Livingston Democrats choose new leader

The Livingston County Democratic Party has a new leader after the Executive Committee chose Hartland resident and University of Michigan grad Jordan Genson to succeed Judy Daubenmier at the county convention on Nov. 18.

The committee also chose Genoa Township resident Kelly Raskauskas as vice chair, and rounding out the officers are Annette Koeble as treasurer; Mary Evergreen, secretary; and Judy Volk, vice president for membership.

Judy has done an excellent job in the more than two years she has served as chair. She has planned some unique and inexpensive fundraisers to energize the surprising number of Democrats in the county – like the movie nights and ice cream socials, and she has honored the party’s core values with community events like blood drives, supporting area food banks, helping children and honoring veterans.

She also helped recruit a near record number of quality candidates for political office, and she served as a successful watchdog on the all-Republican County Board of Commissioners.

I don’t know a lot about Jordan Genson, but I’ll venture a guess that he is one of the youngest chairs the party has had in some time. I sat next to him on the floor at the Michigan Democratic Party Endorsement Convention in April, and I am looking forward to the energy he will bring to the job.

Kelly Raskauskas was an energetic county commissioner candidate this election cycle, and I see her at every party function I have been able to attend. She brings lots of energy and knowledge to the position, and she has done some excellent research on the mistakes and gaffes of the board of commissioners. She also has one of the most impressive resumes I have ever seen.

Raskauskas holds a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA cum laude in International Relations from the School of International Service at American University. Raskauskas serves as the President of the Friends of the Brighton District Library, a non-profit group that supports programming, special events and equipment for the BDL throughout the year. She is also a volunteer at the Greenhills School in Ann Arbor.

County Democrats will get a chance to meet the new officers, as well as enjoy one of the great events I talked about, with the best food ever, put on by the party with the annual a holiday potluck set for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at party headquarters, 10321 Grand River Road, Suite 600, in Green Oak Township. All you need to do is to bring a dish to share and a donation for Gleaners Food Bank of either cash or food. I can personally attest to the fact that the food is phenomenal.

In addition to the potluck dinner, the party is also looking to help those in need in the community this holiday season. The party is looking for volunteers to help shop for winter clothing for needy children through the Warm the Children program sponsored by annarbornews.com. The program finds the needy children and provides enough funds to purchase $90 in winter clothing for each child. We provide the volunteers willing to help the families shop for the clothing at Target. If you would like to help, please contact Pam Green, coordinator the county’s Blue Tiger programs, at pgreen1210@sbcglobal.net.

The party is also participating in the Salvation Army's Adopt-a-Family program. We will be buying gifts for a needy family selected by the Salvation Army. If you would like to make a donation to the program, you may mail a check, made out to "Cash," to party headquarters. Contact Pam Green for more information, as well as to volunteer to help with the shopping.

Livingston County roads in worse condition than Detroit roads

HOWELL - Thanks to the all Republican County Board of Commissioners, our roads are worse than those of Detroit.

To illustrate that fact, the Livingston County Democrats are announcing a “Worst of the Worst” pothole contest in a bid to find the worst pothole in the county. This is similar to a statewide contest.

Figures from the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) have shown that 37.4 percent of Livingston County roads are rated “poor.” Livingston County Democrats would like to know which pothole among the hundreds of miles of poor roads is really the worst.

“With so many bad roads to choose from, it shouldn’t be hard to find a winner,” said Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democratic Executive Committee. “We all drive on these roads each and every day, resulting in damage to our vehicles.

“Yet our all-Republican county commission has decided that the best use of public funds is to expand an airport that fewer and fewer people use,” she said. “This is an example of the wrong kind of priorities for our county. Bad roads not only cost us money out of our pockets. They also turn off people and businesses that might want to locate here. We don’t have to put up with bad roads. We can do something about it by changing leadership on Nov. 2.”

The MITA compiles a report annually on the number of miles of poor roads in the state. The 37.4 percent figure for Livingston County, based on the November 2009 report, is nearly double the 20 percent of roads in the city of Detroit rated “poor.” Statewide, only 32 percent of the roads were rated “poor.”

Some areas of the county have virtually all the miles of roads covered by the report rated “poor.” In Iosco Township, for example, 35 of 37 miles, or 96 percent, are rated “poor” by the report.

“It’s a sad commentary when a wealthy county like Livingston County can’t afford to keep its roads in better condition than the city of Detroit,” Daubenmier said. “The situation will only get worse as more and more of our tax dollars are spent paying off debt for infrastructure in subdivisions the county backed that were never finished, leaving less money available for services.”

