260 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
At a press conference yesterday in Houston today, former President George H.W. Bush endorsed John McCain for president. President Bush made the following statement on his endorsement printed below:
Michelle Obama: “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country”??? Wow…she’s about the same age I am…I’ve been plenty proud.
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=49244
Our “UNITY Road Show” continues. State Party staff will visit the largest 30 counties over the next few months and try and collaborate on setting our Victory Program goals for the general election. Last cycle we customized and adjusted the Victory Program with the 10 largest counties and had some great success. We are improving and expanding the program this cycle.
The Political and Candidate & Party Assistance teams were on the road again last night on the "Unity Road Show", stopping in Saginaw to meet with the leadership from Saginaw, Midland and Bay counties to talk about out programs for 2008 and receive valuable feedback and support. Thanks to county chairs Tim Kelly, Diane Bristol and Matt Lance and their teams for their work and support at the local level.
The State Convention was a big success. We heard nothing but good comments about the voting machines and learned some good lessons to make things run smoother. Most districts used the voting machines on Friday night and that helped move things along when it came to electing individual delegates to the National Convention. Those districts that ran “slates” didn’t use the machines at their Friday district caucuses.
Several districts had the top three vote getters go as delegates and the next three go as alternates. I really like that process…it gives everyone a chance at going, no slates, no nominating committees and no top down pressure. We should consider that for the future.
Jack Hoogendyk has kicked off his “signature gathering” efforts to get his name on the ballot to challenge Carl Levin this fall. We need every county and district to pitch in and help collect signatures.
Newt Gingrich presented their “Platform of the American People” to our State Convention via his video and encouraged our support. Prencilla Smith from American Solutions joined us and distributed sign up cards.
You can also sign up online here:
http://www.americansolutions.com/actioncenter/petitions/?Guid=bf4a5257-45e3-4a94-97fc-57e2d7ecb6f9
Our buddy, Jonas Urbonas from the 9th District, has his collection of photos from the State Convention up for review and download at this site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jonasurbonas0/NewAlbum21708324PM?authkey=VdnGeTjUBK0
BECOME A PRECINCT DELEGATE!!
Fill out and return the Affidavit of Identity to your county clerk. Link to form:
http://www.mi.gov/documents/AffID_Precnt_139901_7.pdf
The Oakland County Republican Forum is hosting a free event commemorating Black History Month entitled “Black History – Setting the Record Straight”. This event will be held Monday, Feb. 25, 2008 at the Troy Community Center – Room #301. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the forum will begin at 7 p.m.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
President Bush’s Endorsement of Senator John McCain:
“Today we are living in a time of war, a new and vastly more complex time of war. We also have more important challenges at home, chief among them, we clearly need to address those parts of our economy that demand attention. And at this critical time in history, the key point I want to make is the United States of America cannot be permitted to falter. Part of our Republican creed is a prevailing sense of duty. In the coming election, we do not have the luxury of taking a pass on our unique role and responsibilities in the world. And the indisputable fact that unites the greatest number of Republicans, most independents and many good Democrats is the fact that no one is better prepared to lead our nation at these trying times than Senator John McCain.
“As someone who also helped lead our great Party at the RNC and later as President, I believe now is the right time for me to help John in his effort to start building the broad-based coalition it will take for our conservative values to carry the White House this fall. His character was forged in the crucible of war. His commitment to America is beyond any doubt. But most importantly, he has the right values and experience to guide our nation forward at this historic moment. So I am very proud to endorse John McCain for the presidency for the United States of America. Few men walking among us have sacrificed so much in the cause of human freedom, and I am happy to help this remarkable patriot carry our Party's banner forward.”
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS06/802190320
Michigan GOP chairman relishes the game of politics
BY DAWSON BELL • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 19, 2008
Saul Anuzis, the effervescent chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, knows how to do modern politics.
He blogs, he texts, he podcasts and micro-targets. But he also knows there is a timeless and nontechnical side to politics -- fun.
It was an early lesson, learned on the campus of the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the 1970s, where he discovered that a surefire way to interest college students in politics was the same tactic used to interest college students in anything else -- offer free beer.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/POLITICS01/802190347
McCain tries to win back Mich.
GOP front-runner to visit Ford factory, meet with Big 3; to make pitch at Troy fundraiser.
