Up North Progressive
Politics and commentary for Northern Michigan
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OOPS All Grift! Taxpayers Pay $19 Million for Betsy DeVos’s Superfluous Armed Security
Friday , 16, November 2018 Sad! Leave a comment
Trump promised to drain the swamp when he went to Washington. So far, the swamp has been relocated to his cabinet and gradually draining back into their civilian jobs. The most recent kicked to the curb was Attorney General Jeff “Keebler lost an elf” Sessions. Currently, scrutiny over Ryan Zinke’s undocumented meetings on company time and $12k charter flights on oil company jets have caused the public to grumble about the grifting interior secretary.
And now comes Betsy “I buy political influence and you’ll like it or else” DeVos.
Michigan has put up with the DeVos family for decades throwing money at politicians in Lansing to buy whatever they want in the state. Our once national standard of excellence public education system has been ground into the dirt thanks to Betsy DeVos’s one-woman crusade against Michigan’s public schools. From writing checks to buy lifting caps on for-profit charter schools to writing checks to get right to work passed to writing checks to decimate the school system in Detroit, Betsy whips out her checkbook whenever she wants something.
Except when it comes to her round-the-clock U.S. Marshal-supplied personal security. In this case, its the taxpayers footing the bill.
You would think a woman who owns ten yachts, 4 private jets, a helicopter, property all over the world, a husband who’s chairman of the board of a large health network in Michigan, and a summer lake cottage best described as the architectural whore of babylon would be able to pay for all the security she needs out of pocket. Not a chance.
No secretary of education has ever required the level of personal security Betsy DeVos enjoys. The Department of Education in its 40 years has never had anyone like Betsy DeVos in charge either. Betsy today still works to make it much easier for sexual predators to get away with it and harder for students scammed by for-profit colleges to get their money back. Her plan to get national school vouchers is still in the future. So why does Betsy feel so insecure?
What she needs this protection for is unknown, since as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos avoids visiting schools like she avoids having empathy for other human beings. Scott Pruitt’s 4 million in security pales. Ben Carson’s expensive dining set is pocket change. Perhaps it’s concern over suggesting allowing ICE into schools looking for illegal immigrants, or her guns not grizzly bears campaign, or making it harder for rape victims to bring sexual predators to justice.
If Betsy feels she deserves this much money just for security, what else does she think it’s the taxpayers’ job to provide her. If she’s not careful, she might outspend Trump and that could make him jealous.
Betsy has drained the Michigan taxpayers to fund corporate grift in Michigan’s public education system for decades. Now she’s in Washington and enjoying a true level of bilking taxpayers she could never imagine in Michigan.
Happy Michigan Deer Season 2018: Don’t Eat the Deer Within 5 Miles of Clark’s Marsh in Oscoda
Tuesday , 13, November 2018 Environment Leave a comment
Less than 48 hours until the state’s largest standing army moves into the forests and fields of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a warning to anyone hunting within 5 miles of Clark’s Marsh in Oscoda to not eat the meat from the deer they kill due to elevated levels of PFOs, a variant of PFAs found in samples of tested deer living within two miles of the marsh. They also advise people to not eat kidneys or liver of any deer due to internal organs storing PFA’s.
PFAs became a concern in Michigan after the revelation the MDEQ knew six years ago PFA contamination in the state’s water supply was a serious health threat, yet refused to inform the public there was any problem. Communities all over the state have been tested and found dangerous levels of PFAs exist in the drinking water supply. Parchment, Michigan, issued a bottle water advisory due to high levels of PFAs.
The state so far has tested fish and deer, but have not tested any livestock.
The source of the contamination of Clark’s Marsh is the US Air Force Base in Oscoda. The MDEQ has issued two violation notices against the USAF for the contamination of Clark’s Marsh. The Air Force continues to work on pumping and cleaning contaminated groundwater, but they fell behind their goal in 2017. The fire retardant foam used by airports to put out fires is the likely source of contamination in Clark’s Marsh.
128 deer were tested in different parts of the state. The one deer tested within two miles of Clark’s Marsh was the only deer with elevated levels. There are plans to begin PFAs testing on other game in Michigan in the future. The MDHHS advises everyone to visit the Michigan.gov website and read the information provided on the Eat Safe Fish and Game page.
Polls Are Open What Are You Waiting For #ElectionDay
Tuesday , 6, November 2018 Election 2018 Leave a comment
PLEASE VOTE TODAY
Runnin’ Scared: The Huizenga Sleaze Train Makes a Stop in Ludington on Election Day Eve
Monday , 5, November 2018 Election 2018 Leave a comment
How do you know an incumbent career politician is running scared over his ability to hold his seat in the US House of Representatives the day before an election? He sends his staff off to the back forty of his district where he seldom if ever treads and in a last-ditch effort to scare people into voting for him, spreads lies about his opponent, Dr. Rob Davidson. Huizenga’s staff came to Ludington, Michigan, and passed out fliers around downtown the late afternoon of November 5th claiming that Rob Davidson wanted to shut down the SS Badger over the boat dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan.
HUIZENGA STANDS UP FOR THE BADGER, LUDINGTON, OPPORTUNITY
The S.S. Badger is under attack again. This time from a candidate actually running to represent us here in Ludington. Bill Huizenga’s opponent, in a recent debate in Newaygo, made disparaging remarks about the Badger, and the ship’s recent fight with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stay in business.
He clearly must not know what the S.S. Badger means to the Ludington community. The S.S. Badger contributes $21 million annually to the Ludington economy. Losing this would not only devastate our entire community but would have negative repercussions throughout West Michigan. Not to mention, the S.S. Badger employs over 200 people. It is startling to see a candidate with such disregard for potential constituents’ jobs and our economic well-being.
Bill Huizenga has always stood up for the Badger and Ludington. When the EPA tried to shut the Badger down, he fought for a solution. In 2013, the S.S. Badger signed a Consent Decree agreement with the Department of Justice and the EPA allowing the ship to continue to operate. It’s unfortunate that Bill Huizenga’s opponent appears to be just as misguided as the EPA bureaucrats who tried to shut down the S.S. Badger not based on scientific facts but rather only trying to advance a partisan agenda. Bill was also instrumental in getting the S.S. Badger named as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service further protecting it from future EPA attacks.
For this and numerous other reasons, I will again be voting for Bill Huizenga for Congress on November 6th. I hope you will join me in supporting a candidate that is working to help our community prosper and not a candidate that shows clear contempt for one of Ludington’s most important economic and cultural landmarks.
Joe Lenius
This letter to the editor appeared in the Ludington Daily News on Friday, October 26th.
First, some facts about the SS Badger:
- The SS Badger is a car ferry shuttling vehicles and passengers between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The boat is a section of US Highway 10.
- The SS Badger has been in operation on Lake Michigan for the past 65 years.
- The SS Badger can carry vehicles as large as a semi-tractor trailer. It can hold 180 cars
- It is the only coal-fueled ship in operation in the United States.
- The SS Badger generates $35 million in revenue every year for Ludington, MI, and Manitowoc, WI.
- The SS Badger is a National Historic Landmark.
In 2011 the EPA required the company operating the SS Badger to stop dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan. Coal ash is the waste product of spent coal. Coal ash contains toxins like cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and depending on the coal, other hazardous substances. People exposed to water containing coal ash can become susceptible to diseases like cancer. The EPA also required the Badger to pay $25,000 in fines and required them to update the ship so it no longer dumped four tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan every single day it operated.
Lake Michigan Carferry, the owner of the SS Badger, went to Congress looking for help to stay in business with their coal-fueled boat. Bill Huizenga was more than happy to help. He helped with getting exemptions for the Badger from following EPA rules and the car ferry was declared a national historic landmark, which made it more difficult to enforce pollution laws on the boat.
During the debate held in Holland, Michigan, on October 30, 2018, Dr. Rob Davidson commended the SS Badger for efforts to stop dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan. His statement on finding different solutions in no way meant that the SS Badger should stop operating as a ferry across Lake Michigan. That Huizenga would use this statement with hours left before the election to scare people into voting for him shows he’s the one who’s afraid right now. Otherwise, why resort to such disgusting tactics.
Who is Joe Lenius? He currently serves the First Ward on the Ludington City Council.
Dr. Rob Davidson has no intention of taking away the SS Badger from Ludington, Michigan. Huizenga is using the methods of a desperate man to scare people into voting for him. Dr. Rob doesn’t need to scare anyone. He will listen to his constituents and do what they want. Vote for Dr. Rob Davidson tomorrow on November 6.