Daubenmier noted that while townships have been making bond payments for the unfinished subdivisions, they are using money loaned to them by the county’s delinquent tax revolving fund. Now they must begin repaying the county that money plus interest, while continuing to make the bond payments. The double-whammy will devastate services. Instead of spending the interest received by the delinquent tax revolving fund on the airport, Daubenmier said it should be returned to the townships in the form of road repairs.

MITA has estimated that the average Michigan motorist spends $370 a year for vehicle repairs and time spent stuck in traffic due to poor roads. As a way to defray part of that cost, the Livingston County Democratic Executive Committee will award a $50 prize to the person who nominates the winning pothole.

Contestants are invited to submit a photograph of what they think is the worst pothole in the county. They should include their name, address, phone number or email, and the location of the pothole so that it can be inspected. Entries may be mailed to the Livingston County Democratic Executive Committee, 10321 Grand River Road, Suite 600, Brighton, MI 48116. Entries also may be emailed to livcodems@sbcuc.net. In lieu of a photograph, contestants also may submit a video and upload it to youtube.com. The link to the video should be emailed to livcodems@sbcuc.net. The deadline is noon on Wednesday, Oct. 27.

In case of a tie, the entry submitted first will be the winner. Entries will be judged by officers of the Livingston County Democratic Executive Committee. The winner will be announced on Friday, Oct. 29.

MITA is a broad-based, bipartisan partnership of business, labor, local government, associations and citizens with the goal of improving Michigan’s transportation infrastructure.

Here are the townships in Livingston County with the number of miles covered by the report, the number rated “poor” and the percentage.
Township Miles in Report Miles Rated Poor Percentage Rated Poor
Brighton 136 23 17 percent
Cohoctah 51 39 76 percent
Conway 45 29 65 percent
Deerfield 40 21 52 percent
Genoa 124 39 31 percent
Green Oak 112 35 31 percent
Hamburg 65 21 33 percent
Handy 66 29 43 percent
Hartland 93 18 19 percent
Howell 98 22 22 percent
Iosco 37 35 96 percent
Marion 57 24 41 percent
Oceola 60 26 43 percent
Putnam 40 19 47 percent
Tyrone 32 80 41 percent
Unadilla 49 19 47 percent
TOTALS 1153 431 37.4 percent

Support the Democratic ticket

The stakes are high for the election in November, and the choice appears to be to continue to climb out of the Bush recession, or to go back to the failed Republican Bush polices that created the worst recession since the Great Depression, and the Livingston County Democratic Party is gearing up for the election with a couple of events.

Livingston County Democrats will kick off their 2010 campaign on behalf of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Virg Bernero on Saturday, Sept. 18, with an organizational meeting for volunteers. Farhan Bhatti, deputy campaign manager with the Bernero for Governor Campaign, will conduct training for volunteers beginning at 10 a.m. at Livingston County Democratic Party headquarters, 10321 Grand River Ave., Suite 600, in Brighton.

“Anyone who wants to see Michigan work again is invited to come and learn how they can be part of the team for Virg Bernero,” said Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democrats. “As Lansing mayor, Virg has shown that he understands what needs to be done to put people back to work in Michigan.”

No past political experience is necessary. The training will provide all the information volunteers will need to be able to work effectively for Bernero and his running mate, Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence. Coffee, tea, and bagels will be provided.

As mayor of Lansing, Bernero attracted more than a half a billion dollars in new, private investment to the city, which retained and created more than 6,000 full-time jobs. He erased more than $40 million in city budget deficits without raising taxes or laying off any workers. Bernero shared in the sacrifice, cutting his own pay and benefits.

The party is also hosting a fundraiser called “Campaign Countdown 2010.” The event is set for 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at Barnstormers Banquet Center, 9411 E M-36, Whitmore Lake. We need to will make sure our candidates have the resources to compete down the stretch with the deep pockets of the Republican Gubernatorial nominee, made from shipping jobs overseas. Suggested donation is just $25 per person and includes appetizers and a cash bar. Sign up now via Paypal.

Invited guests include U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, Gubernatorial nominee Virg Bernero, his running mate Brenda Lawrence, Attorney General nominee David Leyton, Secretary of State nominee Jocelyn Benson, 8th Congressional District nominee Lance Enderle, Michigan Supreme Court nominee Denise Langford Morris and Supreme Court Justice Alton Davis. Additionally, all the local candidates will be there, too.

So sign up today by Paypal or send a check made out to Livingston County Democrats to 10321 Grand River Road, Suite 600, Brighton, MI 48116.

