A fun day in Lansing

English: Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan State Senator (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After meeting up with a group of SEIU members in the morning and making our plan, the day started when a post from Gretchen Whitmer on facebook alerted us of action beginning at the senate hearing room.

We all got in our vehicles and headed to the meeting. Upon arriving we found that we had to fill out a card with our request to address the committee. This was done by two of us who were going to address the committee and the rest filled out cards just expressing our support for the bill.

The hearing started at 12: noon as scheduled, with a report from a member of congressional staff who had been assigned the task of studying the Medicaid expansion bill and the affects it would have on Michigan. I did not catch his name but all agreed he did a good job in his study. He did in conclusion suggest to the committee that they approve the bill.

In an effort to keep this brief I will not go into detail with all the discussion and the participants involved. I will say there was representation from many areas of interest. Insurance companies, hospitals, small business owners, the chamber of commerce are some that come to mind.

Of interest to me was the fact that all of these groups supported the bill.  Some reluctantly as their inborn dislike of anything Obama is hard to swallow. And they did mention the agony of having to make such a decision.

One other thing I thought interesting was that they all spoke only of the monetary facets of the bill comparing the costs of approving the bill with the costs of not doing so.

Do none of these folks even consider the human aspects of the bill? Health care for up to 400,000 Michigan residents which will not be available if the bill is not passed!

Methinks the greed expressed by many speakers and at least one member of the committee (Senator Hildenbrand) would make Jesus weep.

Matthew 25:45

 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Back to the day…

We broke for lunch at 1:30 with instructions to return at 2:00 sharp.

We determined it was too early to eat and went to the capitol building across the street to meet with my senator, Senator Kahn.

Upon arriving at his office we found the door locked, we knocked on the door and roused a young lady who said she was an intern with instructions to not open the door for anyone. We pleaded with her at length to let us in so we could present our message to the senator or at least his staff.

Senator Kahn is on vacation in Israel and will be back at a later date. Are we paying for this?

Personally I am feeling disgusted with having to speak to a locked door every time I go to my Republican elected legislators office.

We did leave a message in the form of a chant and some singing. We felt safe in doing so as capitol security showed up quickly to make sure we were not harmed while singing. 😉

We then went back to the committee meeting room where we were told we would not be allowed to testify.  We chose not to challenge this and went on to visit the governor and/or his staff.

Upon arriving at the building where the governor’s office is located we were told only 6 people may enter at a time. The first 6 were in the building asking for a meeting with the governor to tell him we support his efforts at getting this bill passed, the rest of us with nothing to do outside broke out the drums and began our singing and chanting. Not to fear we were soon joined by Lansing police again our protection was insured. 😉

The 6 in the building finally talked to the governor’s representative Dick Posthumus who told them the governor appreciates our support in this effort.

We then marched off to a sandwich shop for a lunch and chatter. We all felt better for having done what we could to promote this bill and I recommend everyone do this type of thing when able to.

On the way home I was asked if I would be going to the fast food event in Flint today. I replied “No I have had just about all the fun I am allowed for one week.”

In closing I would ask anyone who resides in Senator Hildenbrand’s district. Mi 29. To give him a call and ask that he follow Christian values in supporting this bill.

Phone (517) 373-1801 or toll free at (866) 305-2129

Or you can go to his website and contact him via email.

http://www.senatordavehildenbrand.com/contact-me/

Just a brief question today

Michigan State Capitol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So lovely wife and I are watching the late news last night and a story comes up about the striking fast food workers wanting $15.00 an hour.

Lovely wife says “We won’t be able to afford getting a Big Mac if those people get paid that much.”

I responded. “Well in Michigan we can use the money we save on groceries since Snyder and his Republican cohorts overturned the individual pricing law allowing grocery chains to lay off half their staff.”

She replied “groceries are not any cheaper now than they were in the past.”

Silently now I pondered, where did all the savings go?

If you have an idea where the money went get back with me.

Short blog today, off to Lansing to ask them if they know where it went. 😉

The Arabian Spring is alive and well in the United States

Moral Monday demonstrator (Photo credit: twbuckner)

This action probably began with occupywallstreet; a group that was squelched in infancy by the corporate controlled police forces in America in conjunction with the homeland security agency.

Link to pepper spraying cop… http://hypervocal.com/news/2013/uc-davis-cop-workers-comp/

Well not actually squelched but forced to change their tactics.

Reading the links provided will show how this organization started to make the country become aware of the inequalities taking place in every facet of life.

http://occupywallst.org/

Rally Wisconsin

In Wisconsin Walker’s police are now arresting tourists in an attempt to maintain control.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6C2IBQdgyI

In North Carolina Moral Mondays have been successful in their efforts and will most likely come back with a vengeance when the legislators come back in session.

Snippet

“What we have found since we have done Moral Mondays, less than one out of five North Carolinians now agree with the legislature. Moral Monday is more popular than they are. The governor’s poll numbers have dropped over 20 to 30 percent.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=206657436

fast food workers strike

As I write this there are fast food workers across the nation walking out in protest of the starvation wages they are being paid.

