BOE member facing possible recall for blog post

Nope, it's not me. Well, not yet anyway . . . It's Wendy Day, Trustee of the Howell Board of Education. She wrote something on her blog, For a Better Day, that some people didn't like, and bingo, and now they're using the fear-inducing r-word along with her name. Her post, was in support of a Pro-Life demonstration that people felt she was encouraging students to participate in. Now, she's all over the newspaper. I will admit that I completely disagree with an awful lot of what Ms. Day has to say, but I fully support her right to say it publicly and on the Internet. That's what freedom of speech is all about, and I don't favor asking elected officials to surrender their constitutional rights if they happen to get elected. I myself have been criticized for my political activism before, and I'll probably be criticized for it in the future. I've also been threatened with a recall before. It comes with the territory. I hasten to add, however, that though Ms. Day has a right to express her views, it was fairly naive of her to be surprised at the uproar she's created. Likening the protest to Jennifer Granholm's support of the Day of Silence, which supported anti-discrimination against GLBTQ students is a bit of a stretch, and the Governor in no way advocated anything that could have negatively impacted the education process, as some feared Day's support would cause. It appears that the lesson to be learned is that BOE Trustees should exercise discretion and know their community prior to engaging in political activism. Frankly speaking, I think all elected officials ought to have blogs, which would give the public an easily accessible way to evaluate and communicate with them.

Know your judges before voting for them

In Michigan, our judges are all elected. If a seat is vacated, the governor gets to appoint, but only for the remainder of the elected term. Then the judge must run again. So, every time election day comes and goes, you have a chance to change the face of our judiciary. Unfortunately, most people simply vote for incumbents. In the upcoming election, please take a moment to look at the judges in your area, learn about them, and vote for the judge who will do the best job. To make things harder, most of the judges are at the very end of the ballot, sometimes on the back. Needless to say, being at the end or on the back doesn't foster great attention. Many voters simply leave the judges portion blank, neglecting to weigh in on this important issue. I have been talking with other attorneys and compiling a brief list of judicial races from various communities, and I hope you consider my suggestions when you vote in less than two weeks. Michigan Supreme Court In our Supreme Court race, two incumbents will be facing one challenger. One incumbent is excellent, Justice Michael Cavanaugh. The other incumbent has been a disaster for Michigan. The challenger, Jane Beckering, is a plaintiff's attorney from Grand Rapids who would make an excellent Supreme Court Justice. She is extremely intelligent, a fantastic and caring person, and most of all has displayed both a sophisticated understanding of the law and a lifelong commitment to it. Visit her web site and decide for yourself. The other incumbent, on the other hand, has been a part of a very conservative majority, most of whom were appointed by former Gov'r Engler. This block of Federalist Society members have shifted the focus of our laws toward benefiting corporations, business, government and insurance companies. Click here to view a list of cases in which our Supreme Court has been particularly activist. The Supreme Court race is very, very important. I urge you to vote for Cavanaugh and Beckering. Washtenaw County Judges This year, all the Washtenaw County Circuit and District judges are unopposed, and I'm not aware of any write-in campaigns. Wayne County Appeals Judges Kirsten Frank Kelly is running against an incumbent. The incumbent is well-funded and very conservative. He is the author or signatory of some of the worst appeals decisions that favor big business and disfavor ordinary people. My suggestion is to vote for her. Oakland and Macomb County Appeals Judges My suggestion is to vote for Jessica Cooper and Deborah Servitto. Jessica Cooper has been instrumental in starting our local lawyer chapter of the American Constitution Society, and Deborah Servitto has a long history of being a fair and caring judge while on the Macomb County Circuit Bench. She was recently appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Granholm. Macomb County Circuit Court Carrie Lynn Fuca is the standout candidate. I'd suggest voting for her. This is an important race, and every vote counts. 36th District Court - Detroit Rudy Serra is a former colleague of mine, a great person, and a fair judge. He definitely deserves your vote. He was appointed by Governor Granholm to the bench and is currently running to retain his seat. 35th District Court - Plymouth, Canton and Northville James Plakas is up against an incumbent. The 35th District Chief Judge John MacDonald (who is well-liked and respected) has endorsed Plakas. I would suggest voting for Plakas. If anyone wants to email me or comment endorsing a judicial candidate, simply explain why they deserve our vote, and I'll be happy to put up more endorsements in judges' races.