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Arizona Sen. John McCain will tour a Ford factory in Michigan and meet with top officials of Detroit's Big Three automakers Thursday, the start of an effort to woo Michigan voters and show them he's committed to the domestic auto industry.
Before a fundraising dinner Thursday night, McCain, the likely Republican presidential nominee, plans to tour Ford Motor Co.'s Wayne Stamping and Assembly plant, where the Dearborn automaker assembles the Ford Focus, said the candidate's spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan.
http://thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/OPINION01/802180311
Lansing acts quickly to fix license snafu
Port Huron Times Herald
Editorial
Reform restores driving privilege to legal aliens, enhances ID
In a relatively fast response, Michigan's lawmakers fixed a glaring flaw in the state's treatment of legal immigrants. The Legislature approved legislation that restores the ability of legal immigrants who aren't permanent Michigan residents to obtain driver's licenses. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed the bill Friday, and it closes an unintended loophole in the state's effort to keep driver's licenses and state IDs out of the hands of illegal aliens.
In a December opinion, state Attorney General Michael Cox said the secretary of state cannot issue driver's licenses to nonresidents. The ruling reversed the 1995 opinion of Attorney General Frank Kelley that said regardless of their immigration status, anyone who lives in Michigan could receive a state driver's license.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1203351312282800.xml&coll=4
Attorney general, governor disagree on future of Public Act 141
Monday, February 18, 2008
By BARRIE BARBER
Times News Service
State Attorney General Mike Cox said the state should not repeal a law that would take away consumer choice to pick their utility power provider.
But Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm said she backs altering the rules, known as Public Act 141, although without an outright ban on competition.
''You have to slice 141 with a scalpel and not with an ax,'' she said, later adding, ''We want to preserve some aspect of choice. We want to preserve the ability of alternative renewable energy companies to come and flourish, but we also have to provide some stability with respect to rates and some stability with respect to capacity.''
http://www.thedailyreporter.com/articles/2008/02/19/news/news03.txt
58th District race heats up, as another candidate throws hat in ring to replace term-limited Caswell
By Heather Jeffrey-Executive Editor
Published: Monday, February 18, 2008 8:10 PM CST
COLDWATER — “We have seen, over the past year, factories close shop, foreclosures skyrocket, business owners vacate Michigan and an unemployment rate as high as 8.5 percent in our area,” Frank J. Plodzik, II, 24, of Coldwater, said prior to making his official announcement to run for the state representative seat — currently held by Bruce Caswell — at the Michigan Republican State Convention, which was held last week in Lansing.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/PORTLAND05/802170593/1085/opinion
2008 state budget is worthy of a good yawn
From Portland Review & Observer
Every February for the past five years, those who depend on the state for funding have collectively held their breath as the executive budget recommendation is presented. Normally, it is an occasion for gnashing of teeth and bitter special interest fighting. This year, not so much.
http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/02/new_rules_require_more_id_for.html
New rules require more ID for first-time drivers
by Joe Lawlor and Holly Klaft | The Flint Journal
Monday February 18, 2008, 7:14 PM
Social Security card. Check.
Birth certificate. Check.
Proof you passed drivers' ed.. Check.
Two documents to prove Michigan residency. Check.
Sound like a lot? Well, that's what you have to take to the Secretary of State's office to get your first driver's license these days because of new regulations to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses.
And, it's coming as a shock to teens and their parents and some say it is causing delays at the Secretary of State's office.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/OPINION01/802190306/1007/OPINION
States should approve Great Lakes Compact
Local lawmakers should put aside qualms for the good of the region
The Detroit News
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Editorial
A plan to strengthen the ability of governors in the Great Lakes region to protect the area's water is running into snags in some state legislatures. The plan, called the Great Lakes Compact, should be ratified by all of the remaining state lawmaking bodies -- including Michigan's -- that have not done so.
The Great Lakes Compact essentially allows governors to veto any plan to divert Great Lakes water to other regions of the country unless all of the governors in the region agree. The compact was signed in 2005 by chief executives of eight Great Lakes states -- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as two Canadian provinces.
