And we're back!

Hello there, remember me?

Okay, so it' s only been about 2 weeks since my last post, and I find it quite appropriate that on this day that I return here, we also have a state budget...well, at least for another 34 days.

But it's progress, and here's hoping that this is just the start of much more progress to come.

So while I watch hopefully, albeit warily on the Capitol, I'm also going to be returning to state of the affairs of Mid-Michigan. There's more going on here than just a massive squabble over the state.

As for me, I'm going to do my best to keep up with the posting, but remember that massive kidney stone I mentioned over a month ago? Yep, it's still there. Hopefully it will be gone in the next week or so, but there's some complications that have come up since they first discovered that have made it impossible for them to take care of it. So if I miss a day or two, it means I'm most likely sequestered on the couch or in the bed waiting for the pain to subside. Thank you for your patience though!

Stay tuned, there's lots more to come!

Done In

At least while the Battle to Save Michigan rages on.

Until it ends, I'll be over at MichLib by way of the Capitol Building keeping the commentary rolling and the perspective fresh.

Speaking of perspective, I just realized that since session started at 10:30 a.m. last Friday, I've done 18 posts about it all. While I'm not complaining, that's a heck of a lot writing/posting/background gathering to do in 3 short days. I don't think I've ever done 18 posts in a week!

Needless to say, my dwelling/bed has become little more than a staging area to get rested for the next long day of session, and my social life has been nil. Ah, the life of a political blogger! :-)

Since you're on the Tubes of the Internet anyways, stop by MichLib and say hi, it'd be nice to see a few familiar faces.

Budget Deal Mutterings

So a deal's been reached, a very temporary deal at that, but one that will leave state employees with their jobs in tact, and won't touch schools, Medicaid, and state trooper jobs.

Good news, right?

Not quite. You can check out the full scoop over at MichLib, but I'm still feeling pretty uneasy.

If I truly believed that we could trust the Republicans in the Senate, then I wouldn't have this queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Sometimes I really wonder whether or not some of our legislators get so consumed with the power that we've entrusted in them, that they liken the state's budget to a really long, drawn out game of Monopoly.

Admitting this really pains me. I love politics, and the entire concept of a government for the people, by the people. I make the fatal flaw of always assuming the right people are involved in the government for the right reasons, and it's times like these that I end up burning myself. What I really find out is that sometimes its the Right people for the Wrong Reasons.

I don't expect everyone to have the same political thoughts and ideology as I do, let's face it, that's not how reality works, and frankly, it'd probably be kind of boring.

What I do expect for our government is to be fighting for everyone, black, white, rich, poor, men, women, gay, straight, young, old. After all, isn't that the whole idea behind a democratic society?

Just Full of the Dickens

Sometimes I find that the snark bug bites me early in the morning.

Today is no exception.

If you get a chance to stop by MichiganLiberal this morning, be sure to check out my Fantasy Blogger Baseball - Michigan Senate Style.

Why?

I think it's safe to say like every other politico and Michigan citizen, I've had it up to here with this budget two-step that's going on in Lansing. The Senate Republicans can't pull their heads out of the sand, or away from their tube of hair gel - if they're a particular Senate Republican, and it's like watching a bad car wreck. All you can do is stand there and watch this tragedy unfold. Rumors from the capital have frustrated politicians walking around muttering to themselves they are so besides themselves, and who can blame them?

So, my snark meter hits yet another all-time high. Call this a way of dealing with extreme frustration. Some people walk around muttering to themselves, I write snarky commentary. Could be worse I guess.

But in some good news, check out this front-page article from the Lansing State Journal about how local area teens are putting together the very first Gay Prom next month. My heart literally swells with pride when I hear of these young people who are marching forward, despite their state passing two state-wide ballot proposals encouraging hate and intolerance. A special moment of pride to Governor Granholm and U.S. Senator Carl Levin for publicly congratulating them on their hard work. Today's progressive leaders supporting tomorrow's societal leaders, if that doesn't just warm the heart, I don't know what is.

I was all prepared to write what a well-attended event Tuesday's Domestic Partner Benefits March, albeit a sobering one, but with the news from our up-and-coming LGBT community, I'm just going to let it rest at that.

I'll be staying in LucyLand this weekend, continuing with the unpacking of boxes and healing the sinuses that have been continuing to plague me. With a little help from my friends, and apologies to the Beatles, I know I'll still have a great weekend, and won't break the bank buying gas.