The Ypsilanti Courier: Our hometown paper no more?

I think local newspapers are important. Rightly or wrongly, I have been a cheerleader for the Ypsi Courier for quite some time now. I read it every week. I link to it on this blog. I advertised in it when I ran. I've had a subscription since even before then. I've written letters to the editor, and I've been jazzed when they have been printed. I stuck with it when it was bought by Heritage Newspapers and kept my subscription going, even after it raised its subscription rate 10%. Generally, I've had a non-confrontational relationship with the rag. There have been, and are, some great writers for the Courier. I think Kathleen Conat is fantastic. I like Dan DuShene's articles, and when he interviewed me for an article a few weeks ago, I got the idea he was a stand-up guy, thoughtful, thorough and smart. I liked James Mann's articles. I delight in reading Pat Grimes' stories. The Courier has, of course, hit its share of bumps in the road. I've seen headlines that don't comport with the content of the story. I've seen wrong names and wrong titles used for people that everyone knows. I remember when Heritage bought the Courier, and longtime locals like Dave Melchior (who really seemed to have his finger on the pulse of Ypsilanti) left. I recall a particularly superficial article about the Ypsilanti Braves name and logo some time ago that was offensive and probably should never have made it past the editor. But I also recall the Courier politely and uncomplainingly making corrections when requested, and on numerous occasions printing well-crafted Letters to the Editor that provided important counterpoint with voices from members of our community. Up until now, I hadn't seriously thought about cancelling my subscription. But this week, a line was crossed. This week the Courier's parent company, Heritage, ran an endorsement for Dick DeVos on the Courier's editorial page. To me, and I would imagine to thousands of others in this largely progressive town, that kind of endorsement is more than just disturbing. It's a sign that the Courier's editorial page bears no connection whatsoever to our community. I could go on and on about how terrible DeVos would be for our state, but I won't bore you with what you probably already know. What I will say is that, tragically, it appears that the people at Heritage are so unconnected to our community (other than they bought a paper here), so oblivious to our politics, values, and vision, that Heritage couldn't care less about how their endorsement is perceived. Heritage apparently thinks that the Courier is little more than an asset to be used to achieve whatever means its parent company wishes to achieve, regardless of whether those goals are at odds with the community in which it is running a local paper. It is a shame what has happened to the Courier. I hope it's not too late to get our local rag back.