Newspaper fails to act as watchdog on GOP good ole boy network

There is no doubt newspapers are in trouble, but the one job they do better than almost any other medium is to sit through a sometimes boring township, village or city council meeting to act as a watchdog on local government and tell the public what is going on. The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus failed, again, miserably at that task, based on a follow up in today’s edition on the possibility of some local townships defaulting financially.

Judy Daubenmier, the Chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, issued a press release last week on the fact that several local townships may default on several local water- and sewer-assessment bonds backs by the county, and because of that county taxpayers may have to bail them out. The press release prompted a story, but it appeared the newspaper chose more to smear Daubenmier and sensationalize the story than act as a watchdog.

The county’s financial reports have failed to alert the public to the fact that townships are in danger of missing their payments for the $101 million in principal and interest backed by the county, and Daubenmier called for the all-Republican Livingston County Commission to hold a town hall meeting explaining the issue to the public. The $101 million should have been the lead of the story the paper published, but instead the paper chose a quote buried near the bottom of the press release as their lead.

The lead of the article was, “The head of the Livingston County Democratic Party said county commissioners "acted like a bunch of socialists" when they backed water-, road- and sewer-assessment bonds local townships haven't been able to repay.”

Not only was it sensationalized, it was inaccurate. I understand that headlines and leads are designed to get people to read the article, but it still must be accurate. Here’s the full quote from the press release:

“Republicans like to talk about free market principles, but in this case they acted like a bunch of socialists,” Daubenmier said.

The board offices and the newspaper office are almost right across the street on Grand River Avenue in Howell, yet it took the national business publication Bloomberg to break this story. That story called “Bond Defaults Stalk Wealthiest Michigan Communities as Development Crashes,” appeared way back on June 23, but the newspaper of record does not have a similar story until August, and only after being led to it by Daubenmier.

The paper had a chance to redeem itself with a follow-up almost a week later, but it failed miserably. Basically, it let board chair Maggie Jones spout some talking points without ever challenging her.

She claims that the county was diligent with bond projects, and that the board had no way of foreseeing the near collapse of Detroit's Big Three automakers or the housing-market crash that has left half of Livingston County's townships holding the bag for sewer and water districts where growth didn't occur. That is a debatable issue that may or may not be true, but at the very least the county should hold a town hall meeting to let the public know about the problem.

But this statement from the county administrator really illustrates the problem.

“County Administrator Belinda Peters on Tuesday said she didn't have immediate access to data showing which townships have debt from county-backed assessment bonds; when the county pledged its AA bond rating to them; how much is owed on each outstanding county-backed bond; and when the bonds were issued.”

Seriously? And you let her get away with that answer?

Jones went on to claim that just because the county met the legal obligation of posting board meetings it negates the need for a townhall meeting, but if the paper missed the story, how can the public be expected to catch it?

One thing is clear: the Livingston County Board of Commissioners needs an independent voice to, if nothing else, act as a watchdog on the GOP good old boy's network because the newspaper is not going to do it.

Livingston Democratic Chair Demands Town Hall Meeting on County Debts

Livingston County taxpayers deserve a full accounting of the millions of dollars in debt piled up by the all-Republican County Board of Commissioners for roads and sewers built in subdivisions that are sitting nearly empty, Judy Daubenmier, the Chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, said Thursday.

Daubenmier said the county’s financial reports have failed to alert the public to the extent of the problem the last two years and called on the Livingston County Commission to hold a town hall meeting explaining the issue to the public. She said taxpayers need to know which townships are in danger of missing their payments for the $101 million in principal and interest backed by the county. And she said the all-Republican Board of Commission needs to explain why it backed the bonds for the townships even as the Michigan economy was shedding thousands of manufacturing jobs and the Detroit Three Automakers were bleeding red ink.

“The Republican incumbents on the county commission must have been totally oblivious not to see that the Michigan economy was in trouble and that the building boom was coming to an end, but they went right on backing the bonds and feeding the real estate bubble,” Daubenmier said. “Their reckless borrowing has subjected Livingston County to nationwide embarrassment and put the richest county in Michigan in the position of begging for a taxpayer bailout from the state of Michigan.”

Republican state Reps. Bill Rogers, R-Brighton Township, and Cindy Denby, R-Handy Township, have cosponsored a bill asking the state to set up a $5 million fund to help Livingston County, which is the hardest hit of all the counties in Michigan with debt for infrastructure for subdivisions where many lots are unsold. They also are asking for legislation allowing the Michigan Strategic Fund to set up special “renaissance zones” for these empty subdivisions, but there has been virtually no public explanation of what this would mean.

