Our Michigan

GM plans to wipe out current shareholders

2009-05-07T07:53:00.001-04:00

One last kick in the teeth for retirees.

From Reuters
GM PLANS TO WIPE OUT CURRENT SHAREHOLDERS

"DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors on Tuesday detailed plans to all but wipe out the holdings of remaining shareholders by issuing up to 60 billion new shares in a bid to pay off debt to the U.S. government, bondholders and the United Auto Workers union.

The unusual plan, which was detailed in a filing with U.S. securities regulators, would only need the approval of the U.S. Treasury to proceed since the U.S. government would be the majority shareholder of a new GM, the company said.

The flood of new stock issuance that could be unleashed has been widely expected by analysts who have long warned that GM's shares could be worthless whether the company restructures out of court or in bankruptcy.

The debt-for-equity exchanges detailed in the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission would leave GM's stock investors with just 1 percent of the equity in a restructured carmaker, ending a long run when the Dow component was seen as a bellwether for the strength of the broader U.S. economy.

GM shares closed on Tuesday at $1.85 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock would be worth just over 1 cent if the first phase of GM's restructuring moves forward as described."

A great day for a Second Life

2009-03-02T04:37:00.002-05:00

The global economy continues its slide this morning as all oversees markets decline on Monday.

HSBC, with profits drooping by 70 percent, will likely announce a pullout from U.S. consumer lending. Can you blame them?

I'm going to spend this snow day scoping out the virtual economy in Second Life. Could it be any worse than the real virtual economy?

A mild depression?

2009-02-28T05:59:00.005-05:00

I'd rather be a little bit pregnant. The nation's fourth quarter GDP shrank at a rate nearly double what economists expected -- 6.2 percent negative growth -- prompting Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's, to set odds for "a mild depression" at 25 percent.

In a single stroke, The New York Times attempts and fails to reassure: "Current conditions are not even as poor as during the twin recessions of the 1980s, when unemployment exceeded 10 percent, though many experts assert this downturn is on track to be significantly worse." Because the frightening truth is that no one can predict just how significantly worse things will become.

The growing consensus on things worsening significantly doesn't require a leap of logic or a Ph.D. in economics, merely an observation of what is. Yesterday, we learned from the Commerce Department that durable goods orders fell for the sixth consecutive month and from the Department of Labor that initial unemployment claims for last week reached "667,000, an increase of 36,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 631,000."

Q: Why are train wrecks so hypnotically fascinating?
A: If you are still watching the train, you haven't yet been slammed by the locomotive; you are still alive, limbs intact.

Let them eat cake

2009-01-30T05:46:00.003-05:00

Here's a fun video to lighten spirits in tough times.

Inauguration day, take two -- a remarkable day unlike any other

2009-01-21T08:08:00.003-05:00

How many of you sobbed yesterday? We desperately needed a catharsis after the last eight years. And especially after the last four maimed by bunker mentality, fear, despair and a governance vacuum.

Millions of Americans trekked to D.C. to witness President Obama's inauguration. Millions more breathed a collective sigh of relief (some openly taunted) as Bush flew away. The problems we face are immense. Our international reputation has been trashed. Our economy left in ruins. The lives of millions of us more tenuous than ever, as unemployment soars and foreclosures mount.

But, as of yesterday, we actually have a President willing to take on the role of leader and call us to conscience and responsibility as We the People. He recognizes we are a pluralistic society and seeks rational responses to national problems. He is willing to step into the position of a national symbol. He says he is humbled and I believe him.

I want to believe that our country is not permanently broken by the excesses and sins of the last eight years. I hope that we can redeem our reputation among nations. I pray that we can help each other, especially the least among us, find lives of dignity and purpose in this historically dismal economy.

I for one am ready to get up and try again. To do my best on behalf of all the people I love and people I don't even know. There's plenty of work to be done and, after yesterday, plenty of willing hands to pitch in.

Inauguration day -- a historic day like any other

2009-01-18T09:07:00.006-05:00

It's party time in D.C. for the Dems who have waited eight years for these inaugural balls, dinners and concerts. People are primping and prepping, acquiring last-minute formal wear, begging for tickets, hoping to network, witness history and have fun. After all they worked hard to get their man into the White House and it's time to kick back and whoop, dance until sunup, drink a little too much and kiss a dozen strangers. The moment is historic; the President elect is African American. It may not be morning in America, but the clouds seem to be parting a little.

I would love to be able to celebrate, but I am terrible at compartmentalizing and cognitive dissonance gives me a scorching headache. If I did have a ticket to the inauguration, I'd probably give it away, because I'd be unable to enjoy myself knowing that for a lot of people who are suffering, nothing will change after the three-day-long party in D.C. Nothing.

It isn't party time for the 2.6 million Americans who lost their jobs last year. And not for the 120,000 who lost their jobs in the first half of January. Nor is it party time for the increasing numbers of children living in poverty with parents destitute and homeless, unable to provide adequate nutrition, shelter and medicine for their young.

Obama may inspire people who have lost everything to continue hoping that things will improve. What else do they have at this juncture? He will certainly motivate young, idealistic people to give of themselves to better their communities. But can he ensure that sensible and ethical financial regulation will be implemented over the entire financial services sector immediately? Can he motivate Congress to conduct oversight of the FDA and EPA, two agencies whose work has been severely compromised and politicized in the last eight years? Can he raise morale in the Justice Department? Can he bring effective leadership to FEMA? Can he close Guantanamo and save face? Can he seek bipartisan collaboration and get pragmatic compromise? Can he herd cats?

Congratulations, President-elect Obama and good luck.

Tough times for Michigan's children

2009-01-14T08:39:00.004-05:00

I dare you to read this report and not cry. As you read it, realize that 2009 will likely be worse.

Michigan Kids Count Data Book 2008

From the Executive Summary:
"Poverty afflicts one of every four young children ages
0–4. Minority children have much higher rates—44
percent for African Americans and 29 percent for
Hispanics compared with 15 percent for whites."

Consumer confidence still lagging -- so what?

2009-01-09T13:46:00.004-05:00

Consumers are losing confidence, holding on to what money they have and increasing savings. And economists tell us this is bad, bad, bad. Increased personal thrift leads to less spending. And our beloved system is predicated on consumption and production. Producers are a separate species from consumers, we are told, and producers are freaking out because consumers don't want to spend money.

I would propose that the whole damned frame is wrong. We are persons, not consumers and producers, and debt has never been money. Most of us persons are workers, the labor used by producers. And workers also happen to be consumers -- an inconvenient truth that pundits don't like to allow. Vulnerable workers are spending less money and what money they are spending is in real time -- not debt. They are starting to live on a cash basis. This is a rational response to economic conditions, as rational as corporations laying off tens of thousands of workers. Yet, when corporations inflict mass layoffs pundits do not chide them for losing confidence. And when banks hoard cash -- oodles they just received from We the People-- and refuse to stimulate economic activity with new lending, pundits allow that this is unfortunate, but rational.

You can practice personal thrift, protect your assets and feel guilt free. People living within their means did not cause this recession. Read that again. This recession was caused by greed, unrealistic investment expectations, funny money, deregulation of securities and financial illiteracy among regular people.

So, if you are a thrifty consumer/person/worker who chooses to opt out of consumer culture by spending as little as possible, that's okay. It was never your responsibility to sustain a hideous economic lie with your future potential and happiness.

Three global annoyances

2008-12-31T06:14:00.002-05:00

1. Reuters stringers in Bangalore "reporting" on financial news in the United States.

2. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson whining to the Financial Times about what a hard job he has. According to Paulson, the United States government lacked the necessary tools to fix the current financial crisis. He also has found it burdensome to comprehend the horrifying magnitude of the problem more deeply than the public or Congress. Oh the pain of inside information and having a job to do.

3. Sudoku mania

Insulting ad for desperate writers

2008-12-23T07:36:00.002-05:00

This is the most insulting employment ad I have ever seen. You can find it on Craigslist Western Mass:

"Business Man Looking for All Writers"

"I need help with meeting the demand of technological and shopping reviews for a company that I work for. All of my works and "assisted" works all go under a ghost writer name. Therefore, your name will not be associated with the work.

For every 400 word article that you write for me, I will personally send to your check account $3. Yep, it is that easy. I also assist in giving you the topics that need to be "reviewed".

I am looking for about 20 people right now.
Please only serious replies."

Please, only serious ads. Be real.

Sponsor an executive video -- humor we need

2008-12-11T11:48:00.004-05:00

This is why I love Canada. Their number one export to the U.S. is fabulous comedy.
From "This Hour Has 22 Minutes," some of Canada's finest humor. Enjoy.

Illinois politics -- cesspool, not swamp

2008-12-11T05:29:00.009-05:00

This week Illinois Gov. Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges. Yawn.

Chicago was a swamp before it was a city. Underneath its spectacular architecture it is still a swamp.

Slimy politics are an Illinois thing. Consider it a kind of identity politics in which some take pride.

Vote early and often. If you're dead, even better. Pay-to-play is nothing new. Machine politics require lubrication, so don't be surprised if the Illinois slime-o-meter needle has smacked the end of the dial at a time campaigns have become obscenely pricey. Governor Blago is worse than we ever imagined! Lincoln is rolling in his grave! Nah. Blago had something lots of people wanted: a fresh Senate seat open to the highest bidder. How different is that from multi-million dollar campaigns selling candidates on television? If anything it's a more thrifty method of getting the seat filled. Skip the voters; it costs less. Aren't we in an economic crisis?

And speaking of record breaking campaign finance, there's a reason Obama won. There's a reason Obama appears so cool in the face of global crises and the next Great Depression. He made it through the proving ground of Illinois muck. He has seen things that fine, idealistic, morally pure voters cannot stomach and he has risen to the top. He has waded through the cesspool of Illinois politics and can still utter words like 'hope' and 'fairness' with a straight face.

He can see the world as it is, not as he might like it to be, and still function, perhaps more effectively than someone with more delicate sensibilities.

Some have speculated that Illinois is the most corrupt state in the country. Not a chance. The dance partner of machine politics is a passionate political activism that seeks transparency and justice, which opened a way for the FBI to gather information and make a case.

Relax. This is politics.

Be well, Michigan

2008-12-07T22:25:00.001-05:00

Dearest Michigan,
I love you deeply, but it didn’t begin that way. You were not my first choice. An accident of relationship and employment brought me to you and your wonders. I came slowly to adore your pride and shame. Your watery beauty, blue-collar grit, and political dysfunction pressed me close for a time. Troubles and strife twinkled like sunny glints on Great Lakes’ waters, too many to count – sharp lights – shards of lost hope slashing at a coherent future: death by thousands of cuts. So many stories to tell, all of them worthy, tragedies mostly. But stories of resilient hope, too. Your people wooed me and filled my heart with life. You had me at ‘swing state’ and I worked for your rebirth.

Yet you pushed me away with denial of my rights wedged into the Constitution by the will of a few. A rigid notion of marriage fell half-rotten from your tree. Self-righteous contempt said ‘no’ to another way of loving and bearing fruit.

I’ll keep watching you sputter forward, praying you catch a break and manage a happier future, as I seek my own. Don’t be afraid to open yourself to difference – new ways of thinking and being and creating. I will be watching from my new home and posting sometimes.

An accident of relationship has taken me to another place, my first choice this time. My new home is bluer than Michigan, begins with an ‘M’ and legally recognizes same-sex marriage. Finally I can exhale. After ten years of marriage, I am legally, publically and proudly married.

You’ll remain in my heart, Michigan. From the Porcupine Mountains to the Renaissance Center, from Sleeping Bear Dunes to Cobo Hall, from Flint to Grosse Point Farms, and from Saugatuck to Frankenmuth. Be well, Michigan. Be well.

Recession nostalgia

2008-12-05T10:48:00.004-05:00

This November the economy lost the most jobs since 1974. The Labor Department reports 533,000 jobs lost last month, but count on that number being revised upward later.

Back in 1974, bell bottoms were in and middle-class families were struggling. Watergate came to a head in August with Nixon's resignation. Ah, the bad and the good. The economy was horrible, but Nixon moved on.

Check out these video snippets from that fabulous year.

Mercury Comet and Capri boasting high mileage. This should embarrass the Big Three in 2008.

K-Mart advertisement

Tabby Treat Cat Food

Recession outrage

2008-12-05T01:13:00.004-05:00

It's finally official: "we're in a recession." Whew, somebody said it.
And then...what the heck?
"And we've been in it for a year?"

That last part was not a surprise if you live in Michigan where the economy never left the 2001 recession. But if you live elsewhere and believe the TV news, you may have been blindsided to hear that the darned thing began in late 2007.

Anybody feeling some outrage? Even if you worked to keep your own house in order since 2001, some high rollers decided to put the entire system in jeopardy with an ethics holiday. These are the guys who hid toxic assets in seemingly good investments, like so many boogers in library books. Or was it more like burying leaky barrels of nuclear waste under a national park?

According to consumer confidence figures, the U.S. economy was in recession in March, although experts hadn't officially proclaimed it. Consumer confidence is a leading indicator, so if you had been paying attention, you probably had a hunch the darned thing started late in 2007.

Now prescient consumers (even those who still have jobs) are not spending on anything except essentials. In our consumer driven economy this perpetuates the constriction. But consumers are left little choice as credit remains frozen.

The most prudent among us will function on a cash basis like depression era fuddy duddies -- radically spending less than they earn. When things improve, these folks will still function on a cash a basis.

Don't blame them for a slow recovery next year. Thank them for having the sense to remain solvent. Hurl your outrage at legislators and regulators in Washington and in state governments who refused to regulate the criminal fraud that created the housing bubble and the derivatives bubble. Please, have some outrage. You'll find it much more satisfying than fear.

Cars, karma and dogma

2008-11-16T10:35:00.012-05:00

As the world waits for the rise (or more likely fall) of U.S. automotive manufacturing, Michiganders need a dose of healing and humor. Many Michiganders see their fates as terminally linked to fortunes of the Big Three and practically speaking, they are right. Working families and retirees depend on the Big Three for income and health care. Yet, these two necessities seem privileges in a time of recession, mass layoffs, soaring personal bankruptcies, rising home foreclosures and pervasive economic constriction.

When the wolf is at the door, laugh in his face, flip him off, and move on.

Products from the New Age industry can offer healing and humor. A word of caution and a disclaimer: some consider these serious modalities powerful medicine. Our Michigan does not endorse or guarantee results from any New Age healing methods.

"Are you ready to live an ABUNDANT life?" asks the advert. 'Well, shit yes," you might think. I've been laid off, am behind on my bills and eat Kraft dinner five nights a week, left-over Kraft dinner the other two. Maybe you need an "abundance coach" -- someone who can help you clear karma and limiting beliefs to get back on track with your true purpose.

Limiting beliefs are nasty little snares that trap us in the past or an illusion of powerlessness. Limiting belief number one in Michigan: Michigan's purpose is to manifest a twentieth-century automotive sector in the twenty-first century. While it is true that the current global economic crisis has doomed the Big Three, they created their own reality with wasteful designs, planned obsolescence, overproduction and finally outsourcing. They must change or die.

Limiting belief number two: you personally are responsible for remaining loyal to the Big Three even if it means short changing yourself and your family. You don't have to stay on the ship as it sinks. That's the CEO's job; he’s getting paid huge bonuses to stay aboard. You are not.

Limiting belief number three: Michigan can only thrive with the Big Three intact. There was a time Michigan teemed with lumberjacks. Situations change. You can, too, Michigan.

But if your abundance coach fails to lift you out of the pit, how about trying Divine Intervention Healing. Not just limited to the saints of old, you too can experience spontaneous remission, where the impossible becomes possible. Let’s see...the impossible: General Motors and Ford reinstate generous health care benefits for retirees, consumers have enough money to buy cars and the Big Three commit to a green future.

If that fails, how about consulting with a spirit medium for direct guidance from deceased loved ones or angels and guides? You probably won’t do any worse than recent guidance from your financial advisor and you might find out where Grandma hid the key to the safe deposit box.

In the end maybe you are looking for something more tangible... like a high colonic – an empowering change from the usual because you take it in the behind on your own terms for the sake of purging, cleansing and a refreshing lightness of being.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown against saving Big Three

2008-11-15T06:33:00.008-05:00

I'm an anglophile, but Gordon Brown is testing my patience. Give me liberal doses of Monty Python, Shakespeare, the Magna Carta, Yorkshire pudding, paneer makhani, C.S. Lewis, the Rolling Stones, William Byrd, Beowulf, Peter Rabbit, cockles and mussels. But please spare me the advice to let the U.S. auto industry crumble.

At the G20 Summit yesterday British Prime Minster Gordon Brown described bailing out the U.S. auto industry as akin to 1930s style protectionism. Brown said, "The dividing line here is between an open society capable of trading round the world, against a protectionist response that happened in the 1930s and is totally unacceptable."

That's a whopper of an either/or. Either we're an open society presumably like Britain (hey what about all those cameras around London?) or we are stupid protectionists (pitching tea overboard). Has he trotted that past the Chinese, renowned for skewed trade practices, currency manipulation and government subsidized manufacturing? Probably not. Maybe he's just jealous that the United States still has a car industry to protect, while Britain does not...think Jaguar and Land Rover.

In fact, Mr. Brown champions extensive global management, regulation and oversight of finance. He would like to expand the IMF's role in the care and feeding of Mammon. According to the Times, "He wants the IMF to create a council of experts to monitor the markets for danger signs — his much-vaunted early-warning system — and the IMF’s coffers to be boosted by cash-rich states such as Saudi Arabia and China. He is also calling for a clean-up of the banking system, including a network of regulators to scrutinise the world’s biggest banks. "

But who minds the minders and what's Brown willing to trade away to get China and Saudi Arabia to ante up?

