for my amusement only...

• Bernero to Run For Governor?

  Sure, why not? The more the merrier. Just a few days after telling the Free Press a 2010 campaign was “very unlikely” for him, Lansing’s recently re-elected Mayor Virg Bernero said today he’s “seriously considering” a run for the Democratic nomination for governor.He made the comment to MIRS news service. [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 1:52pm EST
  

• Frustrated Parents Holding Bake Sales for Michigan School Funding

  Remember the old quote attributed to Robert Fulghum that said, "It will be a great day when the schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber"? You can buy that t-shirt on closeout right now - but [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 8:18am EST
  

• NFL Week 12

  Green Bay at Detroit (ha ha ha! Well, I tried)Oakland at DallasNY Giants at DenverTampa Bay at AtlantaMiami at BuffaloCleveland at CincinnatiSeattle at St. LouisCarolina at NY JetsWashington at PhiladelphiaIndianapolis at HoustonKansas City at San Diego Jacksonville at San Francisco Chicago at MinnesotaArizona at TennesseePittsburgh at BaltimoreNew England at New [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2009, 5:31am EST
  

• A Turkey Named Courage

  The 2009 Presidential Turkey Pardon:Want something to be thankful for? The guy in that video is not George W. Bush.See? There's always somethin'.This has been one tough year, no doubt about that. One of the hardest in Michigan's history. "Courage" is the one thing I wish for us all, for' [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 4:31pm EST
  

• K-12 Cuts Starting to Take Shape, Wyoming Teachers Offer to Donate Salary to Save Jobs

  For those who don't know, Wyoming is a city that borders Grand Rapids. Faced with a $2.4 million dollar deficit and the elimination of 57 jobs in the school district, 20 of those teaching positions, some teachers are looking at the possibility that they could donate part of their salaries' [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2009, 12:30pm EST
  

• Five Senate Republicans Who Would Love to Hear From You About the Promise Scholarship

  The MSU Dems have identified five Senate Republicans who are feeling a bit left out when it comes to constituent calls and e-mails about the Promise Scholarship. Lost, lonely, three of them a little frightened about prospects for re-election, they have been shoved off to the side as Mike Bishop [...]
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  Posted: November 23, 2009, 10:30am EST
  

• NFL Week 11

  Miami 24, Carolina 17Washington at DallasCleveland at DetroitSan Francisco at Green BayPittsburgh at Kansas CityAtlanta at NY GiantsNew Orleans at Tampa BayBuffalo at JacksonvilleIndianapolis at BaltimoreSeattle at MinnesotaArizona at St. LouisNY Jets at New EnglandCincinnati at OaklandSan Diego at DenverPhiladelphia at ChicagoTennessee at HoustonYeah, yeah, those Thursday games. Next week [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 3:13am EST
  

• Saturday Weekend Update

  Coming to you from Seoul, South Korea, President Obama ties in a strong pitch for job creation here in America...Michigan Weekend Update:Uh oh. It looks like the Asian carp are closer to invading the Great Lakes, which led one local news anchor to proclaim that it may be the "end" [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 10:03am EST
  

• California Tuition Hike Should Serve as a Warning to Michigan College Students

  Seeing as how Michigan has been lumped in with California as one of the ten states that face "looming budget disasters" in the next year, we probably should keep an eye on what is happening out there - and it ain't pretty. After $60 billion in severe cuts, stimulus spending,' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 12:28am EST
  

• Taxes in Michigan: The Poor Pay More

  Great reporting gods Gongwer pointed out this new study from the non-partisan Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy yesterday: The poor and middle class in Michigan pay a greater percentage in taxes than the wealthy do. Surprise! (Not.)Most of Michigan's income and local taxes come from the state's poorest residents, [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:26pm EST
  

• Protest in the Twilight

  I had to get away from the Grand Rapids Palin Mania yesterday. Our local media was downright embarrassing in their coverage - this was a celebrity, selling a book, and you would have thought it was a visit from the Pope or something. If a woman who abandoned a position [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:24pm EST
  

• Must See Video: MSU Dems Fight for the Michigan Promise Scholarship

  Great video from the MSU Democrats. Wish we could slap it on heavy rotation on TeeVee stations throughout the state. It's that good.Call you Senator today, 517-373-2400, or e-mail them at senate.michigan.gov. The governor is right - public pressure is the only thing that will move these guys to do [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 3:47pm EST
  

