204 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
April 15th, the day we ALL pay our taxes and it is one of the BEST days of the year to recruit “new” Republicans. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a Governor who represents the “taxpayer”. When you elect Democrats…you get higher taxes.
I’ve listed some tax reforms we desperately need to consider and implement both at the state and national levels. See my list below.
Frustration with the governor and Democrats is one of the main reasons folks are talking about enacting a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds (2/3) vote of both houses of the legislature to raise taxes. This maybe the only way to avoid another tax increase from being rammed down Michigan taxpayers’ throats.
Requiring a “super majority” to increase taxes would be a great way to celebrate April 15th…if the legislature won’t do it, maybe a citizens petition drive could?
Michigan State University Board of Trustee’s slate seems to be coming together with incumbent Scott Romney running again and Lisa Bouchard (yes, Mike’s sister-in-law) who is an active Republican and community activists as well.
MSU Board of Trustee candidates:
G. Scott Romney
Lisa Bouchard
Barack Obama has smacked residents of Michigan and the Midwest in the face with his insulting remarks attempting to psychoanalyze small-town life and people of faith. His remarks in California while pandering to a San Francisco audience were inexcusable and need to be rejected.
It’s shocking that someone aspiring to the Presidency looks down upon so many of us. http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/04/newt-on-the-rea.html
THE REST OF THE STORY:
TAX season is upon us. Here are a few reforms we should consider:
1) Simplify, the one-page, "optional flat tax" or a consumption based "Fair Tax".
2) Replace depreciation with expensing common sense and a stimulus.
3) Expand IRAs/401(k)s and index them to inflation.
4) Abolish the "Death Tax" mom and dad earned it, let the family keep it.
5) Abolish the Capital Gains and Dividend Tax taxing savings & investment?
6) Abolish the AMT Alternative Minimum Tax - outdated and punitive.
7) Establish "Tax Me More" accounts for those who feel under-taxed.
8) A federal Balanced Budget Amendment—Fund it or spend less!
As you pay your taxes and file our tax returns and realize how backwards and punitive our tax system is, let us think about, discuss and push for some real changes/reforms. Real change requires real change.
- Tax Freedom Day® will fall on April 23 in 2008, according to the Tax Foundation's annual calculation using the latest government data on income and taxes.
Join our Internet celebration of the day Americans as a whole have paid their taxes and can start working for their self!
That’s three days earlier than in 2007. Stimulus rebates and a projection of slow growth in 2008 are the principal reasons for the earlier celebration.
Five major categories of tax dominate the tax burden. Individual income taxes, both federal and state, require 42 days’ work. Payroll taxes take another 28 days’ work. Sales and excise taxes, mostly state and local, take 16 days to pay off. Corporate income taxes take 13 days, and property taxes take 12.
Alaskans kick off the celebration of Tax Freedom Day® on March 29, more than a week before any other state’s taxpayers. Three states will have to wait until May to celebrate their state-specific Tax Freedom Days: Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Find out your state's Tax Freedom Day® at:
http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxfreedomday/
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
Fast Feedback: Tax Increase Repeal
LANSING (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A group of Michigan Republicans is pushing for a tax increase repeal. This is just in time for Tax Deadline day.
The group wants Governor Granholm to repeal the income tax increase recently passed. The republicans say smaller government is the key to success in our state.
"We believe in a small...lower the cost of living in Michigan, bring businesses here and spur economic growth," said Republican Floor Leader, Rep. Dave Hildenbrand.
GUEST OPINION
Legislature must better protect state taxpayers
As the economy continues on a downward trend, more and more families are struggling with basics, including trying to save the family home. Then, consider the past year in Lansing and their choices to balance the budget. Why is increasing taxes so easily considered — and passed — in Lansing, particularly considering the sagging Michigan economy?
It seems that instead of setting real priorities — needs versus desires — and squeezing out efficiencies in existing government operations, taxation is always the “get-away car” on standby. Taking more money out of the pockets of Michigan’s citizens happened when they can least afford it, and it happened with relative ease.
Now, there is talk in Lansing that they might increase taxes again!