But Daubenmier said many questions are begging for answers from the county commission before lawmakers even consider such a bailout. She called on the county commission to reveal which townships are unable to pay the county for the bonds, how much money is involved, why the county and townships failed to demand greater security from the developers for the money being borrowed, what attempts are being made to get money from the developers, and whether $5 million is even enough. And of course, the biggest question is why the public financed the developments in the first place instead of expecting developers to rely on private financing.

“Republicans like to talk about free market principles, but in this case they acted like a bunch of socialists,” Daubenmier said.

She said Rogers and Denby in particular need to answer questions. Rogers was chair of the Livingston County Commission when much of the borrowing went on.

“What steps did Rogers take to determine the soundness of the borrowing,” Daubenmier said. “How many of the subdivisions that are now vacant were approved in Handy Township when Denby was supervisor for eight years.

“Rogers, Denby and all the Republican incumbents on the county commission have been bragging about their conservative fiscal values,” Daubenmier said. “Those fiscal conservatives turned out to be fiscal fools who fueled a housing bubble without noticing that the economy around them was imploding. Now they want the state of Michigan to bail them out, but I say, ‘Not so fast,’”

Daubenmier said the looming disaster has been buried in the county’s annual financial reports for the last two years. The financial reports for the years ended Dec. 31, 2008 and 2009 each contain only one paragraph on the debt and interest, even though it amounts to two and a half times the county’s annual general fund budget. The 2009 financial report noted that the county had paid $10.3 million in principal and interest on the bonds and received only $10.2 million from the townships. The 2008 financial report said the county paid $10.6 million on the bonds but the townships contributed only $9.9 million. Neither report explains how the difference was made up. Daubenmier said the report shows the problem existed well before the 2008 national financial meltdown.

Taxpayers are just beginning to see the impact. In some townships, voters on Tuesday were asked to approve millages to pay for basic services such as police protection because most of the township budget has to go to paying off the debt. But the county’s 2010 budget book warns that taxpayers county-wide may end up footing the bill.

”Livingston County may very well find itself in a position where it must fund the debt in order to preserve its credit rating,” said the report. But the county’s report doesn’t say how much the county’s exposure amounts to.

Republican County Commissioner gets special treatment in campaign finance violation

HOWELL – In a perfect example of a double standard, Republican Livingston County Commissioner Carol Griffith failed to file campaign spending reports for nearly two years but the Republican Secretary of State Terri Land let her off the hook without a fine.

Griffith should have been fined thousands of dollars because she failed to file reports over the last two years, but instead was allowed to go back and retroactively amend her first report to show that she had spent beneath the minimum threshold for reporting, $1,000.

Griffith, who was elected in 2008 to represent District 7, filed a statement of organization for her campaign in April 2008. At that time, she did not request a waiver for reporting her campaign spending. Candidates for public office are required to file statements of the money they raised and spent before and after the primary and general election, as well as annually. But those reporting requirements are waived if a candidate expects to receive or spend $1,000 or less.

Griffith never checked the box on her statement of organization asking for the waiver. Because she did not receive the waiver, Griffith was required by law to file campaign spending reports. Judy Daubenmier, the chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, said Griffith got special treatment, and called on her to reject the sweetheart treatment.

“Sometimes when one party has been in power too long there is a feeling that they don’t have to follow the same rules as everyone else, but the law is blind to that,” Daubenmier said. “Respect for the rule of law requires that those in charge of legislating for our county be expected to make a good faith effort to follow the law themselves.”

Land has gone to the mat in prosecuting Democrats for similar offenses. In April of 2007, Rep. George Cushingberry Jr., D-Detroit, had charges of lying about his compliance with campaign laws thrown out by an Ingham County Circuit Court Judge after a four day trial and dismissed two felony charges of perjury and one misdemeanor for failure to file reports

In December 21, 2006 former Rep. LaMar Lemmons III, R-Detroit, was found guilty for failing to file two or more campaign finance statements dating back to 2004, and he was ordered to pay fines and fees totaling $1,095.

Griffith should have filed five reports over the last two years – a report before the August 2008 primary, a report after the August 2008 primary, a report before the November 2008 general election, a report after the 2008 general election, and an annual report for 2009. None of those reports is on file with the Livingston County Clerk’s office.

The SOS office assesses fines on a per day basis for late reports, starting at $25 per day for a report that is one day late, up to a maximum of $500 for a report that is 20 days late. Fines are higher for candidates that spend more than $10,000. If Griffith were to be assessed the full fine, she would owe $2,500 in fines -- $500 for each of the five reports that have not been filed.