GOP to slay auto industry in bid to kill labor unions

2008-11-14T06:26:00.006-05:00

Chances dwindle on bailout plan for automakers. So shrieks today's New York Times. Obstructionist Republican forces in Congress, even in this lame duck session, plan to sacrifice heavy manufacturing in the United States to make a point. Think of it as Republican tough love -- destroy manufacturing (and the village it sustains) to save it.

Those big, bad auto companies have only themselves to blame for their predicament, claims Senator Richard Shelby. If they hadn't bent to the demands of unions and the appetites of consumers things would be better for the industry. Shelby wraps it up neat and tidy in a statement, “The financial situation facing the Big Three is not a national problem but their problem.” That is to say, you're on your own, suckers.

It may not be a national problem yet, but if one or all of them go down, it will most certainly become a national problem. Millions of jobs will be lost, devastating entire communities and hurting millions of families and children.

Even if you agree that bowing to consumer-driven SUVmania of the last ten years combined with decades of overly generous compensation for union members weakened automakers' current financial position, it is still lunacy to advocate letting the Big Three go down in flames. These aren't just companies who can't make it, companies with bad business models that deserve to take the consequences of bad decisions. These companies form the core of American manufacturing. The Big Three are in fact thousands of small companies (parts suppliers and related businesses) located across the country employing millions of people.

This manufacturing infrastructure -- the Big Three and the thousands of small companies that supply them located in nearly every state -- can become the foundation of a national green energy economy. And government incentives could move development forward. This could actually be a win-win situation -- a chance for redemption rather than eternal damnation. A critically-ill Big Three could be ready to trade planned obsolescense for sustainability, to see the error of their ways and move ahead into a green future.

But if you are stuck in a punitive paternalism, like the GOP's minions, the only option is total destruction. Sure, that'll teach 'em.

GM no more? No way

2008-11-10T18:28:00.006-05:00

Dire news from General Motors late last week...they may run out of cash required to operate early next year. And following that gem, Deutsche Bank torpedoed GM share value by speaking the previously unspeakable. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, "Deutsche Bank said publicly today what many detractors of General Motors Inc. have been thinking for some time — the company is worthless."

Across the blogosphere glib finance types are musing that any company with a failed business plan should not be bailed out. This on the heels of US taxpayers bailing out the failed, paper pushing, speculative financial shadow economy? Puhleeeze.

To spitefully dismantle the Big Three, because they have more value in pieces shed of legacy obligations is stupid, short-sighted and heartless.The auto industry represents the last hope for heavy manufacturing in the United States. This sector could be transformed and retooled to foster new energy and transportation technologies and products.

To posit that automakers are struggling due to a failed business model is also wrong. GM, Ford and Chrysler have spent the last several years implementing brutal restructuring precisely in recognition that their business model needed transforming. What is doing them in today and tomorrow and the next day is the same global credit crisis that plagues all sectors of our economy.

So why then should the Big Three get help? Because they are our best shot at developing a national industrial policy aimed at job creation and the restoration of American manufacturing. They could form the foundation of a new manufacturing sector centered on energy efficiency and green technology. Today's automotive infrastructure was built on the arsenal of democracy that supplied the U.S. during WWII. Tomorrow's green energy economy could be built on today's infrastructure.

This is not a Michigan issue. If the Big Three go down, millions of jobs will be lost across the country in the first year, according to the Center for Automotive Research.

Should one or two or three of the Big Three go down this little recession will become big. This is not a hunch; this is a fact.

So good luck and best wishes to Gov. Granholm as she participates in the Obama Administration transition team. Make us proud, Governor.

Yes we did, a new voter's landmark day

2008-11-05T14:45:00.005-05:00

Jeremy Whiting shares his experience voting in this historic presidential election.

"Yes We Did.

I am an undergraduate student at Wayne State University. Yesterday, I voted for the first time in my life, and what a first time it was. I drove from Detroit back to Ann Arbor, where I am still registered, and stood in a relatively short line before casting my ballot. Although I was only cautiously optimistic, the hope I have seen in the city of Detroit in the past few weeks let me feel a little excited about my vote. (I have to say, I am most definitely an Obama supporter, though I don't consider myself a Democrat.)

Little Obama-Biden signs were sprinkled along most of the on-ramps on I-94, and homemade Obama banners on bedsheets hung from footbridges overhead. High in the late afternoon sky, a sheet of Georgia O'Keefe clouds stretched out, with blue in between. My friend Ben was also in the car, voting for the first time in Ann Arbor, and the two of us couldn't help but be in a good mood. For me it was partially the joy of participating in our government, and partially the banners. I've yet to see any sort of McCain gear that didn't come out of a machine.

Many people in Detroit and the rest of Michigan see Obama as a welcome change. Although he hasn't pandered to auto companies, Detroit and the unions still support him. In my opinion, it's because Barack Obama has been a welcome dose of honesty in a region that needs it badly. Between the Engler/Granholm mess that's been left in Lansing, the Bush-Cheney deception in the White house, and the sad corruption in Detroit city government, Michigan has taken a lot of hits in the honesty department.

Besides that, the fact that those in charge still cling to a car-based economy hurts even more. The Big Three probably won't exist in the way we are used to come next year. We have suffered more than most other states, with one of the worst economies in the nation, something reflected in our biggest city more than anywhere else. So even when Obama came to the city of Detroit early in the election and told the automakers to raise fuel economy without government handouts, Michigan didn't get mad. We all knew Obama was right, and Mitt Romney was wrong. Car jobs aren't coming back. And that was before the economic crap really started hitting the fan.

My polling place, an elementary school, is used by two wards in Ann Arbor. One ward consists of 1960s subdivisions and upper middle class families. The other hugs I-94 and includes co-housing, a sizable African-American community, and some of the only real low-income housing in the city proper. The election workers kept talking about how the lower income ward was voting in record numbers. People who hadn't voted in 20 years but were on the rolls were coming in and when I heard that, I knew they weren't voting for another old white man. I cast my vote with no big issues, no malfunctions, and was on my way back to the D.

When Ben and I got back, we eventually went to a friends' house to watch the results come in. On the way over, even one of the neighborhood bums was talking about the election (albeit after asking for a cigarette).

“Now, I see you all did your duty today, but let me ask you this. Do you really, really, think it's gonna happen?”

We said we hoped so. As he walked with us and talked about bringing the power to the people, I realized that for him, nothing would change no matter who won. But at least if Obama was elected, we would have a president who cared more about telling the people what was really happening than hiding the truth and giving away taxpayer money to corporations. Not to mention, we've been overdue for a black president for a long time.

As the results came in, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of accomplishment. Michigan went for Obama and so did the nation. Standing out on the porch, we could hear fireworks, celebratory gunshots, ecstatic cheers, and the city felt alive. People walking by cheered with us and the liquor store down the street was hopping. Drivers honked as they cruised by.

As we all called friends and family, I knew that I would vote in every election for the rest of my life. Because last night, people who had never voted, and people who hadn't voted in 20 years were the ones who made a difference. If nothing else, the thing I'll remember the most about last night was the feeling of hope I felt watching Obama speak, and the same feeling on the streets of Detroit. Thousands of people flooded them to celebrate, and we were back in the game. Michigan needed this one, and we got it."

Presidential election prediction from University of Illinois

2008-11-03T19:24:00.003-05:00

The talented political science and computer science students at the University of Illinois offer their modeling of tomorrow's likely result. Who needs the "media" with its busyness and chatter and compulsion to fill every second of the next 24 hours with punditry and prattle? Not this Illinois alumnae.

Hail to the Orange.

See you at the polls.

Saturday Night Live Final Presidential Debate Spoof: Joe the Plumber

2008-10-17T06:20:00.000-04:00

A big day for economic indicators

2008-10-16T06:02:00.002-04:00

Already markets around the globe are declining this morning. Brace yourselves for a tough day in New York, as well.

A lot of important data will be made public today. Here's the schedule, courtesy of Seeking Alpha:

8:30 Consumer Price Index
8:30 Jobless Claims
9:00 Treasury International Capital
9:15 Industrial Production
9:30Fed's Bullard speaks on U.S. growth potential
10:00 Philadelphia Fed Survey
10:35 EIA Natural Gas Report
1:00 PM NAHB Housing Market Index
4:30 PM Money Supply

Picking the next President

2008-10-16T04:44:00.002-04:00

I don't belong to a political party and I am not active in either presidential campaign. But I have decided who's my man for this election.

If you are having trouble making up your mind, ask yourself these questions:
1. Do you want to make your choice on the content of a candidate's capabilities or the color of his skin?
2. Would you rather have a smart president or an angry one?
3. Would you rather have a president who can't manage his disdain for his opponent or one who stays cool while being attacked?
4. Would you rather have a president who can clearly articulate his policy positions or one who gets snared in his own talking points?
5. Would you rather have a president who knowingly put the country in danger by picking an ignorant running mate or a president who chose a running mate with greater experience than his own?
6. Do you want a president who months ago said he just doesn't understand the economy trying to govern during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression?
7. Would you rather have a president who wants to keep the middle class from going extinct or one who doesn't give a damn?
8. Would you rather have a president who wants to provide health care access to more Americans or one who wants to tax your health benefits?
9. Would you feel safe having a president with PTSD?
10. Would you rather have a president who has respect for women or one who chose vacuous pandering as a campaign tactic to win the "women's" vote?
11. Do you want another president who got into a prestigious college because of family connections and graduated near the bottom of the class or a president who earned his place at top schools through skill and aptitude, excelled, and paid his way with scholarships and aid?
12. Do you want a president who practices a politics of hope or a politics of hate, fear and smear?

Think carefully. Your future depends on this choice.

Obama's plan to help victims of financial crisis

2008-10-14T07:19:00.000-04:00

Speaking in Toledo Monday, Senator Barack Obama laid out steps to help employers, automakers, homeowners, the unemployed, and state and local governments. A refreshing approach compared to the prevailing top-down measures that continue to come from the Bush administration's Treasury Department.

The International Herald Tribune reports that Obama, "proposed giving employers a $3,000 tax credit for each new hire to encourage job creation. He said he would seek to allow Americans of all ages to borrow from retirement savings without a tax penalty; to eliminate income taxes on unemployment benefits; and to double, to $50 billion, the government's loan guarantees for automakers.

Obama also called on the Treasury and the Federal Reserve to create a mechanism to lend money to cities and states with fiscal problems, and to expand the government guarantees for financial institutions to encourage a return to more normal lending. He also proposed a 90-day moratorium on most home foreclosures; it would require financial institutions that take government help to agree not to act against homeowners who are trying to make payments, even if not the full amounts."

Bernanke, Paulson press conference at 8:30 a.m.

2008-10-14T06:30:00.002-04:00

Word is that the United States government is forcing nine major banks to partially nationalize. According to Seeking Alpha "The U.S. Treasury will reportedly invest about $125B in preferred shares of nine banks: $25B each for Citi (C), JP Morgan Chase (JPM), and Bank of America (BAC) (including Merrill); $10B each for Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS); $3B each for State Street (STT) and Bank of New York Mellon (BK), plus a still unspecified amount for Wells Fargo (WFC)."

This morning's press conference will lay out the details of so called "Market Stability Initiative" before the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange. True performance art.

The Obama Acorn distraction

2008-10-13T08:43:00.005-04:00

Brace yourselves. The GOP is in the home stretch of the smear campaign for the White House. McCain's Friday bombshell was an accusation of guilt by association: Obama is linked to a "front organization" for ACORN. This seems to be their counterpunch to "Phil Gramm and John McCain helped deregulate the entire financial sector so that greed could run amok and screw the middle class." Since their mob hate mongering and race baiting ran its course last week, they've moved on to "Obama is a socialist and a cheater and responsible for the financial crisis."

Curiously, what exactly ACORN is depends on the eye of the beholder. According to the Nation Magazine, ACORN is "the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 350,000 member families, organized into 800 neighborhood chapters, in 104 cities nationwide."

But according to Mona Charen, "ACORN is where Sixties leftovers who couldn't get tenure at universities wound up."

And in the words of Michele Malkin, "This left-wing group takes in 40 percent of its revenues from American taxpayers — you and me — and has leveraged nearly four decades of government subsidies to fund affiliates that promote the welfare state and undermine capitalism and self-reliance, some of which have been implicated in perpetuating illegal immigration and encouraging voter fraud."

And here's a scary description of Obama's work from Stephanie Block:
"In the 80s, he was the lead organizer of the Developing Communities Project, a campaign funded by Chicago’s south-side Catholic churches and formed on the organizing principles of Saul Alinsky. He spent another four years building an organization in Roseland and the nearby Altgeld Gardens public housing complex." (Eek! Beware of those socially radical Roman Catholics trying to live the principles of justice laid out by Old Testament prophets.)

Here's a really hilarious one from Stanley Kurtz in the Chicago Daily Observer, asserting that poor people and dark-skinned people and community organizers are to blame for the financial crisis, since they bullied banks into giving loans to folks who couldn't manage their personal finances:

"In the name of fairness to minorities, community organizers occupy private offices, chant inside bank lobbies, and confront executives at their homes – and thereby force financial institutions to direct hundreds of millions of dollars in mortgages to low-credit customers.

In other words, community organizers help to undermine the US economy by pushing the banking system into a sinkhole of bad loans. And Obama has spent years training and funding the organizers who do it."

Community organizers forced banks to make bad loans? Wow. I thought banks were responding to President Bush's call for the mythical "ownership society."

As this latest smear campaign unwinds, keep your eye on the ball and keep asking questions. Give it all the test of reasonableness. Nobody forced banks to make stupid loans. Nobody forced loan originators, who wanted to make fat commissions, to falsify documents so that folks who shouldn't have gotten loans did get loans. Community organizers didn't lobby Congress to deregulate the financial services industry.

But if the worst allegations are true we might all throw up our hands and scream running for the hills, "Oh my God! Obama helped poor people form local groups to advocate on their own behalf in the legal system, which is typically unavailable to them since they lack money and connections. He tried to empower them to help themselves and their communities through skillful means and yes...this was community organizing. AH!!"

Okay, so Obama wasn't in the pocket of the shadow banking sector. So he marched in protest of payday loans in Illinois. So he spent time advising people how to navigate the legal system. So he served as a role model in leadership training seminars.

What's the problem?

Recession tips: Ten ways to stretch a dollar

2008-10-13T04:53:00.004-04:00

Never mind how we got here. The real economy is constricting and some analysts expect three consecutive quarters of falling consumer spending -- unprecedented economic gloom. And that's alarming. But folks just don't have the easy credit necessary to keep spending for the sake of the country -- the kind of "patriotic", idiotic spendthrift behavior urged by our president after 9-11, and practiced by the Bush administration to this day. As the credit/mortgage/derivative/credit default swap ponzi scheme unwinds, a lot of people are beginning to understand the limits of the real economy on the ground. If most people actually attempt to live within their means, the economy will most certainly constrict. But the real economy is still the real economy. You have to eat and clothe your family and find shelter. Wheels may be an add-on for some, a necessity for others. So here are some thrifty tips from some one raised by Depression survivors. Thinking of it as a lifestyle choice and making a game of it can help.

1. Never pay full retail. You don't need anything bad enough to pay full retail in this economy. The thing you are looking at is not the last one on the planet. If you really need it, shop around. Or ask the seller if they'll come down in price. You can do this. The worst they can say is 'no.' And you can still walk away and shop around.

2. Pay cash, if possible. Ask if there is a different "cash price" than the price marked. You'll be surprised. And by the way "cash" means cash, not debit card or personal check. This can be a great way to get back at the credit card companies for charging merchants a percentage while charging you interest. The credit card companies make a alot of money off your transaction. Their merchant fees effectively inflate prices for everyone. So pay cash and stick it to them.

3. Buy non-perishables in bulk when they are on sale. Yes, that means you will be the one with 40 rolls of toilet paper at the check out. I recently spent $40 on $65 worth of contractor bags because the price was unbelievably good. I'm set for about 16 months. No harm in that.

4. Save gas by batching your errands. Take the time to plan a route for your errands and do them all at once. It takes a little thought, but it'll give you more uninterrupted free time the rest of the week.

5. Buy some of your clothes used. I know, this may seem beneath some of you. But you can make it tolerable by thinking of the Thrift Store as your cousin's closet. Didn't you trade clothes with your cousins when you were a kid? "Hey, Carol, I love that top. Can I borrow it?" No shame in that. Ann Arbor has an amazing Salvation Army. University of Michigan students love it for vintage clothing. It's cheap and chic. Don't be afraid, all the smart kids are doing it!

6. Focus on function and price. Think carefully about the functional need you are seeking to fill. Ditch bells and whistles if they drive up price. A car is a means of transportation, not a second home. A wristwatch lets you know the time; most of us don't needn't it to function at the bottom of the ocean, really.

7. Use the public library for your entertainment needs. Ann Arbor has a kick-ass public library with vast dvd and music cd collections (not to mention all the latest books). People in town pay an annual tax to sustain and grow it and at a little over $100 per household it's a crazy bargain. If you live outside Ann Arbor, you can pay an annual user fee, still a crazy bargain.

8. Share large tools with your neighbors. Get together with neighbors to save money on large tools like rototillers, wood splitters, extension ladders, power washers, snow blowers, chainsaws, etc.

9. Plant a garden and learn to can stuff. What you grow will be fresher and tastier and cheaper than anything at the supermarket. You will know where it came from, who picked it and how it was fertilized. And you will remember, in your deep archetypal self, that you are fundamentally a child of the Earth.

