How do you know if your lawmaker is a Democrat?

I'll give you a hint: Whether or not someone calls themself a Democrat is not the greatest indicator of whether someone really is one. (You probably knew that, right?)

See, real Democrats are the ones who stand up for ordinary people. They show - by their actions, not just by their words - that they want excellent healthcare, a clean environment, and did I mention a quality education for all young people?

Take these highlights from the 2008 Michigan Democratic Party platform:

Provide unprecedented educational funding. Under Governor Granholm’s leadership, per-student public school funding has been increased to record level of over $7,300 per student.

Make higher education available for all. Higher education is vital to success in the new economy. Under the leadership of Lt. Governor John Cherry, the Lt. Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth devised a comprehensive plan to double the number of Michigan residents with a college degree or other valuable educational credential. Michigan Democrats vigorously support the plan and applaud the progress toward implementation.

Democrats want to make sure higher education and technical training in high-growth fields is accessible and affordable to all. Governor Granholm’s $4,000 Michigan Promise Scholarship, available to all high school graduates, helps ensure that they can go to college or receive post-secondary training.

Kinda makes you wonder about people like George Cushingberry, one of three people with a D by their name who were part of a panel that cut the Michigan Promise scholarship.

Or those Blue Dog 'Democrats' in Congress who choose profits instead of people's lives.

Bits of Tid: July 17, 2009

• For Central students not covered by the CMU Promise guarantee, tuition is going up 4.8% this fall. Another reason for Michigan to keep the Promise Scholarship!
• Where is our stimulus money going? Check michigan.gov/recovery to find out!
• Guess who chairs the US Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Energy, Science, and Technology? None other than Debbie Stabenow!

  As Chair, Stabenow will work to ensure that agriculture and forestry play prominent roles in energy and climate policy that invests in new, clean technologies such as biofuels to create well-paying jobs. In addition to the Senate Agriculture Committee, Stabenow serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senate Finance Committee, and the Senate Budget Committee, all of which have jurisdiction over a wide range of issues important to Michigan. She also speaks as Michigan’s voice in Senate leadership as the Chair of the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee.

• This says a lot more about you than it does about her, Glenn:
  
• Jimmy Carter has had to make a very painful decision: he is leaving the Southern Baptist Convention after several decades. Why? They say women are meant to be subservient to men - which is contrary to Carter's beliefs. And mine too.
  
• Want a public option? Want to be on TV? Head on over here!
• Might I also remind you about Lake Superior State University's Banished Words List?
  

Obama in Michigan: Betting on education

While many issues are facing America right now, education is not one that is discussed very often, even though our country's education system consistently ranks lower than most in the developed world.

Luckily, we have someone in the White House who understands the importance of building a stronger education system for this nation.

President Obama talked about education, with a focus on community colleges, in his first visit to the Great Lakes State as President today. He spoke at Macomb Community College, located in Warren. Due to the pain Metro Detroit has suffered with automotive layoffs, MCC was a prime place for him to discuss his American Graduation Initiative and the issue of education as a means of ensuring our long-term prosperity.

As the President said:

Time and again, when we placed our bet for the future on education, we have prospered as a result -- by tapping the incredible innovative and generative potential of a skilled American workforce.

Indeed, almost nobody who reads this blog will doubt that an educated workforce is necessary for our economy to prosper. Companies only create skilled jobs where talent resides, and education is supposed to foster that talent. Which is why a strong education system is a must - especially in today's economy.

So why the focus on community colleges? From CNN:

Obama called the investment in community colleges crucial because "jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience" in coming years.

"We will not fill those jobs, or keep those jobs on our shores, without the training offered by community colleges," he said.

To improve our community college system, the President discussed his American Graduation Initiative. According to CNN, the initiative includes such key areas as:

• Community college challenge grants, to help underfunded colleges that are dealing with limited capacity and to build partnerships with schools and businesses.

• The Access and Completion Fund, to provide performance-based scholarships and give colleges the tools to design more programs around work schedules.

• Modernization of community-college facilities, with $2.5 billion to help renovate facilities and keep up with maintenance costs. The renovations will create jobs, Obama said.

• Open online courses, to create options online as a tool that some think can be more effective than classroom instruction alone.

As Obama said, the American Graduation Initiative

will reform and strengthen community colleges like this one from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools need -- and the results workers and businesses demand. Through this plan, we seek to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade -- 5 million.