In addition, candidates are required to file a late contribution report if they receive a large contribution within a few days of the election. Additional fines could be levied if Griffith received such contributions and failed to report them on time.

But Land decided Griffith’s mistake was a clerical error or an oversight and said she didn’t need to pay any fine. The special treatment does not fall within the reasons for waiving a late filing fee contained in the SOS’s Candidate Manual. The manual states:

“The Department of State and the county clerks throughout the state have the authority to waive a late filing fee for reasons of incapacitating physical illness, hospitalization, accident involvement, death, incapacitation for medical reasons or other unique, unintentional factors beyond the filer’s control not stemming from a negligent act or non-action. A request for a late filing fee waiver must be accompanied by documentation that supports the reason for the request.”

Ironically, Daubenmier said, the mistake might have been discovered earlier had the all Republican county commission on which Griffith sits had a greater commitment to transparency. The county commission could require that such documents be scanned and uploaded to the county website and could furnish the county clerk with the equipment to make that possible. Then the local Democrats might have found the mistake earlier instead of noticing it after visiting the Livingston County Courthouse in Howell after the recent May 11 filing candidate deadline.

Griffith’s 2010 statement also did not request a filing waiver but she also retroactively amended that after local Democrats pointed that out to the county clerk’s office.

According to Howell radio station WHMI that reported the story, Griffith declined to comment.

Griffith is being opposed by Kelly Raskauskas, D-Genoa Township. Raskauskas holds a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA cum laude in International Relations from the School of International Service at American University. Raskauskas serves as the President of the Friends of the Brighton District Library, a non-profit group that supports programming, special events and equipment for the BDL throughout the year. She is also a volunteer at the Greenhills School in Ann Arbor.

County Chair Daubenmier wins statewide Neil Stabler Award

DETROIT -- Livingston County Democratic Party Chair Judy Daubenmier was the recipient of the Michigan Democratic Party’s 2010 Neil Stabler Award at the 2010 Jefferson Jackson Dinner Saturday night.

The recipient is chosen by the Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party to honor an individual who gave unselfishly of themselves to the state party and its principals. The award is handed out at the annual Jeff-Jack Dinner in Detroit’s Cobo Hall.

Daubenmier was a reporter for The Associated Press for 20 years. She then earned a doctorate degree in history from the University of Michigan and taught classes there. She became involved with politics by contributing to the movie “Outfoxed” about the rightwing bias of Fox News Channel. She became the chair of the county party in July of 2008, and in addition to beefed up fundraising, she established the party blog, Living Blue.

“She had a fast rise to the top, but it was well deserved,” said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer. “She’s particularly proud that Livingston County voted for Diane Marie Hathaway over Cliff Taylor in 2008.”

Daubenmier is the second Livingston County Democrat to win the statewide award. Green Oak Township resident Kathy Carney, the chair of the 8th Congressional District Democratic Committee, is also a past winner.

The award is named after Neil Staebler, one of Michigan's leading political activists. His public life was devoted to improving democratic government by increasing the participation of citizens in all aspects of public affairs. He was chairman of the Michigan state Democratic central committee, a member of the Democratic National Committee, a visiting professor at the University of Massachusetts and a U.S. Congressman. Staebler passed away in 2000.

(Photo courtsey of Danielle Mann)

Health Insurance lobby able to spend its millions elsewhere thanks to all the free media

Not only are Republicans courting teabaggers, so is the conservative media.

Hartland Township resident and teabagger Wes Nakagiri was featured today in the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus for the second time in just four months. Apparently, the small fringe extremists known as teabaggers are getting free media by continuing to change the name of their groups and come up with news ones. They are following the framing used by the Bush Administration by naming them the exact opposite of what they really do.

The paper is promoting two “tea parties” this week, and Nakagiri is quoted extensively. I guess the good news is that the paper found someone else as a source besides media hog and extremist Howell School Board member Wendy Day for a change. You will recall that right after Christmas Nakagiri’s rightwing blog was featured in an article.
“RetakeOurGov will meet at the Cromaine District Library in Hartland Township to address concerns about the national health-care legislation,” and “The new Brighton Tea Party organization is trying to form a rally at the gazebo at Mill Pond in Brighton on April 15, the due date for federal income taxes.”

How ironic. The teabaggers are anti-government and anti-tax, but they are choosing to meet at places paid for by taxpayers. I always wonder who has their government and country when I hear teabaggers say they want their country back, and then I remember the racism I have seen at the fake, corporate Astroturf “tea parties” and then I remember who they want it back from.

