Up North Progressive
Politics and commentary for Northern MichiganJim Page for 37th Michigan State Senate: Meet the Candidates 2018
Sunday , 2, September 2018 Candidates, Election 2018, Meet the Candidates 2018 Leave a comment
Michigan’s 37th State Senate District includes the counties of Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Luce, and Mackinac. It spans the Mackinac Bridge and has shoreline on both Lakes Michigan and Huron. It’s the district where Enbridge Line 5 lies in the Straits of Mackinac. The next Senator from this district is Jim Page of Sault Ste. Marie.
Page was born in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. He attended L’Anse Creuse High School North. In 1977 he joined the Marines and served 6 years. After finishing a degree in Science Education at Central Michigan University, he taught Computers and Math at schools in northern Michigan before settling in Sault Ste Marie, where he taught for 24 years. Page retired in 2010 and worked in retail at Kmart and Meijer. He proudly served as union steward for UCFW 951.
Issues Jim Page considers important for his campaign are shutting down Enbridge Line 5. He supports increased funding for public education and diversifying curriculum so students have more options for college prep or vocational education. He supports increasing the minimum wage and strengthening unions. Page also supports eliminating the senior tax that makes it harder for seniors to enjoy a good quality of life in Michigan. He would also restore tax credits that hardest hit the poor and working families when they were eliminated in 2011.
Endorsements for Jim Page include the MEA, Woman2Woman Traverse City, Planned Parenthood of Michigan, UAW Northern Michigan CAP Council, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 951, Clean Water Action Michigan, Indivisible Central UP, Moms Demand Action, and Sierra Club Michigan Chapter.
To learn more about Jim Page visit his website and Facebook page. There, you can learn more about the issues he supports, volunteer and contribute to his campaign to put people first in Michigan on November 6.
Joe Weir for 36th Michigan State Senate: Meet the Candidates 2018
Saturday , 1, September 2018 Candidates, Election 2018, Meet the Candidates 2018 3 Comments
Michigan’s 36th State Senate District stretches along the northeastern shore of the Lower Peninsula with the counties of Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Gladwin, Iosco,Midland, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle. The Democratic Party candidate for this district is Joe Weir of Midland.
Weir is originally from Minnesota. After receiving his degree in Chemical Engineering he moved to Midland and worked in Research and Development for Dow Chemical. He married his high school sweetheart, Cindy and raised two children in Midland. Joe and Cindy are proud grandparents as well.
Issues important to Weir include removing Enbridge Line 5, ending gerrymandering in the state of Michigan so all votes count in elections, renewable energy sources. Joe Weir supports a $12.00 minimum wage, returning the Earned Income Credit and restoring collective bargaining rights.
Endorsements for Joe Weir include the UAW Northern Michigan CAP Council, Michigan AFL-CIO, the MEA, Kathy May, Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and SEIU,
To learn more about Joe Weir, visit his website and Facebook page.
Mike Taillard for 35th Michigan State Senate: Meet the Candidates 2018
Friday , 31, August 2018 Candidates, Election 2018, Meet the Candidates 2018 Leave a comment
The 35th State Senate District in Michigan includes a whopping 12 counties in Northern Michigan: Benzie, Crawford, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Roscommon and Wexford. The next State Senator to represent the district is Mike Taillard. A resident of Beulah where he raises his 4 children with his wife, Ashley. Mike Taillard is a veteran, economist, consultant and entrepreneur. With a focus on education and economic consulting, Taillard will bring a unique perspective to state government. Taillard is also a published author of several books on economics, corporate finance, and modern warfare.
Taillard outlines ten issues that he will focus on when he represents the people of the 35th State Senate district in Lansing. Among those are universal health care, legal marijuana, education reform that matches modern job skills needed today, Mike Taillard believes technology is the key to updating Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure. He supports renewable energy sources and upgrading broadband internet throughout the state. On Marijuana, Taillard would work to make medical marijuana accessible in pharmacies and supports legal marijuana for people ages 21 and over. Mike Taillard supports repealing the Dickey and Tiahrt amendments that prohibits vital data on gun sales and gun violence, making it impossible to address gun violence without knowing the impact on American society.
Endorsements for Mike Taillard include the Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee, Mason, Kalkaska, Lake, and Ogema County Democratic Parties. Crystal Cafe, St. Ambrose Cellars, Sleeping Bear Farms, and Brengman Brothers and Crain Hill Vineyard. The Sierra Club, Michigan Association of Justice, LiUNA local 1098, AFSCME Council 25, OE Local 324, Equality Michigan, LEAP Forward, Michigan NORML, American Legion 9th District Commander Randy Gilbert, Chef Tony Matta, D.O.M. Brewing, and Indivisible NW4MI.
To learn more about Mike Taillard and his plans for the people of the 35th State Senate District. Visit his website and Facebook page. The last day to register to vote is October 9. Please make sure you are able to vote for Mike Taillard on November 6, 2018.