Why I'll be voting YES on 5

There's a lot of terrible, poorly analyzed, misleading misinformation about Proposal 5 out there. I'm going to dispense with the hype. I'm advocating a YES vote on Proposal 5, because I believe it's a good idea, and it's the right thing to do. Here's why: Michigan's public schools suffer from a statewide structural budget deficit. This means that the way funding and spending are structured under our laws, the gap between what we get and what we need keeps getting bigger. This has nothing to do with overspending or irresponsible spending at the local level (which is the opposite of what 5's opponents would have you think). That is a completely different issue, perhaps a good topic for another post. It is the structural deficit that is causing our educational funding problems, among others. It is this structural deficit that requires a solution. Let me give you an example. Over the last three years, insurance rates, energy costs and retirement costs have all increased in the double-digit percentages each year. Our per-student funding has increased less than 5% each year, sometimes much less than 5%. And, as you know, the value of a dollar decreases each year that goes by. Let's talk for a moment about these uncontrollable costs: Energy. Now, unless you think it's a good idea for our kids to wear long underwear and coats in their classrooms, there isn't much we can do about energy costs. We have been cutting energy usage and conserving since long before I showed up on my local BOE, and the gains in that area have pretty much been made. Retirement costs. Retirement costs are mandated by the state. We have no discretion whatsoever as to how much they cost, or who they apply to. We are obligated to follow the law. Worker's compensation. Worker's comp insurance -- required by the state. Health insurance. Since our teachers are already the second lowest paid in the county (belying the "special interest" complaint of the anti-5ers), and we save a bunch of money with a self-insurance program administered by BCBS of Michigan, there is little to nothing that can be saved in that area short of not providing benefits or curtailing them substantially (which will fly like a lead balloon, if you're thinking of moving in that direction). There are more, but I'll stop there so as to not bore you to death. So let's do the math. Approx $50 Million budget. 5% or greater gap each year. Year one, we have to structurally remove $2.5 Million. Year two, the same. Year three, the same. Year four, the same. In other words, in the time that it takes for a child to start and finish high school, we are required to make structural changes to our district's budget to cut a whopping $10 Million or more! All the while, we must provide higher quality educational programs and tailor our teaching to the individual children we serve to ensure that we can compete for students with surrounding district. We are not alone. This is a problem all over the state. As uncontrollable costs increase, funding either stays the same or decreases. As we try to implement higher standards and compete with neighboring districts, we seek more money to hire more and better educational leaders, upgrade our technology, while still keeping the lights and heating our schools. Who is to blame for this sorry state of affairs? Our Legislature. The Legislature adopts Michigan's budget. And unfortunately for Michigan's children, the last 15 years have seen one group of politicians in charge of the Legislature who appear to be interested only in secret caucus/strategy meetings, gerrymandering districts to ensure their continuing ability to wield power, and taking potshots at our Democratic Governor. Our Republican Legislature has faced many challenges, to be sure, but there is no excuse for failing to invest in our kids. There is no excuse for failing to prioritize educational funding in Michigan. There is no excuse for cutting business taxes with no plan in sight to replace the money that our schools and children rely on to prepare for their futures and for their prosperity. And since our Legislature has been a miserable failure at generating revenue and prioritizing public education spending, the only way to get the job done is to do it ourselves. We the voters get to decide whether or not we want to have strong public schools. We can decide how strong our public schools will be. We can deprive Lansing of the power to reach into the pockets of our children to solve the "grown-up" problems they've created themselves due to their own lack of foresight and lack of action. Our structural deficit is a problem that needs solving. Not tomorrow, not next year -- now. Only by voting YES on 5 will our politicians in Lansing begin to take note of their continuing, collective failures to solve the problems that confront us. Proposal 5 does not mandate any extraordinary funding. All it does is link funding to the age-old concept of inflation, and require the Legislature to keep pace. As we all know, a dollar today is worth less than a dollar was five years ago. Under Proposal 5, if they give a dollar now, they have to give a dollar next year, plus inflation. That's all. It's not a lot. But it's a darn good start. Vote YES on 5. UPDATE: I've scanned the BOE's resolution in support of Proposal 5. You can click to read it here.

The week in pictures

And what a week it was. Last weekend, it was warm enough to hang out in shorts and a t-shirt. During the week, it snowed. Last night, the Tigers clinched the pennant race to make the World Series. This is our playhouse (and my girls just LOVE it!). It's painted to match the house: Ever see that Saturday Night Live skit with Will Ferrell? He's conversing with a neighbor, and every once in a while, he hollers at the top of his lungs, "Hey, get off the shed!" Well, that could have applied to my kids last weekend. But Esme was so cute up there, I took a picture instead: Near the end of the week, I came home to find my lawn "Flamingoed!" The culprits were the fine students that make up the Ypsi High Key Club, who are currently engaged in a fundraising campaign. The idea is to hold a lawn hostage until a donation is made, and if the donation tops $20, not only do you get your lawn back, but you get to pick whose lawn is Flamingoed next. My donation did top $20, so beware . . . Yesterday, sensing that the Tigers were going to sweep the A's, Crazy Dave and I went downtown even though we didn't have tickets to the game. We hung out at Cheli's Chili Bar outside the heated tent, hooked up with some friends (and bumped into some acquaintences). Next we headed to Fifth Avenue to see our friends off to the game, went back to Cheli's (but it was too crowded), and ended up at Gerry's house watching on his enormous HD Plasma TV. Following the game, Crazy Dave and I headed home, where he caught up with his wife, and I dropped by to spend some time with Meredith. All in all, it was quite the week, capped off with a fantastic weekend.

