Editorial board wants activist judges in FOIA witch-hunt case

The Republican controlled editorial board of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus is falling over themselves to blame the non-conservative majority on the Michigan Supreme Court for something they had nothing to do with.

Late last month the Michigan Supreme Court denied an appeal to overturn an appeals court ruling that would have released thousands emails under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Anti-union activist Chet Zarko, who passed away last summer, filed the FOIA in 2007 with the help of teabagger and former Howell School Board member Wendy Day in a fishing expedition to embarrass the teacher’s union. He claimed the emails were sent on district computers during staff time, and they were used to lobby the public during contract negotiations. The district released some emails, but an injunction was issued stopping Zarko from receive any more of the 5,500 emails.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in January of 2010 that the emails sent and received on Howell Public School computers between union members were not public record, and they concluded that under the FOIA statute the individual teacher’s personal emails were not rendered public records solely because they were captured in the email system’s digital memory. They also said this was unexamined ground in the law, and that this is an issue for the Legislature to address.

Apparently, the newspaper does not see the fact that teachers are not a public body or public officials, and that the Supreme Court has to have a reason to overturn a solid decision; let alone take it up.

The editorial board did not see it that way, and they want the Justices to be the activist judges they claim they don’t want.

“In one of the last acts of its short-lived Democratic majority, the Michigan Supreme Court did some potential damage to the public's right to know in a ruling about the privacy of what public employees do on public time with publicly provided communications systems The court ought to reconsider this decision before somebody tries to hide behind it to thwart the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.”

Here is another false claim by the paper, “In the Howell case, the e-mails were requested in a FOIA filed by a resident ... who was concerned about ongoing contract negotiations with the teachers union. The resident has since died, but others are keeping the case alive and will request reconsideration by the Supreme Court, which now has a new justice and a 4-3 Republican majority.”

No, Zarko was an Oakland County resident, and his concern was just to find dirt to embarrass the union. There is a reason the anti-union rightwing think tank Mackinac Center is bankrolling the attorney fees.
What the paper and the Michigan Press Association should be doing is asking lawmakers to address the situation, not ask judges to make new laws.

Blanket endorsement demonstrates conservative media bias

Livingston County Daily Press & Argus General manager Rich Perlberg erased any pretense that he is anything other than a Republican with a blanket endorsement of all the Republicans running for the Livingston County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.

The editorial glosses over the mismanagement of the nine-member, all-GOP board, and it buries the financial irresponsibility brought to the attention of the paper by the Livingston County Democratic Party.

“The Republican board has done well by the issues that resonate with Livingston County voters — providing essential services in a frugal and efficient way.”

Then why, Mr. Perlberg, does Livingston County have some of the worst roads in the state. They are even worse than a place that many county Republicans love to hold up to ridicule, the City of Detroit.

A blanket endorsement might be in order if they were running as a slate, but they are not. Not only that, there is an open seat in the 5th District I live in where Democrat David Berry is running. He is running against a candidate that has lost judicial races in the county at least twice where you had to stand on your own merit and not simply rely on the R after your name in predominantly Republican Livingston County.

But the biggest example of mismanagement by the board was the more than $100 million in debt county taxpayers could be on the hook for. The county backed bonds for developers for townships to put in water and sewer infrastructure for housing developments using special assessment districts (SAD). The money would be paid back when the owner bought the house and was assessed for it through their property taxes.

But as the housing market hit bottom, developers simply walked away, leaving the townships, the county and taxpayers holding the bag. The county has done everything legally possible to hide the debt until after the election. We don’t even know which townships are in trouble.

The Democrats have asked for a townhall meeting, but Republicans have continued to stall. They were aided by the local chamber of commerce, but it was shut down after the first tough question.

The board has tried to hide it with an obscure committee that never posted its notice of meetings anywhere but on the wall of the board office and only when it was legally required to do so. Then, it never bothered to approve the meeting minutes when it met, so it did not have to post them. Only a FOIA request by Democrats led to a year’s worth of minutes being finally approved. Conveniently, the chair of that stealth committee is not running for re-election, so he will not have to answer any embarrassing questions or be held accountable. It makes you wonder if he will be the scapegoat for the chair of the Finance Committee.

The paper said:

“Democrats have largely ignored these accomplishments. Instead, they have zeroed in on the large bond payments due for water and sewer special-assessment districts in townships across the county. County officials say they have taken the lead in managing the looming payments, which are first and foremost an issue for the townships. The complaints, say county officials, are exaggerated.”

This may be the reason for the blanket endorsement. This is a huge story that could lead to receivership and an emergency financial manger, yet the newspaper was only dragged to it kicking and screaming. The national business publication Bloomberg had to break the story while the newspaper located just across the street completely missed or ignored it. I guess this is payback for the Democrats breaking the story locally and pointing out that the newspaper fell down on the job of being a watchdog on local government.

I also see Mr. Perlberg’s hand in this when he rails against mass transit. He is a longtime critic of the planned Washtenaw Livingston (WALLY) commuter rail line that will link Howell and Ann Arbor.

“Their complaints, however, may largely fall on deaf ears. Many of their programs — such as supporting the WALLY commuter train between Howell and Ann Arbor, or establishing a county-run parks program — are examples, in the eyes of traditional county voters, of unnecessary, overreaching and, ultimately, expensive government. County residents, for example, already have ample access to state and regional recreation areas.”

That’s simply not true, because it has the support of the City of Howell and the Brighton Chamber.