Election Day is almost here! Only one more day until we can vote for progressive candidates and change things for the better in Northern Michigan and the United States. There are lots of polls out there right now and Up North Progressive is going to ask you to please IGNORE ALL OF THEM. Polls are really good at convincing people they don’t need to get out and vote. Everybody needs to vote tomorrow.
If you’re not sure if you can vote or where you need to vote there are resources to help you. For Michigan voters, there’s the Secretary of State’s Voter Information Center where all of your voter questions can be answered and you can see what your ballot will look like when you go to the polls. Samantha Bee made these wonderful videos that also have voter information available with voting tips on election day. If you’re reading this and you don’t live in Michigan, Sam’s Soothing Voter Guides has resources and voting tips to help you out.
Some other things to remember for tomorrow:
- You don’t need a driver’s license to vote. Any picture ID such as a student ID, military ID, passports are all valid ID’s. If the poll workers hassle you, call 866-OUR-VOTE and report the issue.
- If for some reason you are not on the rolls, demand a provisional ballot. If you know you are registered you must be allowed to vote. After you vote, call 866-OUR-VOTE and report the issue.
- Pay close attention to instructions on Michigan’s new voting machines. They were first used during Michigan’s primary in August and there were problems. Check your paper receipt to ensure your selections are tabulated correctly before leaving. If there are any irregularities call 866-OUR-VOTE and report the issue.
- STAY IN LINE. If people are still waiting and the 8:00 PM closing time arrives, polling places are required to stay open until everyone has voted. If there are problems, call 866-OUR-VOTE and report the issue.
- The weather forecast for Michigan tomorrow is rain showers and gusty winds. Dress for the weather just in case you have to stand outside.
- Some county Democratic Parties and other organizations are offering free transportation to the polls tomorrow. Call your local Democratic Party office to see if this service is offered in your area. If you can give a friend a ride to the polls, please do!
This election is so important for Michigan. We have an opportunity to put progressive candidates into office who are interested in listening to the people of Michigan and working with us instead of against us.
Don’t forget the non-partisan portion of the ballot. and vote YES on all three ballot proposals. Proposal 2 will make our voting districts fair for all voters. Proposal 3 will make it much easier to register and vote in future elections.
Happy Election Day!
Remember to Vote for These Progressive Candidates on November 6, 2018: Secretary of State, Attorney General, and State Supreme Court
Sunday , 4, November 2018 Candidates, Election 2018, Meet the Candidates 2018 Leave a commentBesides Governor, House of Representatives, Senate, State Senate, and Legislature, there are other important elections happening on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. It’s been shown that many people forget to vote down their ballot for the rest of the candidates listed, and some skip nonpartisan sections completely because they’re not sure who to vote for. Here’s the progressive slate endorsed by Up North Progressive.
Our new Secretary of State will be Jocelyn Benson. Her professional career includes Dean of Wayne State University Law School and CEO of RISE. She serves on the board for the award-winning civics curriculum iCivics founded by Sandra Day O’Connor, and she’s also authored a book about the importance of Secretaries of State defending the democratic process.
Jocelyn Benson’s Secretary of State office will provide a 30-minute guarantee for all license and registration renewals, stop fee increases, provide more comprehensive election security and protect voters rights, and work to raise Michigan’s dead last ranking in the country on government transparency.
Dana Nessel is a champion for Civil Rights and as our next Attorney General will return the office to its proper role of fighting for the people of Michigan. Dana Nessel worked for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. She started her own practice in 2005 where she defended indigent defendants and handled Civil Rights cases. In 2012 she was counsel for the Deboer v. Snyder case to make it legal for same-sex couples to marry. Nessel along with other cases went before the United States Supreme Court and successfully fought for same-sex marriage to become law in the United States.
Civil Rights, defending labor unions, and protecting senior citizens will be the focus of the office of Attorney General when she is elected. She will also work to shut down Enbridge Line 5, legalize and regulate marijuana, and go after companies that fraud consumers.
On the non-partisan portion of the ballot, Michigan voters will have the opportunity to elect two progressive candidates to the Michigan Supreme Court. They are Megan Kathleen Cavanagh and Samuel Bagenstos.
