Bits of Tid: September 21, 2007

I'm More Popular than Brownback Edition

• Yours truly is one of Michigan Liberal's newest front-pagers!
• 7.4% unemployment sure sucks. Good news? One of Granholm's community-based economic-development initiatives has won an award.
• Many believe a state government shutdown would be worse news for Mike Bishop and the Republicans than for Granholm, Dillon, and Democrats.
• The AFL-CIO now has a black woman as its Executive VP. Also, be sure to check out their political-mobilization plans.
• Staying with the AFL-CIO: Gary Peters is the first Congressional candidate ever to earn their endorsement so early in an election cycle.
• I'm not done with the AFL-CIO yet. Professor Jennifer Lawless shares her thoughts on why we don't have more women in public office.
• Kathy at Stone Soup Musings, on Republicans:

They argue that no amount of money is too much to spend in Iraq, but when it comes to meeting the needs of people here at home - the ones who send their tax dollars to Washington to pay for their war - they snap their wallets shut and expect the rest of us to follow along. ...

So you see, it's okay for us to send money to Washington so they can continue their war indefinitely - a war that enriches Republican profiteers and CEO's of defense contractors - but we get nothing in return, not even some change to spend on our schools, infrastructure, health care, etc.

• Rep. Peter King (R-NY): "We have too many mosques in this country." Uh, Congressman, what if someone said we have too many churches? You wouldn't like that, would you? Me neither. So put a cork in it.
• It appears Iceland and Grand Rapids have a similar goal: go fossil-fuel-free.
• My item on GR's efforts to go 100% green got a nod in this week's Eco-Diary Rescue on Daily Kos.
• A couple quick items from CMU: Central might have a new Executive VP/Provost and a new VP for Finance and Administrative Services soon. I say 'might' because the last attempt to get a new Provost didn't work out so well. A search for the College of Business Administration dean went on for a couple years. lso, Cesar Chavez's granddaughter is coming to speak at CMU next month.
• Finally, with a hat tip to the MDP, I conclude with a picture of Sam Brownback delivering a campaign speech See if you notice anything in particular.

Jack Cafferty read my email on CNN tonight - I'm famous

Each hour on CNN's Situation Room, Jack Cafferty asks viewers to respond to a question about recent news items. After numerous submissions of responses to past questions, Jack finally read one of mine!

This particular question dealt with whether or not the teachers should be offered bonuses for choosing to work in inner-city schools. Sorry for the less-than-stellar quality.



Here's the text:

If they had the option, how many teachers would live in a less-affluent community? Probably not many. anything we can do to entice top-notch teachers to work in these areas needs to be tried. Studies show that many students in less-well-off areas do worse on tests than do their counterparts elsewhere, and anything we can do to change that ought to be considered.

Let me stress that offering incentives to teachers who work in less-well-off areas is NOT BY ANY MEANS a silver bullet when it comes to fixing the education-affluence gap; other policies need to be implemented as well.

I guess I have 14 minutes and 40 seconds of fame left!

Bits of Tid: September 16, 2007

Constitution Day Eve/Sucks-to-be-a-Republican Edition

• Tomorrow is Constitution Day - the 220th anniversary of the signing of the US Consititution! How fitting, since it's Alberto Gonzales's last day as AG!
• Speaking of the Constitution: I was thinking recently, Jennifer Granholm ought to jump in the Presidential race. I mean, sure she wasn't born in the US, so technically she's not supposed to run. But if Bush won't follow the Constitution, why should Jenny? Oh that's right, she has morals.
• Oh, and there's this little thing called the "state budget crisis." But she's already done more about it than state Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop has! Again, MichLib and BFM have all the latest. And don't forget to check out this piece from Christine.
• Speaking of MichLib, I am now doing Sunday Coffee Talk instead of Saturday.
  
• Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island - who won a hotly-contested primary last year before losing his bid for re-election to a Democrat - has left the Republican Party. This comes as no surprise to me; Chafee said that rather than voting for Bush in 2004, he wrote in the elder Bush's name.
• Chafee is not alone. Late last week, Greenspan gave the GOP a shellacking. Today, Kerry did the same to McCain.
• After threats from the DNC, Florida is backing down with regards to its presidential primary. Will the MDP follow suit?
• This weekend in sports: The Whitecaps won their fifth Midwest League championship! Also, the Tigers are now within 4 1/2 games of Cleveland, U-M dominated Notre Shame Dame 38-0, and the Lions continue to share the best record in the NFL: 2-0.