Four state legislatures have approved the agreement, but it is running into trouble in Ohio and Wisconsin. In Ohio, a key lawmaker is raising issues about the compact's effect on property rights, while some lawmakers in suburban Milwaukee reportedly worry that its terms will hinder economic development in their area.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/OPINION01/802190305/1007/OPINION
Don't create flimsy claims to collect DNA samples
The Detroit News
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Editorial
State lawmakers should kill a bill that would force DNA samples from people arrested -- as opposed to being convicted -- for certain violent crimes.
A suspect under arrest is, by law, innocent until proven guilty. Coercing a DNA sample from an arrestee presumes guilt. And it's an inexcusable invasion of privacy, given the numerous personal details that such samples reveal.
Michigan is among a number of states rushing headlong to expand huge, expensive DNA data bases without thinking much about the long-range implications and potential for abuse.
http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/02/could_flint_get_a_casino_mayor.html
A casino in Flint? Mayor says yes
by Joe Lawlor | The Flint Journal
Monday February 18, 2008, 7:39 PM
FLINT -- He might be facing long odds, but Mayor Don Williamson said he's going "all-in" to try to bring a casino to Flint.
And with some changes to the political landscape, those odds might not be as daunting as they seemed a few months ago.
http://blog.mlive.com/ann_arbor_news_extra/2008/02/drop_in_assessments_but_not_ne.html
Drop in assessments but not neccesarily in taxes
Posted by Khalil Hachem, John Mulcahy | The Ann Arbor News February 18, 2008 15:17PM
By KHALIL E. HACHEM
And JOHN MULCAHY
The Ann Arbor News
All but two municipalities in Washtenaw and Livingston counties will see property assessments decrease this year, the most widespread drop in 25 years.
The declining assessments can be confusing for homeowners since they could mean lower taxes for some and higher taxes for others. Meanwhile, townships and cities are trying to determine how much tax revenue they might lose and whether the loss would translate into cuts in services.
While most property owners probably equate declining assessment with a corresponding drop in taxes, that's not necessarily the case. In fact, only a few will see a decrease in their tax bill in July.
State burning law to be challenged
Oronoko pair’s case goes to court
By DEBRA HAIGHT
H-P Correspondent
BERRIEN SPRINGS — The lawyers for two Oronoko Township residents charged with violating state pollution control laws plan to challenge the law’s application to a residential open burning situation.
Lansing attorneys Timothy Havis and Daniel Pawluk are representing David Billens, 44, and Angela Zech, 38, of East Snow Road. Havis said that they feel the law has not been applied correctly in this case and will submit a motion to that effect in Berrien County Trial Court.
The law the couple are accused of violating is part of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994 and controls residential and commercial burning that injures others or interferes with their enjoyment of life and property.
http://www.record-eagle.com/opinion/local_story_048094514.html
Editorial: TC commission is right to demand efficiencies
As the state and national economies continue to contract from their glory days, when Detroit was still the world auto capital and thousands of spin-off businesses provided world-class wages and benefits, there are new standards of accountability and thrift.
Today, every dollar is scrutinized, every perk put under the microscope. America is learning to tighten its belt.
Now, that kind of accountability -- and pain for employees -- appears to be coming to local government. It may be difficult. It may feel unfair. But it's a new reality that cannot be ignored.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1203342604248080.xml&coll=5
Good business
Postponing foreclosure a plus for county, too
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Monday, February 18, 2008
The word "charity" should not apply to granting a little governmental grace to potentially viable businesses that are smarting financially these days, often because of the abysmal straits of the general economy.
To give such going concerns a mere one-time break when they owe back taxes, as Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee will consider before moving to foreclosure, is simply good business policy for the community at large, as well as the individuals.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-27/1203351652295540.xml&coll=7
Allegan County's housing market down
Southwestern Michigan
Monday, February 18, 2008
ALLEGAN COUNTY -- Allegan County is doing better than some of its neighboring counties in housing issues, officials said.
``We're a little healthier than some of the counties around us,'' said Clerk-Register Joyce Watts when presenting a 2007 report last week to the Allegan County Board of Commissioners.
http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/021808/loc_20080218234.shtml
Lack of confidence, and then spending, may push the economy downward
The Associated Press
PUBLISHED: Monday, February 18, 2008
As economic tide recedes, an undertow of long-simmering insecurities grows
Even when experts were declaring the economy healthy, many Americans voiced a vague, but persistent dissatisfaction.