10. "Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do or do without." I learned this from a lovely woman who was just a child during the Great Republican Depression of the 1930's. The idea is to spend only when necessary -- an idea antithetical to the easy-credit mentality of the last twenty years.

Good luck, campers.
More later...

Seasons greetings from Western Massachusetts

2008-10-12T17:23:00.003-04:00

What would Abraham Lincoln say?

2008-10-12T05:44:00.004-04:00

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." Lincoln's First Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1861.

These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert to fleece the people, and now that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the people's money to settle the quarrel.
Speech to Illinois legislature, (January 1837); This is "Lincoln's First Reported Speech", found in the Sangamon Journal (28 January 1837) according to McClure's Magazine (March 1896); also in Lincoln's Complete Works (1905) ed. by Nicolay and Hay, Vol. 1, p. 24.

McCain-Palin hate mongering, stinking slime of desperation

2008-10-11T06:23:00.004-04:00

This week as the global economy continued to tank, the McCain-Palin campaign chose to whip up angry mobs with innuendo in a parallel universe energized by hate and ignorance. Rather than address voter concerns about the financial crisis, McCain-Palin seemed to align their campaign with hate, ignorance, fear and bigotry -- powerful, irrational motivating forces. There are some amazing videos documenting this activity.

Check out this one from Ohio:

The McCain-Palin campaign continues to push guilt by association with the Bill Ayers story. Tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times has an article debunking the assertion of guilt by association and surveying other notables who have associated with Ayers including the current mayor of Chicago, a former president of Northwestern University, and a former president of Brown University.

Unfortunately for Obama, McCain's slimy ads propagating this filth are just one part of a full-court press by the GOP's operatives. Check out this coverage and commentary:

Michael Reagan says, "If the truth becomes better known — and it will if the Ayers issue is doggedly pursued — it will be clear that Obama was not only deeply immersed the fetid swamp of Chicago's far-left political scene, but was from the very beginning of his career carefully groomed by the city's socialist left to follow the path he's on now in his quest for the presidency of the United States."

As someone educated in the socialist public schools of Illinois, kindergarten through masters degree, I sort of hope that's true (tongue in cheek).

Ed Morrissey wrote, "Barack Obama told us we could trust his judgment. Where was that judgment when he allied himself with people like Ayers, Khalidi, Tony Rezko, and the Daleys and their Chicago Machine? That’s not just a series of accidental associations from random juxtaposition, but deliberate alliances from which Obama benefited in his political career."

But at least one great Michigan Republican has rebuked the McCain-Palin slime machine. My favorite Republican, Bill Milliken has gone on record with his disappointment. Thank you, one more time from the bottom of my heart, Governor Milliken.

Adler Planetarium response to McCain claim about earmarks

2008-10-08T18:59:00.002-04:00

"Adler Planetarium

STATEMENT ABOUT SENATOR JOHN McCAIN’S
COMMENTS AT THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Last night, during the presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, Senator John McCain made the following statement:McCain: “While we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks he (Senator Obama) voted for nearly $1 billion in pork barrel earmark projects. Including $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend that kind of money?”

To clarify, the Adler Planetarium requested federal support – which was not funded – to replace the projector in its historic Sky Theater, the first planetarium theater in the Western Hemisphere. The Adler’s Zeiss Mark VI projector – not an overhead projector – is the instrument that re-creates the night sky in a dome theater, the quintessential planetarium experience. The Adler’s projector is nearly 40 years old and is no longer supported with parts or service by the manufacturer. It is only the second planetarium projector in the Adler’s 78 years of operation.

Science literacy is an urgent issue in the United States. To remain competitive and ensure national security, it is vital that we educate and inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Senator McCain’s statements about the Adler Planetarium’s request for federal support do not accurately reflect the museum's legislative history or relationship with Senator Obama.

The Adler has approached the Illinois Congressional delegation the last few years for federal assistance with various initiatives. These have included museum exhibitions, equipment and educational programs we offer to area schools, including the Chicago Public Schools. We have made requests to Senators Durbin and Obama, as well as to 6 area Congressmen from both political parties. We are grateful that all of the Members we have approached, including Senator Obama, have deemed our activities worthy of their support, and have made appropriations requests on our behalf, as they have for many worthy Illinois nonprofit organizations.

As a result of the hard work of our bipartisan congressional delegation, the Adler has been fortunate to receive a few federal appropriations the past couple of years.
However, the Adler has never received an earmark as a result of Senator Obama's efforts. This is clearly evidenced by recent transparency laws implemented by the Congress, which have resulted in the names of all requesting Members being listed next to every earmark in the reports that accompany appropriations bills.

October 8, 2008"

McCain shows contempt for Obama

2008-10-08T06:44:00.008-04:00

Last night referring to Senator Barack Obama as "that one," Mr. Straight Talk Express showed his true colors: John McCain has contempt for Barack Obama.

John McCain can't say "my friends" enough to take away the sting of his expressing open contempt for fellow presidential candidate, Barack Obama, the likely next president of the United States according to all polls.

At least we now know what we suspected all along: Senator McCain is struggling desperately just to be civil, has a hot temper, feels entitled to be president and exhibits very poor judgment. And, in light of his choice of running mate, he may believe himself immortal.

In last night's town hall session McCain said he would talk softly and carry a big stick. But his contemptuous words uttered softly through a clenched jaw on national television and followed up with countless appeals to "my friends" reveal an arrogant, disingenuous person who will do or say anything to win this election.

Surely, "my friends" doesn't include those who openly support Barack Obama. Can "my friends" include anyone who respectfully disagrees with McCain? Can McCain respectfully disagree with anyone? If he can't, is he likely to possess the necessary humility and self control to be President? Will he listen to advisers who say things he doesn't want to hear, things at variance with his world view? Probably he's never heard of being a servant/leader, just a hard-ass leader.

He recently said he has always aspired to be dictator in a session with the DesMoines Register editorial board.

I suppose dictators don't have to respectfully disagree with opponents, they have other options.

Good thing we're electing a President in November!

Sen. McCain, I am not your friend --live blog

2008-10-07T21:42:00.009-04:00

If I hear "my friends," one more time, I'm going to stop watching this farce.

The Straight Talk Express has at least one bent axle, but still insists we trust it to "move forward". Yeah, and the future lies ahead.

9:45 p.m.Now, McCain just referred to Senator Obama as "that one." Contempt. Wow.

9:52 Obama, please just say health is a human right, not a commodity.

9:53 McCain tries to scare us -- Obama wants socialized medicine. McCain will give us a $5000 tax credit. Um what if we don't have the $5000 to pay for our health care, Mr. Straight Talk?

9:57 Obama says health care is a right! Thank you.

9:59 Sen. McCain, how will we be a peace maker? "America is the greatest force for good in the history of the world, my friends..." He will stand on his record. He's the man to make the decision to go to war. Hey what about Congress?

10:02 Obama says we are a force for good in the world.

10:06 McCain says "my friends" again, and I'm still watching. Oh God, again...

10:07 McCain says American blood is America's most precious asset.

10:08 Obama calls for more troops in Afghanistan.

10:13 McCain "I'll get Bin Laden. I know how to get him." So please vote for me.

Good night.

Saturday Night Live Vice Presidential Debate Spoof

2008-10-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Enjoy!

Financial bailout bill passes House

2008-10-03T14:57:00.003-04:00

The Bush/Paulson/Pelosi/Reid bailout bill has passed, but a majority of Republicans still voted against it.

Prediction: The GOP will label this a Democratic Party handout to the rich, as they feign populism on the campaign trail.

VP candidate Palin might say, "Yessir you betcha, guys and gals, John McCain is a maverick and the GOP is ready to do something new in Washington. You know, I'm thinkin' Joe Six Pack needs representation at the highest levels of government. 'Cause Dubya was a little too, ya know, high brow, what with his time at Andover and Yale. What I'm gonna bring is a real, glad to know ya slice of life approach from God's country...the final frontier. That's right, the great state of Alaska. With a Palin/ McCain administration, you'll be able to count on straight talk and quick decisions, new leadership inspired by the spontaneous leading of the Spirit. Because, ya know, how else could I have gotten this far? George Bush was annointed and so is a Palin/McCain administration. Move over you elitist Democrats voting with Wall Street. We're here to help the millions of little people who, like me, can't keep up with details of government policy. They want easy answers. And we're here to give 'em." *wink.

Presidential candidates favor the trickle-down bailout

2008-10-01T07:20:00.005-04:00

Our current financial system sucks capital out of small communities, pads pockets on Wall Street and condemns ordinary people to lives of debt. But it's the devil we know and the presidential candidates think we should keep it on life support by passing the "rescue plan" currently pending in Congress.

Obama has warned of financial catastrophe if the "rescue" doesn't pass.

In a brazen effort to win popular support linking the woes of Wall Street to the woes on Main Street, McCain said on CNN:

"By the way, the first thing I'd do is say, 'Let's not call it a bailout. Let's call it a rescue.' Because it is a rescue. It's a rescue of Main Street America."

This supposes that our bloated, top-heavy, corrupt, unproductive financial system is worth propping up in its current form. This supposes that business as usual is good for Main Street. This supposes that the current system based on greed, fraud, unregulated worthless derivatives, swindling and a lifestyle of deceit has ever helped Main Street.

The words "crisis" and "catastrophe" are meant to scare Congress away from their responsibility to deliberate. After 9-11, Congress traded away liberty for false security with the U.S.A. Patriot Act. Now, "crisis" and "catastrophe" are employed to sway Congress away from their golden opportunity to remake our horribly broken "financial system" by re-establishing appropriate regulation and oversight. There is tremendous popular support for letting Wall Street take its licks and letting the so-called "free market" function for a change. The People would like to dole out some tough love through their elected representatives.

But some argue, since our retirement savings and college savings are tied up in the financial sector's worthless products, we will all suffer if more institutions fail. Worse yet, as global credit remains sluggish, companies will not make payroll and people will lose their jobs. Credit is the life blood of the global financial system. Traders need to float puffy clouds of highly leveraged risk around the globe around the clock to grow our retirement savings. We are all in this together, they intone. And drug dealers need users to stay in business.

But remember, prior to the hideous meltdown, millions of people were already suffering and losing jobs through downsizing and outsourcing -- the result of efforts to increase share value quarter to quarter.

Instead of propping up the system that brought us this mess, why not start by helping small businesses and individuals directly harmed by the situation. Why should Congress save huge banks from their own bad investment decisions and let local communities continue to crumble as foreclosures drive down property values and devastate once healthy neighborhoods?

How about giving Main Street a bailout, a chance to start over and let the benefits trickle up to the bloated big boys for a change?

--Take the $700 billion and start making very small loans ($20,000-$50,000) to homeowners in trouble. Think of it as the grandest ever micro-loan program. Consumers will spend at the local level, resume making their mortgage payments and keep their mortgages from simply lapsing into "bad paper." The big boys will get their money and people won't lose their shelter.

--And if you really want to get radical, just make grants. Don't expect repayment. It would be no worse than the billions flushed down the drain in Iraq. In fact it would be better -- directly benefiting U.S. citizens and killing no one.

--Have local banks that meet strict criteria for sound lending administer the program, service and hold the loans, or disburse the grants. This would establish local financial institutions and people as authorities in their communities. This would cultivate working financial relationships at the local level.

--Create a service corps of financial counselors who can work with consumers lacking financial literacy to help them get on the right track. This would create jobs for dislocated financial industry workers.

--Assist small businesses having difficulty getting loans for operating expenses. Rather than prop up unproductive financial gamblers, get the money to small companies that make things people need and provide vital services in small communities. This would keep people employed and maintain consumer spending, which accounts for nearly two thirds of all economic activity.

Granted, things are in such a state, that the fat cats will need a little hand out to keep going. But it would be obscene if Congress provided that corporate wefare with no commensurate support for small businesses, workers, families and children and communities.

Senators Barack Obama, John McCain, and Joe Biden will all be in Washington, D.C. after sundown to vote on the Wall Street "rescue plan". Main Street will be watching closely.

Agree to the bailout, or else

2008-09-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

Is this "economic crisis" the new 9-11 -- a scary tool to achieve concessions from the American people? Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctine, seems to think so.Listen to her on Democracy Now.
Klein says that "now is the time to resist Wall Street's shock doctrine."

"Be afraid, be very afraid," seemed to be President Bush's message as he advocated a $700 billion bailout plan. In a nationally broadcast address last night, he asserted that if the government doesn't purchase billions of worthless investments with taxpayer money, the entire economy might collapse. And just to be extra persuasive, he made it personal. If the bill is not passed, you could lose everything -- your house, your job, your retirement savings, access to credit.

"The market is not functioning properly. There has been a widespread loss of confidence, and major sectors of America's financial system are at risk of shutting down. ... Without immediate action by Congress, America could slip into a financial panic and a distressing scenario would unfold," the President said.

Seems to me the markets are functioning properly. The writing is on the wall. Fear and retrenchment are rational responses to what is unfolding. The pyramid scheme of worthless derivatives is crashing down and investors are leery. Sounds about right. Major Wall Street Institutions have vaporized and people are spooked. Also, sounds right. We are in the "distressing scenario."

Why is it that worshipers of the "free market" are now eager to engage in the largest ever exercise in corporate welfare?

Shh...did somebody say "Great Depression?"

2008-09-18T11:33:00.008-04:00

Next year, we'll have a huge vegetable garden. I can feel my immigrant grandmother's instincts in my bones. Use what resources you have. We have some land. Get the ground ready for spring. Clean out the weeds. Amend the soil. Let manure work itself in over the winter. Tidy up the cold frame so it's ready to go.

Grandmother didn't garden because she needed to clear her mind or because it was chic. She gardened to feed her family during the Great Depression. My mother recounted feasts -- borscht, fresh baked chicken, cucumber onion salad, fresh eggs from the chickens -- in the midst of the Great Depression. Her hunger was satisfied with home grown goodness, the best her mother could provide. But my mother also remembered begging for new shoes and being told she'd have to wait. Grandmother couldn't grow shoes in the garden any more than Grandfather could find work on the streets of Chicago.

Mother's family knew abundance and lack.

With the current financial meltdown of the shadow banking world, movers in the know are uttering bleak words. Mark Patterson, co-founder and chairman of distressed investor MatlinPatterson Global Advisor said Tuesday that the odds of a Great Depression this year are between 20 and 25 percent .

But, if you are already unemployed and hungry the odds of a Great Depression are irrelevant. You are already experiencing need. Michigan has been in a so-called "one-state recession" for about two years. You say tomato; I say tomahto.

According to recent reports, even once booming West Michigan is hitting bottom as thousands enter extreme poverty. And the Salvation Army in Farmington Hills is giving out over 250 free loaves of bread in a day. Median family income in Farmington Hills in 2006 was over $85,000, well above U.S. median income, yet these people are lining up for free bread.

Yet, some movers and shakers persist in saying there are investment opportunities in this meltdown. Tell that to the children in poverty. "Buck up, little kids, you might be hungry, but there are some terrific deals in the banking sector and they're giving out bread in Farmington Hills."

Too bad the manure on Wall Street isn't good for the garden. There is so much of it these days.

Michigan, you could be the next Ohio

2008-09-17T07:30:00.005-04:00

To a tried and true Michigander, this is a chilling thought. We don't want to be Ohio; we want to beat Ohio. But only on the football field, not at the game of corrupt elections, thank you very much.

The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee are suing the Michigan GOP as a result of investigative journalism by the Michigan Messenger. Well, it wasn't even really hardcore "investigative" just the result of a well-conducted interview by a seasoned journalist. According to the Michigan Messenger, the Michigan GOP wanted to suppress votes by challenging people in the foreclosure process. The GOP denies it, because it really is repugnant. The Messenger stands by its story.

Some salient quotes about GOP strategy:

Laura Bush to the Michigan delegation at the recent GOP convention:
“I think Michigan can really be in play this time,” she said.
"We want every single Michigan independent. I want you to feel the pressure, because Michigan could be the Ohio of this election.”

Paul Weyrich, father of the conservative movement on the advantages of low voter turnout:

Here's a Project Vote explainer about caging.

Let's try to keep Michigan from turning into Ohio. Given our history with Ohio, the very thought of following in their footsteps should send chills down every Michigander's spine. If you have the time, go forth and protect the rights of Michiganders to vote.

Phil Gramm feeds McCain his lines on the economy

2008-09-16T06:16:00.008-04:00

As 158-year-old Lehman Bros. investment bank collapsed into bankruptcy, GOP presidential candidate John McCain had the nerve to stay yesterday that the "fundamentals of the U.S. economy are strong." Really? Actually this puts him at odds with numerous economists.

He's also been quoted as saying he really doesn't understand the economy -- believable given his statement about good fundamentals yesterday. How then can a guy who admits he doesn't understand the economy make such ridiculous statements on the same day that Wall Street's excesses bring down industry giants?

Phil Gramm, one of McCain's economic advisers, must be whispering these idiotic sweet nothings to the candidate. Gramm prepared the way for this mess in 1999 with the historic Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. This law repealed the depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, which prohibited a bank from offering investment, commercial banking, and insurance services. This is the real culprit behind our financial mess. Gramm's law freed up banks and insurance companies and investment firms to intertwine incestuously and invent absurdly complex "financial products"amounting to junk. Gramm's modernization of financial services actually facilitated greed and speculation run amok with boundaryless interlocking entities pawning off bad investments to eachother.

Remember Phil Gramm said we're in a mental recession and that Americans who are having a hard time are whiners.

