior citizens, in order to give a tax break to business, chipping away at the American Dream of a secure retirement. The Grinch is trying to take away rights of workers, especially teachers who want to be able to negotiate for fair wages and decent class sizes.
We Are the People is organizing a rally to ask Santa to restore those cuts. Come and help show your opposition to the Grinch, at a special Holiday Rally to Save the American Dream. Come Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m., to the Mill Pond Gazebo in downtown Brighton. For more information, ontact Debby Buckland, organizer for We Are The People, at 810-599-2128 or debbybuckland@gmail.com.
The Grinch already has taken millions from K-12 education, from higher education, and from needy families. The Grinch has raised taxes on our senior citizens, in order to give a tax break to business, chipping away at the American Dream of a secure retirement. The Grinch is trying to take away rights of workers, especially teachers who want to be able to negotiate for fair wages and decent class sizes.
We Are the People is organizing a rally to ask Santa to restore those cuts. Come and help show your opposition to the Grinch, at a special Holiday Rally to Save the American Dream. Come Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m., to the Mill Pond Gazebo in downtown Brighton. For more information, ontact Debby Buckland, organizer for We Are The People, at 810-599-2128 or debbybuckland@gmail.com.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Debt Ceiling Debacle Really Did Hurt
Right after the contentious debate over raising the debt ceiling last summer, I had the feeling that the recklessness of that debate had helped slam the brakes on the recovery underway in the U.S. economy. I know I personally felt less confidence about the direction of our nation, given the willingness, even eagerness, of so many Republicans to gamble with our nation's financial stability for the sake of politics.
Now there's a little bit of evidence to back up how I felt. In a column in the Sunday Detroit Free Press, Tom Walsh wrote of the impact the debate had on hiring in the view of Carl Camden, the CEO of Kelly Services.
Hiring of temporary workers was up 10 percent in the first half of 2011 compared to the previous year. But then came the debt ceiling debate an the Standard and Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. By August, the growth had melted away.
Walsh quoted Camden as saying:
"'That's the time of year when Kelly's part-time hiring usually goes into a cyclical upswing. It had been true for 60 years, but this time it was not true,' Camden told (Walsh). 'We moved sideways instead of seeing a cyclical boost. A lot of employment momentum was lost.'"
Walsh didn't blame Republicans directly, referring to partisan squabbling. But Camden makes it pretty clear what he meant.
"It wasn't the debate itself, it was the tone of the debate," Camden said. "People actually believed they might do something crazy, or crazed -- like saying it's OK for the U.S. government to default on its debt."
It wasn't President Obama or Democrats advocating a default on the debt. It was the party that supposedly knows so much about the economy that was engaging in the "crazed" talk about defaulting. Maybe people like Camden will have that in the back of their minds when the 2012 campaign heats up.
Now there's a little bit of evidence to back up how I felt. In a column in the Sunday Detroit Free Press, Tom Walsh wrote of the impact the debate had on hiring in the view of Carl Camden, the CEO of Kelly Services.
Hiring of temporary workers was up 10 percent in the first half of 2011 compared to the previous year. But then came the debt ceiling debate an the Standard and Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. By August, the growth had melted away.
Walsh quoted Camden as saying:
"'That's the time of year when Kelly's part-time hiring usually goes into a cyclical upswing. It had been true for 60 years, but this time it was not true,' Camden told (Walsh). 'We moved sideways instead of seeing a cyclical boost. A lot of employment momentum was lost.'"
Walsh didn't blame Republicans directly, referring to partisan squabbling. But Camden makes it pretty clear what he meant.
"It wasn't the debate itself, it was the tone of the debate," Camden said. "People actually believed they might do something crazy, or crazed -- like saying it's OK for the U.S. government to default on its debt."
It wasn't President Obama or Democrats advocating a default on the debt. It was the party that supposedly knows so much about the economy that was engaging in the "crazed" talk about defaulting. Maybe people like Camden will have that in the back of their minds when the 2012 campaign heats up.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Payroll Tax Cut is Classic 1 Percent Over 99 Percent
Mike Rogers' Republican Party just can't help itself. Right now, they seem to be doing everything they possibly can to help millionaires and billionaires instead of working people. And they aren't even hiding it anymore.
That's clear from the debate over extending President Obama's payroll tax cut, which expires at the end of this year. The tax cut has saved working families an average of $1,000 a year. With the economy slowly recovering, now is not the time to take money out of the pockets of working people.
President Obama has proposed extending the current 2 percent payroll tax cut and increasing it 3.2 percent. That would mean up to $1,500 a year in the pockets of working families, giving a further boost to the economy.
Rather than add to the deficit, President Obama would pay for the tax cut with a surtax on the wealthiest sliver of Americans. You can click here to find out what the tax plan means for you.
So far, Republicans in the Senate have voted against the payroll tax cut in order to protect the 1 percent richest Americans. Let's hope Mike Rogers gets his chance to vote on the payroll tax cut for his constituents in the 8th Congressional District, even if it means Congress is still in session on New Year's Eve.
That's clear from the debate over extending President Obama's payroll tax cut, which expires at the end of this year. The tax cut has saved working families an average of $1,000 a year. With the economy slowly recovering, now is not the time to take money out of the pockets of working people.
President Obama has proposed extending the current 2 percent payroll tax cut and increasing it 3.2 percent. That would mean up to $1,500 a year in the pockets of working families, giving a further boost to the economy.
Rather than add to the deficit, President Obama would pay for the tax cut with a surtax on the wealthiest sliver of Americans. You can click here to find out what the tax plan means for you.
So far, Republicans in the Senate have voted against the payroll tax cut in order to protect the 1 percent richest Americans. Let's hope Mike Rogers gets his chance to vote on the payroll tax cut for his constituents in the 8th Congressional District, even if it means Congress is still in session on New Year's Eve.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Snyder Out of Options on Detroit? Hardly
Pity poor Rick Snyder. According to the Detroit Free Press, the poor governor has no good options when it comes to the city of Detroit. Why, he is just going to be forced to name an emergency manager and he just can't help it.
Leave aside that he didn't have to push for the draconian law in the first place. Let's go right to the point that he and his fellow Republicans have helped create the budget deficit that is the cause of the city's financial problem.
The State of Michigan owes the city of Detroit $220 million in revenue sharing, enough to eliminate the city's structural deficit. That's according to another article in the Detroit Free Press. And if the Legislature claims it doesn't have the money, it could still help by allowing the city to raise its income taxes by $155 million, reversing a decline in income tax rates put in place a decade ago.
Why aren't those options for Snyder? Why isn't he pushing the Legislature to allow Detroit to raise its income tax and collect the money it needs to run the city? Why isn't Snyder asking the Legislature to pay the revenue sharing that is owed to the city of Detroit? The Free Press's crack Lansing staff didn't bother to pose those questions to Bing's staff, instead going with the "there aren't any other options" line that casts the governor in a sympathetic light.
It's hard not to conclude that the Snyder administration is helping push the city of Detroit into bankruptcy by withholding state aid and authority to raise taxes. The Free Press buries this information in a separate story, separating Snyder from options that aren't being used. This way, the focus is being kept on the so-called greedy unions who can be blamed for not giving more and more concessions that will result in fewer firefighters, fewer police officers, and more corporations taking over city services and milking them for profit.
That emergency manager law needs to be repealed so games like this stop.
Leave aside that he didn't have to push for the draconian law in the first place. Let's go right to the point that he and his fellow Republicans have helped create the budget deficit that is the cause of the city's financial problem.
The State of Michigan owes the city of Detroit $220 million in revenue sharing, enough to eliminate the city's structural deficit. That's according to another article in the Detroit Free Press. And if the Legislature claims it doesn't have the money, it could still help by allowing the city to raise its income taxes by $155 million, reversing a decline in income tax rates put in place a decade ago.
Why aren't those options for Snyder? Why isn't he pushing the Legislature to allow Detroit to raise its income tax and collect the money it needs to run the city? Why isn't Snyder asking the Legislature to pay the revenue sharing that is owed to the city of Detroit? The Free Press's crack Lansing staff didn't bother to pose those questions to Bing's staff, instead going with the "there aren't any other options" line that casts the governor in a sympathetic light.
It's hard not to conclude that the Snyder administration is helping push the city of Detroit into bankruptcy by withholding state aid and authority to raise taxes. The Free Press buries this information in a separate story, separating Snyder from options that aren't being used. This way, the focus is being kept on the so-called greedy unions who can be blamed for not giving more and more concessions that will result in fewer firefighters, fewer police officers, and more corporations taking over city services and milking them for profit.
That emergency manager law needs to be repealed so games like this stop.
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