Here's hoping your weekend is a fun-filled time, that even our forecasted storms can't dampen!

That's my state senator!

A lot of people think politics are more boring than watching paint dry. I would have to disagree, at least here in Lansing.

I got a chance to sit in on yesterday's Senate debate on the proposed Republican plan to slash K-12 funding. (Hazen Pingree's got the scoop over on MichLib)

There's definitely something to be said about being in the Majority. I'm sure we wouldn't have to deal with half the crap we have if the Democrats were in control of the state Senate. Today's debate about a $36 per pupil cut was like watching a bad car wreck. It was so terrible, you just couldn't peel your eyes away.

I wanted to stand up and clap after my state senator, Gretchen Whitmer took the floor. Here's her statement -

You know, when people talk about the Capitol and they say Lansing is out of touch, I’ve always taken great umbrage with that statement because, well, this is my great city that it’s my pleasure to represent. It’s a city of progressive people and it’s a beautiful city. It’s you people who are giving my city a bad name because it’s you who is out of touch.

A “yes” vote on this bill is a vote for our schools. Seriously? If you want to vote “yes” for our schools, you vote not to cut them. You vote to pay for our schools to live up to the promise which we made to every schoolchild in this state.

This is still a $36 per pupil cut. Money that ya’ll patted one another on the back last fall and said, “Oh, we’ve got a great deal for our schools.” Now you’re taking that back. You say in negotiations the Democrats have reneged. You are reneging to the students of this state by passing this bill.

I saw everyone in this chamber stand up and give Governor Granholm a standing ovation at the State of the State when she said we must not cut our schools. Here we are today, for a second time, you’re offering up to cut our schools. The only reason we’re doing this is because of your inaction. Putting forward a bill you know is unacceptable just says you’re going to continue to put politics over education in our state.

Make no mistake. By voting “yes” on this bill, you are voting to cut our schools.

Thank you Sen. Whitmer, for standing up for me, my city, and my state.

p.s. To see one highlight from last night's Senate train wreck, check out We're not in Cadillac anymore, Toto! on MichLib and see what Sen. Michelle McManus is doing to further the advancement of women in politics *snark*.

Turning Words into Action

The Senate Republicans pushed through a pretty terrible budget plan. Are you happy with it? Would you like to see something done about it? Have you made your voice heard?

One of the most frequent criticisms I've heard about bloggers is that we're all talk and no action. While it might hurt, to a certain extent, it's true. As a blogger I would say that my talk is action, but I know there's still plenty more that I can do.

So bloggers/commenters/lurkers - what are you going to do?

When was the last time you contacted your local elected officials? When was the last time you sent an email to your representative and senator? When was the last time you sent an email to friends and family encouraging them to speak out? I'm not sure how much more rotten things can get, but now is the time to walk that talk we're all so fond of preaching.

Find your representative (Democratic or Republican) and tell them what you want to see changed. Call, email, send a letter, I don't care, but make your voice heard.

You can look up your representative here and your state senator here.

You don't have to be eloquent, or well-versed in the state budget, just say what's really on your mind and send it off. Whether it's two lines or two pages, it's the action that counts.

Then, when you're done with that, get out the address book, and email your friends and family. Ask them to do the same thing. When people get involved in their government, miracles can happen, and the government can start to do what they were designed to do in the first place - work for us.

A Promise to Michigan

Dear Michigan -

Born in one of your hospitals, educated in your schools, I've swam in your lakes, played on your grassy lands and sand dunes, vacationed at your most majestic spots, and eaten your tasty morsels. When others fled for the lights and glamor of Chicago, California, and New York, and D.C., I plunked down my feet here, because you have always been there to support me, my family, and my friends.

Now you're facing one of your greatest threats, the very men and women who have been elected and sworn to protect and uphold you through your own government. They want to cut you into shreds, by destroying your schools, your parks, your children, your health care system, and most of all, the poor, the ones who have no one to fight for them other than you.

These Republicans say they do it help you, but we all feel your pain as you silently weep. Your tears are for the little ones who's schools will suffer, the children of your blue collar workers who no longer will be able to afford a college education, for the crime victims who lay in anguish when there are no available emergency personnel, and for the indigent who will suffer when their healthcare is gone. You weep, and I weep with you.

I will wipe away my tears and I will rise up to fight for you. Fight for all that makes you so great, and for everything about you that I hold so dear. Michigan, my Michigan, that is my promise to you.