Yesterday, thanks to Gramm-Leach-Bliley, Bank of American purchased Merrill Lynch. Bank of America, has benefited from Gramm-Leach-Bliley with CEO Lewis leading "a buying spree in recent years. In addition to the Countrywide purchase, Bank of America has acquired FleetBoston Financial Corp., credit card company MBNA Corp. and Chicago's LaSalle Bank. In July 2007, Bank of America paid $3.3 billion to buy private bank U.S. Trust Corp. from Charles Schwab & Co." (SanFrancisco Chronicle)

Probably, Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis isn't a whiner. He seems to be at the cutting edge of Phil Gramm's vision for the financial services sector. But even he thinks the economy is tanking. At a press conference yesterday, going over the fundamentals of the Merrill acquisition, Lewis allowed that the U.S. economy wouldn't see significant recovery until 2010, that the financial services sector would continue to spin out and that the next 12 months would be very difficult for economy generally.

Today central banks are scrambling to pump more cash into markets, you know, to keep this fundamentally sound system functioning. Today the Bank of England will inject $35.9 billion and the European Central Bank will pump in 70 billion euros (about $100 billion). But this hasn't settled down markets. This morning International Herald Tribune reports that "Wall St. woes trigger Asian markets sell off." Didn't those investors and central banks get the memo that the economy is fundamentally sound?

Palin and Clinton on Saturday Night Live

2008-09-15T08:35:00.004-04:00

Time for overdue comic relief.

Brace yourselves for more bank and market turmoil

2008-09-15T06:49:00.000-04:00

It's going to be a bumpy day on Wall Street.

Lehman files for bankruptcy (BBC)

Wall Street crisis: investors dump shares after Lehman collapse (U.K. Guardian)-- "The London stockmarket nosedived this morning as traders dumped shares and piled into gold and government bonds, following the turmoil on Wall Street."

Global markets dive after Lehman declares bankruptcy (Times Online)

Stunned Merril and Lehman staff eye shifting landscape (Reuters)

New York Times: Once elected, Palin hired friends and lashed foes

2008-09-14T08:57:00.001-04:00

Just read it for yourself and resist the urge to write it off as the liberal media bashing conservatives unfairly. It's a breathtaking account of vendettas and cronyism, just the kind that would dovetail nicely with the current crowd in Washington. The report also seems to support assertions that choosing Palin amounts to pandering to religious and social ultra-conservatives. It also reveals Palin's bold political ambition; she wants to be President. Democrats need to spend less time trying to caricature her and more time strategizing how to push back and play offense.

Excerpts:

"But an examination of her swift rise and record as mayor of Wasilla and then governor finds that her visceral style and penchant for attacking critics — she sometimes calls local opponents “haters” — contrasts with her carefully crafted public image.

Throughout her political career, she has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance, according to a review of public records and interviews with 60 Republican and Democratic legislators and local officials."

...

" Interviews show that Ms. Palin runs an administration that puts a premium on loyalty and secrecy. The governor and her top officials sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas seeking public records.

Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects, and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that his request would cost $468,784 to process."

...

"She appointed a pastor to the town planning board. And she began to eye the library. For years, social conservatives had pressed the library director to remove books they considered immoral.

“People would bring books back censored,” recalled former Mayor John Stein, Ms. Palin’s predecessor. “Pages would get marked up or torn out.”

Witnesses and contemporary news accounts say Ms. Palin asked the librarian about removing books from the shelves. The McCain-Palin presidential campaign says Ms. Palin never advocated censorship.

But in 1995, Ms. Palin, then a city councilwoman, told colleagues that she had noticed the book “Daddy’s Roommate” on the shelves and that it did not belong there, according to Ms. Chase and Mr. Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps children understand homosexuality, and said it was inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin read it.

“Sarah said she didn’t need to read that stuff,” Ms. Chase said. “It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn’t even read it.” "

Democratic party leader receives threat against Obama

2008-09-12T12:50:00.002-04:00

According to a report from WHMI, an FM radio station in Livingston County, Michigan:

"The Secret Service Agency is investigating a handwritten threat that came in the mail yesterday to the Livingston County Democratic Party Headquarters in Brighton Township. Party Chair Judy Daubenmier tells WHMI the handwritten unsigned note was addressed to her. Using racial slurs, the person suggested that it was their fondest hope that Barrack Obama “gets a bullet.” While the area has been noted for its history of racial tension, Daubenmier says when they knock on doors and make phone calls in the county they virtually never hear this type of offensive language. She says the view of this “one cowardly person” doesn’t reflect the general feelings of residents, which is unfortunate given the efforts to rid others’ stereotypically negative views of the area relating to race. Commander of the Michigan State Police Brighton Post Gene Kapp tells WHMI the complete document was handed over to the Secret Service, who will assist them in the investigation. Daubenmier says they will not be intimidated by the threat because they know it doesn’t represent the feelings of the broad community."

Anti-Obama attack ads in Macomb County

2008-09-12T12:32:00.005-04:00

Michigan is so critical in the presidential election that Freedom's Defense Fund in Washington has launched an attack ad against Senator Obama in Macomb County, what should be a democratic stronghold.

The ad employs guilt by association and resurrects the Reverend Wright flap. "Barack Obama's spiritual adviser for more than two decades is America's sharpest critic," said Todd Zirkle, executive director of the Freedom's Defense Fund.

To see the ad click here.

According to a press release from the group, the ad is scheduled to run a saturated one-week schedule on cable news networks in Macomb County, Michigan.

"Our donors are demanding that we be strategically relevant in this campaign," continued Zirkle. "We will stay active in Macomb County, as we believe it critical to the Michigan outcome. Michigan will be a decisive to the national result."

Last week, the group ran an ad falsely linking Obama with former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Jon Stewart: Sarah Palin - Vet this!

2008-09-11T21:34:00.004-04:00

Wikipedia levels the playing field. Scroll ahead to 7:31 in the playtime to see Jon Stewart name the GOP's contempt for people helping at the ground level in their communities.

Palin says she's ready to be President, me too

2008-09-11T19:56:00.011-04:00

Ratchet up the OMG factor. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin claims that although she's never met a foreign head of state, she is ready to be President of the United States, should it be necessary. Well folks, if she's ready to be President, I'm ready to be President.

Her reasoning? She won't blink. That's right. In an ABC news interview, when asked about McCain's asking her to be running mate she said, "I answered him 'yes' because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink," she said. "So I didn't blink then even when asked to run as his running mate."

Maybe the blink factor was important to McCain, because he passed over a number of better qualified Republican women in choosing Palin. Let's see...McCain could have picked Condi Rice, Heather Wilson, Olympia Snowe, Kay Granger, Margaret Spellings, or Elaine Chao (Correcton: Chao is ineligible since she was born in Taiwan)for starters. Or even Lynne Cheney to keep it all in the family. But he picked Sarah Palin who didn't blink and was a bang up demographic fit for getting out the hardcore social conservative base.

But I have to admit, if Obama had asked me to be his running mate, I wouldn't have blinked either. Not because I was committed to the mission or ready to become unconditionally committed to the mission. Rather, because I'd have been in a state of shock. I'd be thinking, "Hey, wait. There have to be better qualified people than me. Better qualified women even. You know, people who've traveled more, have foreign policy expertise, better grasp of geography, have devoted their lives to public service. Why are you picking me? You want a wise-cracking, bird-watching, garden-tending, middle-class, mother of three, former law librarian turned writer to be just a chicken bone away from the Presidency? There must be some mistake. You've got the wrong gal."

And then I'd say, if the offer was still on the table, "You know, I'd like to sleep on this. It's gonna wreck havoc on my family life, I'll have to drop all my professional activities and I'll have to put off writing the great American novel for a few more years."

Like I said if she's ready, I'm ready.

Top ten reasons women should vote for Obama

2008-09-11T07:42:00.003-04:00

The recent buzz asserts women are switching to the McCain/Palin ticket just because Palin is a woman. But seriously, ladies, consider the issues that matter to families. Don't be fooled by McCain's brazen tokenism and PR stunt -- picking a moose-hunting, baby-nursing, gun-toting gal from Alaska.

From the Barack Obama campaign website:

1. Women in business:
"Barack Obama encourages investing in women-owned businesses, providing more support to women business owners and reducing discrimination in lending."

2. Equal pay for equal work:
"Barack Obama believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace."

3. Protecting Title IX:
"Barack Obama supports eliminating gender discrimination in American schools. For 35 years, Title IX has been a bulwark against sex discrimination against students and employees at all levels of education. Obama will fight to make sure women have equal opportunities and access from pre-kindergarten through graduate school."

4. Paid medical leave:
"Expanding Paid Medical Leave: Today, three-out-of-four low-wage workers have no paid sick leave. It is fundamentally unfair that a single mom playing by the rules can get fired or lose wages because her child gets sick. Barack Obama supports efforts to guarantee workers seven days of paid sick leave per year, a moderate proposal that should not impose too onerous a burden on employers. "

5. Reproductive choice:
"Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case. "

6. Responsible fatherhood:
"Promote Responsible Fatherhood: Obama will sign into law his Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, and ensure that payments go to families instead of state bureaucracies."

7. Parents and families:
"Support Parents with Young Children: Obama will expand the highly-successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all 570,000 low-income, first-time mothers each year. The Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families."

8. Family farms:
"Obama will fight for farm programs that provide family farmers with stability and predictability. Obama will implement a $250,000 payment limitation so that we help family farmers — not large corporate agribusiness. Obama will close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around the limits by subdividing their operations into multiple paper corporations."

9. Fiscal discipline in Washington:

Reinstate PAYGO Rules: Obama believes that a critical step in restoring fiscal discipline is enforcing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require new spending commitments or tax changes to be paid for by cuts to other programs or new revenue.
Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Obama will protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, but he will reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.

10. Making college affordable:
"Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year's tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due."

Women in white flight to McCain, please reconsider

2008-09-10T07:21:00.010-04:00

An ABC/Washington Post survey seems to indicate that white women ditching Obama for McCain-Palin in vast numbers are flipping Obama's advantage to McCain. The UK Guardian speculates "the loss of support among white women could be fatal for his chances of winning the presidency if it was to be sustained. Obama had upset this constituency before the conventions, with many Democratic women unhappy that he had dumped their champion, Hillary Clinton, out of the nomination race."

Ladies, please familiarize yourselves with McCain's positions. This material is from the McCain-Palin website.

On abortion:
"John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench."

Juno was a great movie, wasn't it?

On expanding the military:
"John McCain believes we must enlarge the size of our armed forces to meet new challenges to our security...John McCain believes that the answer to these challenges is not to roll back our overseas commitments...John McCain thinks it is especially important to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps to defend against the threats we face today."

Anybody feel a draft in here?

On marriage:
"John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman."
Whip up the base and pray away the gays.

On assault weapons:
"John McCain opposes restrictions on so-called "assault rifles" and voted consistently against such bans. Most recently he opposed an amendment to extend a ban on 19 specific firearms, and others with similar characteristics."

Guns don't kill people. People kill people.

On Supreme Court appointees:
"A President should have confidence in the judicial philosophy of those he is appointing to the bench. That is why he strongly supported John Roberts and Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court and that is why he would seek men and women like them as his judicial appointees."

Load the bench.

On globalization and subsequent outsourcing of jobs:
"John McCain believes that globalization is an opportunity for American workers today and in the future...John McCain understands that globalization will not automatically benefit every American."

Hey, Michigan, outsourcing will go on. Deal with it. No wonder he's sure the auto jobs are not returning to Michigan.

On the war on terror:
"John McCain supported the adoption of the Military Commissions Act (MCA) in 2006...John McCain recognizes that we cannot treat dangerous terrorists captured on the battlefield as we would common criminals."

No habeas corpus in the war on terror.

"John McCain is more concerned with protecting the American people from future terrorist attacks, by killing or bringing to justice those who commit them, than he is with giving terrorists rights that would allow a judge to set them free before they are tried."

Shoot first, ask questions later?

On Homeland Security:
"Public-private partnerships are an essential part of the entire homeland security effort – from planning to implementation and operations."

Entrepreneurs are essential to our economy. More domestic opportunities for Blackwater, perhaps?

Change, yes we can -- the McCain-Palin strategy of repackaging

2008-09-08T21:13:00.012-04:00

Cross posted at Huffington Post

Obama says of McCain and Palin "You can’t just recreate yourself. You can’t just reinvent yourself. The American people aren’t stupid."

Oops. But, change? Yes, we can. The possibility to redefine and reinvent yourself is absolutely central to the American experience. It's at the heart of the immigrant story. Come to the new land, reinvent yourself and make your fortune. And if you make a mistake, try again and start over. This is the land of second, third and fourth chances. And rebranding.

Absent from McCain's claims of being a change agent is any admission that his past performance is wanting. He needs to pose as a change agent to win votes. The only reason for him to present himself as a reformer is to bait a citizenry ravenous for change in Washington -- he's betting that voters are so desperate for change, they can't think clearly and discern his rhetorical co-opting of Obama's message of change.

In fact, he seems to be taking a page from Dubya's 2000 campaign play book. McCain is claiming he'll "drain the swamp, "take 'em on" and "bring the right kind of change." While he sounds like a Clint Eastwood character, he actually sounds even more like Dubya on the campaign trail in 2000.

Here's how Dubya took aim at McCain in the 2000 election. From a New York Times article dated February 8, 2000:

"Bush proclaimed today that he was the true reformer in the Republican field and portrayed his chief opponent, Senator John McCain, as someone who 'says one thing and does another.'"

and...
"'If you're tired of no results and simple, empty rhetoric,' he said, 'if you're tired of people who say one thing and do another, come join our team.'"

McCain's Straight Talk Express, while an ironic joke to Obama supporters and intelligent, thoughtful observers, isn't about truth, facts or straight talk. It is about simple, short catch phrases -- verbal gestures that suggest populism and patriotism and the guy next door. The technique is meant to make a false impression, not to persuade on the merits of policy positions. It is calculated deceit to make McCain accessible to masses of voters who don't seem to realize that they're not going to have a beer with a guy owns seven houses and whose wife can afford a $300,000 outfit, no matter how plain spoken he presents himself on TV or at a town hall meeting.

The American people aren't stupid, just gullible and spent. And you only need to fool some of them in a very close race.

Unless Senator Obama has a brilliant trump card he's saving for the right moment, he'd better take off the gloves, quit being politely incredulous and let rip some real straight talk. If he delays much further, McCain's puffed-up fake populism and pretense of being a reformer might stick with voters.

Celebrate Banned Books Week with Sarah Palin: Sept. 27 - Oct. 4

2008-09-08T06:45:00.013-04:00

Don't believe everything you read. Sarah Palin is not a book burner or banner, but she does tend toward small town cronyism. Reporting by the Boston Herald gets to the heart of the matter: Palin was willing to fire an employee for not complying with ideology and sent requests for resignation to administrators as "just a test of loyalty."

This morning I received an email sent and resent half a dozen times purporting to list books Sarah Palin wanted to ban from the Wasilla Public Library. Over four days the email has whipped up concern among intellectual freedom fans, book lovers,liberals and Obama supporters.

Looking like required reading for high schoolers with titles like A Clockwork Orange, Canterbury Tales, and Huckleberry Finn, the presence of a dictionary, Little Red Riding Hood, and Tarzan of the Apes suggest the list is fake. These just are not typical book banning choices for prudes or evangelicals.

But could it be true? Reporting by Time Magazine inspired the email rumor.

According to Time, former Wasilla mayor John Stein "says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor."

With that, the blogosphere was off and running, spinning yarns about lists.

Housecleaning with a new administration is standard procedure, but public librarians are not political appointees. They are civil servants who conform to professional standards and abide by ethics set forth by the American Library Association.

Maybe this is what ultimately qualifies her to be McCain's running mate: she's a political creature who values loyalty above professional standards and qualifications. If this is the case, the McCain Administration really could be Bush's third term.

The McCain--Palin road show: swagger and cheek in Michigan

2008-09-07T01:02:00.005-04:00

McCain and Palin have hit the trail with swagger and cheek -- riding a post-convention boost in popularity straight into Michigan. Some Michiganders seem receptive to the story-telling road show, although many are resisting the snake oil. The hard facts of economic life in Michigan can't be cured with old-time remedies.

If this year's presidential campaigns were books, they'd be a western and an exhaustive non-fiction treatment of some tragic truth -- Louis L'Amour meets a remaindered tome on the demise of American industry. Which would you rather read in your off time? But we're not talking about picking summer reading; we're considering electing the next president of the United States.

The GOP is working one of its stock in trade strategies for electing presidents. Stick a cowboy hat on a guy (or gal) with a can-do attitude and you have a de facto American leader. Remember, Maverick is a legend of the west. And if your protagonist is a western hero in a white hat wrapped in the flag what does that make the other guy? Effete, over-intellectual, hand-wringing, unpatriotic...

What's worse, it doesn't have to be true to stick. Recently McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, told the Washington Post - that the election is "not about issues" but about "a composite view of what people take away from these candidates." Pure political pragmatism. This isn't about speaking truth to power; this is about power speaking myth to voters. This is about winning. Expect negative ads and plenty of misinformation.

A truckload of compelling facts can't necessarily compete with a myth, story and propaganda. Human beings are hardwired for stories. Our subconscious speaks in archetypes and the GOP knows this. So does team Obama, which has come this far thanks to strong message control and branding (Change, Yes we can).

Obama has a can-do attitude, but with a collective sensibility. McCain, on the other hand, is playing to American individualism. Obama wants to invite us to a barn raising with a big potluck afterwards. McCain wants to pace off at high noon and then fence off the back 48. Obama needs to remind voters that McCain will be a continuation of the last eight years. That swallowing more Bush administration "remedies" won't cure what ails us. That to elect McCain is like trying to heal an earache by blowing tobacco smoke into the ear and saying "pain, pain go away, go into a bale of hay." Sure, people tried it. It's even got quaint old west charm. But it doesn't work.