Six recall attempts stir talk of reforms
By CHARLES CRUMM
Of The Oakland Press
State Rep. Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, breathed a sigh of relief on Feb. 7 when the Oakland County Election Commission rejected recall petitions filed against him, ruling the wording was unclear. He sighed too soon.
A petition to recall him from office was almost immediately refiled. That was rejected on Feb. 25 for the same reason. Democrats seeking his ouster for opposing legislation removing lawsuit protections for pharmaceutical companies immediately filed four more recall petitions.
All were rejected for unclear wording. "I think I lead with six," DeRoche said. "What the Democratic Party is doing is hyper-partisan and has made it more difficult to get along in Lansing."
House GOP pushes income tax roll back; passage unlikely
The Associated Press
LANSING — House Republicans are pitching a long-shot proposal to repeal the state income tax increase that took effect last year.
The plan is unlikely to pass the Legislature. It’s not tied to any specific proposal to replace the roughly $750 million the repeal would cost the state in revenue.
Critics call the idea fiscally irresponsible and say it would gut state and local services.
Lawmakers seek cure for growing health-care crisis
By Annette Kingsbury
ECCENTRIC STAFF WRITER
More than a million Michigan residents don't have health insurance. And that is unlikely to change until ways are found to bring down the cost of health care.
So said three Republican leaders who addressed the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce on Friday. U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and state Rep. John Garfield agreed on one thing: that health care costs are too high and represent a growing problem as the economy continues to slump.
Knollenberg, Peters raise $746,000 for quarter
Former state senator heats up congressional race with eight-term incumbent.
Deb Price / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- The battle over the Oakland County congressional seat held by Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg drew contributions of nearly $800,000 in the first quarter of the year.
An eight-term congressional veteran, Knollenberg raised $400,171 from Jan. 1 through March 31, according to documents he filed with the Federal Election Commission.
His Democratic challenger, former Michigan lottery commissioner and former state Sen. Gary Peters, raised more than $346,000, according to his campaign.
Posted by Deb Price on Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 6:44 PM
Big money raised in Michigan's 9th, 7th congressional races
Big money is pouring into two congressional races in Michigan. In the 9th Congressional District, which is currently held by Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg, the incumbent and his challenger reported similar totals in the first quarter of the year.
The eight-term Knollenberg raised $400,171 from Jan.1 through March 31, according to documents he filed with the Federal Election Commission.
His Democratic challenger, former Michigan lottery commissioner Gary Peters, raised more than $346,000, according to his campaign. Peters has not filed yet filed his FEC documents, which are due Tuesday.
Knollenberg maintains money lead; Schauer raises $326K
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg, a top campaign target of Democrats, ended the first three months of 2008 with about $1.3 million in his campaign account, officials said today.
Knollenberg’s campaign maintained its fundraising advantage over Democrat Gary Peters in Oakland County’s 9th congressional district. Knollenberg, of Bloomfield Township, reported raising more than $400,000 during the most recent fundraising quarter.
Peters, a former state lottery commissioner, raised about $346,000 during the past three months and ended the fundraising quarter with about $641,000 in his account, his campaign said.
BROWN HONORED BY GOP
NICK SARLES
DAILY NEWS
Bruce Caswell presents Keith Brown with this year¹s Republican of the year award.
The presentation was made during the Hillsdale County Republican Party¹s Lincoln Banquet Friday night at Savarino¹s Next Door. Many Republican dignitaries attended the event including Congressman Tim Walberg, State Sen. Cameron Brown and candidates for state and local offices. Look for more on the evening in Monday¹s paper.
Limited-government message resonates with Republicans
By Jason Chapman
Daily News Staff Writer
Invoking memories of former presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, local Republicans gathered to hear messages about the principles their party was founded on.
The Hillsdale County Republican party held its 108th Annual Lincoln Banquet Dinner Friday night at Savarino's Next Door. Speakers brought a consistent message of limited government, selflessness and self-sacrifice.
"Reagan said that freedom is only one generation away from being extinct," U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg said during the keynote address.
