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 recently approved House bill to expand powers available to emergency managers treads on the democratic process by allowing appointees to dismiss elected officials, according to the Detroit News.
In an editorial this week the News writes that it approves of giving emergency managers the power to break labor contracts and supports making it easier for the state to intervene when communities face insolvency. But allowing the state-appointed emergency managers to dismiss the elected officials they deem incompetent to manage finances is, “beyond our comfort level” the News writes.
First, it exposes the rescue process to political maneuvering. The manager could be used as a tool to remove from office officials who don’t share the politics of the ruling party in Lansing.
But more worrisome is that it strips citizens of their voting rights. The people have the right to elect their representatives, even if they elect incompetent ones. It’s not the state’s job to shield them from the consequences of democracy.
The News called on the Senate to drop this provision when it takes up the bill.
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