Clark and Stabenow endorse Hillary; my thoughts

Senator Debbie Stabenow endorsed Hillary Clinton's campaign for President yesterday:

"I said, this is somebody I want to get to know because it was somebody whose values I share," Stabenow said Saturday after officially endorsing her good friend's 2008 presidential bid.

...

Because Michigan and New York share many similar concerns, like manufacturing, agriculture and Great Lakes issues, Stabenow said Clinton understands the state's needs.

"She has the ability, experience, knowledge and understanding that, from day one, we need to make changes in Michigan," Stabenow said during a telephone conference call. "We in Michigan understand what it's like to be invisible to this president.

"She will make sure the people of Michigan are on her radar screen, visible. I know that she gets it for us."

I admire Sen. Stabenow. Sure, I have disagreed - even quite angrily - with her on some issues, but she has her heart in the right place. That said, count this as another area on which she and I disagree.

To be honest, Stabenow could have said most of the same things about other contenders, such as Obama or Edwards. Honestly, I do not see how Clinton has any better grasp - or even as good a grasp - on the issues Michigan faces as do Edwards, Obama, or Kucinich.

Stabenow wasn't the only person I admire who endorsed Hillary yesterday. Here's what Wesley Clark has to say:

Senator Hillary Clinton has earned the support of millions of Americans in her campaign for president -- and today I am pleased to count myself among them. The world has reached a critical point, and we need a leader in the White House with the courage, intelligence and humility to navigate through many troubling challenges to our security at home and abroad. I believe Senator Clinton is that leader, and I whole-heartedly endorse her for President of the United States. Senator Clinton and I share a worldview in which diplomacy is the best first-strike tool in our arsenal; in today's complicated global system, the United States should be making more friends than enemies."

Never before have so many Americans had our well-being so closely tied to world events. Our economic and national security has become more complicated than ever before, and we deserve a leader who draws on wisdom, compassion, intelligence and moral courage -- in short, we need Hillary Clinton. She is tough but fair, a rock-solid leader equal to the many weighty challenges ahead of us."

I was so happy to see Gen. Clark at CMU last spring. He was briefly my favorite for the 2008 Democratic nomination, but after months passed without an announcement from him, I gradually leaned toward supporting other candidates.

I must say, however, that I disagree even more with what Clark had to say than I do with what Stabenow said.

If Clinton had as much moral courage as the other candidates, why did she support the original authorization to go to war in Iraq? Furthermore, I do agree with Clark that "diplomacy is the best first-strike tool in our arsenal" - which is why I'm even more puzzled that he endorsed the candidate who said it was naïve for a President to talk with America's adversaries (a notion with which many experts, among them Zbigniew Brzezinski, disagree).

Whether these endorsements give a major boost to Clinton's campaign is unclear. I will say, however, that I strongly disagree with both Clark and Stabenow - yet at the same time I still hold both of them in high regard.

Check back soon, hopefully later this week, to find out who I will support for President.

Grand Rapids aims for 100% green power

According to the most recent data, slightly more than 13% of the world's energy comes from renewable energy sources. In the US, that number is only 7%.

Because so much of America’s energy comes from nonrenewable sources - which will not only run out at some point but also cause pollution - it is critical that the US become more reliant on renewable sources of energy, rather than fossil fuels.

Yet, attempts to set our nation as a whole on a path toward energy independence have thus far failed. This means it is up to state and local governments to lead the way. And leading the way is exactly what Mayor George Heartwell of Grand Rapids, Michigan, wants his city of nearly 200,000 residents to do.

Mayor Heartwell has set the bar high when it comes to making his city run on renewable sources of energy.

In his 2005 State of the City Address, Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell pledged to reduce by 20 percent the city's dependence on pollution-producing non-renewable energy sources. At that time, the city consumed 125 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

By the end of November, Grand Rapids will achieve that aggressive goal one year ahead of schedule.

This is great news, no doubt. Anything GR can do to lead the way toward curbing our nation’s dependence on foreign, nonrenewable fuels is a step in the right direction. But why stop now? As the mayor asks:

"Why shouldn't the [green energy] goal for the second largest city in Michigan be 100 percent?"

A study is being commissioned to determine the cost of making GR run solely on renewables. Yet despite the likely costs of switching from fossil fuels to alternative fuels, data shows that such a switch would carry with it numerous economic benefits, among them hundreds of thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenues. This would no doubt offer a boost to Grand Rapids and other communities across Michigan and the nation which could use some help right now.

"If we could begin to attract [clean energy] industry or grow our own industries, that means jobs for our people and wealth for our entrepreneurs," Mayor Heartwell says. "We're running to catch up with half of the United States who have already set renewable energy portfolios."

