I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
The Michigan Republican Committee has launched a website and commercial targeting Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) for his last minute switch to supporting health care reform.
Echoing earlier attacks on Stupak, the website and commercial allege Stupak sold-out the unborn for $726,409 in airport funding in his district.
For his part, Stupak is firing back, calling the attacks “grasping at straws.”
“Individuals and organizations who are falsely trying to link my vote for health care reform to annual FAA maintenance grants awarded to my district are simply grasping at straws. It is absurd to think I would change my vote for a tow truck and a fence to keep deer from walking onto the runway of an airport in Escanaba. I have long advocated for comprehensive health care reform and voted in favor of the House health care reform bill – a fact that many opponents of health care reform can’t seem to acknowledge.
Those making this disingenuous attack conveniently fail to mention that congressional districts in 47 other states were awarded these same grants during the same round of announcements, many with significantly higher funding amounts.
My vote on health care had nothing to do with airport grants and everything to do with providing access to affordable quality health care to the American people. I have said from the start that my goal was to see health care pass while maintaining the principle of the sanctity of life.”
And there is evidence from last October that Stupak could support the health care reform, even without abortion restrictions.
Video from a townhall meeting in Cheboygan, shows Stupak saying:
“I offered an amendment that says no public funding for abortion that’s been the law of the land for many many decades and we lose that vote. Let’s say we lose that vote– we need 218 to win–let’s say we get 217 and we lose. Would I vote against health care? If I had a chance to vote my conscience I probably would not. I probably would still vote for the health care bill at the end of the day.”
The video has since been removed from YouTube.
Stupak agreed to support health care reform legislation after President Barack Obama issued an executive order on restrictions on abortions if the legislation became law. As a result, Stupak has lost the glowing praise of anti-abortion activist groups including Right to Life, and had the conservative Susan B. Anthony list renege on its plans to honor him with its “Defender of Life” Award.
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