But at what cost? He says the plan will be paid for

by ending the wasteful subsidies we currently provide to banks and private lenders for student loans. (Applause.) That will save tens of billions of dollars over the next 10 years. Instead of lining the pockets of special interests, it's time this money went towards the interests of higher education in America

Of course, as some have said, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

When it comes to higher education, the Obama Administration has certainly gotten off to a good start. In addition to this initiative, the Administration has already eased rules on repaying student loans and is working to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

While Obama is right to note the important yet understated role community colleges play in this country, my hope is that he will also work to ensure that four-year colleges and other schools have the tools necessary to educate students who, like me, choose to earn an education at those institutions. While access to affordable, quality health care is critical for our short-term economic health, our long-term prosperity may very well hinge on access to affordable, quality education.

Bits of Tid: June 25, 2009

• Sorry I haven't blogged much lately. I've been in Argentina with my mistress.
• Some insurance companies "confuse their customers and dump the sick, all so they can satisfy their Wall Street investors," said a former Cigna executive.
• Unemployed? Michigan Senate Republicans don't like you.
• While Michigan Republicans are attacking financial aid for students, the Obama Administration is making it easier to apply for aid.
  
• Wow! Obama's having a wonderful effect on US foreign policy! Under his leadership, Team USA beat Spain 2-0 in soccer, all while refusing to bow to the rest of the world by calling it "football." I'm impressed! (So it wasn't Obama's doing, but hey!)
• Tigers' magic number: 86.

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!

Saturday Coffee Talk/Open Thread for Michigan Liberal

But why just have coffee, when you can have cupcakes too?

With a hat tip to Democratic Underground

• Detroit Free Press: UAW, Chrysler kick off talks.
• Detroit Free Press: GM’s global sales soar. If it's good news for GM, it's good news for Michigan.
• Mining Journal: Northern Michigan University hikes tuition 9.5 percent. Senator Bishop, care to comment? (Cricket, cricket...)
• Michigan Prospect: Fiscal Notes discusses why we need to invest in our infrastructure if Michigan is to recover soon.
• Vote No On JOE: Knollenberg leads the pack in pork barrel spending. Hey Drolet, why don't you take that pig to Knollenberg's office?
• Walberg Watch: Grumpy Tim Walberg has the latest antics from Michigan's biggest embarassment.

The WeekEnder: July 20-22, 2007

With exactly eighteen months until the end of one of the most diatrous Presidencies in American history, I welcome you to the fourth installment of The WeekEnder! The WeekEnder is a weekly series that will provide a hodgepodge of information to fill your soul, make you laugh, make you cry, and inspire you.

• Congressional Dems support students
• State court to voters: you need ID
• Oops - forgot about that
• A pricier alternative
• Achieving your goals
• Who needs work when you can vacation?
• Tim Ryan, champion of students
• Arnold Bennett dispenses some advice
• Cows and Enron
• Not a victim to what's popular

Good news: Congress passes relief for students

Thank you Democrats in Congress!

On Wednesday, July 11th, the House passed the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, and the Senate has now followed suit. The bill will provide the single largest increase in college aid since the GI bill in 1944. The legislation invests about $18 billion dollars over the next five years in reducing college costs, helping millions of students and families. It comes at no new cost to taxpayers, and is funded by cutting excess subsidies paid by the federal government to lenders in the student loan industry.

It's great to see a majority in Congress that actually cares about students!

Bad news: Michigan Supreme Court moves to disenfranchise voters

In case you needed a reminder of where Republicans stand when it comes to election reform:

The high court split along party lines in a 5-2 decision, with Republican justices voting to uphold the ID requirement and Democrats dissenting.
The Michigan Democratic Party is weighing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Having a driver's license is a luxury not a right," said Pete Vargas, chairman of the Lansing school board's Chicano/Latino Advisory Committee. "Voting is a right."

City Commission candidate forgets about debate
Well, at least he's honest.

Second Ward residents hoping for a rip-roaring debate among the four candidates for their City Commission seat were disappointed Thursday.

Only two candidates -- David LaGrand and Ruth Kelly -- showed up at Clancy Street Ministries for the 90-minute televised forum, and both went out of their way to be polite to each other and the no-shows.

Contacted at home afterward, candidate Michael Booker said, "I just plain forgot about it." (emphasis added)

Blog highlight of the week: How much more do you want to pay?
I don't know anyone who loves paying taxes. But as former Michigan House candidate Dan Scripps reminds us, taxes are preferable to the alternative:

The choice in the ongoing budget debate is not whether our costs will go up, but how. Are we willing to pay a modest increase in taxes that all of us share in to build our future and get Michigan moving again, or are we going to pass the buck to make the skills we know we need to compete that much more expensive to obtain? How our representatives answer that question will tell the citizens of this state much about where our priorities are and whether we care more about our children's future than our present situation.