AP: Michigan man accused of planning anti-GOP attack

2008-09-04T07:42:00.000-04:00

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a Michigan man as part of what they say was a scheme to use Molotov cocktails to attack the main arena for the Republican National Convention.

The U.S. attorney's office in Minneapolis says 23-year-old Matthew DePalma of Flint was charged Saturday with possessing unregistered firearms.

Authorities say DePalma attended an event in Waldo, Wis., in July called the CrimeThinc Convergence, and told an FBI source he wanted to attack the convention.

An FBI affidavit says DePalma talked about making Molotov cocktails, got the supplies and assembled five.

The affidavit says DePalma talked of attacking Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

The Associated Press left a message for DePalma's public defender.

Viguerie annoints Palin, "the next Ronald Reagan"

2008-09-04T07:02:00.003-04:00

Richard Viguerie, conservative icon, has dubbed Alaska Governor Sarah Palin "the next Ronald Reagan" after her acceptance speech last night.

Even if this is an overstatement, the Democrats seem to have a problem. Palin will mobilize white, middle America. She's an underdog, a hockey mom, a small-town gal, a devoted wife. She can zip up the American dream narrative like a comfy house dress while toting a rifle and flipping griddle cakes. She can line dance her way past accusations of being a Washington insider and talk tough. Well, she can deliver tough lines in a speech anyway.

Did the GOP succeed last night in contrasting their small-town, tough gal with the Democratic ticket? We shall see. Elections are about stories. Voters will eat up stories that resonate with their lives and give them hope. This has been Obama's strength. And now the GOP seems to have found a direct challenge to Obama's "change and hope" narrative. She's a tough gal with a tale. She's not afraid to take on Obama. And she's the only gal on the dance floor.

Biden better get busy.

Bonior: the election will be "won at the margins"

2008-09-02T13:08:00.004-04:00

Former John Edwards supporter, congressman David Bonior told Inter Press Service (Italy) the presidential election will "be won at the margins."

In an interview with IPS at the Democratic convention, Bonior allowed that the election will be a squeaker nationally and in Michigan.

Picking up that theme, Laura Bush today met with Michigan's delegation at the Republican convention and urged them to work hard for McCain, saying that "Michigan could be the Ohio of this time. Michigan could be the state that carries the ticket for us and carries the election for us."

In a very close race all it would take would be: a little caging, inadequate numbers of machines in heavily Democratic districts, aggressive GOP election challengers at polling places, long lines on a workday, strategic misinformation about where and when to vote, and misinformation about Michigan's voter ID law.

Back to work with Obama the "labor guy"

2008-09-02T06:18:00.005-04:00

While a lot of bloggers surf the edge of the news cycle, hoping to be the first ashore with a brilliant insight, one can also take a break -- perhaps lounging under a shady tree with a refreshing drink, getting some perspective on what is really urgent and important. It could take an hour or, in my case, the entire month of August. So now it's back to work. There is a presidential race to parse!

Michigan, according to the latest polling numbers, seems to have morphed from a deep blue state into a pale blue swing state. The latest (8/18-8/21) EPIC-MRA poll of likely Michigan voters has Obama at 43 percent, McCain at 41 percent, undecided at 13 percent. Expect a lot of attention from the candidates as they attempt to solidify core supporters and woo undecideds.

Obama will be the "labor guy," as he told union organizers at Detroit's Hart Plaza yesterday. But what of McCain? Will he court west Michigan as the "family values guy" or will he leave that to running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with a gender-based division of campaign issues? Family stuff, that's women's work. McCain can deceptively appease the religious right trotting out Palin as a distraction from his mixed record on abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage.

According to the Detroit News, McCain's pick of Palin and his appearance at Saddleback megachurch earlier this month are winning the hearts and minds of social conservatives. Yet, it's the undecideds who are really up for grabs and they aren't a monolithic chunk of social conservatives or labor supporters.

Perhaps McCain will present himself as the "upper management guy" delivering more sober and pessimistic anti-union news to the people of Michigan as he did during the primary. However, telling Michigan voters that automotive jobs lost will never return won't win over marginally employed lunch-bucket Democrats, even if it is true.

Obama has a better spin on resuscitating Michigan's terminally ill automotive-centric economy. Automotive jobs lost (nearly half a million in the last ten years) can be replaced with work creating alternative energy -- green jobs -- and the federal government can subsidize the development of this sector. Sounds great. But how can he promise that Michigan will be the center for this activity? Lots of states could use the economic perk of a hot new technology sector and once a government program is established all states will want a shot at winning those jobs and dollars. Unless Michigan's congressional delegation has a lot of favors to call in, don't count on half a million green jobs for Michigan in 2009.

No Republican presidential candidate has carried Michigan since 1988. It is still a blue state. If Obama can appeal to the romantic memory of all that is good about labor unions and organizing and grassroots activity and community empowerment, he has an excellent chance in Michigan. If McCain patronizingly talks about inevitable demise of Michigan manufacturing through globalization and outsourcing, Obama has an excellent chance in Michigan. If McCain goes deceitfully negative, projecting fear and loathing of difference onto Obama, evoking unseen faceless enemies, things may get close.

From my shady spot though, this pleasant peninsula still looks like the perfect backdrop for Obama's economic narrative. Make it a "Main Street" election. Security begins with the pocketbook on the kitchen table.

Michigan's social safety net still full of holes

2008-07-24T22:02:00.006-04:00

Our social safety net is porous. It’s a net after all, not a helmet or steel-toed boots or safety glasses. Nets have holes. Stuff slips through. People slip through. Families. Children.

This week, Michigan legislators increased state cash assistance to poor families via the Family Independence Program by $1 per month per person – a cool $12 per year. According to the Michigan League for Human Services (MLHS) this is the first across the board increase in the monthly grant in 18 years. This increase isn't going to strengthen the safety net.

“We think it’s a positive symbol that needy families receiving cash assistance are finally getting recognized in the budget, but you have to keep it in perspective because the buying power of the grant has eroded steadily over the years,’’ said Sharon Parks, president and CEO of the League, in a press release.

While it may be a positive symbol, the $1 increase is also a shameful embarrassment. Next year, a family of three will receive $36 more per year in their FIP grant. If you’ve gassed your car lately, you know $36 doesn’t buy a tankful. The buying power of the dollar continues to erode. Good thing the Family Independence Program is intended to cover rent. So how much do families that qualify actually receive?

Prior to the $1 increase, a single parent with two children received $489 a month. Unfortunately, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Michigan is $627. To make ends meet recipients can also seek food stamps or federal housing subsidies. Recipients can even work. But if they earn a bit more than $300, they lose their FIP. The rules of the system push them toward independence through the holes in the safety net.

“There are plenty of families for whom this is their main income,” said Judy Putnam, communications coordinator for the MLHS. In the first quarter of 2008, 58 percent of families receiving FIP had no earned income. Children in those families do not benefit from cash income beyond the FIP grant.

The FIP assistance amounts to just 35 percent of the poverty level. In Michigan, the 2007 poverty level for a single parent with two children was $16,705.

In June 75,848 families received cash assistance from the Family Independence Program. This included about 150,000 children. Imagine the combined populations of St. Claire Shores and Farmington Hills as poor hungry children. Anybody got an extra dollar?

Water cooler ticker -- It's the economy

2008-07-24T10:34:00.004-04:00

Ford Has $8.7 Billion Loss, Shifts Away From Trucks (Bloomberg)Analysts expect Ford's change in direction -- away from trucks to fuel efficient cars -- will be costly, with more losses ahead.

Dow Chemical reports decline in 2Q profit (Associated Press)
"Dow Chemical Co. said Thursday that despite record sales and two double-digit price increases unveiled in the second quarter, its profit for the period fell 27 percent, in large part because of sharply higher costs for energy and raw materials."

Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Fell to 10-Year Low (Bloomberg)
"Sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell in June to the lowest level in a decade, signaling tumbling real-estate prices and consumer confidence are hurting demand.

Resales dropped 2.6 percent to a lower than forecast 4.86 million annual rate from a 4.99 million pace the prior month, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington. The median home price dropped 6.1 percent from June last year. "

National City has $1.76 bln loss on loan write-offs (UK Guardian)The Cleveland-based lender posted its fourth straight quarterly loss "hurt by soaring mortgage and real estate construction loan losses and a write-down for acquisitions."

US weekly jobless claims rise 34,000 to 406,000 (Forbes)"The number of individuals filing new claims for unemployment insurance rose to its highest level in nearly four months, while the number of individuals continuing to file claims for unemployment fell slightly in the latest survey week, the Labor Department said today."

New layoff filings jump as companies retrench (Associated Press)"The number of newly laid off people filing claims for unemployment benefits bolted past 400,000 last week as companies trimmed their work forces to cope with a slowing economy and fallout from a collapsed housing market."

Creative Cities Summit 2.0 coming to Detroit

2008-07-23T06:50:00.006-04:00

Tired of Michigan being the poster child for economic crisis and Detroit the archetype for lost cause? Ready to imagine healthy economic development and make it happen? Want a brainstorm to clean out yesterday's ways from your mind? Eager to meet like-minded people from around the world who've met tough economic development challenges with creativity? Then get registered for the Creative Cities Summit 2.0 October 12-15 at the Detroit Renaissance Center.

Featuring a power hitter panel discussion with Richard Florida, author of Rise of the Creative Class, John Howkins, author of The Creative Economy, and Charles Landry, author of The Creative City, the conference will examine the Midwest as a megaregion, transportation innovation, marketing the creative city, the city's role in attracting and retaining talent and more.

Speakers include:

John Austin, Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution; and Richard Farnsworth, former Chicago Tribune reporter and author of Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism.

Doug Farr, a Chicago-based architect and planner. The author of Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature, Farr also will conduct an afternoon workshop on applying LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the green building rating system, to neighborhood design.

Charles Landry, founder of the U.K.-based Comedia in 1978 and a leading authority on cultural development and how culture changes its development. He is credited with coining the term Creative Cities.

Majora Carter, founder of the non-profit environmental justice solutions corporation, Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), is a MacArthur "genius," and one of Essence Magazine's 25 most influential African-Americans for 2007.

Obama and McCain to stump at Saddleback mega-church

2008-07-21T08:10:00.004-04:00

It's official. Obama and McCain will make a joint campaign appearance at Saddleback Church in California on August 16. Pastor Rick Warren said in a press release, "We're honored that the candidates chose The Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion for their first joint appearance, an unprecedented opportunity for America to hear both men back-to-back on the same platform."

According to Warren, each candidate will converse with him for one hour and all media are invited.

Both candidates recorded video messages for attendees at Saddleback's annual Global Summit on AIDS and The Church last November. Located in Orange County, Saddleback has about 22,000 members.

Thursday Economic Roundup--hunger increasing across Michigan

2008-07-17T07:35:00.007-04:00

As GM frantically eliminates jobs and costs and MEDC judiciously awards tax breaks to attract jobs, Michigan's unemployment remains top in the nation at 8.5 percent in June. High unemployment and economic upheaval continue to affect children and families across the state and food pantries struggle to keep up with demand.

Families do without when foodbanks run dry in Shiawassee County.The Argus Press reported Saturday that "At least 400 families in Shiawassee County are going to be hungry this week." If you're Phil Gramm, complaining about hunger is just so much whining. But if you are a poor, homeless, hungry child in Michigan the pain is real.

Bay City Schools to start feeding all kids breakfast. Bay City Schools join nine other districts in Michigan to test a pilot program, the federal Universal School Breakfast program, which will serve all students a free breakfast, regardless of whether they qualify for free or reduced meals.

Ann Arbor's Motor Meals is facing a financial squeeze that could get tighter, according to executive director Elizabeth Adams. Falling donations, increasing need and soaring food and fuel costs threaten this and other hunger organizations' operating budgets.

In Isabella County food banks are running out of stock. Irene Little, emergency programs director at the Central Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross, says there is a steep increase of new people seeking assistance. And she predicts "there are a lot of rough times coming."

Phil Gramm, fear and your financial future

2008-07-13T06:53:00.005-04:00

Now that we're largely inured to the disaster that is "the war in Iraq," and now that we no longer expect a terrorist attack any minute, there is a new bogey man in town. Be afraid, be very afraid of total economic collapse and complete loss of the pampered American way of life as we know it. Be afraid that you may lose your job and house at any moment. Be afraid that you will have no retirement and will not be able to put your kids through college. Fear is the theme. Fear is the meme.

Check out some headlines from this week:
"Worst fears ease, for now, on mortgage giants"
"Stocks, dollars slide on latests credit crisis fear"
"Fear is driving Wall Street"
"So much for optimism"
"Feds fear Fannie, Freddie meltdown"
"Better than feared economic data still pretty bad"

As long as you're scared, maybe in this election year you won't notice who's behind the mess we're in. According to journalist David Corn, Phil Gramm, one of John McCain's closest advisers, bears some responsibility. Corn contends that the roots of today's problems come from " a sly backroom legislative maneuver mounted by Phil Gramm, who was Republican chairman of the Senate Banking Committee in the '90s." According to Corn, Gram helped deregulate financial speculation in the form of "swaps" with language quietly slipped into the Commodity Futures Modernization Act. Swaps are tools that let banks hedge their bets by insuring loss. And as a rolling loan gathers no loss, swaps that insure against loss need to keep rolling too. Trouble comes when the music stops in the game of musical debt. Whoever is left holding the massive amounts of bad debt loses.

But this completely overlooks Gramm's magnum opus, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act from 1999. This law repealed the depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, which prohibited a bank from offering investment, commercial banking, and insurance services. This is the real culprit behind our financial mess. Gramm's law freed up Citibank to merge with Traveler's and become Citigroup. Gramm's modernization of financial services actually facilitated greed and speculation run amok.

Want to be afraid? Imagine this guy as treasury secretary.

The markets will correct. Long-term investors with diversified portfolios will be fine. Don't be distracted by the fear meme. It is there to keep you from noticing who's on first during this presidential campaign.

Special ballot measures to get out the vote (UPDATE and Correction)

2008-07-09T05:36:00.009-04:00

Michigan's November ballot will most certainly bring out voters and provide drama and entertainment at a time voters desperately need it. Considered a critical swing state, a high Michigan turnout will most certainly favor Obama. Three titillating ballot measures are sure to get voters to the polls: government overhaul, medical marijuana and easing restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.

Michiganders frustrated with their legislators might have a chance to "say it" at the ballot box. Reform Michigan Government Now, advocating a smaller Michigan judiciary and sweeping salary cuts for elected officials, turned in nearly half a million signatures yesterday to get a Constitutional amendment on November's ballot. Saul Anuzis, chair of Michigan's GOP, questions the validity of the measure because Democratic strategists seem to be behind it.

The medical marijuana question may encourage young voters to take action. The measure does not say how patients would obtain marijuana and the state would not provide or regulate it. Sounds like a business opportunity for enterprising young college grads unable to find other work. (According to the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, the state would regulate the substance to the extent that qualified persons could cultivate "12 marihuana plants kept in an enclosed, locked facility.") You can read the proposed measure here.

The stem cell measure will probably mobilize folks on all sides of that issue -- from alzheimer's care providers to the right-to-life crowd. Obama and McCain both support the measure, but right-to-lifers claim the language of the measure would lead to human cloning. Sigh.

And if those measures weren't enough to stimulate interest, voters in the 9th district will have an independent option in November -- Jack Kevorkian will be on the ballot in the Peters/Knollenberg contest. And why not? He spent eight years in prison for second-degree murder,was released June 1 last year and remains on parole until June 1, 2009. Heck, he's had a productive year managing to jump start a congressional bid. Where does he stand on these issues?

Looking for a silver lining to natural disasters?

2008-07-08T10:23:00.001-04:00

"When something is destroyed you don't necessarily rebuild the same thing that you had. You might use updated technology, you might do things more efficiently. It bumps you up," said Mark Skidmore, an economics professor at Michigan State University. "Disasters help people think about things differently." (International Herald Tribune, "Do disasters stimulate economic growth?")

Michigan stats in the news

2008-07-08T06:58:00.007-04:00

Some curious stats and facts from recent news reports.

Michigan is a top exporter to Iran, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the last seven years. Curiously, during the Bush years, U.S. exports to Iran have increased more than tenfold, in spite of all the angry rhetoric about nuclear programs.

The Bay City Times reports that heroin trafficking is on the rise in mid-Michigan.

Michigan drivers buckled up at record rates in 2007 -- over 93 percent -- making it a top ten state for seatbelt use. (Chicago Tribune)

Isabella County had the highest increase in residents seeking food assistance in the first quarter of 2008 -- 23.6 percent over the same period last year. Sharon Parks, president of the Michigan League of Human Services says the trend will continue statewide, as people's unemployment benefits end they exhaust savings. According to Parks, "The economy is in a distressing state."

Michigan's richest man says "I'm working for myself. The auto companies are working for the UAW and it doesn't work." According to the Chicago Tribune, Bill Davidson, owner of Auburn Hills-based Guardian Industries, is Michigan's richest man. His net worth of about $4.5 billion makes him the 68th richest person in the U.S.

Michigan's May jobless rate hits 8.5 percent

2008-06-18T19:31:00.001-04:00

Could the economy become a bigger election issue than gay marriage? Here in Michigan, it absolutely must.

With Michigan's unemployment reaching 8.5 percent in May, the highest rate in 16 years, Democrats have a golden opportunity to pitch a total overhaul of domestic economic policy. Just this week candidate Obama delivered an extensive economic policy speech in Flint.

According to the Washington Independent:
"Obama promised a $150-billion energy plan to create a green sector of the economy that would create 5 million jobs over the next 10 years. With that, he promised that jobs--"good jobs"--would return to Michigan. People would return to the assembly line, but this time to build hybrids and electric cars, along with the wind turbines that will supposedly power America in the years to come. He pledged to double federal funding for research and development at Michigan universities and to invest in high-speed rail."

In the meantime, as automakers continue to slash staffs, economic constriction will continue to choke Michigan. Each auto job lost represents multiple jobs in communities.

A pressing question: are social service agencies of Michigan positioned to meet the impending wave of demand?

Ford Exec. calls for plug-in hybrids

2008-06-12T06:45:00.004-04:00

Too little, too late. That's what this is.

Yesterday, Ford Motor Co. President of the Americas Mark Fields said that the federal government should make plug-in hybrids a "national priority" and invest heavily in the technology.

He said Japan, China and Korea are investing in research and development and that we should too. You think?

Am I missing something here? We've known since the 1970s that dependence on foreign oil could devastate our economy. We've known about peak oil for nearly 20 years. And we've watched U.S. auto manufacturers pander to the conspicuous consumption of consumers with SUVs and trucks. The U.S. auto industry could have been proactive and pursued a long-term development strategy like say...Toyota or Honda. But instead the industry chased after short-term profits by selling wasteful vehicles. They backed themselves into a corner.

Now, suddenly they see the light? We need vehicles that don't guzzle $5-a-gallon gasoline. And the industry needs subsidies because research will cost money and retooling will cost money.

The people who really need help right about now are laid-off workers stuck driving gas guzzlers. Not everyone is in a position to purchase a new fuel efficient vehicle at the moment.

Let's help families first. Take a number, Ford.

Michigan, my Michigan

2008-06-10T10:40:00.006-04:00

After sixteen years, a place makes its way inside you.

You know its smells and sounds -- after a thunderstorm, downtown, at the grocery, in the middle of the night. You know your way around -- the side streets and back ways, the quickest routes across town, the best views, the best pizza.

You know the place like a lover. Its hidden tender spots. Its weaknesses. Its strengths. What it needs to thrive. How it often resists change in favor of a familiar old way.

Michigan has so much potential, but it is languishing. To make room for a new Michigan, a lot of people will have to let go of attachment to the old -- the old ways of doing business, education and employment.

Right now, I'm in the midst of moving and the process (when it isn't exhausting) is powerfully magical. You have a chance to let go of things and put bad memories behind you by discarding stuff. You must reconsider your attachments to your possessions. You are poised to receive surprises beyond your perception. You get to make room for newness. You can affirm that some things are truly behind you -- no need to grasp reminders of what seemed a golden age or better day. Truth is, great days are ahead if you make room for them.

Letting go, purging, opening, assessing what really is past, preparing for a new kind of future -- Michigan needs to do this. And economic development experts like Phil Power, Lou Glazer and others have been urging such an approach for several years.

In the absence of collective crisis, embracing statewide change seems a long shot. We can each bring it forth in our own lives, though, in small daily ways. Take a different route to work each day. Donate to charity everything you haven't used in six months. If you are shy, talk to every cashier you encounter and wish them well. Talk about the presidential election with your neighbors. Read a literary genre you think you dislike. If you don't have kids, volunteer at your local elementary school. Get comfortable doing things that are unfamiliar and get out of your comfort zone.

This daily practice can prepare you to make bigger change, the kind Michigan needs.

So get out and do some things you never imagined doing. Don't worry about getting messy and making mistakes. The worst mistake would be to keep things just as they are.

Economic Roundup -- more pain

2008-06-03T05:40:00.003-04:00

General Motors will probably announce more cuts and restructuring today.(Reuters) According to the Globe and Mail this will include 1000 jobs slashed at the Owasha, Ontario plant that makes large pickups. Expect cuts in Michigan, as well.

Gaming the system? Greektown Casino has filed for bankruptcy and will seek court approval today of a bankruptcy loan. (Free Press) Borrowing money to lose less money -- you have to love that.

High school dropouts cost the state billions in lost wages, say experts. (mlive)

Moving on from Michigan

2008-05-24T05:53:00.004-04:00

"If you are here for money or a signature, let me save you some time," I said preempting the pitch. "I don't do those things at the front door."

"O.K. That kinda covers it," he replied hugging a clipboard to his chest.
"So, how's it going?" I asked.
"Tonight, not so good." The ACLU activist on my front porch was slim and young in tee shirt and jeans. He could have been my son, clear-eyed, ready to change the world one front door at a time.
"What are you working on?" I asked.
"Constitutional stuff mostly," he shrugged with a smile nestled in casual stubble.
"I'd have been more pleased if you had success with the same-sex partner benefits at the Supreme Court," I said, looking past him to the blooming lupines thriving in the unseasonal cool air.
"Me, too."

Turns out, he doesn't live in Michigan, really, this activist for the progressive way forward. He was raised here in the liberal oasis of Ann Arbor, but goes to school out east and his family is relocating there as well. They just sold their house. But still he works for the cause in Michigan. He still wants to help here.

We chatted about the climate -- political, economic, cultural -- in our state, shook our heads and parted, well wishing, smiling, understanding each other a little. This summer, pursuing his ideals might turn into just another job. When it's over, he'll return to school and re-join his family's migration east. He's moving on from Michigan.

It's a creaturely thing, migration. We get attached to place, landscape, claiming our habitat, crying for its preservation and protection, associating safety with roots. But many of us notice when it's time to move on, nothing more to graze, too many predators, drought. We hear of better pasture, opportunity, maybe a place where we can gather and create and can be ourselves.

Maybe Michigan will again be a place people seek to settle. For now, she's exhaling, out with the old...

Edwards endorses Obama, Oh my!

2008-05-14T19:58:00.002-04:00

Never mind the delegates, in Michigan John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama today. Michigan, epicenter of American manufacturing decline, heart of the rust belt, and ground zero of the national recession served as poignant setting for labor's candidate to join forces with the Obama campaign.

This is a green light for Reagan democrats to support Obama. All those hardworking, blue-collar democrats can feel a little better about voting for Obama. An Edwards endorsement may diffuse insinuation about Obama's being anti-American. The all-American, self-made man has just endorsed him.

There may be talk of Edwards as Obama's running mate, but just imagine him as Attorney General. Takes your breath away.

Obama's call to Michigan's manufacturing soul

2008-05-14T14:52:00.006-04:00

Senator Barak Obama called for a national manufacturing agenda to develop green energy and create up to 5 million jobs in a talk at Macomb Community College today.

"It’s time to recapture the spirit of innovation that has always fueled America’s economic success. It’s time we had an economy that was driven not just by foreign debt, but by the power of America’s imagination. It’s time to tap the ingenuity of engineers and entrepreneurs, policy experts and working folks to meet the challenges of our time," Obama said.

His proposed plan would invest $150 billion over the next ten years in the green energy sector via a Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Capital Fund, and "create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund that will invest in innovation and job creation in places that have been hard hit by the decline in manufacturing," Obama said.

Obama alluded to unfair trade practices that have undercut American manufacturing, but didn't give specifics as to how he would enforce international agreements, saying he would make sure "that countries like China aren’t breaking the rules and putting American workers at a disadvantage."

The senator also called for a universal health care plan to alleviate economic stress on families, claiming he would implement a plan by the end of his first year in office. "Unlike John McCain, I have a universal health care plan. It’s a plan that will cut health care costs by up to $2500 per family per year and reduce costs for business and their workers by picking up the tab for some of the most expensive illnesses and conditions," Obama said.

Michigan, you can't get there from here

2008-05-13T16:42:00.012-04:00

"You can't get there from here" -- a salty bit of logical nonsense attributed to Maine that fits Michigan's current cultural and economic predicament. Over the last few years, Michiganders who want to improve the state have described a way forward, a new economy and a defining moment. They have struggled to articulate a vision that might inspire people to change ideas and actions and habits.

Yet, getting "there from here" can feel as impossible as Lansing Democrats and Republicans collaborating for the sake of the state or the Detroit Three producing cars that actually get good mileage or Dow just cleaning up its shameful dioxin pollution in Saginaw or Kwame Kilpatrick graciously stepping down so Detroit can get some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Thing is, Michigan could get "there" from "here," but it would take generosity, maturity, magnanimity, compassion, warm-heartedness, concern for one's neighbors, humility, creativity and openness to new ideas. Plenty of people who love Michigan are working on it. Lots of others are not.

Openness to new ideas is probably the biggest impediment to reviving Michigan's economy and culture. New ideas can be expensive. For example the executives at Dow Chemical could choose to do the most thorough possible cleanup of the dioxin in the Saginaw River simply because it is the right thing to do. That would be a new idea. It might cost the company a lot of money, but at least they would be acting in good faith. They would be demonstrating a commitment to the environment and public health in communities vulnerable to the pollution Dow creates and spreads.

New ideas can mean forsaking short-term gain for the sake of long-term benefit. The Detroit Three could have chosen to embrace high gas mileage as a core value for everyone's sake. But over the last few years, public appetite for gas guzzlers has meant big profits for the domestic industry. Turns out, that short-term strategy is biting the industry but good as foreign-owned companies prepare to sell lots of small, efficient cars that consumers need. You can't commute if you can't afford the gas it takes to get to work.

New ideas make people uncomfortable, defensive, and unwelcoming to people who are different. We saw that last week with the State Supreme Court's decision prohibiting employee health benefits to people not in "man/woman" marriages. The idea of same-sex marriage (to some an obvious oxymoron) makes people uncomfortable and defensive in a knee-jerk, gut-based way. And so, Michigan is now unequivocally inhospitable to same-sex couples in long-term relationships a.k.a. marriages. Here is an issue that could help Michiganders stretch themselves and practice openmindedness and compassion and generosity and hospitality.

So what'll it be, Michigan? Narrow-minded, short-sighted,greed-driven, socially intolerant policy or a new way -- progressive, community-oriented, inclusive, locally sustainable innovation?

What a week for the gays in Michigan!

2008-05-09T06:36:00.002-04:00

Just when you were ready to put the dismal Supreme Court decision on same-sex partner benefits temporarily behind you, news that protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church will make an appearance at Eastern Michigan University today at noon. If you don't know what to do for lunch, stop by and share in the counter protest!

From the Triangle Foundation press release:
"Known for his "God Hates Fags" websites and propaganda, Fred Phelps is coming to protest against a student organization that allegedly promotes 'the sodomite agenda.'"

"If you would like to join Triangle Foundation and other LGBT and allied organizations on EMU’s campus, we would appreciate your support. Those of us who attend, please do not engage in violent ways or angry reactions. Be mindful he engages in spiritual abuse against LGBT people and our allies. After their protest we encourage our community to assist us in symbolically and physically washing the area of hate, bigotry, and exclusion with mops and brooms."

It's really difficult to see this event as unrelated to the Supreme Court decision earlier this week. The temptation is to say that the Westboro people are a fringe group and the Supreme Court is not. But the result for LGBT people is the same: public denouncement of who we are. Is that connection really such a stretch for straight people to comprehend?

It is doubtful the Westboro group is attempting to create synergy with the court decision, but you never know. They may be hateful, but they're not stupid.

Getting personal about life in Michigan

2008-05-08T06:59:00.004-04:00

This is not a personal blog. But as the adage goes, the personal is political.

Michigan's Supreme Court has interpreted the marriage amendment to the state constitution as prohibiting employee health benefits being extended to same-sex partners. Fine.

The papers this morning are touting arrangements made by state universities with a work around that involves terms like "other qualified adult" and "other eligible individual." Gays and lesbians in Michigan are supposed to be grateful for the creativity of university legal teams. Statistically, there won't be a lot of people directly affected, so what does it matter?

Here's how it matters. Our state, this state, has unabashedly enshrined in law heterosexual privilege. Some readers may think that I just used a bit of radical jargon. Too bad.

What Michigan now has is a system that assures special rights for heterosexual married people by denying employment benefits to another group. In effect, the state constitution says that if you are in a heterosexual marriage you are more worthy of health insurance and other benefits that accrue to the partners of employees.

A large number of Michigan citizens are fine with this, because they benefit, because it fits with their world view, because they believe in their heart of hearts that marriage is the cornerstone of civilized society, because they believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, because it affirms them. It works for them.

But this won't work for a forward-looking Michigan. Neither will high teen drop-out rates, high unemployment, outsourcing, falling income, weak pollution laws, a structural deficit in the state budget, a paternalistic employment culture, lack of appreciation for higher education, and legal immunity for big pharma.

For those of you committed to a progressive Michigan, there is no discernible end point.

While some have tried to advocate for a progressive Michigan through writing,words will not be sufficient to bring forth a progressive Michigan.

It will take action. Boots on the ground.

For you progressives committed to the long battle, I have the deepest respect, appreciation and awe.

Saturday, many will gather for the Progressive Policy Summit in Lansing. That event couldn't come at a better time for the state and the progressive community.

Time to regroup, reconnect, refresh and ready for the work ahead.

Jon Stewart gives Detroit overdue comic relief

2008-05-07T22:16:00.007-04:00

Thank you so much for covering the "Rustbelt Midwest Swing State F@#kfest." Lest we take any of this too seriously...

Same-sex partner benefits illegal in Michigan

2008-05-07T16:14:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the backwater called Michigan.

The Supreme Court has spoken. The state constitution as amended by voters defines marriage in Michigan as only possible between one man and one woman. Public employers may not extend benefits to same-sex partners of employees.

If you are gay or lesbian and in a committed relationship, you cannot be construed as married in Michigan. While the court's decision only applies to public employers, it will be a green light for further discrimination against LGBT persons in Michigan.

Now you can be sure that Michigan is an inhospitable place for gay and lesbian people.

The straight majority asserted its will in 2004. Married heterosexual people really are privileged in Michigan. Heterosexual privilege is enshrined in the state constitution.

If you are in a gay or lesbian relationship, you may think of your commitment to each other as a marriage, but the state does not. You may share all your resources with each other, but Michigan will not honor your relationship. You have no protection. You can draft a sheaf of legal documents to simulate the contractual elements of marriage. You can hope that such documents will be honored as you attempt to conduct your business as a couple. But there are no guarantees.

Good luck with your new economy, Michigan. Good luck attracting quirky, creative, innovators. Good luck retaining gays and lesbians who've devoted themselves to public service and education for the wellbeing of their fellow citizens.

Maybe this is what some voters wanted -- to drive out the queers, make them unwelcome, purify Michigan for the sake of future generations.

Obama hurts Detroit's feelings. Get over it.

2008-05-07T06:55:00.003-04:00

The headlines shriek: "Obama blasts Detroit, Ford again." Oh please. As if Detroit and the Big Three are above reproach. Obama simply shared a memory of a dismal ride from the 1970s, a Granada.

Even if you are loyal to Ford or GM or Chrysler, you can't argue they never ever produced a dud, especially in the 1970s.

My first ride was a late 1970s Chevy Nova with cheap interior, bad radio, hideous color choices, and no sound proofing.

Obama has criticized Detroit for indulging consumer appetite for gas guzzling SUVs and large trucks. And he recently pointed out that the Japanese makers are getting ready to trounce the Americans with their well-developed fuel efficient vehicles. He is right. Toyota will soon raise the base price of their popular small cars. Take that GM.

For anyone who came up in the 1970s, the decision to build gas hogs has been unfathomable. They are wasteful and cost more to operate. Building them takes more resources but delivers the same level of function of a more fuel efficient car. They are icons of conspicuous consumption. Monuments to ego.

Obama is spot on when it comes to the Detroit Three and their pursuit of greater profit through the sale of SUVs.

If you have a memory of a domestic dud from your early driving years, feel free to share a comment.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

2008-05-04T20:44:00.006-04:00

The long winter is over.
Spring has come.
Rejoice and be glad, Michigan.

Found poem from spam subject lines

2008-05-02T06:18:00.003-04:00

Spam -- the junk that jams your email inbox -- may have redeeming qualities after all. Here is a found poem from recent spam subject lines.

Don't understand?
More dimension and vigor
You can do this too
Is it hard?

For the sake of your health
Be not afraid of making changes
This is what people want to know
Dreams can cost less

Relax, take a deep breath
We have the answer
Immense weapon of love
Your life

Clare Public Schools squashes Day of Silence

2008-05-01T06:43:00.007-04:00

If you're a gay kid in Clare Public Schools, you're on your own. The school administration will not support you or assure a safe environment or permit something as benign as participation in the Day of Silence, a national event of solidarity with LGBT youth in schools.

According to a report in the Clare County Review, Clare Public Schools officially prohibited student and teacher participation in the National Day of Silence sponsored by GLSEN.

Clare Board Of Education President Tom Weaver read a statement at the board meeting prior to last Friday's event:

"Teachers will be instructed to teach, and students will be instructed not to post any signs or hand out any literature.
If a student chooses not to participate in classroom activities, they will face the consequences of their actions. Disciplinary action will be taken against any students or teachers causing any type of disturbance relating to the “Day of Silence” issue."

Doesn't the Board of Education realize that harassment on the basis of perceived sexual orientation or gender expression is the most common "disturbance" relating to the "Day of Silence" issue? The issue is creating safe space for all students. Period. Kids are driven to suicide and assaulted every day because of actual or perceived difference. By prohibiting an event that demonstrates support for an inclusive environment, the community leaders are giving a green light for violence and abuse against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender kids.

Even worse, they are tacitly accepting a community standard based on suppressing civil action to protest injustice. They are condoning a community standard of discrimination, intolerance, conformity and fear.

It's bad enough LGBT adults in Michigan continue to face workplace discrimination.