Judy Daubenmier, Chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party framed what the debate over health insurance reform is really about. Daubenmier “said she wondered why "tea party" members would want to change a health-care-reform plan that forces insurance companies to provide coverage to children with pre-existing conditions, or what's wrong with Medicare recipients being relieved from what was a "doughnut hole" in prescription- drug coverage — under Part D, a gap in coverage the left patients solely responsible for drug costs between initial coverage and when catastrophic coverage began.”

What is rally laughable in the article is the spin on the teabaggers by the chair of the Livingston County Republican Party. He is still trying to make the claim that the teabaggers and the Republican Party are not one in the same. They are.

“Livingston County Republican Party Chairman Mike Murphy said the Republican Party has its own mission — to elect and retain elected Republicans — and that the organization has not taken a position for or against the recent "tea party" movement.”

I guess if you’re going to tell a lie, you might as well go big. The Livingston County GOP has promoted the “tea parties” on its web site, and numerous Republican politicians have spoken and appeared at these Astroturf events started by Washington, D.C. lobbying firms, including local Republican politicians from Mike Rogers to Bill Rogers.

With all the free publicity these groups have been given, the health insurance lobby can spend the $1.4 million a day it’s spending to kill health insurance reform to allow insurance companies to continue to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions to spend it on something else.

If the teabaggers ever decided to form a third party, Republican support for the teabaggers would melt like snow in July.

Senate Republicans try to score cheap political points with ‘meatout’ resolution

LANSING – With the State of Michigan facing a budget deficit and vital services for people who are hurting through no fault of their own being cut, Senate Republicans managed to take time out of a Senate session on Wednesday to pass a meaningless resolution with no teeth to protest a promulgation that has no teeth and carries no weight.

A proclamation issued by Governor Jennifer Granholm calling Saturday a "meatout" day in the state and encouraging people not to eat meat that day as part of a healthy diet drew protests from agriculture and hunting advocates that was way out of proportion. This is no different than those the Governor has issued supporting Michigan wine and egg farmers.

This is a national effort, and according to their website, “ Meatout is an international observance helping individuals evolve to a wholesome, compassionate diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains. The purpose is to expose the public to the joys and benefits of a plant-based diet, while promoting the availability and selection alternatives to meat and dairy in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants, and catering operations.”

Wednesday was also Agriculture Day in the Capitol where the Michigan Farm Bureau and farmers display home-grown fruits and vegetables in the Capitol and lobby their Representatives. Apparently, Senate Republicans think fruits, vegetables and grains are not grown in Michigan. The fact is it’s hard to know where your meat came from, but that’s not the case for fruits, vegetables and grains.

But Senate Republicans took the opportunity to score some cheap political points in an election year. During the Senate session, every Senator is allowed to make a short speech on any subject they choose, and it’s usually at the end of session. On Wednesday it was moved to the middle of the session, and three straight Republican Senators got up and railed at the Governor’s promulgation. Not much different was said between the three, but it’s their right to make a fool of themselves.

That led Sen. Liz Brater, D-Ann Arbor to interject some sanity following the three rants.

“So, basically, what that proclamation does is not, I don’t think, try to harm any meat producers, but it encourages farmers who are producers of vegetables, fruits, and grains, of which there are many, many in this state promoting good health and reducing the risks of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases which take the lives of approximately 1.3 million Americans each day,” she said.

Brater also pointed out that the same proclamation has been offered by governors in many other states, including the cattle producing state of Texas and Alaska when Sarah Palin was the Governor. Then Brater actually read the promulgation:

“Whereas, March signifies a national celebration of the importance of agriculture in the United States as it provides almost everything we eat, use, and wear on a daily basis; and to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by Michigan’s farmers and the agriculture sector; and

Whereas, Michigan’s farmers provide consumers with not only food and fiber, but also biofuels and other sources of renewable energy, which are essential to life; and
Whereas, Michigan’s food and agriculture industry, our state’s second-largest economic driver, contributes over $71.3 billion to our state’s economy each year; and
Whereas, Michigan’s agricultural industry provides a variety of wholesome and healthy products including but not limited to beef, dairy, field crops, fruits, horticulture products, pork, poultry, sheep, and vegetables; and
Whereas, Michigan’s agricultural economy expanded at a great rate of more than five times faster than the rate of the general economy; and
Whereas, I urge all Michiganians to join me in recognizing the importance of our agricultural industry, from farm to fork, and to help celebrate this day with meals made with a variety of local Michigan ingredients, including but not limited to meat, vegetables, and dairy products; and
Whereas, The first day of spring has been traditionally designated National Agriculture Day since 1973;
Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim March 20, 2010, Michigan Agriculture Day, and encourage people throughout the state of Michigan to partake in the abundance of Michigan’s agricultural commodities.”