Megan Kathleen Cavanagh is an experienced appellate attorney. She has served on the Appellate Practice Section and Negligence Section of the State Bar of Michigan. She is also a member of the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission. Cavanagh has worked for over 15 years as an appellate attorney. Coming from a family dedicated to public service. She will bring her experience to the State Supreme Court to keep it honest and fair and works for the people of the State of Michigan. She will approach her term on the bench with Compassion and Credibility.
Samuel Bagenstos currently works as a Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. His prior experience includes working for the United States Department of Justice working under President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. He also served as a law clerk under United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Bagenstos in his career has been a champion of Civil Rights. His work in Michigan includes defending residents in Flint for injuries caused by the water crisis, defending women’s rights, and voting rights.
Make sure on November 6, 2018, you vote for these candidates on your ballot. Their progressive approach to their offices will make Michigan a safer, compassionate, and more transparent place for people to work and live.
@MIGOP the Party of Lies: Annette Glenn Takes a Page From Her Husband’s Campaign Playbook With Fake @MIPOAM Endorsement
Friday , 2, November 2018 Candidates, Election 2018 Leave a comment
It’s certainly not on the same level as dead movie stars rising from the grave to campaign for you or your 19-year-old campaign manager cooking up fake tales of it came from the internet to discredit your opponent, but this one is still pretty terrible.
Sarah Schulz, the next Representative of the 98th State House District, is endorsed by the Police Officers Association of Michigan, or POAM. Her Republican opponent, Annette Glenn, is not. This didn’t stop Annette Glenn or the Michigan Republican Party however from listing POAM as endorsing Annette Glenn on one of her recent fliers mailed out to everyone in the district.
POAM already issued a statement on the fraudulent claim:
“We didn’t endorse her, and her using our name improperly is offensive and more of a reason not to vote for Glenn.”
Indeed, why should any human being with even basic empathy vote for any member of the Glenn family ever again? They figured Gary Glenn out in deep red Idaho twenty years ago and voted for the Democratic candidate running against him for Ada County Commissioner. That’s how much they dislike Gary Glenn in Idaho today.
Annette Glenn appears to have the same moral compass as her husband. There is a process for receiving endorsements from organizations. Just printing POAM’s name on your flier is not how it’s done.
When it comes to politics comedy Gary Glenn and now his wife Annette are the gift that keeps on giving. The people of the 98th State House District can eliminate the Glenn legacy on November 6, 2018, when they vote for Sarah Schulz.
The Internet Pushes Dog Whistle Racism Mainstream and the @GOP and @MIGOP Embrace It
Sunday , 28, October 2018 Election 2018, Sad! Leave a commentI promise you that I’m much smarter than Jonathan Leibowitz – I mean Jon Stewart @TheDailyShow. Who, by the way, is totally overrated.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 24, 2013
Not even 24 hours after the MAGAbomber was captured in Plantation, Florida, an antisemite in Pittsburgh walked into a synagogue and murdered 11 people attending services. He even telegraphed this on right-wing social media:
Gab is the MAGA-loving Nazi version of Twitter. The social media platform appeared the beginning of 2018 when Trump lovers got mad Twitter purged all of their Russian bot “friends.” The site’s logo is a frog, and they declare the website promotes free speech, which means you can post the most racist, bigoted stuff you want and it’s all good.
Gab is a perfect example of how mainstream racism has become in the United States and just about every other predominantly white European country. The blatant in-your-face bigotry didn’t start with Trump however, it started happening much sooner.
Republicans in Congress killed a 2009 report by DHS looking into the threat of right-wing extremists. https://t.co/EbiiB602Gt
— Emily A. (@emzorbit) October 27, 2018
The Tea Party originally started by financial personalities like Rick Santelli angry over President Bush’s 2008 bank bailouts morphed into an openly racist movement against anything President Obama supported. Republicans quickly latched on to it to push their agenda. In 2010 and 2014 they were rewarded by gaining the majority in both houses of Congress and sweeping many Republican governors into state government. It was during this time names like George Soros became a mainstream dog whistle for every global Jewish conspiracy to control whatever it is white supremacists believe the global Jewish conspiracy controls. Racism fueled by hatred of President Obama and the fear that every Muslim on the planet is a bomb-wielding terrorist post 9/11 pushed growing hatred for everything that is not white, Christian and dominated by CIS males.
People are still trying to figure out what happened with the 2016 election, but that doesn’t change the fact that a racist sundowning narcissist currently sits in the White House. It also doesn’t change the obvious fact that the tea party has grown into the cult of Trump.
Trump supporters have no problem with violence. All of the people targeted by the MAGAbomber were people Trump enjoys ranting about at every rally he holds. His recent claim he’s a nationalist solidified with racists he’s one of them and everything they stand for. Blaming George Soros and globalists is how conservatives now attack the Democratic Party and the left whenever they make any headway in American politics. That progressive candidate is leading in the polls? George Soros must be paying for their campaign. The progressive candidates’ supporters outnumber the conservative candidates’ at a debate? They’re just people the progressive candidate brought with him to make it appear he’s more popular. Everyone knows these demonstrators are all paid George Soros actors.
And when ballot proposals gain favor in the polls it must be a globalist George Soros-funded plot to infiltrate the government.
Nothing but pure racist dog whistle for “globalist Jews will take over our government if the Democratic Party wins.” Think some fringe group paid for this flier? Check the bottom: Michigan Republican Party.
This rhetoric is fueled by the internet. From Pepe to kekistan to Qanon to red pilling and now the really obtuse NPC nonsense, all of this is where the real proliferation of hate takes place. Banning InfoWars and Alex Jones from the internet hasn’t stopped the spread of racism one bit.
Racists don’t have to hide anymore. Thanks to Trump being openly vocal about his bigotry, conservatives can come out of hiding and show their true character hood-free. Proud Boys in New York can openly beat up people on the street. Patriot Pride in Portland, Oregon, can stockpile weapons on the roof of buildings where they know demonstrations will take place, and the police will forget to mention that in their report for months. Homeless strippers can send pipe bombs through the mail to 12 people Trump loves to complain about at his rallies and a man in Pittsburgh actually critical of Trump not being nationalist enough walks into a synagogue and guns down 11 people on a Saturday morning.
Trump’s first response to the massacre that also left four police officers wounded? Blame the victims by saying if they had guns and armed guards, maybe they wouldn’t be dead now.
It’s time to stop with both sides need to dial it back rhetoric. The idea that people fighting against racism and bigotry is just as bad as the people fighting for racism and bigotry is the worst kind of false equivalencies. Trump is the top of the racism chain that legitimizes and promotes open racism in this country. The best way to put a stop to it is to get out and vote out of office the party of hate and bigotry – the Republican Party. Vote blue on November 6, 2018.
WATCH: Lee Chatfield’s 7-15-2018 Arrest Video After Attempting to Bring a Loaded Unregistered Firearm Through Airport Security
Friday , 26, October 2018 Candidates, Election 2018 6 Comments
Back on July 15, 2018, Lee Chatfield (R-Can’t Remember Where His Unregistered Loaded Guns Are) was arrested at Pellston Regional Airport after attempting to bring a loaded, unregistered firearm through airport security. Emmet County Prosecutor James Linderman didn’t press charges, and Progress Michigan reported in August that Linderman donated $625 to Chatfield’s campaign for re-election. Through a FOIA request, Progress Michigan published this video of Chatfield’s arrest.
In the video, you can hear the TSA agent inform Lee Chatfield that the County Prosecutor has a policy of not prosecuting people caught with unregistered firearms. They also tell Chatfield that he’s not going to jail, and assume the reason why the semi-automatic pistol isn’t in the registry is probably that the paperwork got lost. One interesting thing is the serial number on the gun raised some flags. Chatfield is then unhandcuffed so he doesn’t have to walk out in front of gawkers. The TSA agent jokes that Chatfield picked the right airport to bring a loaded unregistered firearm because if this had happened at any other airport TSA agents would have done their job and hauled him straight to jail.
Comforting to know the TSA in Northern Michigan think it’s cute they don’t have to do the job they were hired to do because of the County Prosecutor not doing the job he was elected to do.
Lee Chatfield plans on returning to the State House in January as the State Speaker of the House. You don’t have to put up with this; there is a candidate who is ready to go to Lansing and work for the issues that matter to you. Such as keeping people safe from 2nd Amendment fetishists like Lee Chatfield. Vote for Joanne Galloway on November 6, 2018. She’s endorsed by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, so you know she will make sure people like Lee Chatfield don’t get away with breaking federal law at your local airport.