Michigan's future depends on a culture of creativity and diversity and inclusion. That means welcoming gay and lesbian people. And transgender people. And all kinds of different people.

The Clare County Review reported that Rev. Jim Shuster, a bus driver and pastor of the North West Baptist Church, said, “This agenda is the homosexual cause. Are we going to allow this agenda into Clare Schools? It’s sin. Why do we want to legitimize sin in our schools? Our tax based school system should not promote this agenda.”

It's not a homosexual cause, it's a human rights cause. Kids have the human right to be safe in their persons in schools supported by the state.

Michigan, you have a long, long way to go. Please don't shoot yourself in the foot.

Bush passes the buck on economy

2008-04-30T07:34:00.002-04:00

Consumers, Congress is to blame for any economic discomfort you are having, not the Unitary Executive. Got that?

In a Rose Garden press conference Tuesday, President George Bush blamed Congress for high gas prices, high food prices, rising foreclosures, and more. According to President Bush, the current Congress is responsible for the oil industry not creating new oil refining capacity for the last 30 years. And Congress is to blame for thwarting domestic oil exploration. And Congress is to blame for a global spike in food prices. And Congress is to blame for everything that could possibly contribute to the economic mess we're in. So, please don't blame President Bush or anyone in the White House for this fine mess.

Besides, your stimulus checks are in the pipeline, so be patient. You might be facing foreclosure, but any day you'll be receiving a check for $600. You could use that for a moving van, instead of just taking whatever fits in your car when the bank takes your house. If you are finding it hard to feed your children, that 600 bucks could buy some groceries. You could also use the money for a tank of gas. Think of it as a little pick-me-up in the midst of your enduring hardship. In the meantime, consider asking Congress to make the Bush tax cuts permanent and urge your representatives to permit drilling in ANWAR.

President Bush allowed that there are no quick fixes to ease your pain. If you were Bear Stearns or one of the Bush Pioneers things might be different. You'd get more than $600 because you'd need more than that to maintain the standards to which you've become accustomed. But if you actually need to work to: pay your mortgage, feed and clothe your family, pay tuition bills, gas your car, save for retirement and meet medical expenses, expect the pain to persist.

President Bush bemoaned the lack of a magic wand saying “If there was a magic wand to wave, I’d be waving it, of course." Then, gripped by clear sight he added, "But there is no magic wand to wave right now." Was there ever?

Toad restores hope

2008-04-26T04:49:00.003-04:00

Big Yard Bob is a powerful toad.

Big Yard Bob has a message for Michigan: the news isn't reality.

My children named Bob years ago when they spotted him by the sandbox. He became their seasonal companion in the mud behind the shed, under some leaves, here and there. They could never be sure he'd join their adventures, but often he did.

Big Yard Bob is the reason we stopped fertilizing the lawn. It had nothing to do with Earth Day. We worried about his toady skin absorbing the poison meant for grubs and crabgrass. We didn’t want him eating things coated in pesticide. We didn’t want to kill one of our children’s best friends. We'd grown to appreciate Bob's surprise appearances and the thrill it gave the kids.

Even as the children became adolescents, trading the sandbox for iPods and calculus and Facebook, Bob kept to the yard. We’d spot him as we gardened or mowed.

Yesterday, I saw him -- a burly specimen of toady muscle. He leapt away from the mower into some leaves under a bush. And he reminded me that all the bad news in the world cannot suppress the wonder of a single toad.

Bad news can smother us. Negativity pummels daily: credit crunch, financial meltdown, global recession, food shortages, soaring energy prices, foreclosures, plant closings, layoffs, outsourcing. It just goes on and on.

A single Bob spotting returns me to my senses -- to my awareness of the real world, the natural world, the world of a life force that will not be suppressed by financialization, war, greed, corruption and hate.

Bob lives in the real world and he reminds me that I do too. Bob has no rights, but he is free. Bob is radically alive. Bob lives in the present moment. Bob is not American. Bob is not a Christian. Bob is not a Democrat or Republican. Bob cannot be destroyed in the media. He's not a consumer, voter, property owner, sports fan, or anything else other than a toad.

And we are -- if we can remember among the cyber noise and bad news -- completely, utterly human. None of the trappings we've come to "need" make us human -- identities, work, religion, addictions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, possessions, affiliations, afflictions. We were fully human at birth and as children, before we filled our minds with notions of who we "really" are and who we want to be. Before we accumulated false antidotes to our deepest fears.

Our responses to the news and anything else we encounter affect our perception of reality. These responses can increase suffering or help mitigate it. This is our power as human beings. We can make positive or negative change in the world. As bad as things seem, we can adjust our responses to make things better. We have a choice in the matter -- to attend to the thing immediately before us with full attention and care.

Try it. Take a deep breath and just attend to what is before you. Smile at a stranger. Focus on the present moment. Throw off the cognitive tangle of economic, political and global crises and be where you are. You'll be amazed how different it all looks as light and hope break through the obscuring illusion of fear.

Big Yard Bob is real. So is hope.

Dalai Lama urges understanding across religious traditions

2008-04-20T07:17:00.006-04:00

The Dalai Lama taught about wisdom, compassion, and the nature of the self, but not politics in two, two-hour Dharma talks Saturday at the University of Michigan. Speaking to a reverent crowd of thousands, he urged people to adhere to their own traditions, saying that a multiplicity of traditions and religions serves the diversity of human beings. He said that while some people find different religions threatening to the point of embracing fundamentalism, "genuine harmony on the basis of mutual respect is essential." The spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet said that as he learns about Islam, Christianity and Judaism through personal experience "my genuine admiration and respect to those traditions grows."

Hours before the first lecture, some of that diversity gathered outside.

Chinese students from University of Michigan prepared for non-violent protest before Dalai Lama's presentation. About 50 students gathered at the peak of the protest. Liang Zhang, a University of Michigan graduate student in electrical engineering and president of the Chinese Student and Scholar Association said, “The theme of this rally is to support the Beijing Olympics and to protest the violent behavior that’s been taking place during the Olympic Torch run. Also to protest political interference in the Olympics." He added, “I think we have to listen to voices from different sides and different perspectives -- not only from Dalai Lama and not only from Chinese government, but from more vast points of view."

Arjia Rinpoche heads the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, IN. During the Cultural Revolution he was required to work in a labor camp. After release from the camp, he served as Abbot of Kumbum Monastery, one of Tibet's six great monastic universities and held high positions in the Chinese government. One of the eight high lamas of Tibet, he escaped Tibet in 1998. Referring to the presence of demonstrators at Crisler Arena he said, "This is a free country so you can have demonstration or protest without any fear of gunshot. In Tibet, unfortunately we cannot do that.” He continued, “My concern is that only through genuine dialog and negotiation can solve the problem, either violence or crack down with guns doesn’t work."

A different music in Hill Auditorium: a conversation on Buddhism and art

2008-04-19T05:52:00.006-04:00

Last night a different music resonated in Hill Auditorium, as Gelek Rimpoche, Richard Gere, Bobby McFerrin and Philip Glass shared thoughts on Buddhism and art with a sell out crowd.

There is no easy summarizing of their conversation, but some key points emerged.
1. That the student/teacher relationship familiar to many musicians, artists, and other vocations is related to the guru/student relationship in Buddhism.
2. Similarly, that the tradition and practice are conveyed from one person to another.
3. As an artist becomes a master by fully embodying a tradition, so too for the Buddhist who approaches enlightenment.
4. Practice in artistic disciplines is very similar to practice in the Buddhist sense -- meditation, compassion, right livelihood. It is in the repeated doing of the thing that one simply becomes it.
5. Although Tibetans in Tibet are suffering brutal repression of external expressions of Tibetan art, the spirit of the practice cannot be extinguished. It resides in people.

Those hundreds of Ann Arborites who waited happily in a block long line to pick up their tickets certainly got their money's worth at $5!

Dalai Lama coming to Michigan to uplift

2008-04-15T11:13:00.004-04:00

"Michiganders need some upliftment" in the midst of their economic suffering, said Rimpoche Nawang Gelek, the man who invited the Dalai Lama for this week's visit to Ann Arbor.

Gelek Rimpoche, the founder of Jewel Heart, a Buddhist organization headquartered in Ann Arbor, told Michigan Messenger that he invited the Dalai Lama to Michigan "to lift the sadness in the air over the state" and to bring "a little something bright, a little happiness inside so we can take a second look at our economic situation." A startling and generous thought, given the world's attention on the controversy surrounding China's summer Olympics and last month's deadly violence in Tibet.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will visit Ann Arbor April 19 and 20 to teach on "Engaging Wisdom and Compassion." His visit to the United States this month comes amid increased tension in Tibet over Chinese rule and worldwide calls for a boycott of this summer's Beijing Olympics. The Dalai Lama said Friday that he does not support a boycott of the Olympic games and has repeatedly called for an end to violence in Tibet. He also said in Seattle last week that he is not seeking the separation of Tibet from China.

Describing himself as "an independent Michigander," Gelek Rimpoche is a 69-year-old Buddhist teacher and former Tibetan monk who fled Tibet in 1959 after the Chinese takeover. He plans to make a statewide "post-Dalai Lama tour." "Whatever message he gives I will repeat," he said. "I have not the capacity of the Dalai Lama to uplift people, but still the message has a blessing."

He did not speculate about any particular resolution to the crisis in Tibet, but said rather "my concern is to stop the suffering."

"China wants Tibet. Alright, China, you can have it, if you treat people like human beings just like themselves," Gelek Rimpoche said. He pointed out that China has actually made political and social progress since the time of Mao and the Cultural Revolution. "Compared with that, they have come a long way."

As for Chinese presence in Tibet, he said that even after 50 years, China has failed to win the hearts and minds of Tibetans. And, with vast economic and military power and "beautiful public relations," China has the "complete upper hand on everything except the sympathy of the world."

While Gelek Rimpoche hopes that the Dalai Lama's visit will be uplifting, he allows for the possibility of protesters and cautions supporters to practice "non-engagement." His concerns seem apt. Monday, in Seattle, hundreds of pro-China demonstrators picketed at the University of Washington, where the Dalai Lama was receiving an honorary degree.

His advice to people attending the Dalai Lama's presentations in Ann Arbor, should there be anti-Dalai Lama protest: "You can listen, you can think and make your mind by your own intelligence, but don't try talk to them and try to convince them they're wrong. That is my main point. That can create trouble, and I hope that will not happen."

Why are the IMF and the World Bank worried about hunger?

2008-04-13T09:54:00.008-04:00

Let's be clear about this: the IMF and the World Bank are not humanitarian organizations. They are global economic development and financial management organizations.

So why are they worried about surging food prices and global hunger? Global food riots and social unrest destabilize global economic development.

If people with low blood sugar are crabby, starving people can be seriously unruly. Facing a life and death situation, unruly people riot and call for revolutionary change to the status quo. This can impede global economic management and development.

Explanations for the current hunger crisis include: over population, food crops being used for fuel, drought, inflation, more people eating meat leading to higher grain prices etc.

At the risk of being reductionist, let me suggest that greed, fear and cognitive dissonance are the real culprits. Greed drives speculation in commodities and currencies. Greed makes people hoard. Greed keeps those who have more than they can possibly use from sharing with those who have nothing. Greed makes multinationals seek the cheapest possible labor in the remotest corners of the earth. Most people on earth subsist on what we consider pocket change -- maybe $2 bucks a day. They make our clothes, consumer electronics, and children's toys.

Fear keeps people who have something from identifying with those who live on nothing. It is too frightening to think you could be that person eating clay, salt and vegetable shortening in Haiti. It is terrifying to think you might not be able to feed your kids as they plead doubled over with hunger pains.

Cognitive dissonance and denial are the other culprits. Do you really deserve to eat while others starve? Does anyone deserve to starve? Chubby, overfed Americans love to hear that we are the greatest nation on earth. Indeed, manifest destiny still rings true for many. We are uniquely blessed and chosen by God. Our grocery stores are jammed with food from around the world because God loves us more. We eat up the gospel of guilt-free abundance preached by new agers and fundamentalist Christians alike. Don't be ashamed of God's blessing, they say. God wants you to prosper. God wants you to have more and more.

Might God also want you to share your bounty with those angry mobs suffering low blood sugar, unable to purchase basic food stuffs like corn and rice and beans halfway round the globe?

If we're fat and happy and feel entitled, why question policies that have brought about another world hunger crisis affecting people elsewhere? Why look into global development policies that lock poor people into cycles of debt and greater poverty? If we're too worried about filling our gas tank, we probably won't spend time worrying about people in India, Egypt, and Senegal filling their stomachs (let alone people in our own backyard).

In a global economy, hunger is largely a political problem. We seem to lack the will to eliminate hunger because it would require rethinking everything and making profound structural changes to global economic systems that are byzantine and hidden from our daily experience. Sadly, hunger seems something to be managed not eliminated.

Consumer confidence continues to slide -- hits 26-year low

2008-04-11T16:49:00.003-04:00

Worries about inflation and jobs continue to drive down U.S. consumer confidence.

The Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index for April fell to 63.2, lower than economists had expected. The index hasn't been this low since March of 1982 during a previous period of profound economic slowdown.

Consumer expectations for near-term inflation rose to the highest level since late 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait.

During that same crisis, the University of Michigan Survey of Consumer Sentiment actually created the preliminary mid-month number. In a recent interview, director of the survey, Richard Curtin said as soon as Iraq invaded Kuwait, "our number dropped steeply. I was faced with waiting until the end of the month and saying 'surprise' or giving people a heads up in mid month where our number is heading."

Being a leading economic indicator, the index anticipates economic trends. Based on this and other indicators, experts foresee a protracted, consumer-led recession.

Election fatigue: a long winter of political cabin fever

2008-04-11T07:10:00.003-04:00

I have a serious case of election fatigue, and I'm not the only one. Just Google it. From Bitch Magazine to Jack Cafferty, folks are ready for this thing to be over.

The Democratic primary season has gone on too long, just like the winter. This season's election fatigue feels like a bad case of cabin fever up north. It may be spring -- daffodils and crocuses are popping up in Ann Arbor -- but yesterday there was a winter storm warning in the Upper Peninsula (even blizzard warnings in Minnesota). Consider this: Spring weather will reach the U.P. long before a the Dems have a presidential candidate.

We've been trapped in the narrative of delegate counts, race vs. gender, pastors gone wild, Hillary's tall tales from Bosnia and more for so long, we are numb. How many more campaign ads must we deconstruct? Still we persevere, knowing that this, like the snowy season, shall pass.

As early as January, the fatigue had begun to set in for some. But the Michigan primary kept interest alive among state voters, political professionals and campaign junkies. Today, who really cares about the principles behind the allotting of Michigan's Democratic delegates? Who wants to keep watching the Michigan Democratic Party display its ineptitude, ineffectiveness and division? It would be more fulfilling to de-thatch the lawn and spread grub pellets.

We want a break from our election companions, the intrepid Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but everywhere we turn there they are -- bowling, eating doughnuts, walking factory floors, saying things they regret later. Our other election companions, the pundits, grow equally tiresome. You know readers are fed up when they go after Maureen Dowd (see: "Hey Maureen Dowd, Please Shut Up"), one of the more articulate and even-handed columnists of the day.
The 24/7 information environment and a news cycle disconnected from the rising and setting of the sun have distorted our sense of time. Time in the virtual environment of blogs and streaming feeds has the feel of a Las Vegas casino. The virtual realm propagates itself without reference to the natural world of sun and shadow.

We hear that Democrats need to fall in love with their candidate. It's too late for that. The candidates have spinach in their teeth, and we know they snore. The days of easy infatuation are behind us. Familiarity, meet contempt. After months of the Bickersons on parade, many voters will actually be fooled and think that John McCain is a refreshing change.

According to the most recent Rasmussen polls, McCain is the candidate most likely to win Michigan, albeit by a very slim margin. Just enough to game the system, a cynic might say. When the Michigan Legislature was changing the primary date, we frequently heard proponents say, "No candidate can become president without winning Michigan." I don't think this is what the Democrats expected.

So for now, it looks like we'll have at least six more weeks of this Democratic primary campaign. There may not be a groundhog to tell us what to expect, but maybe the good people of Pennsylvania will send a clue on April 22. Never mind the candidates' position statements, will Pennsylvania primary voters see their shadows?

Take a media holiday and be not afraid

2008-04-01T18:32:00.004-04:00

It's O.K. to turn off the television, radio and internet and put the paper in the recycling before reading it.

You can take a media holiday and clear your mind of the ups and downs of the economy and the scandals of our trusted political leaders. None of this ultimately matters. It is a diversion from reality.

Yes, these are radical ideas coming from a person who spends time reporting and writing about current events. But these ideas are not contrary to my best interest or yours. In fact, they may be precisely in our best interest. If you take a little time away from the media chatter, you may find a way to reconnect with what actually matters.

For example, when your children come home from school excited about something they learned, that deserves your full attention.

Calling your aging parent a little more often to check in, that matters.

Reconnecting with your senses -- sight, touch, hearing, taste, smell -- and fully enjoying your dinner, no matter how humble, matters.

Appreciating the love present in your life and returning it fully will save you from the fear of loss that seems to drive recent economic news.

For your well-being, go ahead and take a media holiday and be not afraid.

'It could get ugly' as strikers rally while American Axle seeks replacements

2008-03-31T20:34:00.000-04:00

cross posted at Michigan Messenger
American Axle strikers rallied at company headquarters in Detroit Monday in response to help-wanted ads the company ran over the weekend, according to an expert close to the situation. Striking workers and labor experts see the ads as a sign that the company does not intend to negotiate and may bring in strike breakers.