Thursday Coffee Talk

Happy Thursday! Many thanks again to the Troy Democratic Club for having me out last night for a talk about Online Activism. It was great to see so many fellow bloggers, and so many new folks who are could be potential bloggers.
It looks like it could be an ugly day out, so do your best to stay dry!

• From the Freep: Lesson to the Republicans, invest in our state and businesses will invest in us! The City of Warren is a great example of this.
• From the Detroit News: Forget Phizer, Comerica, focus on Compuware. Chairman Peter Karmanos is here to stay, and has some good advice for the state's leaders.
• Also from the Freep: Got to love this aptly-titled op-ed, GOP should spell out cuts.
• The LSJ: When the state has no idea how the budget will go, you find people and groups are really starting to get scared over what they could get and what they couldn't get. The state's 15 public universities are no different.
• The AP: Governor Granholm said she would issue an executive order over the budget, but will she still? Kathy Barks Hoffman has the scoop. Shame on GOP Saul Anuzis for being as slimy as ever. The latest major faux pas? Criticizing the Governor for taking her daughter to lunch on her 16th birthday. What an $%*!@# (fill in your choice words here)

What's happening in your part of the state? Gab below!

A Reader Wonders...and I can't help but agree

Every once in a while, I get email from those of you who read my stuff on here, MichganLiberal, or Daily Kos. Whether it's fan mail or hate mail (just as long as it's rational) I always read it and usually enjoy it, because it makes me think about things in a different perspective. This morning I got this bit and I thought I'd share it.

Dear Liberal Lucy,

I just opened up my Detroit Free Press this morning and saw the awful numbers about our Michigan Budget Deficit. My husband and I were in Chicago over the weekend and saw a wonderful TV campaign from their Governor (I think his name is Gov.Voinovich) -- not sure. Anyways he is "taking the bull by the horns" and saying that the medium, big, and even some small companies have to have their TAXES INCREASED. These companies can jump thru many loopholes and get away with not paying "their fair share of the taxes" and of course it is us the hard working middle class that end up paying these taxes. He really had a very good presentation.
Perhaps Gov. Granholm could take a page out of his playbook and do the same thing. Certainly we have to do something to make Michigan whole again. In a cilvilized society everyone has to pay their fair share of the taxes and this includes those "uppity corporations" as well. Thanks for listening.

~M

Here's my response -

Dear M -

I couldn't agree with you more. I know Governor Granholm has been fighting an up-hill battle with the Senate Republicans to get a budget plan passed.

Since you seem like a very well informed person, I'm sure that you already know that the Governor's proposed budget included a number of cuts and a very small, but fair, tax increase for services (for everything from lawyers to hair cuts, to funerals) which amounted to a 2 cent increase. Of course, all the Republicans have done is wail and moan about tax increases. All they want to do is continuing slashing taxes and funding for much-needed government services left and right. Rational people like you and I know that a government needs revenue to operate on, and if we keep cutting taxes, we'll never get anywhere.

We can support the Governor and the Democrats by having conversations just like this one with our friends and family, sending in letters to the editors, anything to educate people. Of course no one wants to pay more taxes, but if people understood that it's taxes that keep our state and our schools running, they might think twice before screaming for more cuts.

Keep up the good work M, we need more people like you out there.

All the best,

~Lucy

Everyone is welcome to email me anytime, and I always do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for your thoughts and your efforts on behalf of everyone in Michigan!

Senate Dem Leadership Hits the (YouTube) Airwaves

As a result of recent Meet Ups between the State Senate Democratic Leadership and Michigan's Net-Roots community, two of Michigan's senators have taken to the new-fangled concept of broadcasting video pod-casts. (Think video that you can watch on your iPod, if you have one.) Many thanks to both Senate Democratic Leader Mark Schauer and Democratic Floor Leader Buzz Thomas.

Bishop's Budget Babble

Every once in a while, Mike Bishop says a thing or two that gives me hope that he might actually understand what it's like to be one of the constituents he represents while he leads the Senate Republicans...

Given our economic crisis, a leader is defined by his or her ability to see the difference between what is essential and what is merely desirable.

...of course then I realize that his diatribe in Sunday's Lansing State Journal was just that, all talk and still no plan. It must be hard to sit a top a plushy throne in the Senate and not really know what it's like to be one of us.

The irony in Sunday's piece is rich. I'm not sure how well Bishop or his Communications team really read over their piece before sending it off to the editorial board at the LSJ but let me highlight a couple of my favorites.