If you want some real accountability and an independent watchdog on the board – a role the newspaper has rejected – vote for one of the Democratic candidates next Tuesday.

District 2 – Thomn Bell of Oceola Township
District 3 – Dane Morris of Hartland Township
District 5 – Dave Berry of Conway Township
District 6 – Keith Tianen of Putnam Township
District 7 – Kelly Raskauskas of Genoa Township
District 8 – Amir Baghdadchi of Hamburg Township
District 9 – Barry McBride of Green Oak Township

Editorial board displays hypocrisy over debate

The hypocrisy of the Republican leaning editorial board of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus is just stunning.

Today’s editorial bemoans the fact that Sunday’s gubernatorial debate where Democratic nominee Virg Bernero scored a decisive victory over Republican candidate Rick “Chief Executive Outsourcer” Snyder suffered from a lack of “substance” and we need more debates with better moderators than rightwing Detroit News Editor Nolan Finley and Detroit Free Press editor Stephen Henderson with better questions, saying:

“…one can only wonder if one or two additional debates would have allowed more depth and more probing questions. As it was, the two moderators asked what appeared to be carefully scripted questions that elicited predictable, unenlightening answers. The follow-up questions that were asked were gentle and seemed designed to show equal treatment rather than forcing each candidate to defend or define his position.”

Of course they were “carefully scripted questions.” They went in prepared, and Henderson even asked a question a reader sent in. That is what debates are all about, and they are also about the two candidates standing side by side answering questions and defending their positions where voters can compare and contrast.

But that’s not where the hypocrisy comes in. Last month when the outsourcer was doing everything possible to duck the debates, continue to hold scripted townhall meetings in front of friendly audiences and let his millions and the millions of PAC money buy 30-second TV ads the paper editorialized that “Debates are of questionable value.”

“Debates are of questionable value?”

The fact is if the conservative mainstream media like this newspaper had held the outsourcer more accountable we would have more than one debate with different formats. Perhaps we would have a real townhall meeting like Bernero suggested in the debate on Sunday where you can ask tough questions.

The hypocrisy is just stunning.

Newspaper that sponsors political debates says they are useless

The Republican editorial board of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus is twisting itself into pretzels in it’s ongoing battle to bash Democratic candidates and promote Republican candidates.

In today’s edition it editorialized that it’s OK for Republican Gubernatorial candidate Rick “Chief Executive Outsourcer” Snyder to continue to duck debates with Democratic nominee Virg Bernero because “Debates are of questionable value.”

Say what?

Is this the same newspaper that sponsores and moderates local debates? Is this the same newspaper that sponsored and moderated a debate between the Republican candidates for the 22nd State Senate seat in July? Why, yes it is. So I guess the paper will no longer sponsor those useless debates where a candidate has to defend his positions, record and actions in front of a neutral audience.

It’s just astonishing what this Republican editorial board will do to promote Republican candidates. Liberal media my butt.

Of course this bastion of the “liberal media” uses the editorial to take its standard cheap shots at Gov. Jennifer Granholm, saying “Voters are likely looking for a change after eight years of an ineffective Democrat in the governor's office,” and ending with this gem:

“Granholm likely would have won the election anyway, but as a challenger, DeVos lost any chance he had to gain ground. So for the next four years, we got the better debater.
But did we get a better governor?”

The answer is yes. Perhaps the newspaper missed the Bush recession, the worst since the Great Depression that led to two of Michigan’s largest employers going into bankruptcy? Perhaps they missed this report that Michigan is leading the nation in job growth, with a gain of 27,800 jobs in July or that every single Michigan governor has tried to diversify the states’ economy away from just auto manufacturing so we don’t feel every economic downturn so hard, but only Granholm has managed to do that?

But back to the debates. The good news is that Detroit TV station WXYZ YV 7 cares more about informing voters then the newspaper does, and they are going to broadcast a 'live' debate on Tuesday, October 21, from 8:00 - 9:00 pm whether the wimp shows up or not.

But the biggest news is that Bernero showed up at one of the wimp’s invitation only townhall meetings held at country clubs, this one held at the Hawthorne Country Club in Westland on Monday with the hope of persuading him to hold the three televised debates the wimp chickened out of. Apparently, Bernero shamed Snyder into meeting “with him personally over coffee to hammer out a gentlemen’s agreement on debates,” according to the Detroit Free Press.

Weaver gives up on reform but helps break up the Gang of Four

Republican heads all over the state exploded yesterday with the news that Republican Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver resigned and Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointed Michigan Appeals Judge Alton Davis from Grayling to the bench, giving Democrats a 4-3 majority on the court for the first time in nine years.

Weaver has been vilified by Republicans with names like evil, a traitor and names I can’t repeat, and even the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus joined in the chorus with a misguided editorial called “Weaver gamed a system that begs for reform.” Reform the system is what Weaver has been pushing for years. She has been a Justice for two terns serving for 16 years and nominated by the Michigan Republican Party for her two terms.

The party indicated that they were not going to nominate the incumbent Justice at their convention Saturday. And exactly what was Weaver’s crime that she was not going to be nominated for a third term? On occasion she exercised some actual independence and did not always vote with the former Republican “Gang of Four.”

The Gang of Four once consisted of the activist judges Cliff Taylor, Robert Young, Stephen Markman and Maura Corrigan. “Sleepy Cliff Taylor” was unseated by Justice Diane Marie Hathaway in 2008, becoming the first incumbent Justice to lose in 24 years.