"I don't think the workers on strike will stand by and let American Axle bring in striker replacements. It could get ugly," said Maurice "Skip" Turner, a labor education specialist at the University of Michigan Labor Studies Center. "I think the ads are designed to place fear in the hearts and minds of the workers."

The strike, heading into its fifth week, is the longest automotive strike in a decade. With wide-ranging impact -- cutting or stopping production at 30 GM plants -- experts think it may not go on much longer. "I think the make or break period is fast approaching and that is evidenced by the ads taken out by the five plants that American Axle operates," Turner said.

While American Axle is talking tough, threatening to move production overseas and placing help-wanted ads, experts contend that the union still has bargaining strength.

"The workers have some leverage, in that they are the main supplier for GM and a big supplier for Chrysler, as well," said Roland Zullo, research scientist in labor relations at the University of Michigan Labor Studies Center. "You need to have axles to make vehicles and get them off the line and sold -- it gives the union considerable leverage. There aren't a lot of alternative suppliers that GM can turn to quickly."

And the threat to move production is seen as mostly bluster. "It takes quite a bit to move five plants and relocate and retrain and you incur shipping costs because your client is still here. It is a threat, but I don't see it being much more than that," Turner said.

But economic reality may weaken the UAW's position. According to Zullo, "From GM's perspective this is not the worst time in the world to have shut-down plants because you have a lot of vehicles out there that aren't being sold. This is an inexpensive way to thin out inventory."

Turner has concerns for workers and communities if the company succeeds in cutting worker pay in half. "How many workers are going to be able to afford the mortgages on their houses?" he said. "That's going to add to the mortgage crisis. How many will be able to afford to pay for the vehicles they make? That's going to add to the economic crisis."

With Michigan's high unemployment, Turner allows there are "probably hundreds of people" willing to take the positions advertised by American Axle this weekend. Still, a strike-breaker action would be ultimately detrimental to both sides, making contract resolution even harder.

For Democrats, selecting delegates is a dance hard to follow

2008-03-31T20:31:00.001-04:00

cross posted at Michigan MessengerThe protracted battle for Democratic National Convention delegates between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is confusing to average voters, looks unseemly and worries Democrats whose party conflict is set in relief by the GOP's unified support of John McCain.

But according to an expert in electoral politics, the delegate selection process varies from state to state and includes ample opportunity for twists and turns that defy common sense.

When it comes to primary elections, "What the voting public doesn't understand is that the initial voting day is only the first step in a long process," said Stewart French, political science professor at Saginaw Valley State University. "The parties control their nomination process because they are private organizations. They get to determine the rules."

Each state Democratic party determines its own rules, which can be elaborate and lead to counterintuitive results. "For example in Texas, Hillary won the popular vote but lost the delegate vote because they have something they call the Texas Three Step," French said.

In the Texas process some delegates are awarded proportionate to the primary vote, but others are selected in the Three Step consisting of precinct caucuses, county conventions and then a state convention.

Michigan's process is not as complicated as that in Texas. Michigan has a primary election and then holds congressional-district conventions at which delegates are selected. What has confounded this year's process in Michigan is the "uncommitted." In the Jan. 15 primary "uncommitted" won 40 percent of the vote and Clinton won 55 percent. Clinton favors seating delegates in proportion to the election results. Obama favors a 50-50 split.

"Without `uncommitted' there'd be no battle," French said. It would be a straightforward process with the party selecting delegates at the congressional-district level.

The Michigan Democratic Party canceled congressional-district meetings that were to occur this weekend. They have been rescheduled for April 19 in anticipation of "some sort of deal that will allow the Michigan delegates to be seated" at the national convention, French said. Such a deal will likely determine the proportions by which delegates will be awarded to Clinton's and Obama's campaigns. The state party wants to be sure of the proportions -- which they want to be agreeable to both campaigns -- before selecting delegates.

Now that Florida and Michigan have ruled out re-votes of their disputed primaries, Clinton is vowing to take the battle for seating delegates all the way to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. "Since Florida and Michigan have decided not to have a re-vote, the only thing left to get the delegates seated is to appeal to the Credentials Committee at the convention in August."

The Credentials Committee is the final arbiter in determining who actually is permitted to serve as a delegate. The committee has the power to let delegates from Michigan and Florida be seated even though those states broke party rules when they moved their primaries up from February. The national party as punishment has barred the delegates of both states from being seated at the convention.

French says that Clinton's maneuvers to eke out more delegates and her advocacy to seat Michigan and Florida delegates are aimed at increasing her delegate total and persuading superdelegates she is more electable than Obama.

"This is the last gasp of a campaign that has no statistical chance of winning," French said.

Tibet Update

2008-03-30T23:16:00.004-04:00

Tibetan protesters try to storm Chinese embassy in Nepal
"KATHMANDU, Nepal--A group of 200 Tibetan exiles and Buddhist monks tried to storm the Chinese Embassy visa office in Nepal's capital on Sunday but police beat them back with bamboo batons.

At least 130 protesters were arrested and some of the demonstrators and policemen were injured in the scuffle."

Chinese claim proof of Tibetan plot
"China's state-run media reported that Chinese police had a written confession from an unidentified Tibetan monk who said he received orders from supporters of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, to help incite the riots."

Security tight as Olympic flame arrives in China
" BEIJING (Reuters) - The Beijing Olympic flame was welcomed by cheering children amid tight security in China on Monday, a symbolic start to the Games that has been overshadowed by unrest in Tibet and concerns over human rights."

Beijing on guard against Tibet protesters
"Security will be tighter than normal in Tiananmen Square - where pro-democracy protests in 1989 were crushed by force - for a ceremony to welcome the Olympic flame.
The torch will then leave on a four-month worldwide relay that includes stops in Tibet."

What is happening in Tibet?

2008-03-29T12:19:00.015-04:00

(UPDATE: PLEASE ALSO READ Dalai Lama urges understanding across religions
Tibet Update from March 30
Dalai Lama supports Olympics and human rights
For those who need a Michigan angle...His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be in Ann Arbor April 19-20, 2008.)

I just made the mistake of looking at photos documenting recent violence in Tibet. New protests broke out today at two monasteries in Lhasa.

On the weekends, when I have time to be unproductive, I venture into regions of news and information that should derail a well-educated, comfortable American -- maybe even bring tears. Thanks to the internet, Tibet is closer to us now than it was in 1959 or even 1992, for that matter.

You can explore different sides in the situation from the comfort of your favorite chair with a cup of tea and a muffin. It feels obscene and voyeuristic. People in Tibet have been killed by the Chinese for protesting Chinese rule. The Chinese government defends its development policies, accuses the Dalai Lama of masterminding the protests, and says the upcoming Olympics will go on as planned.

The Dalai Lama alleges Chinese troops, planted as agitators and posing as monks, instigated violence. And comfortable people around the world are wringing their hands over yet another politicized Olympics. Supporters of the Tibetan people around the world are protesting and getting arrested.

Xinhau reports that former Nepali consul general in Lhasa Tamla Ukyab "said he personally witnessed the profound changes that have taken place in Tibet, which has risen from an underdeveloped area to a region that enjoys fast economic growth and social stability."

Voice of America reports that "Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, says China's policy of resettling Chinese people to Tibet amounts to what he calls 'cultural genocide.'"

India-based SifyNews.com today says

"In his most serious allegation against Beijing since unrest gripped Lhasa and other places this month, the Dalai Lama said that China had disguised its troops as monks to give the impression that Tibetans were instigating the riots.

"In one picture we see a (monk) holding a sword, but it is not a traditional Tibetan sword. We know that a few hundred soldiers have been dressed like monks," said the Dalai Lama, who has been living in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule."

The Scotsman today has published a commentary by Victor Spence titled China's oppression of Tibet must be stopped. He writes:

THE fragile and highly energised situation we are witnessing in Tibet does not come out of a vacuum.
Cultural genocide, oppression and discrimination in Tibet began nearly 50 years ago, and once more the country has reached boiling point.

The Tibetan youth who have rebelled against their oppressors are walking on thin ice. They risk a complete eradication of the Tibetan identity and decades of work by the Dalai Lama and supporters of the Tibetan cause.

The Chinese leadership has been spoiling for a "fight to the death" for years – a phrase coined by their most senior representative in Tibet. The timing doesn't suit China, with the Olympics just months away.

The international focus this puts on China provides an ideal opportunity for the international community, including Edinburgh, to play their part.

There is indeed growing prosperity in Tibet, but the Tibetans, it seems, are the last to benefit – if at all.

They are discriminated against in education, employment, health, enterprise and other matters.

Tibetan Buddhism is controlled by China: it is illegal to own a photograph of the Dalai Lama. Tibetans who support the Dalai Lama are arrested and tortured. Read more...

March 27,2008 from Reuters:

What can you do in this moment? Strip away your comfort and every illusion that keeps you blind to suffering of others. Seek the part of yourself that knows compassion. Sit there, uncomfortable and awake. Join in silence or prayer for the dead. Don't wait for Sunday; every moment is holy. Om mani Padme Hum...

Controlling the frame, keeping Obama on the defensive

2008-03-27T07:28:00.000-04:00

The mainstream media are having a wonderful time sustaining controversy around the statements of Obama's pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. Someone has drudged up church bulletins that criticize Israel, putting Obama once again on the defensive. In a classic case of guilt by association, the media are using innuendo to suggest Obama holds positions contrary to U.S. foreign policy. Well, that should keep the promising candidate busy swatting flies and apologizing and explaining for another few days. Mission accomplished.

Why would MSM focus on this? Is it really a good faith effort to fully vet candidates? Or is it just easier to stir controversy and stimulate speculation. Face it, running allegations is a lot cheaper than doing hard research.

These reports are simply cheap and easy, the news equivalent of microwave soup. They lack substance and information that voters could actually use to make a decision. No chewing required. And they satisfy only briefly. There will be more, because they cultivate an appetite for more shocking shallow content-free drivel.

And it's only March. What's going on in Pennsylvania?

Don't think of an elephant...or looking past mayor Kilpatrick's indictment

2008-03-27T07:12:00.000-04:00

Don't think of an elephant. Wise politicians advise Detroiters not to get bogged down and preoccupied with mayor Kilpatrick's indictment. In a culture enamored of celebrity and fascinated by every prurient thing, how likely is that? Folks just can't resist the fall of the high and privileged, especially when it involves sex.

In the city that celebrated the "hip-hop" mayor who brought a sense of danger and fun to political office, a dapper player, a cocky native son, imposing in stature, nattily dressed...who can ignore the tragedy? Hope for economic development rests with this man. Hope for attracting business and generating revenue rests with this man. Kilpatrick is the face of Detroit, its ambassador to the world.

Michigan needs a healthy and thriving Detroit not a distracting spectacle and media circus. Can we all put aside this legal and ethical mess and keep on the task of advancing Detroit? He's pulling together support to pay for his defense and notables are reminding the public that he is innocent until proven guilty.

It takes a special strength to move ahead in the face of adversity. The mayor is a fighter and may succeed in this, but will he be able to serve the best interests of the city that depends on his leadership as he fights the charges? Many think not and fear that this will further harm Detroit.

Hard to see how it won't.

Taking stock of Michigan and her prospects

2008-03-26T17:24:00.003-04:00

I started this Michigan blog project a little over a year ago, hoping to understand our state and our historic shift from a manufacturing economy to something else. Economically, we're still limping and now the national economy has joined us.

Our main challenge persists: to diversify the economy enough so that the auto industry doesn't make or break our future prospects *and* to increase the general education level of the adult population so that higher paying work comes to stay in Michigan.

How are we doing? Hard to say. We've been very distracted with the presidential primary farce and now the tragic intrigue of Mayor Kilpatrick's scandal threatens to become a long-term preoccupation.

I'm not the only one growing weary. The blogger Wizard Kitten remarked earlier this week:

"Sometimes blogging about politics and current events in the state of Michigan has all the charm of being repeatedly hit with a baseball bat. You try to get in a groove, accentuate the postitives, and Bam! something comes along that is so big, so tragic, that it steals all the oxygen out of the room, breaks your heart, and leaves you to pick up the pieces in some vain attempt to put your emotional Humpty back together again."

I couldn't have said it better.

Now, how is it we shall find the energy, optimism and hope to keep going? Consider this an appeal for ideas and recommendations. I want to know what the rest of you are doing to stay in it...this fight for Michigan. Can you share what motivates you with others whose enthusiasm may be waning?

Any tips for remaining audaciously, and perhaps foolishly, hopeful in Michigan?

Yours truly,
CEW

For auto industry, cheap foreign labor isn't cheap

2008-03-26T13:47:00.002-04:00

previously posted at Michigan Messenger

Cheaper isn't necessarily cheaper when it comes to auto industry outsourcing.

In a monumental case of penny wise and pound foolish, the Detroit Three are enamored of cheap foreign labor, even as total costs frequently wipe out those savings.

"People think they buy things so cheaply. They say, `We only paid $75,000 for the part this time.' But it doesn't get accounted for that they paid another $100,000 to fix it," said a tool and die company owner who spoke on condition of anonymity. The company's clients include the Detroit Three and Tier One suppliers. In any given week, remediation of bad tooling from abroad can make up 80 percent of this company's work.

This practice is not unusual in the tool and die industry, according to Brian Sullivan, director of communications for the Tooling, Manufacturing & Technologies Association.

The Detroit Three and Tier One suppliers complain that U.S. labor costs are not competitive with cheap foreign labor and use this premise to keep supplier bids low and drive down wages for U.S. workers. Yet, the industry routinely accrues additional hidden costs doing business with China, say small manufacturers. Transportation, inventory and rectifying poor quality create additional costs that eat away at profits and make the domestic auto industry less competitive.

A dramatic case described by the tool and die company owner involved airlifting parts to an assembly plant just in the nick of time. A mere 35 minutes before an assembly line would run out of a critical part, a helicopter landed on the assembly plant's front lawn with enough parts to keep production going until a truck arrived with more.

Four days earlier, a die made in China broke in production at a stamping plant, jeopardizing the plant's ability to deliver promised parts to the auto company. The die was made from inferior materials. A Michigan-based tool and die shop saved the day by patching together the die and producing parts at very slow speed on their own presses.

The stamping company thought it had saved $35,000 by procuring the die from China, but in the end, the misadventure cost an additional $400,000 to fix the die, stay on schedule and fly parts to the auto manufacturer. The stamping company took these extraordinary measures to avoid paying the auto company $100,000 per day in the event of a shutdown. Although rectifying this situation cost the supplier, similar events also happen at the expense the Detroit Three.

"In the tooling industry, they'll say, `In China this mold costs $15,000 and in the U.S. it costs $40,000, so you need to meet the price.' They don't add in the other costs as far as shipping and quality," said Lori Schmald Moncrieff, owner of Schmald Tool and Die.

In some cases "the transportation cost and inventory cost - weeks of inventory sitting in cartons on boats and so on - that cost is greater than the labor savings even if the labor cost is zero," said David Cole, director of the Center for Automotive Research.

"We aren't competing against private entrepreneurial companies; we are competing against the Chinese government," said the company owner. Chinese companies can proffer vastly lower bids than U.S. companies because of state subsidies. U.S. manufacturers must include capital investment in their bids, while subsidized Chinese companies do not, and this results in artificially low bids.

Interestingly, Japanese manufacturers in the U.S. typically seek local, not foreign, sourcing. "The Japanese don't believe that sourcing to China is the better business model. Honda is a perfect model of a company in the tooling industry that buys tooling cheaper than any other automaker in the United States," Moncrieff said. "They believe in partnering and co-management with U.S. local domestic sources. They're doing the opposite of what the U.S. automakers are doing."

The tool and die company owner says the Japanese engage in systems-based costing while the Detroit Three practice "opportunistic buying." "There is a complete disconnect between the price and the cost because of the way our companies are fragmented. You don't see Honda and Toyota doing this. They are not interested in doing this, because they are focused on total cost."

So while the Detroit Three keep bargain hunting and driving down prices in the supplier community, they do so at the expense of developing quality. "A consistent supply chain allows you to sustain and improve quality tremendously. If you are always changing suppliers, how can you establish quality?" asked the owner.

The company owner says that Honda values continuity in its supply chain and expects that suppliers need to be profitable. In what suppliers see as a collaboration, "They want you to reduce your cost but maintain profit. They don't want to reduce their cost by decreasing our profit."

International attention Michigan can do without

2008-03-25T09:38:00.002-04:00

The Kwame Kilpatrick indictment has all the world looking at Detroit.

Detroit mayor in sex scandal (Australia): "Mr Kilpatrick, the youngest-ever Mayor of Detroit, said he expected to be cleared. He did not deny wrongdoing and did not address calls for his resignation."

Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick charged with perjury over sex scandal (Times Online, UK): " The 37-year-old Democrat, a former teacher who was dubbed the "Hip-Hop Mayor" because of his youth and energy when he was elected in 2002, last night faced calls to resign from every member of the City Council."

Detroit mayor charged with perjury, says he will be exonerated (International Herald Tribune): "Flanked by a high-octane lawyer and national public relations expert, Kilpatrick said he is 'deeply disappointed' in multiple felony counts lodged against him and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty."

Another US Democrat involved in sex scandal (Radio Netherlands): "In the US, yet another prominent Democratic politician has become involved in a sex scandal. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been charged with perjury, obstructing justice and abuse of power. He was allegedly involved in a secret relationship with a member of his staff and threw a wild party in his office which included a stripper."

Detroit Mayor will fight charges (OttawaCitizen.com/Canada.com): "Though he has had a rocky two tenures - accused of lavish spending with his city credit card and of publically denying the police department paid for a Lincoln Navigator for his wife - he was considered a rising Democratic star. He is the first Detroit mayor to be charged with a felony while in office."