Michigan Economic Club: Granholm vs. DeVos

I had the pleasure of attending the Detroit Economic Club's meeting today, which featured both Governor Jennifer Granholm and her challenger Dick DeVos. The room was packed with business leaders and politicians from just about everywhere in the state. Congressmen John Dingell and Sander Levin were there, Lt. Gov'r Cherry was there, former Gov'r Blanchard and Sec'y of State Land were there, along with County Commissioners, state Reps and Senators and more. I sat with trial attorneys from all over the state, and we were joined by the Governor's legal counsel, Kelly Keenan. Senator Liz Brater was just one table over, too. The Governor was inspiring. She was very specific about her plans to continue moving Michigan in the right direction. She spoke persuasively at how DeVos' plan to make Michigan a "low-cost" state in which to do business would fail. She pointed out that people in Mexico and Asia are willing to work for a dollar or less an hour. She argued that if working for low pay is the race we enter, we will ultimately lose even if we win. Some might say, especially if we win. She instead favors investing in what she refers to as "human capital." She wants to provide the most innovative thinkers and the smartest workers to attract businesses here. She is confident that if we compete with other states by having the best workforce, we will win. I couldn't agree more. She has set the goal of doubling the number of high school graduates in the state. She has raised requirements for graduation, and Michigan is now in the top 3 states in the nation in graduation standards. As a school board member, I can attest to the efficacy and merits of her education agenda. The only downside is in the area of funding, an area in which the Legislature has failed us, not Governor Granholm. She pointed out that she has spent $4 Billion on building and improvements in the state, ranging from roads and overpasses to universities and pollution cleanup. Under her leadership, the state has invested more than any other state in diversifying our economy. One of her programs has brought 61 companies to Michigan to provide jobs for Michigan residents, and this is just the first round of that program. She has proposed a universal health care program, and expects approval from the federal government by the end of the year. Approval is required under current law. She explained how the Michigan Manufacturer's Association has referred to her plan to cut $600 Million in business taxes as the single biggest business tax cut in the nation. She pointed out that under her administration, the time it takes to get a business permit has been cut by 66%. She even referred to a letter from one of DeVos' companies thanking her for making the process easier. And according to Government magazine, under Granholm's leadership, the state has become the 3rd best managed state in the nation. All in all, she set forth a specific set of accomplishments that were fiscally responsible, lean but not mean, and a realistic plan to move the state forward. She was inspired, eloquent, persuasive and articulate. L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Executive, introduced DeVos. I have no idea what the heck he was trying to accomplish, but he seemed to take more time insulting DeVos than complimenting him. He started out by saying something about DeVos being a good friend, and that he was confident that nothing had been said about Dick DeVos that hadn't been said about Ken Lay. Huh? Is he comparing DeVos to the now-dead felon who ripped off thousands of people by stealing billions of dollars from their retirement funds? Some of the people I was with practically fell out of their chairs upon hearing this statement. Patterson also made some joke about having to leave early to sneak into the garage to put DeVos bumper stickers on all the cars. Upon hearing about this plan, he said, DeVos suggested buying everyone a car and then having them put the stickers on them. No doubt this fell flat as an attempt to relate to working class voters. DeVos, however, seemed to think it was funny. DeVos then got up and spoke. Though I took notes, there were so few specifics, it is pretty much impossible to relate what he had to say. He apparently will convene a special session of the Legislature to replace the revenue lost by the repeal of the SBT. However, telling the Legislature to take care of it doesn't really constitute a plan in my book. He seemed to think he could shave $1 Billion off the "educational bureaucracy" whatever that means. Based on my knowledge of education funding and the structural deficit I have posted on before, I believe this is an empty promise. He said he would meet with the social services people and promise to provide them with the resources and leadership they need, which is again awful vague. He said he'd analyze every single public program in Michigan from the top down and get rid of those that were not needed and restructure the rest. I've no idea what he means by this. He wants to make Michigan a "tourist destination." Pardon me, but I thought we already were, and that cuts to our marketing budget were the result of Legislative action, not the Governor's doing. He said he would shorten permitting for businesses, but the Governor has already established that she's done that quite effectively. Perhaps the weirdest suggestion was to set up an economic development office in Japan to help Michigan businesses open offices in Asia. Though it would certainly be nice to do business in Asia, this sounds suspiciously like the facilitation of outsourcing to me. I would never vote for an elected official that advocated sending Michigan businesses overseas. The rest of DeVos' speech was pretty much what you've seen in his negative campaign ads. He is clearly relying on the "vote for change" theme and keeping specifics out of the dialogue. All in all, Granholm was a better speaker, offered more details, and ultimately was more persuasive. I doubt DeVos' supporters were happy with his performance this afternoon.