Snippet

“With the Occupy movement and discussion about the 1 percent, people are much more aware about the increase in inequality,” Janet Currie, an economics and policy affairs professor at Princeton University, in Princeton, New Jersey, said during an interview. “There are a lot of people right at the top of the distribution who are doing better than that segment of the population has since the 1920s, and that’s driving a lot of the income inequality.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-07-29/fast-food-workers-strike-for-higher-wages-in-seven-u-dot-s-dot-cities

All of these actions are part of the U.S. Arabian Spring, perhaps more subtle than that performed in the Mideast but similar action indeed.  And they will continue and most likely grow more robust perhaps even becoming violent.

Unless the elected officials in our local, state and national government stop listening to the Koch brothers and the Wall Street money changers and begin listening to the people.

Like the Kingston Trio said many years ago, “The whole world is flustering with unhappy souls…”

I applaud and support all these actions in any way I can, please join  me.

My skepticism began at an early age

“To be successful at reading comprehension, students need to …” (Photo credit: Ken Whytock)

Disclaimer, this post is intended to create questions in the minds of all, it is not the intention of the writer to convert anyone.

As a young teenager I attended an exhibition basketball game being played by the Harlem Globetrotters. The charity that sponsored this game escapes me but it may have been an organization called the red feather. The red feather was a precursor to the United Way at least that is what I think.

Anyway back to the game. The Harlem Globetrotters played against a team called the House of David. It is this team that brought on my skepticism. You see these players all had full beards, something not that common back then.

After the game I asked about the House of David team. I was told this is a religious group and the beards were most likely part of their religious beliefs.

Hmmm? These folks read the same Bible as the rest of us why don’t we all have beards? And then it hit me….

Bible readers/followers must take from their reading just what suits them. This of course caused me to view any and all folks that rely on the Bible to enforce their beliefs with quotes from the bible with skepticism.

Bill Maher had an evangelical Christian on his show last week who was constantly referring to biblical quotes he approved of while Maher replied with nasty biblical quotes he had found.

A fellow blogger has just posted a blog with examples of the Bible condoning abortion. Scary thoughts don’t you think?

How many times have we read or heard of Christians calling the Koran an evil book full of hatred and violence?  Well my thoughts are, if one were to stop just thumping the Bible and actually read it they would find similar words of hatred and violence.

Video of Bill Maher interviewing Evangelical Minister…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63dIQ5GIYRk#at=22

Link to biblical quotes posted by John Zande

Educating Christians. Lesson #1: Abortion; your god LOVES it!

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A never ending concern of mine

New Orleans: Floats for Krewe du Vieux parade being prepared in the Krewe den. Float satirizing gun violence. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So we are on our way home from the Tigers game and we see not one but two billboards advertising the largest gun selection in Michigan.

These from a camping/hunting/fishing national chain store.

Prior to this trip when watching tv I caught a commercial for ladies wanting to purchase guns; offering gun training classes for the ladies.

What in the hell is going on in this country?

With the Zimmerman verdict giving all citizens the right to kill anybody*; are we becoming a country of vigilantes?

*Well not actually all citizens and anybody, the lady in Florida that fired a warning shot to fend off her abusive husband got 20 years in prison but then she is black?

Racism?  Sounds like it to me. How many white parents feel fear when their teenage son walks off to get some candy and a soft drink from the corner store?

A recent blog talking about gun control brought a reply from a gentleman from Texas disputing my words and closing with this: “I own guns to protect myself and my family.” And I replied protect yourself from what?

Today i ask that question to all gun owners in the country. Are you fearful of an Armageddon? Are you fearful of the government coming to your house and take your guns? Or are you just afraid because whackos like Glen Beck and Bill O’Reilly told you to be afraid?

Not a week goes by that we don’t read of some young child killing either himself or a family member using a legal gun.

Come on people get your heads out of the sand and face up to the fact that the answer to gun violence is NOT more guns.

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Snyder gets bump in polls after Detroit bankruptcy filing

Tim Skubick has a column in today’s mlive stating Governor Rick Snyder’s favorability rating has gone up from 34 percent last June to 41 percent in the most recent poll taken by the Conservative Intel Poll.

Skubick goes on to say this poll did not ask if this was a result of the bankruptcy action taking place in Detroit but suggests we follow the dots.

This brings many questions to this inquiring mind.

First, is this really a poll or is it just another case of push polling? Possibly, with the Conservative Intel Poll being the pollsters.

Second, are these the same group of pollsters that convinced many that Romney was going to win?

Third, one wonders how those polled would have responded if they were asked about the state spending $400 million of their tax dollars to build a new stadium for the Detroit Red Wings.

Story here… http://www.truth-out.org/video/item/17792-detroit-red-wings-get-new-400-million-taxpayer-financed-stadium-while-the-city-goes-bankrupt

Before you reply with this new stadium being an economic boost to the economy you may want to read the following.

Why Do State and Local Governments Subsidize Sports

Facilities?

Public subsidies for new stadiums and arenas are commonly justified on the

basis of economic benefits they will confer on the local economy rather than on

public consumption externalities or on the value of an enhanced community

image. Yet there is virtually no evidence of any perceptible economic development

benefits from sports teams or stadiums.