True, jobs were relatively plentiful over the last few years. It was easy to borrow and very cheap. The sharp rise in the value of homes and plentiful credit cards encouraged a nation of consumers to get out and buy. But to many people, something didn't feel right, even if they couldn't quite explain why.
Now the economic tide is receding, and the undertow that was there all along is getting stronger.
http://www.miningjournal.net/page/category.detail/nav/5003.html
U.P. sportsmen unhappy with DNR operation
February 18, 2008
The message was perfectly clear - clean up your act. More than 300 sportsmen packed a meeting room at the Ramada Inn in Marquette Saturday to voice that opinion of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Rally organizers and attendees alike blasted the department for what many viewed as mismanagement by the state agency charged with overseeing Michigan’s vast natural resources. One of the rally’s organizers, Rory Mattson, executive director of the Delta County Conservation District, said the residents of the Upper Peninsula deserve better service and a more responsive DNR.
http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/302180036
UPDATED: Binational group laments delayed Great Lakes agreement update
The Associated Press
TORONTO — The binational organization tasked with recommending how Canada and the United States should protect the Great Lakes is expressing disappointment that an agreement that hasn’t been updated in 20 years appears mired in bureaucracy.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was first signed in 1972. At the time, then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau said it recognized “the fragility of our planet and the delicacy of the biosphere on which all life is dependent.
http://blog.mlive.com/oak_business_review/2008/02/priority_health_adds_hmo_cover.html
Priority Health adds HMO coverage areas
Posted by Gary Gosselin | Oakland Business Review February 18, 2008
Categories: Health care, Statewide, Top Stories
Grand Rapids-based Priority Health continues its expansion plans with additional coverage area for its HMO product to include Clare, Midland and Gratiot counties, and part of Monroe County.
Also, Priority Health has added to its coverage area within Bay, Gladwin, Isabella and Mecosta counties and now serves all of Lenawee County.
The company now serves 60 counties in the Lower Peninsula, including metropolitan areas such as Southeast Michigan.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-27/1203349821209250.xml&coll=7
Portage schools served some recalled beef
Monday, February 18, 2008
BY JEFF BARR
Kalamazoo Gazette
PORTAGE -- Some of the 143 million pounds of beef recalled Sunday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture was being served through the nation's school lunch programs, including at Portage Public Schools.
``It was in our taco sauce and our spaghetti sauce,'' Lance Gerry, food-service manager for the district, said of the beef. ``We've been serving those products for a while.''
Gerry said the district stopped serving the products to students on Jan. 31 after receiving an administrative e-mail from the USDA.
http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/02/at_least_1_local_school_distri.html
At least 1 local school district got recalled meat
Posted by Khalil Hachem | The Ann Arbor News February 18, 2008
"Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, Food Safety and Inspection Service has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall." - statement from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer.
By KHALIL E. HACHEM
The Ann Arbor News
At least one local school district reported having some of the contaminated meat that is being recalled nationwide.
"We had some and we never used it," said Liz Margolis, director of communications at the Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Margolis said the district has about 200 pounds of the beef and it has been quarantined, awaiting disposal. The meat was bought through the federal government and a statewide food contractor, she said.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/02/recall_beef_turns_up_in_severa.html
Recalled beef turns up in several local districts
by Dave Murray | The Grand Rapids Press
Monday February 18, 2008, 4:06 PM
GRAND RAPIDS -- Recalled beef is turning up in schools across West Michigan and likely is headed to a local landfill under the watchful eye of a health inspector.
Grand Rapids Public Schools has 10 tons of the ground beef -- a weight equal to about 20 cows. Forest Hills, Kenowa Hills, Cedar Springs, Jenison, Hudsonville and Thornapple Kellogg also report having the beef, and Coopersville said it might.
None of the districts served any of the meat, according to administrators.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/80218004
TEXT-MESSAGE SCANDAL
City Council to urge Mich. Supreme Court to allow release of Kilpatrick documents
By ZACAHRY GORCHOW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 18, 2008
The Detroit City Council’s independent attorney said he will urge the Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s effort to block the release of secret documents in the text-messaging scandal that has cost taxpayers more than $9 million.
“The City Council is determined that it and the people of the city of Detroit be fully informed as to the circumstances of any settlement, but particularly this settlement, because it was so widely publicized,” Detroit attorney William Goodman said Monday.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/METRO/802180407
Cockrel: Detroit council to support release of documents in Kilpatrick case
Christine MacDonald
The Detroit News
DETROIT -- The Detroit City Council is expected to file a brief with the Michigan Supreme Court as early as Tuesday, opposing Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's appeal of a lower court decision ordering the release of all documents tied to the $8.4 million whistle-blower settlements.
Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said this morning that he has directed William Goodman, the attorney hired by the council last week, to file the amicus curiae brief with the court. A unanimous council has already passed a resolution opposing Kilpatrick's earlier appeal to the Court of Appeals, but a formal filing with the court could give the council status as a party in the lawsuit. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press are suing Kilpatrick's administration for release of all documents in the case.
Goodman said he is finalizing the brief and expects to file it Tuesday.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/COL04/802190334/1081
Meter still running as mayor stalls
BY BRIAN DICKERSON • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • February 19, 2008
How many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb?
Depends, I suppose, on how many of them really want to keep us all in the dark.
As Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his surrogates battle to keep key documents in the text messaging scandal secret, the number of attorneys involved -- and the legal expenses accruing to Detroit taxpayers -- continue to soar.
http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/302180015
Ilitch’s Olympia Entertainment to run Masonic Temple operations
The Associated Press
DETROIT — Mike Ilitch’s Olympia Entertainment is taking over management of the Masonic Temple.
The Detroit News reports today that the deal is aimed at expanding his family’s sports and entertainment empire. The Masonic Temple Association will continue to own the Detroit landmark while Olympia will manage all the facility’s commercial operations, book shows and concerts and run concessions.
Detroiters face 9% water, sewer rate hike
By Diane Bukowski
The Michigan Citizen
DETROIT — Detroit residents will see an average water and sewerage rate increase of 8.8 percent this July 1, plus additional sewerage “look-back” charges based on previous delinquent bills, if Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) director Victor Mercado has his way.
At a city council public hearing Feb. 7, DWSD staff distributed documents claiming that the increase would be only 3.3 percent if delinquencies and a water assistance program reducing rates for the poorest Detroiters did not exist.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS03/802180378/1001/news
Northwest adds Detroit-based routes
Lansing State Journal
Published February 18, 2008
[ From LSJ.com ]
EAGAN, Minn. - Northwest Airlines Corp. is adding several new routes at its Detroit Metropolitan Airport hub.
The carrier, the largest in Michigan and the biggest at Lansing's Capital City Airport, said Monday it will begin service June 5 from Detroit to Escanaba, with service continuing to Iron Mountain. There also will be similar flights from Iron Mountain to Escanaba and Detroit.
Service to Salt Lake City from Detroit, and from Detroit to Chattanooga, Tenn., also will start June 5, Northwest said in a statement.
http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/NEWS01/302180042
Ex-Marshall mayor runs for county spot
The Enquirer
MARSHALL — John Miller, former Marshall mayor and city council member, announced his candidacy on Friday for the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners District 6 seat.
Miller is running as a Republican to succeed incumbent Commissioner Jase Bolger, R-Marshall. Bolger is running for the 63rd District state House seat currently held by Lorence Wenke, R-Richland Township.
http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/02/nai_west_michigan_names_new_pr.html
NAI West Michigan names new president
B. CANDACE BEEKE | Business Review Western Michigan
Monday February 18, 2008
Jim Decker, the new president of NAI West Michigan, isn't comfortable with congratulations.
His recent succession to president of the commercial real estate firm in Grand Rapids is a logical division of labor, he said, following the merger nearly two years ago of longtime competitors Grand Real Estate and Taatjes & Tol. Decker, an agent since 2000, replaced Doug Taatjes, who moved to chairman of the board, allowing the broker to focus on making deals, Decker said.
http://blog.mlive.com/citpat/2008/02/walberg_townhall_meeting_is_tu_1.html
Walberg town-hall meeting is Tuesday
Posted by Chad Livengood | Citizen Patriot February 18, 2008 18:05PM
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg's town-hall meeting is set for Tuesday night in the library at Jackson High School.
A quarter-page advertisement that was published Sunday on Page A7 and Monday on Page A3 in the Citizen Patriot contained the wrong date. An outside advertising agency submitted incorrect information, officials said.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/BUSINESS01/802180319
Calculated cuts are Chrysler's best hope
Detroit Free Press
February 18, 2008
New model lineup must be streamlined and competitive
Chrysler executives have said they need to drop one-third to one-half of the vehicle models in their product lineup.
That leaves no room for sentimentality, only cold calculation as Chrysler LLC's leaders now decide which cars and trucks to eliminate as the company fights for survival.
The multiplicity of models Chrysler built when it sold 3 million cars a year is an extravagance the new, smaller company cannot afford, vice chairman Jim Press recently told the company's dealers at a meeting.
http://www.rightmichigan.com/hotlist/add/2008/2/18/91650/0723/main//
We chose the current mess when we could have had this?
By Nick, Section News
Posted on Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 09:16:50 AM EST
I can't believe I'm going to say this but there is actually an even-handed article in the Detroit Free Press discussing former GOP Gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos. Stop the presses. Start an investigation. The Ivory Tower's reputation is on the line.
http://outsidelansing.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=194
Mobilize Now: Good Predictions are that federal judge will strike down MCRI/Proposal 2
by: chetly
Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 17:31:37 PM EST
Folks, the name of my first blog was (still is) Power, Politics, & Money. That derives from a quote from a lawyer who once told me in reference to judges and rulings that "There is no law. Only power, politics, & money." The inference is obvious. Judges more often judge based on politics, and even occasionally are bought.
So in a lawsuit founded on the thinnest reeds of truth and the longest stretches of imagination, forces have been waiting for a local federal district judge to rule on the federal constitutionality of MCRI, which Michigan voters passed 58% - 42% in 2006. The 6th Circuit Appellate Court above this judge has already issued a ruling that the case is unlikely to succeed on its merits, but when you're a liberal appointee you owe your political career to the cause, and Judge Lawson has been giving signs in recent hearings and procedural calls that he will rule against MCRI, invalidating the will of the Michigan people because he knows better than them.
NATIONAL STORIES
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/world/americas/19castro.html?hp
Fidel Castro Resigns as Cuba’s President
Says He Will Not Seek a New Term
By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
After a long illness, Fidel Castro stepped down on Tuesday, ending one of the longest tenures as an all-powerful, communist head of state in the world, according to Granma, the official publication of the Cuban Communist Party.
HUNTING AL-QAEDA
Unilateral Strike Called a Model For U.S. Operations in Pakistan
By Joby Warrick and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, February 19, 2008; Page A01
In the predawn hours of Jan. 29, a CIA Predator aircraft flew in a slow arc above the Pakistani town of Mir Ali. The drone's operator, relying on information secretly passed to the CIA by local informants, clicked a computer mouse and sent the first of two Hellfire missiles hurtling toward a cluster of mud-brick buildings a few miles from the town center.
The missiles killed Abu Laith al-Libi, a senior al-Qaeda commander and a man who had repeatedly eluded the CIA's dragnet. It was the first successful strike against al-Qaeda's core leadership in two years, and it involved, U.S. officials say, an unusual degree of autonomy by the CIA inside Pakistan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/17/AR2008021701734.html
Why Torts Trumped Terrorism
By Robert D. Novak
Monday, February 18, 2008; Page A17
A closed-door caucus of House Democrats last Wednesday took a risky political course. By 4 to 1, they instructed Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call President Bush's bluff on extending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to continue eavesdropping on suspected foreign terrorists. Rather than passing the bill with a minority of the House's Democratic majority, Pelosi obeyed her caucus and left town for a week-long recess without renewing the government's eroding intelligence capability.
Pelosi could have exercised leadership prerogatives and called up the FISA bill to pass with unanimous Republican support. Instead, she refused to bring to the floor a bill approved overwhelmingly by the Senate. House Democratic opposition included left-wing members typified by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, but they were only a small faction of those opposed. The true reason for blocking the bill was Senate-passed retroactive immunity to protect from lawsuits private telecommunications firms asked to eavesdrop by the government. The nation's torts bar, vigorously pursuing such suits, has spent months lobbying hard against immunity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/politics/19mccain.html?hp
A Strong Endorsement for McCain From a Former President
By MICHAEL COOPER
Published: February 19, 2008
HOUSTON — When former President George Bush stood beside Senator John McCain here on Monday and gave him a Presidents’ Day endorsement, it was just the latest chapter in the sometimes-tangled saga of the Bush and the McCain dynasties.
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080218/NATION/755813602/1001
Pro-life groups choose McCain
By Stephen Dinan
February 18, 2008
Pro-lifers are the first part of the conservative base to rally around Sen. John McCain, overcoming past fights to embrace him as strong on their core issue and a clear choice over the two Democrats he could face.
"He is pro-life in his heart of hearts, in my opinion," said Rep. Christopher H. Smith, New Jersey Republican and a pro-life movement leader, who said Mr. McCain's commitment stretches back across decades of votes in the House and Senate.
http://thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/OPINION03/802180312
Military backed Paul during primaries; media ignored him
Port Huron Times Herald
As the presidential primaries wind down, only a few questions still remain unanswered. The obvious one the media constantly reports is whether Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama will be the Democratic Party's nominee. The Republican nominee will be John McCain.
The less obvious and under-reported questions are who the other challengers will be and why, during a war, did the candidate the troops support get very little media coverage. According to Federal Elections Commission reports, the top three contributors to Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign are from the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, respectively. No branch of the military appears among the "top contributors" to GOP frontrunner McCain's campaign or Clinton's or Obama's.
Obama says borrowed lines not a big deal
2/18/2008, 9:29 p.m. EST
By NEDRA PICKLER
The Associated Press
NILES, Ohio (AP) — Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that he doesn't think it's a big deal that he borrowed lines from his friend Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, although he probably should have given him credit.
Patrick said during his gubernatorial campaign a year and a half ago that words matter, like "I have a dream" and "all men are created equal."
Obama used the same lines Saturday night in Wisconsin. Obama said that Patrick suggested he use the lines to respond to Hillary Rodham Clinton's suggestion that Obama is more of a talker than a doer.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e7744382-de4e-11dc-9de3-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1
Clinton in a war over words with Obama
By Edward Luce in Washington
Published: February 18 2008 19:17 | Last updated: February 18 2008 20:16
The Clinton campaign on Monday accused Barack Obama of plagiarism after the discovery that the senator from Illinois had lifted a passage from a speech given by Deval Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts, two years ago.
In an attack designed to remind people of Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 1988 presidential campaign after his uncredited use of passages from Neil Kinnock, leader of the Labour party opposition in the UK, the Clinton campaign said it raised “fundamental questions” about the integrity of Mr Obama’s campaign.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080218/D8UT1JOG0.html
Clinton Camp Accuses Obama of Plagiarism
Feb 18, 6:48 PM (ET)
By BETH FOUHY
DE PERE, Wis. (AP) - Top advisers to Hillary Rodham Clinton accused Democratic rival Barack Obama of plagiarism Monday, the latest effort by her campaign to undermine the Illinois senator's credibility.
Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson, during a conference call with reporters, pointed to a speech Obama delivered at a Democratic Party dinner in Wisconsin Saturday that lifted lines from an address given last year by his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/18/poll.texas/
Texas poll shows dead heat among Dems
By Paul Steinhauser
CNN deputy political director
(CNN) -- It's all tied up in Texas. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are running a tight race in Texas.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll suggests the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination between Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois is a statistical dead heat in Texas, which holds primaries March 4.
In the survey, out Monday, 50 percent of likely Democratic primary voters support Clinton as their choice for the party's nominee, with 48 percent backing Obama.
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS07/802190338
Wis. vote a blue-collar test for the Democrats
Clinton and Obama vie today for 74 delegates
BY LARRY EICHEL • PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER • February 19, 2008
MILWAUKEE -- Barack Obama, who has been campaigning in advance of the Wisconsin presidential primary, sounds pretty confident.
At a rally in nearby Waukesha the other day, he looked ahead to the general election and spoke of trying to win by a margin sufficient to claim a mandate.
He mentioned criticism he'd received from Republican John McCain, noting: "It's clear that he knows who his opponent is going to be."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/18/satellite.intercept/index.html
Sources: Navy to shoot down failed satellite Thursday
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy will likely attempt to shoot down a faulty spy satellite Thursday, the day after the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to land, two officials told CNN Monday. A Delta II rocket lifts off in December, carrying a reconnaissance satellite that failed hours later.
The officials -- who spoke on condition of anonymity because much of the planning remains classified -- said the idea is to leave as much time as possible so a second attempt could be made if necessary.