During that dark time the Gang of Four held sway, no insurance company lost a case, it expanded government immunity so much that government can only be sued if a pot hole is so large you have to climb out of it and destroyed product liability in the state.

The paper calls Weaver a “Maverick,” and claims that Weaver engaged “after years of squabbling that belie the high-court's image of decorum.” I guess if a maverick is someone who doesn’t march in lock-step with the four Republicans then she is a maverick. I don’t know why the squabbling is only Weaver’s fault and not of the Gang of Four (3).

Bur Weaver does agree with the Republican editorial board that the court needs to be reformed, and in fact, she has pushed for a less partisan way to choose Justices for years, including such things as term limits and other reforms. But to say she “gamed the system” is ridiculous, and smacks of sour grapes.

For on example of her attempt at reform, last October Weaver testified in front of the Senate Campaign and Election Oversight Committee in favor of Senate Bill 745 that would elect the state's seven Supreme Court justices from districts instead of on a statewide basis. Currently, most of the Justices are from southeast Michigan, and only Davis from the UP is an exception.

To show you how difficult it is to reform the court, the bill was introduced by a Republican candidate for Secretary of State, Sen. Michele McManus, R-Lake Leelanau, and supported by GOP boosters the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, but it still did not get more than a hearing in committee controlled by Republicans and remains there.

Elizabeth Weaver is my new hero.

Partisan board member attacks those who question airport finances

A letter to the editor in today’s edition of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus from a member of the allegedly nonpartisan Livingston County Aeronautical Facilities Board has more cheap, partisan political shots than facts.

You will recall that a couple of weeks ago the Livingston County Democratic Party pointed out that, according to county budget reports, the Livingston County Spencer J. Hardy Airport has lost $4.7 million over the last 10 years. The director of the airport Mark Johnson and board member Richard Pine objected to that claim, and promoted Pine, the wife of the former chair of the Livingston County Republican Party, to write the poison letter. At least he didn’t threaten to rip anyone’s “balls off.”

Pine claims, “Judy Daubenmier is wrong about the airport, which isn't surprising. While Democrats understand spending (that's how you buy votes), they don't understand investments anymore than they understand how to stimulate the economy.”

Someone should tell Pine that the Bush recession, the worst since the Great Depression, created this mess and how the stimulus is helping lift us out of it, despite the stalling tactics by members of his party. I disagree with him that you should “buy votes.”

The county and the airport was my beat for a few years beginning in 2000, and I actually agree with Pine when he says the “airport is a great asset for the future of this community.” However, I can assure you that many of his fellow Republicans on the Howell Township Board and people who live, actually once lived, near the airport, do not share that view.

This is a great statement from Pine: “Recognizing its potential, the federal government has invested about $30 million since 2000 to expand the airport. Those funds come from airport users, not taxpayers.”

Really; it’s not tax money? Great, then he should have no problem raising the gas tax because, after all, it comes from users, not taxpayers. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I don’t necessarily object to the use tax, but it is a tax.

Pine also claims that “The decision to expand the airport back in 2000 wasn't made lightly, but it was made. It was an investment in infrastructure. Even with the present economic downturn, the airport generates enough cash to pay back its loan and then some. When economic conditions improve, the airport will attract business and the county will make money. That's what investments are about.”

So, how is that investment by county and federal tax payers any different than the loans to GM and Chrysler or the stimulus in general?

Now, that may be true, but there is absolutely no way of knowing that. Kelly Raskauskas, D-Genoa Township, a candidate for the Livingston County Board of Commissioners made an excellent point.

“If the airport received $30 million in federal and state grants over the last 15 years, why hasn't this income been shown in annual county financial reports,” she said. “The airport website has zero financial information. Why make it so hard for county residents to figure out what's going on with their tax dollars?”

The revelation by the Livingston County Democratic Party earlier this month that the county taxpayers may be on the hook for $101 million in bonds in danger of default because townships used the full faith and credit of the county for special assessment districts (SAD) to build sewers for developers. The county was not very forthcoming with the information, and the newspaper ignored the story, even though a national newspaper had the story. It was the county party that really broke the story locally.

Pine says “The airport expansion wasn't a partisan issue at the time, so it's strange to see it made a partisan issue some 10 years after the decision was made.”” Really? The airport wasn’t losing millions of dollars when this began. There was plenty of opposition then, and I fail to see how pointing out the wasting of taxpayer money is a partisan issue.

But here is where we really understand what Pine is really all about: “But if I were a Democrat, I would be looking to divert attention away from the present economic mess and the trillions of dollars Democrats have added to the national debt. Our national debt isn't an investment, and the only way it will be repaid is through higher taxes and/or inflation.”

He seems to forget that it’s the Democrats that are getting us out of worst recession since the Great Depression created by Republican polices, and that Bush took a budget surplus and created a huge deficit. The Democrats have added to the debt in trying to stimulate the economy, not on a useless and unnecessary war and tax cuts for the rich that did nothing to stimulate the economy. Funny, when sainted Ronald Reagan created a huge deficit it Dick Cheney that said “Reagan proved that deficits don't matter.”

Why do they matter so much now?

But perhaps Pine can tell us what this has to with local races for County Commissioner.

“The question voters have to ask themselves is this: Would we be better off if the federal government behaved more like Livingston County, or if Livingston County behaved more like the federal government?”

The answer is there is much more transparency in the federal government, a huge Capitol press corps in Washington to expose waste and a federal government trying to fix the problems caused by the party that controls the government in Livingston County.