What impact would be seen if Grand Rapids achieves this goal? On paper, very little, However, Grand Rapids's leadership on this issue will hopefully inspire other communities to take action where the feds thus far have not.

The use of alternative energy technologies would mean a healthier economy, healthier air, and less dependence on fuel sources that won't last forever. Why the federal government has been slow to act is unclear. What is clear is that, for the sake of our society and our planet, we must wean our country off nonrenewable energy sources ASAP.

Kudos to Mayor Heartwell and others who are doing their part and leading the way at the local and state levels.

Bits of Tid: September 14, 2007

First One In Quite Some Time Edition

• I really don't like quitting things, but I have decided that doing the WeekEnder each Friday is a little too much for me, and that if I were to continue, I would not likely be able to put much effort into it. Still look for me to post photos, videos, quotes, jokes, etc., but not in the WeekEnder format.
• As the state's new fiscal year approaches (17 days from now), it is crunch time in Lansing, with state lawmakers under pressure to come up with a state budget ASAP. Both Michigan Liberal and Blogging for Michigan have all the latest.
• CMU's College Democrats are calling out Republican lawmakers for their inaction on the state budget.
• Let's welcome Fred Thompson into the 2008 race! Thompson this week said that catching bin Laden would be "more symbolism than anything else." Fred is also backed by a plurality of those who think global warming is a hoax.
• House Republican Leader John Boehner said that the deaths of 4,000 Americans is a "small price" to pay in this ridiculous war. Neither DNC Chair Howard Dean nor DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen are having any of that.
• Things are not all that rosy for Republicans in their attempt to take control of Congress. After Sen. John Warner's (R-VA) recent retirement announcement, Mark Warner (no relation) has jumped into the race. It also looks like former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen will run in the Granite State. Even Bob Novak expects the GOP to lose several seats in the Senate.
• The ex-chair of the Michigan Federation of Young Republicans is set to spend five years in prison for sexual assault. He could even be disbarred. NOW will Republicans support fellons' right to vote?
• On a related note, the DNC has issued this list of 50+ Republican scandals.
• More and more military personnel are financially supporting Democrats.

Senate GOP leader removes students from hearing

The newly launched Michigan Messenger has the latest:

Three Michigan College students, 2 from Central Michigan University and one from Michigan State University, were expelled from a Michigan Senate Appropriations hearing this afternoon for bringing in signs.

The three students were Andy Leavitt, 21, from CMU; Matthew Sous, 20, from CMU; and Andrew Gerlach, 19, of MSU. All three are members of the Facebook group "I'm Pissed Mike Bishop Is Raising My Tuition."

At the hearing, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop laid out a budget proposal that would eliminate $139 million in funding for higher education. Of this Republican proposal, Andy says:

"It's a tax on students," said Leavitt. "His cuts land $138 million less on higher education-- the mostly likely victims of this cut will be us, the students."

This is not the first time Sen. Bishop has cracked down on people's right to freedom of speech. Last month he prevented Senate offices from viewing the progressive website Blogging for Michigan.

So why - on September 11, of all days - did Sen. Bishop kick Matt and Andy out? As Matt notes:

"He knows if we put a face on his cuts," Sous said, "he's going to lose."

More on the Republican budget proposal later this week. In the meantime, here's a video from Senate Democrats regarding the proposal:

Study shows how liberals, conservatives think

This explains quite a bit: (emphasis added)

Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work.

...

Participants were college students whose politics ranged from "very liberal" to "very conservative." Scientists instructed them to tap a keyboard when an M appeared on a computer monitor and to refrain from tapping when they saw a W.

...

Each participant was wired to an electroencephalograph that recorded activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that detects conflicts between a habitual tendency (pressing a key) and a more appropriate response (not pressing the key). Liberals had more brain activity and made fewer mistakes than conservatives when they saw a W, researchers said. Liberals and conservatives were equally accurate in recognizing M.

...

Analyzing the data, Sulloway said liberals were 4.9 times as likely as conservatives to show activity in the brain circuits that deal with conflicts, and 2.2 times as likely to score in the top half of the distribution for accuracy.

So the net time you hear people bashing liberals...

52-31

I love going to CMU football games - especially now that the team is pretty good.

CMU beat Toledo 52-31 yesterday, making them 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the MAC. MAC title repeat anyone?

As for that team from Ann Arbor...

CMU students sound off on GOP lawmakers' budget inaction

Following Wednesday's College Democrats meeting, four members recorded their thoughts on Republican lawmakers' stalling of the state budget.

Phil:

Brittany:

Andy (MichLib's Skim Tubick):

Scott (yours truly):

Special thanks to John VanDeventer for stopping by and offering both his thoughts and his laptop with built-in camcorder!