Prostitution probes use 'different approach' in Troy
By Sandra Armbruster
ECCENTRIC STAFF WRITER
Troy police admit their handling of a prostitution case involving the husband of a U.S. senator who wasn't charged has drawn questions from some in the news media.
"We use a totally different approach," said Troy Lt. Gerry Scherlinck.
In the most recent case, the Residence Inn on Livernois was under police surveillance when a man went into the inn and emerged 15 minutes later. He was stopped on I-75 and admitted to having paid a prostitute for sex.
What made this case different - and drew widespread media attention - was that the man turned out to be Thomas Athans, the husband of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Michigan tourism industry expected to decline, researchers say
by The Associated Press
Monday April 14, 2008, 6:33 PM
Michigan's tourism industry is expected to decline in 2008, according to a report issued Monday by Michigan State University researchers.
The report estimates the number of travelers will drop by 2 percent this year and spending likely will be flat. It's another sign of Michigan's troubled economy, which could be aggravated by national trends this year.
Michigan's unemployment rate, 7.2 percent in February, was the nation's highest. The U.S. unemployment rate for March was 5.1 percent, up from 4.8 percent in February.
Judge pushes city for text data
Mass message release order is next if Detroit officials don't produce pager IDs in stripper suit.
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- A federal judge expressed annoyance Monday when a city attorney said Detroit government destroyed records showing which employees were using which city pagers at the time an exotic dancer was shot to death in 2003.
U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen said if he does not receive the "personal identification numbers" linking specific Detroit police and city officials to specific pagers, he will have no choice but to order SkyTel, the city's former pager contractor, to turn over all pager text messages for all city employees for the time periods relevant to the lawsuit he is hearing. "We are going to get to the bottom of this," Rosen said.
Kwame cast from council's kingdom
In the fractured, fairy tale world of Detroit, the landscape is getting less gritty and more fanciful every minute.
Last week, Monica Conyers created a stir by comparing City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. to an ogre -- specifically "Shrek," the grouchy green animated star of three successful films.
Instead of that rude outburst tamping down the council proceedings, Friday's hostilities not only invited attention but introduced a fairy tale spirit into the council chambers. The occasion of Barbara-Rose Collins' birthday, while not technically a municipal holiday, inspired the mayor to show up for Monday's meeting bearing his budget and a bouquet of flowers for the birthday girl. And Collins wore a tiara -- the kind of sparkly headdress typically reserved for 3-year-olds dressed as Cinderella.
"This is a deliberative body," intoned the rhinestone councilwoman, "and I think we should carry ourselves with decorum."
Mentally ill inmates cost $400M year
Granholm hopes to establish 5 mental health courts to reduce jail, prison crowding and costs.
Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Corrections officials say more than 12,500 of Michigan's 50,000-plus prison inmates -- 1 in 4 -- have a history of mental illness.
Advocates call that shameful. Policymakers trying to get the $2 billion state corrections budget under control call it expensive.
It costs an average of $31,325 a year to house a state prisoner, so mentally ill inmates represent a $400 million annual expense.
2 counties, 2 methods of punishment
Muskegon sends most criminals to prison while Kalamazoo puts focus on rehab, community service.
Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Muskegon and Kalamazoo counties take different approaches to crime.
In cases in which judges have the option of sentencing convicts to less costly, community-based programs, Muskegon County tends to ship a greater percentage to state prisons.
The approach reflects the philosophy of Tony Tague, the county's 20-year prosecutor. Tague makes no apology for his tough-on-crime stance, which he said has made his community safer.
Corrections saps funds for higher ed
1 of 4 states that spend more on prisons, Michigan forces students, parents to shoulder tuition hikes.
Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
As the state spends more and more to operate Michigan's sprawling prison network, it has steadily reduced investment in its colleges and universities. The result: Michigan is one of four states that spend more on corrections than on higher education.
Since 2001, lawmakers and the governor cut about $250 million in funding to the 15 public universities, prompting hefty tuition increases for students and their parents, and raising fears that higher education is being priced beyond the reach of those of modest means. The corrections budget is more than $400 million higher than in 2001.
"Putting prisons as a priority over my education is kind of unsettling," said Pietro Truba, a 22-year-old senior at Michigan State University.