That led to another ridiculous comment by Sen. Alan Sanborn, R-Richmond.
“Let’s just all go over to the Governor’s mansion and have tofu and seaweed,” he said. “Great Americans eat red meat. Great Michiganders eat meat grown in Michigan.”

And great Michiganders also eat fruits, vegetables and grains that we know are grown in Michigan.

The timing for statements was unusual, until Sen. Wayne Kuipers , R-Holland, introduced Senate Resolution 129. that would “urge the Governor to rescind her proclamation making March 20, 2010, Michigan Meatout Day.”

That resolution passed by a vote of 25-12. Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Hunntington Woods, summed up the debate over the resolution best.

“I wish we would spend this much time on finding funding for education,” she said.

Newspapers jumped all over the harmless promulgation, and some of the reaction was just ridiculous. The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus had a front page story.

In the story, Don Miller, butcher at Great Lakes Butcher Supply in Oceola Township, said one day will hurt his business. “Encouraging Michiganders not to eat meat — even if just for one day — constitutes a boycott,” the paper said.

But Judy Daubenmier, head of the Livingston County Democratic Party and a Catholic, had the best response when she said Catholics do not eat meat on Fridays.

“Aren’t they losing business on Friday? What’s the difference,” Daubenmier said.
“Don’t we grow fruits and vegetables in Michigan as well?”

One butcher even had the audacity to say eating meat was healthy. He said “implications that meat is unhealthy are irresponsible, “To imply that meat is unhealthful is uneducated, kind of reckless.”

Then maybe your doctor is full of crap when he tells you to cut down on red meat, and you should go to your butcher instead of a doctor for a check-up. The fact is taking an occasional break from eating meat is healthy.

County GOP imports Sam the digital converter box promoter to speak

The Livingston County Republican Party is scraping the bottom of the barrel for people to speak at its annual Reagan Dinner this week. It has tapped “Sam the digital converter box promoter” to speak.

Sam - AKA “Joe the Plumber” AKA Samuel Wurzelbacher - gained 15 minutes of national fame - believe it or not - after a chance encounter with President Obama on the campaign trail, and he was used as the McCain camping as a prop to supposedly represent the average Joe. For some inexplicable reason, his 15 minutes of fame have stretched to a year. This whole saga is filled with ironies. First, he’s not a plumber and his name is not Joe.

He says he “feels he was used as a gimmick by the McCain campaign,” yet he has cashed in on being a prop. If that were not the case he would not be speaking in front of the county GOP.

I don’t understand why anyone would plop down $50 to hear this guy spout off when they could have seen him for free in September when he appeared in Brighton at the so-called “Tea Party Express” bus tour that was nothing but a hate-filled, racist anti-Obama rally. It masqueraded as a “grassroots effort,” but it was promoted heavily by the county party, Fox “news” and rightwing Washington, D.C. lobbying groups.

It makes Sam/Joe’s appearance even more ironic, and he told the Press & Argus that he “isn’t loyal to the troubled national party.”

“In a Daily Press & Argus interview, Wurzelbacher went a step further and said he doesn't identify with today's Republican party.”

That’s a view shared by the majority of Americans, and less people identify with the Republican Party.

Here’s the ultimate irony. Rightwing extremists are not satisfied with hijacking the Republican Party and driving reasonable, moderate Republicans out of the party. They are forming some weird, third party like movement and are not supporting some Republican candidates.

That’s not a problem for me.

But Livingston County Democratic Party Chair Judy Daubenmier had the best line, saying the GOP is so bankrupt that had to search high and low to find an actual working person, and the best they could do was find was someone who plays one.

"Why didn't they get a local plumber?" she asked.

Ruling on Rogers campaign sign says those with money get to make their own laws

In a ruling that had to surprise no one, the Republican Secretary of State has decided not to enforce a campaign law when it benefited a Republican.

You will recall that that Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democratic party, field a complaint in September over a large and prominent campaign sign for U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers on public property owned by the Brighton Area Fire Authority and Genoa Township facing I-96. The sign clearly violates a law that prohibits public property from being used for a political campaign, and it gives the public the impression the municipality is endorsing that candidate. That's exactly what the administrative law judge found, according to the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus. However, the examiner also said because the township didn't own the signs somehow the law didn't apply.