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.

Newspaper endorses conspiracy theorist over businessman

As expected, the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus endorsed former State Rep. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township, for the open 22nd District State Senate seat, but it has to be the most wishy-washy, weak endorsement I hare ever read.

The paper endorsed Hune over the Howell City Councilman and businessman Paul Rogers simply because he vowed to never, ever raise taxes under any circumstances, and the fact that he has apparently matured since he was elected to an open State House seat by two votes in 2002, making him one of the youngest ever to be elected.

“Still, Hune gets our endorsement partly because he has clearly matured since the callow young man who was elected to the state House in 2002 at the age of 21.”

I liked him better when he as “a callow young man.” He was always an extreme conservative, being named among the top 10 most conservative House members consistently by subscription only MIRS and Michigan Votes, but he was at least reasonable. However, since leaving the House in 2008 and beginning his Senate campaign, he has thrown in with the extremist fringe and sometimes racist Republican teabaggers.

The paper had to hold their nose to endorse him, and you had to read seven paragraphs down to find out that that they had endorsed him.

Hune's answer in a debate sponsored by the newspaper earlier this month that the United Nations was coming for his guns caught the paper’s editors so off guard that they saw fit to do a follow up story. Despite that outrageous comment, the paper endorsed a conspiracy theorist over an established businessman.

“Often, Hune's position is simplistic, shrill and even a little conspiratorial, such as his worry that the United Nations is poised to overturn the nation's Second Amendment protection of citizen gun ownership.”

One of Hune’s most ridiculous answers in the debate that the newspaper continues to ignore is his vote on the bipartisan package of bills aimed at attracting the film industry with incentives in March of 2008. Hune said in the debate that he would not vote for the package, but when Hune was asked why he voted for it, he tried to claim he didn’t know or understand the package included a tax rebate.

He has to be the only person in the State of Michigan that didn’t know the package include allowing production companies a 40 percent rebate on the Michigan Business Tax (MBT). He either cannot read a newspaper, didn’t watch TV news, didn’t read an analysis the bill from the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency, didn’t watch the committee hearings like I did, was asleep in the Republican caucus, was playing a video game on the House floor when the debate was going on or had an incompetent staff.

We want to send a guy back to Lansing who does not even know what he’s voting on?

We need to send someone like Green Oak Township Democrat Chuck Fellows to Lansing. He is a planning commissioner, and as such, he knows how to do his homework and knows what he’s voting on. He has the experience, knowledge and common sense to get things done.

Newspaper attacks Democratic Party for doing the job they didn’t do

Most people have no problems with a simple mistake, especially if they learn from it. But, when the same person makes the same mistake five times and an elected official elected to uphold the law covers for that person, most people lose patient.

Republican Livingston County Commissioner Carol Griffith failed to file campaign spending reports for nearly two years, but the Republican County Clerk covered for her, and the Secretary of State Terri Land let her off the hook without a fine or even a warning. But even worse, the Republican editorial board of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus saw fit to write an editorial calling campaign finance reports and falsifying legal documents “trivial.”

The editorial entitled “Dems don't help themselves by picking silly fights” takes the Livingston County Democratic Party to task for daring to bring this to light, saying, the “party doesn't help itself when it keeps picking silly fights, such as the complaint it aired last week over a trivial campaign-filing violation.”

Tell that to Rep. George Cushingberry Jr., D-Detroit, who had to have a court trial to clear himself of the same thing and Rep. LaMar Lemmons III, R-Detroit, who was found guilty for failing to file two or more campaign finance.

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.

Here’s the real irony here: this violation of campaign finance law and case of special treatment never would have been discovered and would continue if the Democratic Party had not discovered it.

It was not too many years ago that newspapers, including this one, was the watchdog for government malfeasance. What it comes down to is that instead of doing their job, the newspaper attacks the Democrats for doing the job they should have been doing.

It’s time to restore some honesty and transparency to the all Republican County Board of Commissioners so violations of the law will not be shoved under the rug.

You can start by voting for Griffith’s replacement, 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.

If you don’t live in Raskauskas’s district, you still have a choice. Vote for one of these qualified people.
District 2 Thomn Bell
District 3 Dane Morris
District 5 Dave Berry
District 6 Keith Tianen
District 8 Amir Baghdadchi
District 9 Barry McBride

Teabagger Senate candidate still clinging to myth that black helicopters are coming for his gun

Republican State Senate candidate Joe Hune’s offhand remarks about the United Nations and the 2nd Amendment in a debate last week surprised and caught so many people off guard that the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus decided to do a follow up story on that remark.

Hune and his GOP opponent for the open 22nd District seat, Howell City Councilman Paul Rogers, squared off in a debate last week sponsored by the paper. Hune was asked a follow up question as to why he thought the 2nd Amendment is more important than the 1st Amendment, and did he believe the 2nd Amendment was under attack and by whom. Hune’s reply flabbergasted the paper’s news editor and publisher.

“We have consistently heard, time and time again, that there are folks who are absolutely concerned about the United Nations nuke treaty - I believe exactly what it is - trying to essentially give some of our rights away to the UN, which is exactly the wrong place to go,” Hune said.

Hune’s belief that black helicopters are coming for his handgun is a long held anti-government, Michigan Militia belief, and Hune’s embrace of the racist and anti-government teabagger movement is showing.

That would be bad enough, but it appears that those extremist views are beginning to be held by the majority of the Republican Party that has steady moved to the right; so much so that it has fallen off the cliff and driven all moderates out of the party.

