The Michigan Supreme Court ruled last week strictly along partisan lines to lift the ban that previously prevented insurance companies from using credit scores to set rates for consumers.
Why did they betray the public trust,destroy their lives and cost many people their livelihoods? They were some of the smartest people if you were shopping for public service candidates with knowledge and understanding of the nexus between government and the people.
Right wing talk show host Glenn Beck and his Tea Party disciples (who had never seen anything wrong with government, not even the George W. Bush administration, until America elected its first Black President Barack Obama) plan a “Restoring Honor” rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, Aug. 28.
Mayor Dave Bing used the recent Big Four discussion on Mackinac Island to signal his readiness to take over the Detroit Public Schools once Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb’s contract ends.
I attended the Mackinac Policy Conference last week, not with excitement but with caution, knowing that this annual political ritual on Mackinac Island more often than not creates a political stalemate on the most important issues rather than working cohesively on solutions.
Traditionally, small talk is a term reserved for the maintenance of polite conversation often used to fill time before addressing much meatier issues. Gossip? Yes, that too. We’re going to dispense with that here. Given today’s economic environment, the importance of small business growth is critical. Did you know that there are nearly 27 million people employed by small businesses with nearly 21 million having 1 employee and 6 million with 500 employees? That almost 90 percent of small businesses have 20 employees? That 59 percent are owned by men, 29 percent by women and 12 percent equal? That small businesses created almost 79 percent of the nation’s net new jobs from 2004 to 2005?
A recent story in The New York Times verified much of what I had already suspected about the Tea Party movement. It’s powered by a lot of delusional people with too much hate in their hearts – and too much time on their hands.
Last week, the federal government arrested several members of a Midwest militia who allegedly planned to kill a Michigan police officer, then wreak havoc at his funeral by attacking those who attended. Their goal? To jump start a war against the federal government. While these individuals are in custody and will soon have their day in court, the danger that groups like them present is far from over. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that tracks hate groups, the number of radical extremist groups has tripled over the last year. The government must dedicate resources to monitoring such activities and work to keep citizens safe.