The sign belongs to Brighton Republican and attorney Neal D. Nielsen. He is also the fire authority's attorney.

Nielsen donated the land and he was allowed to keep the sign as a stipulation for the donation. The ruling is saying if you have money, the law does not apply to you, or you can make your own law. Normally, one side of the sign has an American flag, and the side facing the highway bears a welcome to Livingston County sign. But, not during campaign season.

I sure hope Judy appeals this.

County political conventions on tap this week

With the historic election over, county political parties are holding their conventions this month to pick who will lead the parties.

In Livingston County, the Democratic Party will convene at 10 a.m. Saturday at the party headquarters, 10321 E. Grand River, Suite 600 in Brighton. The main purpose of the convention is to elect the executive committee which will select the officers for the next two years. I don’t anticipate a change in leadership

Current Democratic Party Chair Judy Daubenmier was just chosen in July to replace Matt Evans after he resigned to concentrate on his run for Green Oak Township Supervisor. Daubenmier has done an excellent job in a short time, bringing in some big speakers, done a great job in fundraising and established an excellent party blog, Living Blue.

The Livingston County Republican Party is holding its convention at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Historic Livingston County Courthouse in downtown Howell, 200 E. Grand River Ave. They will be replacing chair Allan Filip, who took over as the GOP Chair of the 8th Congressional District.

What remains to be seen is if this time the Grand Oil Party will open up their convention to press coverage. When they chose Filip two years ago, they slammed the door in the face of the press and chose him in secret behind closed doors.

Filip’s tenure was marked by lies, misinformation false attacks and power grabs.

Share history with fellow Democrats at convention watch party

Next Thursday will be an historic night when Sen. Barack Obama will accept the nomination of the Democratic Party for President of the United States at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on his way to becoming the first African-American president.

American will be glued to their TV sets to view history, and Livingston County Democrats will have the opportunity to share the moment with fellow Democrats. The Barack Obama Campaign for Change is inviting Obama supporters to gather at Memories Lounge and Restaurant, at 7 p.m. August 28 to watch Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Livingston County Democratic Party Chair Judy Daubenmier said Memories will have two large-screen televisions set up for people to watch the convention proceedings. Also, Obama field organizers will be on hand to speak as well. Memories also has a bar and full restaurant menu.

Memories is located at 1840 S. Old U.S. 23, in Brighton Township. Reservations are not necessary, but the party wants to give Memories an estimate of the attendance. To RSVP call (810) 229-4212 or email at livcodems@sbcuc.net.

Former journalist tracks conservative media bias

This was an excellent Neighbors feature in the Press & Argus today from political reporter Dan Meisler. It amazes me that we have so many connected people living in Livingston County. This woman contributes to one of my favorite web sites, News Hounds. I check that one and Crooks and Liars everyday.

By Dan Meisler
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
The last straw for Judy Daubenmier, a veteran of more than 20 years as a reporter, came when she was helping to cover Proposal A for The Associated Press.
The complicated plan, completed in a late-night, Christmas Eve meeting in 1993, shifted the burden to pay for schools from property taxes to sales tax. As she worked on the story, another media outlet came out with a story on a dispute between lawmakers over parking spots.
An editor suggested that the reporters do more stories like
that — "cute stories ... light stories" — and that's when Daubenmier made her final decision to find another line of work.
"I didn't feel like that is what I was about," she said.
Since then, the Genoa Township resident has earned a doctorate degree in history from the University of Michigan; taught classes there; and contributed to a movie and a Web log monitoring the Fox News Channel for bias.
Her latest project, a book published in October called "Project Rewire, New Media from the Inside Out," is available for purchase on Amazon.com.
One of the main points of the book is that the multitude of blogs devoted to criticizing the media has the potential to improve the performance of the mainstream press and television news.
More specifically, Daubenmier said that for decades, conservatives have pushed the false idea that the media is biased toward the liberal point of view.
Now, through the Internet, liberals are highlighting conservative bias in the media.
Daubenmier's examples of conservative media slant are the treatment of Al Gore when he was running for president in 2000 — when he was characterized as stretching the truth — and the proliferation of conservative talk radio shows.
Plus, when she started monitoring Fox News Channel for the Web site www.newshounds.com, she discovered what she said is reporting slanted to the conservatives.
She disputes the idea that her involvement in a liberal cause after leaving journalism proves there is a liberal bias in the mainstream media.
"It proves that liberals work in the media. There are conservatives in media. The question is, what is the quality of the output?" Daubenmier said.