What Hune is misrepresenting and lying about is the UN Small Arms Treaty. What it basically does is combat the illicit global trade of small arms. In fact, the treaty would not hinder the right to produce, export or import arms, and it is aimed at ensuring common international import and export standards to prevent illegal trafficking. It also includes not only the illegal trade in guns but the sale of fighter planes, unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles and light weapons.

The fact is this has nothing to do with the sale or manufacture of guns in the U.S., and no President can ever ban handguns in the U.S. through the signing of an international treaty.

Chuck Fellows, the Democratic candidate for the 22nd District that includes Livingston County, Shiawassee County and a southern part of Ingham County, injected some sanity in the follow up, saying Hune is making "fear-mongering" remarks.

Fellows told the paper that he fully supports gun-ownership rights under the Second Amendment, but the proposed UN treaty has absolutely nothing to do with handguns in the U.S. Not only that, a draft treaty isn't expected to be written before 2012, and all international treaties require the approval of two-thirds of the U.S. Senate before they are considered ratified and in effect. Michigan is just coming out of the Bush recession - the worst since the Great Depression - and needs jobs right now, not false fear-mongering.

"He's bringing forth issues that really have nothing to do with the state of Michigan,” Fellows told the paper. “The state of Michigan has one major problem, and that's jobs.

Even after having a few days to think about it, Hune is sticking to that lie. He claims this is a big issue with people in the district. That may be the case with a few fringe teabaggers, but not the majority of voters. I know you have to tack right to win a primary election and play to the base, especially in predominately county like Livingston, but Hune has gone off the cliff.

Newspaper puts a face on the people Senate Republicans stiffed

The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus did an excellent job on Sunday putting a face on the thousands of people in Michigan losing their unemployment benefits because the U.S. Senate Republicans chose to filibuster a bill that will allow a six-month extension of unemployment benefits and Medicaid funding.

Joyce Smith is a 62 year-old Conway Township resident who has worked her entire life and never asked for any help or handouts, but she has been unable to find a job in the Bush recession - the worst recession since the Great Depression - since she was laid off from her job at a large architectural/engineering firm.

“Her unemployment benefits, which allowed her to hang onto her house and pay utilities, will end in three weeks.“ Like many people in the country, Smith doesn't have health insurance and risks losing everything she's worked hard to get in her life.

"This is going to hurt us really bad," Smith said. "This is what has kept us afloat. It's like we don't have any hope."

She gets angry thinking about senators who didn't support extending the benefits. She knows unemployment benefits are supposed to be only temporary, and she would much rather work than receive money from the government. However, she said, Michigan is in trouble.

Smith is just one of 1,572 residents who lost their unemployment benefits last month, and by end of July, 1,486 more residents will lose unemployment benefits, according toe the P & A.

Republicans are doing everything they can to stall the economic recovery, as well as to continue their war to kill the middle class.

We now hear that some Republicans think people on unemployment don’t want to work and would rather collect unemployed than work. Republicans think those who can’t find a job right now are lazy, shiftless and “welfare cheats.” That is just absurd.

Smith said it best.

"There are no jobs out there," Smith said. "These people are really in need.""I'm not freeloading, if that's what they think. Let them lose their jobs and see what they think.”

The American people got a glimpse of how much Republicans abhor the middle class and working people. U.S. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R - OH, said last week he wants to raise the retirement age to collect full Social Security benefits to age 70.

Social Security is the major source of income for most of the elderly, and nine out of 10 individuals age 65 and older receive Social Security benefits.

The solution to keeping SS solvent past 2052 is pretty simple. Payroll taxes are only withheld from US workers' paychecks on the first $97,000 of their annual incomes. Raising that cap would address the problem.

Somehow, I doubt Republicans will sign on to that solution, and it seems they would rather see people work until they die.

Rogers: tax worse than cancer and mustard gas

The Rogers Newsletter, AKA the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, carried a Mike Rogers press release today entitled “U.S. Rep. Rogers: Get your tan now” about the 10 percent tax on tanning beds that went into effect on July 1 as part of the historic health care insurance reform passed last March.

The Brighton Republican says “the 10 percent tax "kills jobs, hurts women (and) college students." Perhaps someone should tell Mr. Rogers about the harm caused by tanning beds to women and college students, as well as men and non-college students.

In fact, experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, “moved tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation into the top cancer risk category, deeming them as deadly as arsenic and mustard gas."

The good news is they will now have health care to treat the cancer, and people can no longer be denied health care coverage because of the pre-existing condition of cancer.

We have Barton’s apology but still waiting for the apology from the rest of the House Republicans

Some times the Republicans' actions are so out there that even the conservative corporate media can’t ignore it, and the editorial in Tuesday’s edition of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus on the right’s apology for the massive oil spill and wrecking the Gulf coast ecosystem is one of those times.

You will recall last week that of U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, the ranking Republican on the House and Commerce Committee, apologized to BP for its treatment by the President and having to pay for the damage they caused. He called the President’s Obama’s securing of a $20 billion escrow account from BP to pay for the clean up and compensate Gulf Coast residents who have lost their livelihoods and way of life a “shakedown.”. Barton was quickly forced to apologize for the apology, but make no mistake about it, that is the official position of a number of House Republicans.

That is also the official policy of the Republican Study Committee, the caucus of House Conservatives with some 117 members, including Barton. Its membership also includes Michigan Congressman Dave Camp, R-Midland; “Mad” Thad McCotter, R-Livonia; and “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland.

The editorial got it right:
“Remember when conservatives were nearly fainting in horror when Obama made civil gestures to foreign nations early in his administration? Why, he was apologizing to foreigners. That was silly, but that was the claim.”
“So one would think that there would be praise for a president who negotiated a minimum $20 billion escrow account from BP. Instead, Barton went overboard, publicly criticizing our nation’s president while abjectly apologizing before a foreign business leader.”

Good job conservative editorial board. We also need to remember this in November.

Editorial board reluctantly criticizes GOP

It’s rare when the rightwing editorial board of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus comes out with an editorial critical of a Republican, but it’s hard to ignore the blatant partisan, political games played by Senate Republicans and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop in unilaterally rejecting appointments Gov. Jennifer Granholm made to six university boards for terms that begin the day she leaves office with no hearings.

Newspapers all over the state have seen through the vindictiveness and pettiness of the action and spoke out, so again, it was hard for the paper to ignore it. Still, the editorial board used it to take shots at the Legislature in general while ignoring the real problem.

You will recall last month that in the middle of budget negotiations, the Senate Republican used two session days to ping the Governor. Granholm made the bipartisan appointments on April 7, and she followed previous precedent set by former Republican Gov. John Engler in making the same type of appointments. But on April 29, the Senate rejected them in mass with no advise and consent hearings along party lines.

Of course, the paper defended the action, at least at first.

“On the very thin veneer of the surface is this issue: Bishop might have a point. He says the governor, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits, is making appointments that go into effect next January when a new governor — quite likely a Republican — will be in office.”

But in the end, they could not ignore the political games of the GOP, but they managed to dam the entire Legislature for the actions of the Republicans.

“But it doesn’t take much digging to uncover a widespread belief that Bishop’s ploy has less to do with good government and more to do with another chance to stick it to the other party. Sometimes it appears as though political gamesmanship is the only skill to be found in Lansing politicians.”

‘Liberal media’ continues to bash Democrats with false attacks

One thing you can count on is rain in April and that the rightwing Livingston County Daily Press & Argus will go out of its way to bash Democrats; the editorial in Friday’s edition called "Throwing gas on the fire in Lansing” is just one more example.

It’s not surprising Democrats don’t get a fair shake when you consider the make up of the editorial board, and the war on journalism waged by Republicans that began in 1971 with the publication of "News Twisters" by Edith Efron and was turned into a political strategy by the Nixon Administration. What is surprising is that even though the paper’s editorial board knows how the legislative process works, they ignore it just to bash Democrats.

At issue is Senate Bill 1227 that addresses early retirement for public school teachers. The Governor introduced a reform plan back in January to induce more experienced teachers to retire and save $87 million the first year and $1.8 billion over the next 10 years. The plan had both carrots to entice them to take the early retirement and some sticks that kicked in if they did not.

Those who take the early retirement would see a small income boost. Their pension would be based on 1.6 percent of earnings rather than 1.5 percent. If they did not take the generous offer, the sticks would kick in that include taking away their dental and vision coverage and included capping years of credit at 30 years.

On April 14 the Republican-controlled Senate passed the bill almost along party lines. However, the carrot and the stick were both stripped out, so there was absolutely no reason for anyone to take it, meaning no money would be saved at all. The only thing left was a small stick that included requiring teachers and state employees who don't retire before October 1 to pay an additional 3 percent of their salary into their respective pension systems.

The newspaper ignored that.

The House passed version provides an "80 and out" threshold for retirement, which would require a person to have a combined age and years of service of 80 to be eligible. It would increase the retirement multiplier to 1.7 for people retiring between June 15 and July 1. Provide a 1.6 multiplier to people retiring between July 1 and October 1.

Because the House and Senate passed different versions, it goes into a conference committee consisting of three members from each body to work out a compromise to present to their respective bodies for an up or down vote.

The House Democrats are going to the negotiating table with something to bargain with, and early reports are that a deal may be reached with a 1.55 multiplier. Sounds like a smart move by the Democrats, but the paper does not see it that way. The final version the Governor will sign will not look like the version either the House or Senate passed.

“The people who write our state laws may work in Lansing. But they live in the same neighborhood as "Alice in Wonderland.” How else to explain the madness coming from House Democrats whose idea of economic reform is to increase taxpayers' obligations by $1 billion."

I would say the people who wrote this editorial must also live in "Alice in Wonderland." The fact is there are no savings if no one takes the early retirement, and under the Senate plan, no one will.

The paper takes its normal chap shots at public employees that are simply not true. Like Senate Republicans, the paper believes reform means cutting wages and benefits of public employees.

“Apparently, in their mind, the financial crisis in the state is a problem for the private sector, but it is an opportunity for greater financial gain for public employees.”

That’s plain old BS. Last August, respected Michigan State University professor of economics Charles Ballard issued a report that said state employees earn less than their private-sector counterparts with comparable educational attainment. The report also confirmed what we already know: state government is smaller now than it was in 1973.

Just last week, a study by the National Institute on Retirement Security confirmed that Michigan public employees are paid, on average, less than private-sector employees with comparable skills and educational levels. Public employees nationwide are paid about 12 percent less than their private-sector counterparts. That has been a trend for 20 years, according to the study.

Then this cheap shot at Democrats:

“The hard truth is that legislative Democrats concern themselves with only one constituency, that being the marching orders from public employee unions, particularly the Michigan Education Association which represents the majority of Michigan public school employees.”

I was under the impression that teachers were citizens. Not only that, but public education has always been a priority for Democrats.

But they end with the most ridiculous claim:

“Remember that this fall when state Democrats again ramp up the need for higher taxes. They will say that the state needs the money to take care of basic needs. What they won't say is that the "basic needs" is code word for even cushier benefits for state employees.”

If you want co condemn House Democrats for one single vote that is just part of the negotiating process no one can stop you. What you really need to remember when police officers and firefighters are being laid off, schools are closing and roads are in bad shape, is that Republicans refused to consider any new taxes or even reforming the tax system. The fact is we are moving toward a serving economy and away from a manufacturing economy, but Michigan’s tax system has not changed in years.

Coverage of petition drive illustrates how conservative the corporate media has become

The coverage from my local newspaper of the preview of the kickoff of a petition drive to stop 32 million Americans with no health care insurance from getting it and placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot to exempt Michigan from the historic health insurance reform has been slanted to favor the teabaggers, but the coverage of the actual political rally was even more slanted.

The paper claims 200 people showed up at the “tea party Monday night at the Howell Freshman Campus cafeteria. Whether it’s 150 or 200, it’s certainly not much considering how conservative Livingston County is, this is supposed to be a statewide effort and all the free promotion it got. There is no doubt the corporate media is conservative.

As a former reporter, it was often the headline that got me in trouble, and it’s the copy editors that usually write them. That may be the case in today’s edition of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.

At the top of the page above the fold on the front page is a bold headline above three separate stories that says, “Animosity over health care grows.” Under that bold headline are three separate stories with smaller headlines:
“About 200 show up at meeting to learn about opting-out amendment.”
“Brick Smashes GOP office in Howell area.”
“Proposals in Senate call for right to choose.”

All three are inaccurate, and the vandalism at the GOP “Fix it” office has nothing to do with animosity. The name of the office is accurate. After all, they broke it, they should fix it.

I have written a lot about the petition drive, but what really struck me last night was the fact that law already allows states to opt out.

The constitutional amendment that was rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate gives you less options and choices for health care.

The story at the GOP office in Genoa Township really bothered me. It gives the false impression that the vandalism had something to do with health care. There is no proof of that. I live no more than two miles from this office, but I have never been able to see it since they opened it in November as I drive by Grand River Avenue.

It’s kind of funny that the announcement came from the state party. According to the article, “A brick hurled through the window of the Michigan Republican Party’s office in Howell(sic) has the words ”Long Live the USA” and “God Bless the USA” scrawled on it,according to Livingston County Sheriff’s investigators.”

The first point is the Sheriff’s office should not be in investigating it, and it should be handled by the Michigan State Police. Livingston County Undersheriff Mike Murphy is also the chair of the Livingston County Republican Party.

The article says “Both Democratic and Republican officials nationally have reported threats of violence in the wake of passage of national health care reform bills. Venable’s news release cites recent vandalism at the campaign office of House Republican Whip Congressman Eric Cantor and the Albemarle County, Va., Republican Party headquarters.”

That is simply not true. The police have said the shot fired near Cantor’s office was just a random shot, and it had nothing to do with him denying access to health care for 32 million people. He lied. So-called Republican leaders have not only ginned up the violence with their rhetoric, but they refuse to speak out against it. Democratic leaders have not incited people to violence.

One thing I heard last night at the “tea party” and at others was “we want our country back.” I never heard that back in the early part of this decade when Republicans controlled all three branches of the federal government and all three branches of Michigan government. We wanted control back, and we got it because government was being ran so badly. But no one had our country, and no one has it now. It kind of makes you wonder what they mean, but when you consider teabaggers are now being called the tea klan, then you begin to understand who they want it back from.

Another example of Republicans trying to circumvent the will of the voters

The all-Republican Green Oak Township Board of Trustees is the latest example of how Republicans hate the democratic process.

Republicans hate elections, union elections or otherwise, and the Livingston County Daily Press and Argus is reporting GOT “want at least three months to figure out how Michigan's voter-approved medical marijuana law fits into township zoning rules.”

“On Wednesday, the township Board of Trustees will consider a 90-day moratorium on the "sale, growth or dispensation" of approved medicinal marijuana use. The moratorium would allow time for township planning officials to determine how to incorporate medical marijuana use into the township zoning ordinance, said Supervisor Mark St. Charles.”

The good news is that Greg Francisco, president and founder of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, told the newspaper that “local boards and councils don't have the right to even suspend approved medical marijuana use. He said zoning laws don't apply because the program doesn't involve any type of business.” He plans to target the board.

Voters approved marijuana for medical use in November of 2008. It seems a little strange that 16 months later the township now needs three more months, and it’s unclear what it needs three months for.

This is similar to the Senate Republicans trying to circumvent the will of the voters and regulate the program out of existence.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is hearing testimony on Senate Bills 616-618 that would treat medical marijuana as a schedule 2 narcotic, limit a patient's ability to get the drug and require that it be purchased from a pharmacist with a physician's prescription.Supports say the bills could end the program and circumvent the will of the voters, and that may appear to be the case if the bills become state law.

Rightwing newspaper ignores the facts to fawn over GOP candidate

The continued rightwing stand of the management and editorial board of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus continues to amaze me.

After two straight days of trashing the Democratic Gubernatorial candidates, today Rich Perlberg and company are singing the praises of long-shot Republicans Gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Tom George, R-Kalamazoo, with an editorial called “Senator running for gov. deserves seat at policy table.”