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080218/NATION03/97529714/0/FRONTPAGE
Inside Politics
By Greg Pierce
February 18, 2008
Earmarks "What were they smoking?"
That's how an editorial writer and columnist for the Wall Street Journal responded, answering a question with a question Friday at the Heritage Foundation.
The question that had been posed to Kimberley A. Strassel was, what did she think of Thursday's selection of Rep. Jo Bonner of Alabama by the House Republican Steering Committee for a vacant seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee over Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/19woodstove.html
With Oil Prices Rising, Wood Makes a Comeback
By KATIE ZEZIMA
Published: February 19, 2008
NEWPORT, Vt. — As a child, Brian Cook remembers hurling wood into the big orange boiler his father bought during the oil crisis of the late 1970s, helping feed the fire that provided heat and hot water to his family.
Karen Pike for The New York Times
Randy Swartz feeding wood to the furnace, which he bought for over $6,000 because of high oil prices.
Thirty years later, Mr. Cook dragged the boiler out of his childhood home and hooked it up in the house that he and his wife, Jennifer, own to cut their oil bills.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080218/FOREIGN/933575296/1001
U.S. recognizes Kosovo
By Nicholas Kralev
February 18, 2008
The United States formally recognized Kosovo as an independent nation today, saying "yes" to a request from the Balkan state for diplomatic ties between Pristina and Washington.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the announcement in a statement issued by her office in Washington today, just hours after President Bush signaled the move in an interview with NBC from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
http://www.ahrc.com/new/index.php/src/news/sub/article/action/ShowMedia/id/4237
Is Your Home Still Your Castle As Foreclosures Rise
February 18, 2008
By Danny Schechter (View author info)
New York, California -
When Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, the world saw a disaster unfold. Homes sank underwater, bodies floated away, and to this day no one has really accepted responsibility while thousands remain homeless. Katrina shamed our nation in a saga spawned by criminal neglect, inept government responses and indifference in high places.
No one with a home in America can ever be sure that a similar tragedy couldn't befall them -- whether through floods, tornadoes, fires or by the severe weather that seems to be worsening in part because of global warming. Now there's a new threat, a wave of foreclosures. Millions are saying goodbye to the "Ownership Society," the so-called American dream.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS03/802190323/1004/news03
Wall Street prime target in housing boom turned bust
Punishment sought for roles in subprime mortgage market
Mark Jewell
Associated Press
Published February 19, 2008
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
BOSTON - Regulators are trying to punish Wall Street for mortgage finance practices that expanded home ownership and spread risk among a host of new players - but also may have duped borrowers and investors who supplied cash to fuel a housing boom that's turned bust.
A handful of state securities regulators and a couple foreclosure-blighted cities have fired the opening shots with lawsuits trying to prove that investment banks and big lenders are guilty of more than just bad business decisions and failing to foresee looming mortgage troubles. Some regulators say greed and fraud underlie much of the subprime mortgage mess that has spread across the broader housing market, triggering a spike in foreclosures.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080219/NEWS01/802190333/1001/news
Medicare won't pay hospitals for preventable injuries
Today's focus: Hospital errors Decision expected to save $190M over next 5 years
Published February 19, 2008
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
Lauran Neergaard
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - It's a new way to push for patient safety: Don't pay hospitals when they commit certain errors.
Medicare will start hitting hospitals where it hurts in October, and other insurers are hot on the trail.
That has the nation's hospitals exploring innovative programs to prevent injury and infection: hand-washing spies. Surgical sponges that sound an alarm if left in the body. Even a room sterilizer that promises to wipe out bacteria left lurking on bedrails.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021802243.html
Amtrak Stepping Up Security Checks
Railroad Says Random Bag Screening Won't Cause Delays
By Sarah Karush
Associated Press
Tuesday, February 19, 2008; Page A05
Amtrak passengers will have to submit to random screening of carry-on bags in a major new security push that will include officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains, the railroad planned to announce today.
The initiative is a significant shift for Amtrak. Unlike the airlines, it has had relatively little visible increase in security since the 2001 terrorist attacks, a distinction that has enabled it to attract passengers eager to avoid airport hassles.
Amtrak officials insist the new procedures won't hold up the flow of passengers.