BEHIND BARS: Second of a two-part series
State seeks strategies to control prison costs
Boot camp expansion, other fixes to provide only short-term relief
Gary Heinlein and Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Michigan's prison crunch will continue until at least 2010, because state policymakers have abandoned plans to revise sentencing policies and free old, sick and nonviolent convicts.
And in the meantime, the meter keeps ticking: It costs $5 million a day, or almost $2 billion a year, to run the state prison system whose population stands at 50,200 and is projected to top 56,000 within five years.
But there's at least some cause for optimism.
Detroit News-Columnist-Star Parker
Black Dems want more school options for poor
Two studies show the complexity in assessing educational progress.
One, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), reported improvement in writing skills of eighth- and 12th-graders by statistically significant amounts over scores the last time these skills were examined, in 2002.
More sobering was a report on high-school graduation rates, sponsored jointly by America's Promise Alliance and the Gates Foundation. More than 1 million kids are dropping out annually and 17 of the nation's largest cities (including Detroit) have graduation rates below 50 percent.
Sad is how few leaders we have who are willing to be courageous in pushing for every possible way to address this huge problem.
Abbo decides to seek third term as Northville Township supervisor
By Pam Fleming
STAFF WRITER
Mark Abbo, who enjoys the game of golf, knows that it’s important to follow through.
Due to the fact that there are several lawsuits and commercial developments that the township must resolve, he made the decision recently to seek a third term as Northville Township supervisor. The elected office carries a four-year term and pays $24,000 a year.
Detroit City Council refuses to hear from Kilpatrick on budget
by The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) -- The City Council rebuffed embattled Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's attempts to propose a budget on Monday, the latest sign of increasingly frosty relations between the mayor and city leaders.
Kilpatrick, who is fighting criminal charges, walked in to the Council chambers, sat down and prepared to speak. Council President Ken Cockrel then informed him that he had talked over the matter with other members over the weekend, and they agreed not to hear from the mayor.
Jury selection in Fieger trial to continue Tuesday
Trial for him, law partner expected to take up to 6 weeks
BY DAVID ASHENFELTER • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 14, 2008
Jury select got underway today in the criminal case against superstar lawyer Geoffrey Feiger and his law partner who are accused of illegally contributing $127,000 to John Edwards’ 2004 presidential campaign.
By 1 p.m. when jury selection ended for the day, six jurors were picked for a 40-member jury pool from which 16 jurors will be selected to hear the case against Fieger and law partner Vernon (Ven) Johnson. Under questioning by U.S. District Judge Paul Borman, most of the potential jurors said they recognized Fieger from his television commercials or his defense of assisted suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian.
Although some of the jurors said they had somewhat negative views about Fieger, only one of 7 jurors interviewed was rejected, a man who said his views about Fieger were so negative, he didn’t think he could be fair. “You don’t like him,” Borman asked Juror 33, a heavy equipment operator named Mark.
Teen accused of beheading feared vengeance from victim's mobster family
Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Facing life in prison, a Plymouth Township teenager took the stand in Wayne County Circuit Court today to testify that he killed a River Rouge bouncer when he pulled a gun on him during an elaborate ruse to scare another teen into repaying a debt.
Jean Pierre "JP" Orlewicz, 18, began testifying about 2:20 p.m., hours after prosecutors wrapped up their case that he lured Daniel Sorensen, 26, into a well-prepared death trap on Nov. 7, attacked him from behind, sawed off his head and burned his fingers. They said he plotted and executed the murder for the thrill of watching someone die and trying to get away with it.
Voters in pilot's seat
May 6 millage vote will determine future of Tulip City Airport
On May 6, voters in Holland, Zeeland and Holland and Park townships will decide the direction of the Tulip City Airport.
If the proposed 0.10 mill tax passes, an oversight agency would permanently take over airport operations and the average homeowner will pay about $10 a year.
Opponents say the airport has been and should continue to be run without local tax dollars; those who support the regional tax say area residents need to prepare now for a competitive businesses future.
