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.
It seems that the Obama campaign is not alone in issuing legal threats over campaign ads that it considers deceptive.
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, is threatening the group Health Care for American Now with legal action over a TV ad that he claims distorts his position on insurance coverage.
Walberg’s attorneys sent a letter to the ACORN-affiliated organization that accuses them of defamation for running an allegedly false advertisement:
The television advertisement you are running against Congressman Tim Walberg is false and purposefully damaging to his reputation. Your organization’s advertisement contains the following statement, which is false: “Republican Congressman Tim Walberg sponsored legislation that would let insurance companies make the rules. They could even deny coverage for preexisting conditions like cancer.”
First, under the legislation cited in your advertisement, H.R. 4460, insurance companies would not make the rules. According to the Congressional Research Service and National Center for Policy Analysis, the insurance policies would be regulated by and subject to state and federal laws …
Here is the ad under dispute:
A Gongwer news service article on Tuesday quoted a spokesperson for Mark Schauer, who is challenging Walberg in the November election, defending the accuracy of the ad:
Zack Pohl, spokesperson for challenger Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, said the bill Mr. Walberg supported could have the effect of allowing insurance companies to reject people with pre-existing conditions if a state allowed that.
“While we are not responsible for the claims being made by outside groups, the fact of the matter is that Walberg supports legislation that allows consumers to purchase health care coverage across state lines, which would encourage insurance companies to set up shop in states with the least restrictive laws. This would essentially allow the insurance companies to set the rules and discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions,” Mr. Pohl said in a statement. “Walberg has said that ‘everyone can walk into an emergency room and receive basic health care,’ and frankly the people of Michigan deserve better.”
As the Michigan Messenger reported last week, the Obama campaign has threatened similar legal action against TV stations that agree to air an ad produced by the NRA that the campaign insists is inaccurate. Regardless of the accuracy or inaccuracy of either of these ads, legal experts have said that such threats tend to fail, as the ads are widely considered protected speech under the First Amendment.
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter