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.
[Ed. note: We continue our roundup of the highlights and low lights of 2007 with a look at Michigan's recent political terrain.]
[COMMENTARY] Checks and balances. Civil discussion and compromise to achieve the common goals of our society. These are the things that the Founding Fathers had in mind when they devised our system of government. They are also often conspicuously absent in modern day Michigan politics. Infighting, backbiting, back room deals, partisanship, all the things political junkies love are the same things that turn “regular” people off and make them lose faith in the system. Not the most attractive moments in our political process. It’s those moments that make people shake their heads at the dinner table, make them turn off the news and wonder why they even vote at all and who elected these clowns, anyway?
So in the spirit of the new year, I present to you Michigan’s top five worst moments in 2007 politics:
5. Kilpatrick Lawsuit
A jury awards two former police officers several million from Detroit for unfair treatment and dismissal. Mayor Kilpatrick’s former police bodyguard, Harold Nelthrope, and ex-Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown sued, alleging they were mistreated and fired for looking into Kilpatrick’s personal life in 2003. The good people of Detroit take another blow in a time when any sign of hope would be appreciated.
4. Tim Walberg: Iraq as safe as Detroit
One of the reasons we send men and women to Congress is to serve as a cheerleader of sorts in Washington, bragging about progress and innovation in their home states. Apparently Congressman Tim Walberg of the 7th Congressional District didn’t get that memo. When the freshman congressman said “It’s (Iraq) as safe and cared for as Detroit” in March, he was also telling business to think twice about coming to Michigan. Way to represent, bro.
Continued -3. Recalls
Former Republican state Rep. Leon Drolet launches recall campaigns against a handful of Michigan legislators of both parties for voting to raise taxes. Apparently, we as Michigan voters don’t have to abide by majority-rules theory and believe that the length of term listed on the ballot is merely a suggestion and would prefer a constant negative election cycle, forcing politicians to make knee-jerk reactions to tough issues. Who says being shortsighted is a bad thing
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