Farm tax: Ingham County shouldn't push millage for preservation
Our opinions
Paying attention to the amount and future of farmland in Ingham County is wise policy for the Board of Commissioners.
Authorizing a property tax vote this year to help fund purchases to protect farmland is not.
County commissioners are being asked by a county panel to have voters decide the fate of a 0.14 mill increase to raise matching funds to buy farmland development rights. This worthy concept protects farmland on the edge of urban development by purchasing the development rights from farmers. Farms and green space are saved that might otherwise go under asphalt.
Stabenow, Levin see housing bill as start
Mich. senator says 'more' needed in foreclosure crisis
Bill Theobald
State Journal correspondent
WASHINGTON - Michigan homeowners facing possible foreclosure would find little help in legislation passed Thursday by the Senate.
But members of Michigan's congressional delegation say the bill - supported by Democratic Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabe-now - would buttress the sagging housing industry as well as housing prices.
And proposals pending in the U.S. House would provide more immediate relief.
"There is much more we need to do, but this bill represents a long overdue start," Stabenow said, reflecting the views of Michigan representatives from both parties and of experts in the state.
Residents differ on rebate spending
By BOBBY AMPEZZAN
Times Herald
Economists and policy makers are asking people to channel this year's $600 tax rebate into the local economy, but local residents have mixed feelings about how to put the federal $600 tax rebates to good use.
Blue Water residents such as Frank and Melissa Locricchio of Port Huron, who on Sunday sat inside the Great Lakes Maritime Center enjoying coffee and doughnuts with their 2-1/2-year-old daughter, Isabella, said they need the money, but haven't thought about spending it yet.
"You don't think about spending it until it's in your pocket," Melissa Locricchio said.
Homeschoolers' bill gets bad marks
By Kristofer Karol
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Amy Kennedy doesn't mince words when it comes to a bill that would require all homeschooled students to submit their names and ages to their respective school districts each fall.
"I am adamantly opposed. I believe it's just the first step to controlling homeschoolers," said Kennedy, a Brighton mother of three homeschooled students.
"My personal thing is, parents should be able to raise their children for good or for bad and not the government — and that encompasses homeschooling, too," she added.
Charting Detroit's educational future
DPS should cooperate with successful charter schools
The Detroit Public Schools sees charters as its biggest threat and fiercest competitor, vying with the district for the same students and the state per-pupil funding that comes with them.
But there's no reason the two can't work together for the good of Detroit's children. The best charters could teach the city's public schools much about how to successfully educate disadvantaged urban students.
The newest trend in the charter movement is "coopetition" -- part cooperation, part competition. Los Angeles, New York and other cities leading school reform see it as one of the most important developments in education, with the potential to boost student performance in every kind of school. Detroit, with its public schools rapidly sinking, would be irresponsible not to accept what help the charters have to offer.
Foreclosure fiasco traps renters, too
When landlords don't pay the mortgage, the tenants often suffer.
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News
Waiting out the mortgage market meltdown by renting instead of buying is backfiring on some Metro Detroit families. Renters are being ejected from homes owned by landlords now caught up in the state's foreclosure fiasco.
Leases protect renters from a bevy of unfair actions by their landlords. But when a property's mortgage or taxes go unpaid, those rights can be voided. In Michigan, as long as the home loan predates the rental agreement, the foreclosing entity -- be it bank or tax collector -- isn't required to honor the lease. In many cases, they're choosing not to.
Metro Detroit has been at the epicenter of the nation's foreclosure crisis. In 2007 alone, there were 61,031 foreclosure filings in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Livingston counties for all types of owner-occupied and leased properties, a 75 percent increase over the number seen in 2006.
Federal judge orders city to hand over file on dancer's fatal shooting
By JOE SWICKARD • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER •
U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen ordered the City of Detroit today to give him the full police investigation into exotic dancer Tamara Greene’s fatal shooting.
“I want all of it produced,” Rosen told City Attorney Krystal Crittendon. “I want all of it going back to the beginning of the investigation.”
The judge said he would examine the homicide file in private to see whether any of it is related to the federal lawsuit brought by Greene’s relatives.