"The so-called Michigan Civil Rights Initiative is neither civil, nor is it right"

If MLK were still around, the above sounds to me like something he might say. I heard the unattributed quote just last evening, while leaving the meeting at which the Ypsilanti Board of Education unanimously voted to oppose the misleading and misnamed Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI). It (the quote, I mean) couldn't be more true. I urge all Michigan voters to oppose this ill-conceived ballot proposal. If it is enacted, Michigan will take enormous steps backward. The clock will be turned back on our civil rights to just after the era of legalized segregation, and 50+ years of progress in constitutional law, including many of the gains of Brown vs. Board of Education, will be of little consequence to residents of Michigan. Our great state, despite the progress we have made, contains some of the most segregated cities in the nation. Our state suffers disparity on the basis of both gender and race in educational attainment, employment, home ownership, household income and more. This ballot proposal will do nothing to improve this sorry state of affairs, and instead accomplish the contrary, making things worse for generations to come. The politics of race, polarization and division permeate the MCRI campaign. The proponents of of the MCRI seek to oversimplify a complex issue and appeal to feelings and emotions by using value-laden, misleading terminology. Fundamentally, nobody can disagree with the truisms they set forth (like "discrimination is bad" and "meritocracy is good"). However, the MCRI does not create a meritocracy, and failure to enact it does not create or cause discrimination. To suggest this is the case, as its proponents do, is to actively mislead and obfuscate the real impact and goals behind the campaign. To provide just a few examples, if the MCRI is enacted, it would prevent all public entities from providing their students the opportunity to learn in a diverse environment. It would ban all public educational outreach programs that attempt to increase girls' interest and participation in sports or professions in which they are traditionally under-represented, such as business, medicine, and engineering. It would prohibit all public scholarships that are geared toward increasing women or minority participation in various educational fields and professions. It would eliminate public programs that seek to encourage men to enter fields in which they are under-represented, such as in elementary education. I could go on and on. It is important to realize that if the MCRI is enacted, we will see a radical change in our collective ability to provide equal opportunity to all of our citizens and residents. MCRI is funded by out-of-state conservative interests. The MCRI was floated and paid for primarily by out-of-state interests. Its primary proponent, Ward Connerlly, a resident of California, funded over 70% of the campaign with his own personal contributions and those of his conservative supporters, such as Rupert Murdoch (head of the FOX News empire) and the late Joseph Coors (beer baron known for championing conservative Republican causes). This is not a home-grown, grass roots effort. This is an effort by people who primarily live outside of Michigan. This is an effort by people who want to push it in other states and are using Michigan merely because it is easy to get ballot proposals started here. MCRI will prevent us from ensuring that every child in our state is provided an equal opportunity to learn and succeed in life. Creating equal opportunity does not equal treating everybody the same. If this were the case, we'd simply teach every child the same thing, and if they didn't get it, tough. They'd just fail. To provide equal opportunities to all, we must be permitted to take into consideration societal factors that impact the ability of various groups within our society to equitably access education, employment, public and private resources and more. We must be permitted the tools the assess the success of various groups and respond to the conditions that chronically cause them to fail to succeed or be under-represented in certain segments of our society. Nowhere is this more important than in our public schools. We have disparities between boys and girls and between races in many areas, including disciplinary infractions, educational achievement, involvement in sports, graduation rates and more. To actively vote to deprive our schools of the tools we need and use on a daily basis to ensure that all our children are prepared for the future and given an equal opportunity to learn would be a tragedy unlike anything in recent memory. Vote NO on Proposal 2. I urge you to vote against this ballot proposal. Join me, along with an enormous number of organizations, such as the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for Women, NAACP, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, and more in opposing the MCRI. Vote NO on 2 is the one thing Governor Granholm and Dick DeVos agree on. Voting for the MCRI will be a disaster for Michigan and for its citizens. Vote NO on Proposal 2. UPDATE: You can listen to my comments from the School Board meeting on this issue by clicking here (Quicktime required). If you don't have Quicktime, you can download it by right-clicking and then re-associating the file with whatever you use to listen to mp3s.