• More Bad Press for the Do-Nothing Legislature

  WILX has a scathing report about the lawmakers taking vacation while the schools are in crisis, even going so far as to wave around the Senate schedule that shows they will only work four more days this year. Glad someone finally noticed.The story is one you have read here already; [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:37am EST
  

• Governor Granholm Fights for the Promise Scholarship

  If the wimpy House Dems won't do it, the governor will. Greatly admire this woman's willingness to meet with the public on these issues - besides facing many school officials and local citizens on the K-12 cuts over the past couple of weeks, this week the governor will take the' [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 11:52am EST
  

• More Bishop-Dillon Budget Fallout: Troy to Ask Voters For Millage Increase

  Millage. Such a polite word. The Bishop-Dillon budget trickles down to another community, and the voters of Troy will be asked to take on the responsibility of saving their police department. Amongst other things. City Manager John Szerlag estimates that Troy is facing a $22 million deficit over the next [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 9:08am EST
  

• NFL Week 10

  San Francisco 10, Chicago 6New Orleans at St. LouisTampa Bay at MiamiDetroit at MinnesotaJacksonville at NY Jets Buffalo at TennesseeCincinnati at PittsburghDenver at WashingtonAtlanta at CarolinaKansas City at OaklandSeattle at ArizonaDallas at Green Bay Philadelphia at San DiegoNew England at IndianapolisBaltimore at Cleveland·Bye: NY Giants, HoustonYes, I missed the Thursday [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 11:31am EST
  

• The Deer Are Everywhere...

  In the UP, they stop and stare at your car.Not a lot of time for this today, but here are a few tidbits from the morning papers... Drunks with guns, out in the woods. Oh boy. Be careful out there. The Freep tells us that the deer are on the [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 7:54am EST
  

• Saturday Weekend Update

  President Obama's Weekly Address: Veterans Day and Ft. Hood revisited.Michigan Weekend Update: Great editorial from Gongwer in Dome on Lt. Gov. John Cherry, pointing out that he is rapidly becoming the "alternative" candidate in the 2010 race, putting a very nice distance between himself and (ahem) "others" in the legislature. [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 12:31pm EST
  

• Michigan Senate Ignoring School Funding and Leaving for Vacation - Call Today!

  It looked for a moment like they might do the responsible thing and forgo any personal vacation time to work on Michigan's budget issues - but today the Senate schedule was changed from "tentative" for the next two weeks, to one session next Wednesday. Call it "No Vacation Left Behind" [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 12:20pm EST
  

• From Grief to Acceptance: Adjusting to a New Normal in Michigan

  Tell us something we don't know. The Pew Center on the States delivered a diagnosis for Michigan that has been apparent to our economists for quite some time: the collapse of the auto industry and subsequent loss of jobs, a manufacturing based revenue system, our aging population, special tax breaks' [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 5:33am EST
  

• Over 1500 Rally in Lansing to Protest Cuts to Schools

  What was that again about lack of "public pressure"? Too bad Speaker Dillon wasn't around to see this... More than 1,500 parents, students and educators from Plymouth-Canton, Livonia, Taylor and other districts rallied this morning on the Capitol steps before going inside to bring their message to elected officials. Their' [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 5:25pm EST
  

• How Republicans Raise Taxes: Massive Cuts to Grand Rapids Police and Fire Departments Announced

  Grand Rapids, like every other city/town/county in the state of Michigan, is facing a huge budget deficit due to the Bishop-Dillon cuts to state revenue sharing and a drop in local property tax collection. This morning, Grand Rapids City Manager Greg Sundstrom announced that we will be losing 125 city [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 10:35am EST
  

• NFL Week 9

  Washington at AtlantaArizona at ChicagoBaltimore at CincinnatiHouston at IndianapolisMiami at New England Green Bay at Tampa BayKansas City at JacksonvilleCarolina at New Orleans Detroit at SeattleTennessee at San Francisco San Diego at NY Giants Dallas at PhiladelphiaPittsburgh at Denver8-5 last week, 80-36 for the year.6-7 this week (bah), 86-43 for [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 10:47am EST
  