Just in case any of us are confused as to how we got in this mess in the first place, Mike takes us for a small walk down Memory Lane with someone that he sure seems to love, former governor John Engler.

If history teaches us anything, it is that government rarely exercises caution when using its power of taxation.

Agreed, Mike. Engler did a heckuva job of throwing one giant tax-slashing party for the state which surmounted to a violent assault on the state's revenue leaving us in the giant hole we're trying to climb out of. I don't like paying taxes as much as the next guy, but if means making sure our kids get a good education, we have police keeping us safe, and health care is more than just a good idea, then I'm willing to pay my share.

From there on out, it only gets better.

The experts who have examined Michigan (sic) economic crisis agree that we are not going to have real prosperity or recovery until we stop fighting the symptoms and start fighting the disease. Figuring out the most efficient way to bring state spending under control is a course of action embraced by an overwhelming majority of Michigan citizens, irrespective of their party affiliation.

I agree again, and we have Governor Granholm to thank for that. Just last week, the Executive Office released National Ranking Provides Evidence Michigan Economic Plan is on the Right Track based upon the latest findings by the Kauffman Foundation. You can also listen as Jack Lessenberry gets the full scoop of the report.

Here's where I get confused -

Senate Republicans have presented a plan that balances our budget through a mix of government reforms and spending cuts.

Now that is news to me. Last time I checked, all Bishop and his band of not-so-merry men had done was shoot down a plan that made sense without offering any kind of replacement. Since then, Granholm, Dillon, Schauer and the rest of Michigan have been asking to see his plan so many times that we might be mistake with Missouri.

Leave it to Bishop to save the best for last.

In the coming weeks, I will join the governor and my Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Legislature to correct the 2007 budget shortfall.

Finally! For weeks now, Bishop has refused to meet or form bipartisan panels with Speaker Dillon, Democratic Senate Leader Schauer or reveal his secret plan to the public. Does that mean that this is all going to change?

I might not be Bishop's biggest fan, but even I'll stand up and cheer if he's got a plan that works. Until then, Mike Bishop, first term senator extraordinaire, will continue to remain Michigan's poster boy for legislative term limit reform.

(cross-posted on Michigan Liberal)

On the Friday Front

TGIF! I've got some happy news to report!

If you haven't seen it on Michigan Liberal yet, Senate Democratic Leader Mark Schauer has started to blog! His first post, aptly titled Where is the Republican Budget Plan lays it out. Many thanks to him for reaching out and representing all of Michigan's interests.

Tomorrow is the Blogger's Caucus at the State Convention. If you see a blogger limping around, that will be me. I've got to have minor surgery today on my foot, and it will leave me limping for a while. Funny enough, I had surgery the day before the last convention in August, so I'm afraid people might start to think I do this often. :-) Not true!

Yet another new liberal blog on the block - PhiKapBlog hailing from the mean streets of...Livonia. :-) The author is a frequent poster/commenter over at Michigan Liberal, so stop by, say hello and add him to your blogroll!

Huge props to Rich at Honest Errors for a post so good, it's making it into the Blogger's Guide that's going out tomorrow to folks at the Convention. Reaching Readers Beyond Other Bloggers and Those-In-The-Know is a really excellent piece of info for the answer we're all searching for...how do we gain new readership and continue to grow our base.

Here's to a happy and safe weekend!!

Why Republican Gay Discrimination Costs Us

Earlier this month, Michigan continued to take several steps back into the Dark Ages with the Appellate Court ruling that prohibits public universities and state and local governments from providing health insurance to the partners of gay employees. The Court based the ruling on the asinine 2004 vote on the so-called Gay Marriage Amendment Ban, aka the first failed Proposal 2.

Congratulations, Michigan. You join 26 other states in officially discriminating against the very people who pay your taxes, start and own businesses, and traditionally have the most disposable income of any major demographic.

When I talk to my GLBT friends, I find myself unable to convince them why they shouldn't leave Michigan. As a person with a chronic illness and someone who's *technically* classified as disabled, would I want to stay here if suddenly the government ruled I was a second-class citizen because of something that I have absolutely no control over? Of course not.

Honestly, for a party that's supposedly about helping businesses and decreasing the size of government, the Republicans are clearly headed in the wrong direction.

According to Fortune magazine, about 175 Fortune 500 brands advertise specifically to gay and lesbian audiences.

For the first time, more than half of Fortune 500 companies - 263, to be precise - offered health benefits for domestic partners, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Ten years ago only 28 did.
Along with health benefits for their families, many workers also get bereavement leave when their same-sex partner dies, adoption assistance or paid leave if they have children and relocation assistance for their partners if they are transferred. Put another way, gay marriage - an idea that has been banned by all but one of 27 states that have voted on it - has become a fact of life inside many big companies. "Corporate America is far ahead of America generally when it comes to the question of equality for GLBT people," says Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

Consider this - Raytheon, a defense contractor that makes Tomahawk Missiles (think Gulf War I) is rated as one of the Best Places to Work by the Human Rights Campaign, because they are reaching out to the GLBT community. Why the outreach? (Also from Fortune)

... it belongs to gay chambers of commerce in communities where it has big plants. Why? you may ask. Not because gay people buy missiles or radar - at least as far as we know. No, it's because the competition to hire and retain engineers and other skilled workers is so brutal that Raytheon doesn't want to overlook anyone.

To attract openly gay workers, who worry about discrimination, a company like Raytheon needs to hang out a big welcome sign. "Over the next ten years we're going to need anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 new employees," explains Heyward Bell, Raytheon's chief diversity officer. "We can't afford to turn our back on anyone in the talent pool."

Isn't it interesting that Michigan is in that very same situation, except we are the shareholders. The financial futures of ourselves, our children and our grandchildren depend on how well we advertise and promote our state to the rest of the global community.

It seems to me that Michigan can't afford to turn our backs on anyone, and yet thanks to certain narrow-minded individuals, that's all we seem to be doing. While the Governor, Dillon, Schauer and others are attempting to hang out the biggest welcome sign of them all, the Republicans are tearing it down faster than we can cry "Stop, thief!"

If the Republicans want to convince Michigan's voters that they really deserve to be in charge in '08, they should remember the words to one of the first songs we all learn as kids...

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world...

...not just the white straight ones.

Govenor Granholm Live on Daily Kos - 4 p.m. Today!

From Daily Kos-

On Monday at 4pm, Governor Granholm will be posting a diary and responding to questions and comments. She will be focusing on her economic plan and the investments that she layed out in her State of the State address as well as her 2008 budget proposals to solve the state's fiscal crisis.

For a number of reasons, Michigan is facing a very important set of choices in the coming weeks, and it is vital for everyone to understand what is at stake. Here is some background and detail on the Governor's budget proposals and her State of the State address. I know that the Governor is eager to read thoughts on what she has presented and how we can move forward.

Many thanks to Clint from the Governor's office for setting this up. Hope you can be there, it will be an important discussion and I'm anxious to see what the Governor has to say!

See you there!

The Gloves Start to Come Off

Last week a trip to the Northern Lower Peninsula awakened the inner tree-hugger in me. It's not just about enjoying hearing birds chirp and watching the grass grow green. It's about realizing that our state's got to get our priorities straight if we're going to dig ourselves out of the mess that began with Engler & Co. nearly 12 years ago, and has snowballed with the downfall of the The Big Three.

The Republicans are screaming for Governor Granholm's head, and dancing the "Democrats Raise Taxes" jig, all the while failing to provide any type of real solution. How convenient for them. Lose the election, retreat to their corner to lick their wounds and play the ol' blame game.

God forbid that DeRoche, Bishop and Saul actually get real results. Giving credit where it's deserved, kudos to Anuzis for actually admitting that even his own party people are sick of his stuff.

I received several emails in response to my commentary yesterday. Most were supportive and/or in agreement. However, a Republican Mayor from west Michigan wrote me concerned that “my rhetoric” was not helpful to “fixing what needs to be fixed” and that I was more interested in “political posturing” than dealing with the situation.

I'm sorry, but did someone just miss a bit of a wake-up call?

So, whilst our over-paid Senate Republican leaders attempt to lead the state off the nearest cliff without bothering to listen to the 10 million of us who sign their paychecks, this tax-payer would like to focus a little more on what we can really do to get our state back on track. Our Democratic leaders have a fight on their hands, and we need to support them. But that's not where our civic responsibility ends. There's plenty we can do on our own to help our state get back on track. There's also a lot that we need to do to make sure it stays on track.

So while many will wrap themselves in a flag and claim that their hooting and hollering is helping the state and the nation, this liberal is going to try something new - being proactive. Let's roll up the sleeves, get serious, and go to work. It's our state, and we need to fight for it.

Stay tuned...