Weekend Getaway pt 2: Silver Lake Sand Dunes

BTW, if you missed yesterday's post, scroll on down to read it first. This one picks up where it left off :) The next morning, we slept in again, but this time we avoided the line and enjoyed a fairly quick breakfast. The plan: to drive over to the public access point of the dunes and hike to Lake Michigan! As we started our hike, I noticed a spectacular view of Silver Lake, so I put together one of my panoramas. If you click here, you will see the panorama, and if you click on the photo, it will expand further. Beware, however, the download is over 3 Megs, so it will take awhile. Our hike was fantastic. Though there were many ups and downs throughout the dunes, the rain from the night before made the sand more walkable than I'm accustomed to. It only took about 40 minutes to reach the water. Here's Meredith on the last stretch as we approach Lake Michigan: Once there, we couldn't avoid getting wet: The surf made beautiful lines in the sand, and I couldn't resist taking some pictures of them. The dots were ladybugs that apparently land in the water and then are washed up on the beach. Most of them are actually alive and moving along the sand. As we were leaving, we came across a huge decayed fish that was pretty much just bones: At that point, we need to get to Kalamazoo to pick up the girls. On our way out of town, we stopped at the Cherry Point Farm and Market and picked up some wonderful t-shirts, a cherry strudel, and other goodies. At the entrance, I noticed a very strange sign, and though I'm still not sure what exactly a fishboil is, no doubt Meredith can enlighten you ;) The trip could not have been better. We both had a fabulous time! We are thinking of taking our families there next summer, which would be a blast. :)

Weekend Getaway pt 1: Silver Lake Sand Dunes

Meredith and I celebrated her 36th birthday by getting away from it all. We chose Silver Lake, near Shelby and Hart, MI. Meredith and her friends travel there frequently in the summertime, and I used to go there every summer as a kid for more than a decade. My family used to vacation at a resort called Floradale, which had organized activities, family activities, an enormous amphibious vehicle called the Duck Boat and more. The last time I was there was probably about 25 years ago. It seemed like a good place for us to visit together. We arrived after dropping my children off with their mother in Kalamazoo. Unfortunately, it was quite late, so we went out for pizza and then went to sleep. The next morning, we slept in. After waiting in line at the best place in town for breakfast and enjoying a delicious meal, we decided to go for a walk. I was amazed about how much the place hadn't changed. Though there was definitely some development, the overall character and appearance was as I remembered it. After about a half hour of walking, we had to turn back because it was raining. So instead, we elected to drive to the Little Sable Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan. When we arrived, we were delighted to discover that for the first time in about 50 years, the lighthouse is open to the public. It has been mostly restored, and you can enter for a nominal fee and climb to the top. We of course took advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After the long climb to the top, Meredith and I traded taking pictures of one another, me by the turning light mechanism, and her outside. And then I took some shots of the beach from up high. After the lighthouse, we decided to go on a dune buggy ride. Now, mind you, this isn't just any dune buggy ride. This is Mac Woods Dune Rides, which is a family owned and operated business that's been around for something like 75 years. I remember Mac Woods, but he passed away sometime in the 80s. Though the buggies were all old when I used to ride, they had updated with a few Ford Trucks, but they obviously converted to evoke that old-time look and feel. We hopped on the ride and off we went on a 40-minute up and down tour of the dunes. One of the highlights of the trip is Mac Wood's exclusive entrance to the dunes, which is large enough to accommodate only the wheelbase of his buggies. It's called the Termite Bridge. Here's Meredith mentally preparing herself for the ride: On the ride, we stopped at Lake Michigan for a short break, and our driver, Doug, was kind enough to snap a wonderful picture of Meredith and I. Following the dune ride, we shopped for a bit in Pentwater, due north of Silver Lake, and then had dinner near our motel. We read books and were off to bed. Coming tomorrow: Our wonderful hike over the dunes to Lake Michigan.