Progress Michigan blog posts.
My friends, we knew it wouldn’t be long before the tea-swilling House GOP made a sharp right turn away from the more moderate Gov. Rick Snyder. Like your rhetorical Garmin, Rep. Dave Agema will guide you on the sharpest of turns. Dear Colleagues: Beginning today, I will have several bills available for co-sponsorship in my office.…
Last week, when the Snyder administration appealed a judge’s decision to overturn the DRNE’s decision to deny an air permit to Holland Board of Public Works, they upheld former Governor Granholm’s 2009 directive to require a thorough analysis of the need for and alternatives to new sources of power before they are built. I have to say, I was quite…
Image via Wikipedia As I watched Rick Snyder take the oath of office today, bracketed by two Michigan mayors, I reminded myself that among Republicans running for governor, he was clearly the best choice. So I will take direction from our new Governor and start the year by climbing on board the peace train. There’s…
Cover of John Lennon “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.”– John Lennon“Peace begins with a smile.”– Mother Teresa“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”– Albert Einstein“Peace is its own reward.”– Mohandas Gandhi“If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your…
Image by jeffrey dubinsky via Flickr The first big policy test for Michigan’s incoming governor is shaping up to be over the future of clean energy and Rick Snyder will have very little time to decide which side he’s on in the debate between dirty coal and jobs. That’s because Holland Judge Jon Van Allsburg…
Confession: I’m a Lions fan. I use “fan” in all its implications and connotations, including “I can’t stop loving the Honolulu Blue, but I might vomit if they blow it in the fourth quarter again, oh please let me forget about them.” So when this little YouTube gem came my way, I was enthralled. Matt…
Image via Wikipedia MIRS reports that almost-former Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop will not run for chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Recall that last week the chattering class in the Capitol made sure reporters knew that Bishop was up for a job in the administration of Governor-elect Rick Snyder. Bishop maintains that he hasn’t…
Image via Wikipedia Today, Gov. Jennifer Granholm proposed a “Jobs Race to the Top” for America to encourage other states to adopt programs that create jobs fast over the short term in fields critical to our future like clean energy. Michigan has been a leader in the clean energy economy. Just this week, Michigan landed…
How many kids have to die before the Michigan Senate decides enough is enough? Every time I read about another high school student who was bullied enough to take their own life, I have to wonder what our supposed leaders at the Capitol are thinking. It has been almost a decade since Kevin Epling’s son,…
Image via Wikipedia Quite a bit of ink has been spilled on Governor-elect Rick Snyder’s picks to fill his cabinet (and his plan to rearrange said cabinet to resemble a boardroom.) When he’s not reuniting former Gov. John Engler‘s band of brothers, as with his pick to head the “Quality of Life” supergroup — the…