Union rejects mediator for talks
Axle's wage, benefit proposal widens gap
BY JEWEL GOPWANI • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • April 14, 2008
The UAW rejected a request by American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. to bring a federal mediator into negotiations to end a nearly seven-week strike at the Detroit auto parts supplier.
The two sides remained far apart as talks continued over the weekend, a local union official said. One example of the differences is apparent in the company's latest proposal, which included separate wage and benefit structures for workers in its forging and axle operations.
American Axle, which made the request for a mediator last week, said in a statement that it "had hoped that the involvement of an impartial third party at the bargaining table could assist both sides."
American Axle makes new contract offer to UAW
By DAVID N. GOODMAN The Associated Press
DETROIT | Striking United Auto Workers union members are considering a new contract offer from American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. as bargaining continued through the weekend aimed at ending a seven-week strike over company demands for deep pay cuts.
About 3,600 UAW members at five American Axle plants in Michigan and New York went on strike Feb. 26 after the auto parts maker proposed cutting hourly wages about in half. It said it needed the cuts to become competitive with other parts makers.
Classes, events canceled today
By SHAUN BYRON
Of The Oakland Press
Oakland University officials announced Sunday that the school will be closed today after three threatening messages were written on the walls of separate campus bathrooms.
Oakland University Police Chief Samuel C. Lucido said officials are taking the threats seriously, but declined to repeat what the messages said. The university will reopen at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Until then, classes and campus events have been canceled. The residential facilities will remain open and campus police will provide extra patrols through those buildings.
Ottawa County to host wind symposium
Discussion to center on benefits, drawbacks of wind turbines
BY JEREMY GONSIOR jeremy.gonsior@hollandsentinel.com (616) 546-4269
An increased interest in wind energy has inspired Ottawa County to host a wind-energy symposium within the next 45 days, officials said.
The one-day event will bring in industry experts and individuals familiar with wind-energy regulations, said Mark Knudsen, director of the Ottawa County Planning and Grants Department.
Knudsen said his department will be teaming up with the Michigan State University Extension of Ottawa County for the symposium.
Teaming up to stop a threat to lakes
April 14, 2008
Efforts to keep a deadly fish virus out of Lake Superior are continuing this boating season with unprecedented -- and much appreciated -- plans by a diverse array of people.
The Lake Carriers' Association, which represents U.S. flagged freighters in the Great Lakes, announced this month that it has updated its ballast management plan, with provisions for special steps when a Lake Superior-bound vessel has been in an area with a known disease outbreak.
That includes exchanging ballast water, if it can be done safely, in open water of one of the other lakes. The association will also notify its counterpart in Canada and groups that interact with foreign vessels, with the hope that they will take similar precautions.
DNR sets guidelines for Mich. elk, bear hunts
Evening update
Associated Press
The state will allow roughly twice as many elk to be killed during this year's Michigan hunt as last year. The Department of Natural Resources will make 330 elk licenses available for hunts in August, September and December. A fourth hunt will be held in January if not enough elk are taken on the earlier dates.
Michigan has an estimated 1,100 and 1,200 elk. State officials would like to see that drop to 800 to 900.
Plans for St. Joseph County dairy farm catch residents by surprise
by Jef Rietsma | Special to the Gazette
LEONIDAS TOWNSHIP -- Residents in this rural area of St. Joseph County were alarmed to discover last week that plans are in the works for a 2,260-head dairy farm near Bear Creek, a St. Joseph River tributary.
A proposal for the farm, planned for 80 acres on Longnecker Road in northeastern St. Joseph County, is working its way through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
NATIONAL STORIES
Michigan poll buoys GOP
With McCain leading Clinton and nearly tied with Obama, analyst sees danger this fall for Democrats.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
A new poll shows Sen. John McCain nearly tied with Sen. Barack Obama in a hypothetical Michigan general-election matchup, and significantly ahead of Sen. Hillary Clinton -- reinforcing Republicans' hopes of competing in a reliably Democratic state.
The survey of likely voters by Lansing's EPIC-MRA shows Obama leading McCain by two percentage points, 43 percent to 41 percent, well within the poll's 4 percentage-point error margin. McCain leads Clinton, who hopes to overtake Obama in the race for the Democratic nomination, 46 percent to 37 percent.