Emphasis mine.

Link to full report….

http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/anderson/micro-principles/stadiums.pdf

Susan J Demas, another columnist on Mlive.

Calls out Snyder for his double talk in Detroit’s bankruptcy, pointing out the many times Snyder has said bankruptcy is not an option for Detroit.

You all may want to read this column which reveals in detail Snyder’s scandalous actions.

http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/07/detroit_bankrupt_snyder.html#incart_river_default

Weather still nice here enjoy the day!

Time for some action.

English: Official picture of Janet Yellen from FRBSF web site. http://www.frbsf.org/federalreserve/people/officers/yellen.html (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Join me in contacting President Obama regarding the replacement for retiring head of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke.

“Leading Democrats are struggling with the idea that President Barack Obama may actually nominate economist Larry Summers to head the Federal Reserve. If he does, he’d pass over Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen, who saw the warning signs of the 2008 financial collapse, for Summers, whose deregulatory advocacy as treasury secretary contributed to it.”

Summers was instrumental in the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act; A law that maintained enough control over Wall Street and the big banks for 50 some years.

Janet Yellen has the experience and knowledge to move this board in the right direction.

So we should all contact the white house, phone number 202-456-1111.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/write-or-call#call

Ask them to support Janet Yellen.

On another topic Bill O’Reilly came out with a racist monologue a few days ago. Chris Hayes refuted O’Reilly’s rants with some facts.  We all know how the right wingers abhor facts, makes them shrivel up and die. Link here for more info.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/24/chris-hayes-bill-oreilly_n_3645291.html

And last but definitely not least, a rally is planned for Lansing, Mi. next Wednesday, July 31.

Wednesday July 31st yet another hearing by the Michigan legislature to see how they can screw up the affordable care act and prevent at least 500, 000 Michiganders from obtaining healthcare.

Please join me in attending this rally. Look for me, I’ll be the old guy toting an oxygen tank on my back. I will be looking for you.

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Friends, I need your help here.

Dollar Coins “In God We Trust” (Photo credit: cometstarmoon)

I am completely baffled by the people that read and repeat or forward a totally bullshit email.

Just recently there was one making the rounds telling how the Duck Dynasty show was being cancelled because all the atheists and liberals were complaining about the prayer scenes being shown each week.

Upon investigating at snopes.com we find that the show may be discontinued because of a financial dispute, seems the bearded wise ones want more money. (Like they don’t have enough already).

Also received one a while back exclaiming the U.S. government was taking “In God We Trust” off their coins; using both sides of the dollar coin as an example. Well a quick check at Snopes.com again revealed the falsity of this claim. In God We Trust is embossed on the edge of these coins, always has been.

It should be obvious these bullshit emails are started by well trained people in the employ of the Koch brothers, the Mackinac Center or some other right wing extremist group as they are very professional in their delivery and methodology.

The number of these I receive has dropped dramatically from what it was a few years ago. I like to think the people are finally wising up and using some method to confirm or deny the story and then just deleting this bs. But I suspect the real reason is my constant effort at calling them out. They probably just took me off their email list.

And another thing here, many of these bs emails come from devout Christians.  Are Christians more susceptible to believing anything they read? Or are they just happy to forward something they agree with and think it will help their cause?

If you have a favorite bs email please send it to me. I will compile and post some of the best here as time allows.

And don’t forget to help me understand these people 😉

Thanks for the help.

“It is easier to fool people, than to convince them they’ve been fooled” – Mark Twain

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Hearty breakfast?

Just trying to post a photo😊

More on Detroit and the royal baby

Detroit Fox Theatre (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This morning, after reading the angry comments coming from outstate residents concerning Detroit’s bankruptcy I turned on the tv and watched the extravagant display in celebration of the birth of a future King of England.

The contrast shocked me to some extent and even more so when a talking head in London held up a newspaper with the headline “WOMAN HAS BABY”.

The angry comments were posted on the internet under the protection of anonymity and should be taken as such.

Knowing that comparing the pomp and circumstance attributed to a royal birth in London with the lack of compassion for Detroit’s demise may be a stretch, I am showing this as being a world condition.

The problems faced today are in fact not just local but a worldwide problem as evidenced by the turmoil going on worldwide.  It seems that most every day brings us news of another demonstration somewhere in the world.

What if we were to compare the state of Michigan’s Republican controlled government willingness to provide support to a private business to the tune of $15 million and their unwillingness to help Detroit?

In writing yesterday I was somewhat ambivalent regarding the situation questioning if this was an engineered bankruptcy and stating probably not as an answer.  However upon further review I am now of the opinion that yes this is another example of an engineered bankruptcy designed to get the city out of their prior commitments. Much like private corporations have been doing since the bankruptcy laws in this country were revised to favor corporate interests while decreasing private citizen protections.

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan and must be saved for all of Michigan’s benefit.

We must all strive to reach outside of our individual worlds and lend a hand of support to our fellow humans in their time of need.

It is time to put an end to the era of greed.

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