Link of the week: 43Things
So what do you want to do with your life?

Recently (i.e. less than 24 hours ago!) I discovered 43things.com. Create an account on 43Things, and you will be able to list things you would like to do during the course of your life (i.e. get married, write a book, visit a certain place). You can also see how many other people want to do the same thing, and hear from people who have done it.

Photo of the Week: Senators On Vacation
This photo won me $25 on a recent contest on Michigan Liberal:








Video of the Week: Tim Ryan speaks out for ordinary Americans
You go Congressman Ryan:



Quote of the week: Arnold Bennett
"The best cure for worry, depression, melancholy, brooding, is to go deliberately forth and try to lift with one's sympathy the gloom of somebody else."

Joke of the Week: Economics explained
Feudalism: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

Fascism: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk.

Communism: You have two cows. You must take care of them, but the government takes all the milk.

Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

Enron Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt-equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred through an intermediary to a Cayman Island company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The Enron annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.

Final thought
I don’t care about Harry Potter. There, I said it.

House passes relief for college students

These days, getting a college education is essential for those who want to be successful throughout life. Moreover, a skilled and educated workforce is critical for the US to get back on the right track.

Key to this is making sure college is affordable. Last year Republicans in Congress voted to cut the Pell Grant and raise interest rates on student loans. Under Democratic leadership, Congress is working to remedy that. An important piece of this effort, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, has passed the House. Michigan Members of Congress voting for the bill were:

Conyers
Dingell
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Knollenberg
Levin
Miller
Stupak
Upton

Those voting against it were:

Camp
Ehlers
Hoekstra
McCotter
Rogers
Walberg

Blue = Democrats; Red = Republicans

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education Committee and champion of students, had a few words for those who tried to kill the bill:

"...You don’t like the fact that while you were in power after years of flat lining the Pell Grant, we we’ve finally given them the biggest increase in decades for the poorest kids in this country. You don’t like that so you want to kill the bill. You don’t like the fact that were going to take 5 million middle class kids and extend to them a loan thats interest rate is cut in half? While their families are struggling to get them through college? They’re making sacrifices every year? You’re going to do this? You’re going to kill this bill? Are you proud? Are you proud of this amendment, that you are going to try to kill this bill? Say it louder."

Congressional Democrats work to fix student loan system

For those who don't think there are differences between the two parties, I give you this:

Less than a year and a half after the then-Republican-controlled Congress raided student financial aid, the new Congress, controlled by Democrats, is working diligently to reverse the raid:

Democrats in Congress are working on sweeping changes to the student loan system, with legislation approved by both the Senate and House education committees that would cut federal subsidies to lending companies by as much as $19 billion, channel most of those savings to student aid, and ease repayment rules for borrowers.

The Senate measure would boost the maximum Pell grant, the nation's main aid program for low-income students, from $4,300 to $5,400 a year. The House measure calls for a smaller grant increase but would cut in half the interest rates on federally backed student loans, to 3.4 percent.

Lobbyists for the student loan industry attacked the legislation, saying that it might force some lending companies out of business. But supporters say that this legislation will aid those who need it most--the students.

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education Committee, called it, "the biggest single investment in college financial aid since the GI Bill."

As someone who relies on student aid, I applaud Rep. Miller and all of those working diligently on behalf of students across the nation.

Bits of Tid: May 12, 2007

In 13,000 hours we should have a president-elect.

• It's time to de-authorize the war, say Biden, Richardson, and Clinton.
• Some big names are backing Chris Dodd's energy plan.
• The governors of Maryland and New Jersey are endorsing Hillary.
• Edwards is proposing an $8 billion program to make college more affordable. A drop in the bucket compared to the $425.1 billion price tag for the war.
• On the other side, Rudy Giuliani and Ann Romney (Mitt's wife) have both donated to Planned Parenthood. And you thought Rudy was the only pro-choice Republican out there?
• State Senators Alan Cropsey (who 'represents' Mount Pleasant) and Bill Hardiman (ex-mayor of my hometown of Kentwood) have each been featured recently in Michigan Liberal's Better Know an Obstriutionist series. (Don't forget to let your state legislators know your thoughts onm the state budget!)
• I don't care about the whole Paris Hilton thing, so shut up, media.