The poll comes as Clinton and Republicans pounced on Obama's comments this month in California, where he said he believed small-town voters in Pennsylvania and the Midwest are "bitter" about job losses and channel their frustration into religion or guns or anti-immigration sentiment.
McCain keeps his faith out of politics
By Andrea Billups - Don't expect any public testimonies of faith from presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, who is not demonstrative about his religion but who embraces a Baptist faith that is based on salvation.
The religious intentions of Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama were dissected after he publicly explained his decadeslong relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., but the senator from Arizona likely will talk little about the details of his own spiritual path other than to acknowledge that he is on one.
McCain Backs Newspaper Shield Law
By Michael D. Shear
Sen. John McCain told newspaper executives that he supports a "shield law" to protect reporters who don't reveal their anonymous sources, putting him at odds with the Bush administration, which has threatened to veto the bipartisan legislation.
McCain said he continues to be worried about giving the press a freer hand to use anonymous sources because of the danger he said it poses to the nation's security by those who disclose secrets.
But he said he is willing to trust that reporters will use the power wisely.
Obama Remark ‘Elitist,’ McCain Says
By Ariel Alexovich
John McCain at the Associated Press annual meeting in Washington D.C. (Photo: Stephen Crowley/The New York Times)WASHINGTON — John McCain called Barack Obama’s recent comments that Pennsylvanians are “bitter” an “elitist” remark but stopped short of calling Mr. Obama himself elitist.
“I don’t know Senator Obama very well,” Senator McCain said, addressing a packed crowd of journalists at a newspaper editors’ conference on Monday.
Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, spoke at length about how small town Americans in places like Pennsylvania are the backbone of America.
The Mask Slips
By WILLIAM KRISTOL
Published: April 14, 2008
I haven’t read much Karl Marx since the early 1980s, when I taught political philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Still, it didn’t take me long this weekend to find my copy of “The Marx-Engels Reader,” edited by Robert C. Tucker — a book that was assigned in thousands of college courses in the 1970s and 80s, and that now must lie, unopened and un-remarked upon, on an awful lot of rec-room bookshelves.
My occasion for spending a little time once again with the old Communist was Barack Obama’s now-famous comment at an April 6 San Francisco fund-raiser. Obama was explaining his trouble winning over small-town, working-class voters: “It’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
Obama ties McCain, Bush 'failures'
By Christina Bellantoni
April 14, 2008
Sen. Barack Obama used his own "bitter" gaffe to criticize Sen. John McCain today, linking the presumed Republican nominee with President Bush.
Mr. Obama of Illinois told news editors gathered for the Associated Press annual luncheon in Washington his comments about rural voters who "cling" to guns and religion were poor word choices that are only a "distraction" from more important issues, but said he would not back down from his intended message.
Warring Over Small-Town Credentials
By Julie Bosman
PITTSBURGH – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton opened a speech to hundreds of manufacturers today by reiterating her criticisms of Senator Barack Obama for the fourth straight day, shortly after Mr. Obama, speaking to the same group, accused her of spouting campaign “rhetoric.”
“I understand my opponent came this morning and spent a lot of his time attacking me,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Well, you know, I know that many of you, like me, were disappointed by recent remarks that he made.” (A smattering of boos was heard across the floor, and some people in the crowd shouted, “No!”)
Pa. Voters Divided Over Obama Remarks
SHENANDOAH, Pa. (AP) - Yes, some Democrats in Pennsylvania's Rust Belt communities were upset by Barack Obama's suggestion that voters there "cling to guns or religion" because of bitterness about their economic lot. But many more seem to think it was no big deal - and if there's a problem it's with the political slapfest that has followed.
Obama's comment, which the Illinois senator made during a San Francisco fundraiser last week, set off an exchange of insults between the final contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination as they vie for blue-collar support in the state's April 22 primary.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has criticized the comment as "elitist," while Obama has mocked the New York senator's own recent emphasis on support for gun owners' rights.