• No Post Left Behind

  (Just realized I forgot to cross this from BFM - this was from Sunday, Nov. 8th)US House Democrats, after last night's historic vote.Forgive me for not celebrating. While I realize that this bill is a giant step forward towards providing affordable health care for Americans, I cannot get past the [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 6:33am EST
  

• Saturday News Dump

  President Obama speaks about the tragedy at Ft. Hood in this week's address. Listen, and take a moment for reflection. Flags will be at half-staff through Veteran's Day.And now for this week's "Things I Would Have Blogged, But I Ran Out of Pepto-Bimol", featuring your wacky Michigan Legislature. DHS employees [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 11:54am EST
  

• Senate Republicans Say "No!" to Funding Michigan Schools

  The House tapped remaining stimulus funds to mitigate the K-12 proration cut today (see post here for earlier details), passing HB 4860 by a 74-29 margin. Governor Granholm says that she will support the measure, but reminds everyone it is only a temporary solution to the larger problem. Done deal, [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 5:37pm EST
  

• Congress Passes Unemployment Benefits Extension

  Finally! From the AP:The House passed the bill on a 403-12 vote Thursday, a day after the Senate ended a monthlong stalemate with a 98-0 vote. With some 7,000 people exhausting unemployment benefits every day and the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers set to expire at the end of [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 3:39pm EST
  

• Legislature Skipping Vacation to Work On Budget?

  This was rather interesting:That is the schedule for the House. The Senate has this time slot penciled in for "tentative" after Nov. 12th, back for the first week in December, and "tentative" after that, meaning their possible intention is to bolt for the year after Dec. 3rd.Think that public pressure [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 11:02am EST
  

• Wednesday Morning Quarterback: When Democrats Ignore the Base, the Base Stays Home

  By the time last night's numbers are analyzed to the nth degree, the voters treated like the statistics that they are to the parties and the politicians and talking heads alike, you have to hope that Democrats get a clue and realize that this was not a "repudiation" of Obama's,' [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 9:38am EST
  

• Another 20% Off the Top of the State Government

  This story literally took my breath away. From Gongwer/MiTech:All state departments will start the 2010-11 fiscal year with 20 percent less general fund money than they have for the current year under the budget proposals being developed by the administration of Gov. Jennifer Granholm.Granholm press secretary Liz Boyd confirmed Monday [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 7:19am EST
  

• Vote!

  Never fails. Every election I find something on the ballot that I didn't know would be there - today it's a non-partisan vote for Library Commission. Other than that, I have a school millage renewal and a few city seats running unopposed - not exactly your big, burning, OMG I' [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 5:55am EST
  

• Mike Nofs and the MRP: Too Heavy on the Rovian Tactics for the Jackson Cit-Pat

  Thought this was an interesting endorsement. The Jackson Citizen-Patriot endorsed Marty Griffin yesterday, and, besides Griffin getting the nod for simply being the "local" guy here, the subtle message throughout the endorsement seems to indicate that they did it over Mike Nofs negative and misleading advertising. The first example comes [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  

• You Let Andy Dillon Down

  Didn't know where to start with the Christoff story in the Freep about Dillon and Bishop still being BFF. That part didn't surprise me. Dillon has always excused Bishop's behavior, even after Mike repeatedly has broken "his word" on these so-called "deals". It happened in '07, it happened again this' [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 1:11pm EST
  

• Saginaw Valley Will Pay Cost of Promise Scholarship With Stimulus Funds

  Thank the nice President and Congressional Democrats for doing what the cowards in our Legislature wouldn't. Saginaw Valley State University will take care of the cost of Promise Scholarship for this semester, and apparently they will use funding provided by the federal government to do it. This will take away' [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 12:24pm EST
  

• NFL Week 8

  Houston at BuffaloCleveland at ChicagoSeattle at DallasSt. Louis at DetroitDenver at BaltimoreSan Francisco at IndianapolisMiami at NY Jets NY Giants at PhiladelphiaJacksonville at TennesseeOakland at San Diego Carolina at ArizonaMinnesota at Green BayAtlanta at New Orleans ·Bye: Cincinnati, Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington10-3 last week, 72-31 for [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 5:51am EST