“People such as George, who have seen the inside of both operating rooms and legislative chambers, are well-positioned to suggest meaningful changes. Regardless of the outcome of this year's race, there needs to be a way to get him a seat at the policy table.”

Well, considering George is the chair of the Senate Health Policy Committee and his party controls the Senate, he has more than a seat at the table, he has the head seat.

The editorial grudgingly acknowledges George is a long-shot, but it praises him without acknowledging his actions or doing a single bit of research on George. The editorial also says, “The four other announced Republican candidates have leads over him in both name recognition and campaign funds.”

That is not for a lack of trying on the part of Republicans. He has in the past given the GOP response to the Governor’s State of the State address, and he toured the state in 2008 speaking out against the successful Ballot Proposal 2 that allowed embryonic stem cell research.
He lost that battle, so he is currently trying to circumvent the will of the voters, and he has introduced and guided through his committee a package of bills – Senate bills 647-652 - that place so many restrictions on stem cells research that it will effectively kill it.

George, like all Republicans, is anti-worker, but it appears the newspaper supports that stance. Last year George introduced a resolution that urged “the Governor to work with the Civil Service Commission to require that state employees either work on President's Day or take the day off as an unpaid holiday.” The good news is that there were enough level heads in the Senate to defeat it.

But looking at the P & A’s online poll on Tuesday, we perhaps we see why the editorial board is fawning over George and ignoring the facts. The poll asks, “Yesterday, state employees had the day off for President's Day. Did you notice?”

Rightwing newspaper continues to trash Michigan Democratic Gubernatorial candidates

We know one thing for certain, the conservative Livingston County Daily Press & Argus will not endorse the Democratic candidate for Michigan Governor in November whoever it is.

For the second straight day the rightwing editorial page has taken shots at the Democratic candidates for governor. On Monday it said Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero – its second shot at him in less than two weeks – should not run because he was just reelected as Mayor, and today it gleefully editorialized on the decision of former state Treasure Bob Bowman to drop out of the race.

Monday’s editorial came from the Lansing State Journal, another newspaper in the corporate change, but since it ran in the P & A it’s obviously their position, too.

Monday’s editorial on President's Day was titled “Lansing mayor should stick to the job he has.” Now, some city residents might have a right to grumble about that, but the situation has change significantly since he was elected a few months ago. The decision by Democratic front-runner Lt. Governor John Cherry to drop out of the race last month change the dynamic.

The editorial takes the Mayor to task for saying he had no intention for running for Governor, and that was true then, saying “When Virg Bernero ran for the mayor of Lansing last year, most voters didn't expect him to run for the governor a year later - partly because he promised them he wouldn't do that.”

The charge seems even more ridiculous when you consider every single Republican gubernatorial currently holds elective office but one. Take Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, for instance. The former state Senator left that office in 1999 before his term ended to take the vacant Sheriff position, and he was elected to the post himself to serve until 2013. But that did not stop him from running for U.S. Senate in 2006 when U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-East Lansing, kicked his ass. Where was the Gannett chain editorializing that he should not run because he made a commitment to the residents of Oakland County then?

Now, he’s running for Governor. When can we expect that editorial from the P & A?

Today’s snarky editorial was titled “GOP hopes must be rising as more Dems sit out race.” In the same edition that the news that Bowman dropped out of the race ran, over a holiday weekend, they have an editorial prepared already.

The insulting lead is, “Will the Democrats have anyone left to run for governor this fall?” The answer is yes, and we have the best candidate from both parties, and his name is Virg Bernero.

It goes on to say, “That leaves two announced candidates for the Democrats, state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Township, and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero. Neither appears ready to mount a strong statewide campaign.”

More misinformed crap from an editorial board that did not even know state Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, had dropped out of the race. The fact is Bernero has already mounted “a strong statewide campaign.”

Obviously, the newspaper has abandoned all pretenses of being neutral, fair and nonpartisan.

Newspaper carrying water for rightwing think tank

The rightwing think tank the “Mackinac Center for Public Policy” began a bi-monthly newspaper called “Capitol Confidential” back in 2008, and it now appears it has a new daily newspaper called the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.

In its mad dash to the right, the Press & Argus has been carrying water for the rightwing think tank, and today the paper helped the Mackinac Center out on its mission to kill the successful and award-winning Pure Michigan ad campaign to increase tourism in the state.

In a bleak economy, tourism has been one of the bright spots, and that has been borne out by the success of the Pure Michigan ads. In fact, in September the Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association released a survey of its members showing 72.9 percent had seen an increase in out-of-state visitors coming to their facilities over the summer compared to the summer of 2008.

A study conducted by the respected Toronto-based Longwoods International has demonstrated that the Pure Michigan campaign has helped significantly boost tourism spending in the state.

“According toe the newspaper, “preliminary results of the study were made available just after the governor's address, the full study will not be available for a month,” and the Mackinac Center is basically calling them a liar by saying they cannot verify the data.

Not only have the ads won awards, they have the support on both sides of the aisle. According to subscription only Gongwers, Republican “Attorney General Mike Cox, one of the favorites to become the next governor, has said the ad campaign has worked. Even Sen. Nancy Cassis, R-Novi,” supports it.

The Advertising campaign for the winter has already been canceled, and the fall ads are also in danger. House Bill 5017 would assess a $2.50 fee on cars rented near airports to fund the ad campaign. That’s what the Mackinac Center and its ally the Press & Argus are fighting.