Blogger Is Surprised by Uproar Over Obama Story, but Not Bitter
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: April 14, 2008
The backstory of how Senator Barack Obama’s comments about small-town voters became news is getting almost as much attention in the blogosphere as the comments themselves.
Mayhill Fowler, a blogger for OffTheBus.net, a Web site published by Huffington Post and created by Arianna Huffington and Jay Rosen, was the first to report Mr. Obama’s comments — that small-town voters bitter over their economic circumstances, “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them” as a way to explain their frustrations.
First Question for Clinton: Be Aggressive or Lay Off?
By JOHN HARWOOD
Published: April 14, 2008
The long-running series of Democratic presidential debates resumes this week after an extended hiatus. The big question is how bitter the next chapter will be.
The two dozen televised showdowns have always given a distorted glimpse of the nomination fight, which plays out in state after state on much less visible levels. But the debates offer the clearest national focus, and that means Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton must make a decision: mount a feisty new assault on Senator Barack Obama, or present a more congenial face to the public.
Congress Tackles Stalled Bills
By Carl Hulse
With Congress nearing the halfway point of a stretch between Easter and Memorial Day, much of the action will be going on behind the scenes as lawmakers look for negotiating breakthroughs on some stalled major legislation.
The farm bill, the $1 trillion budget, a Consumer Product Safety Commission overhaul and changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act are among those bills that are tied up in various complications and backroom clashes.
Delta to Join Northwest to Form World’s Largest Airline
By JEFF BAILEY 4 minutes ago
The boards of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced a deal late Monday that will create the world’s biggest airline and probably trigger other airlines to pursue mergers of their own.
Directors of the two airlines approved the deal in telephone conference calls. The all-stock transaction values the combined companies at $17.7 billion.
If they approve the deal, shareholders of Northwest would receive 1.25 Delta shares for every Northwest share that they own, the companies said in a statement.
War's cost causes bipartisan irritation
By Anne Flaherty
April 14, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iraq's financial free ride may be over. After five years, Republicans and Democrats seem to have found common ground on at least one aspect of the war. From the fiercest war foes to the most steadfast Bush supporters, they are looking at Iraq's surging oil income and saying Baghdad should start picking up the tab, particularly for rebuilding hospitals, roads, power lines and the rest of the shattered country.
"I think the American people are growing weary not only of the war, but they are looking at why Baghdad can't pay more of these costs. And the answer is they can," says Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.
Baby boomers facing health care 'crisis'
By Randolph E. Schmid
April 14, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of baby boomers are about to enter a health care system for seniors that not only isn't ready for them, but may even discourage them from getting quality care.
"We face an impending crisis as the growing number of older patients, who are living longer with more complex health needs, increasingly outpaces the number of health care providers with the knowledge and skills to care for them capably," said John W. Rowe, professor of health policy and management at Columbia University.
Rowe headed an Institute of Medicine committee that released a report today on the health care outlook for the 78 million baby boomers about to begin turning 65.
More say they're worried about housing
By Alan Fram
April 14, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — A growing majority say they won't buy a home anytime soon, the latest sign of increasing pessimism about the nation's housing crisis, a poll showed today.
In a vivid sketch of how the sputtering real estate market is causing distress throughout the country, the Associated Press-AOL Money & Finance poll found that more than a quarter of homeowners worry their home will lose value over the next two years. Fully one in seven mortgage holders fear they won't be able to make their monthly payments on time over the next six months.
Construction Halted Ahead of Games
By ANDREW JACOBS
BEIJING — Officials laid out an ambitious series of measures on Monday that will freeze construction projects, slow down steel production and shut down quarries in and around the capital this summer in an attempt to clear the air for the Olympics. Even spray painting outdoors will be banned during the weeks before and after sporting events, which begin Aug. 8.
Although officials initially suggested the city’s wholesale transformation would be complete long before the opening ceremonies, the announcement nonetheless represents the most detailed possible plan for how Beijing might reach its long-standing pledge to stage “green Games” in one of the world’s most polluted cities. In earlier proclamations, officials had said that the city’s makeover would be competed by the end of 2007.