Mark Bignell for 33rd Michigan State Senate: Meet the Candidates 2018
Thursday , 30, August 2018 Election 2018, Enbridge Line 5, Meet the Candidates 2018 Leave a comment
Michigan’s 33rd State Senate District is made up of the counties of Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, and Montcalm. The next senator to represent that district is Mark Bignell of Greenville. Mark was born in Sheridan, raised in Palo, and graduated from Ionia High School in 1999. He currently works as a truck driver and raises three children with his wife, Melissa.
Bignell attended Baker College, Montcalm Community College, and Grand Valley State University. He graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Accounting. Due to rising tuition and financial aid caps, Mark Bignell wasn’t able to earn his Bachelor’s degree. His family also fell on hard financial times and spent a brief amount of time homeless.
Mark Bignell understands the struggles people of his generation face today struggling for the American dream. The issues he is focused on reflect that struggle. He favors education reform in the form of free tuition for community college, a moratorium on standardized testing and abolishing homework. Bignell also supports decriminalizing marijuana, making the minimum wage a living wage, and restoring prevailing wage. Tipped wages should be eliminated and those earners should earn the same wages as everyone else. Bignell supports decommissioning Line 5 and protecting Michigan’s natural resources from predatory corporations making a profit. Finally, Mark Bignell supports universal health care as a right.
Endorsements fo Mark Bignell include AFSCME Local 23, the UAW, Michigan AFL-CIO, MRCCM, PPAM, Progressive Caucus of MDP, Turn Michigan Blue, PORP, Our Revolution, Women for Justice, Run for Something, DUH!, CWAC, LiUNA! Local 1098, Mom’s Demand Action, Kentiel White, Jason Noble, Our Revolution, and The Progressive Ballot.
To find out more about Mark Bignell’s Blue Collar Revolution and volunteer, visit his website. Remember on November 6th to vote for Mark Bignell for the 33rd State Senate.
Poppy Sias-Hernandez for 34th Michigan State Senate: Meet the Candidates 2018
Saturday , 25, August 2018 Candidates, Elections, Environment, Flint Water, Meet the Candidates 2018, Michigan Women, Nestlé Leave a comment
The 34th State Senate District includes the counties of Muskegon, Oceana, and Newaygo Counties. The next senator to represent the people of that district is Poppy Sias-Hernandez. Poppy lives in Muskegon with her husband and two children.
Poppy Sias-Hernandez attended The College of Marin, earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California Berkley and received her Master’s from Western Michigan University. She works as a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist and also runs an organization called “Good for Youth”. She works in her community as a change management consultant.
Issues Sias-Hernandez prioritizes supporting public education and a workforce where fair wages support the economy, both things are the backbone of a thriving community. She supports protecting the Great Lakes, ending the corporate exploitation of water resources for profit and and supporting sustainable renewable energy. Quality, affordable public health is also an issue Sias-Hernandez knows is vitally important for the community health of Michigan. In Lansing, she will work to provide support for these issues for the people of the 34th District
Endorsements for Poppy Sias-Hernandez include Flippable, the UAW, Retired Muskegon County Sheriff Bob Carter, Former Muskegon County Commissioner Jeff Lohman, Former State Representative for the 92nd State House District Julie Dennis, Muskegon Township Supervisor Jennifer Plummer-Hernandez, Muskegon Heights City Council Member Andre Williams, Muskegon Public Schools Board of Education members, and Candidate for United States Congress Dr. Rob Davidson.
To learn more about Poppy Sias-Hernandez and get involved with making her the next state senator for the 34th District, visit her website and Facebook page. There you can connect with Poppy, learn more about her and why she’s campaigning, and volunteer to help her win her election on November 6, 2018.
Dan Kildee for Michigan’s U.S. House District 5: Meet the Candidates 2018
Thursday , 23, August 2018 Candidates, Election 2018, Flint Water, Meet the Candidates 2018 Leave a comment
Dan Kildee represents the people of Michigan’s 5th Congressional District – a job he has done well since 2013. The Flint native continues to fight for the people of his district. On November 6 he needs your vote to continue that fight.
Kildee is a Flint native. He attended Flint Northern High School and earned a degree in Community Development Administration from Central Michigan University. He is married with three children. Kildee was 18 years old when he served on the Flint Board of Education in 1977. After that, he held office on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners and as Genesee County Treasurer from 2000 to 2008. In 2002 Kildee founded the Land Bank with the purpose of redeveloping neighborhoods in cities. When his uncle, Dale Kildee announced his retirement Dan Kildee ran for his seat in 2012.
Kildee’s district includes the City of Flint. He has been a strong voice for the people after Governor Rick Snyder’s appointed emergency manager ordered the switch from the Detroit water system to the Flint River as the city’s water source. Rick Snyder will finish his final term as governor without being held responsible for the devastation he caused the city of Flint. Congressman Kildee will be needed in Michigan and Washington DC to continue working towards restoring clean drinking water in Flint – something that has yet to happen after 4 years of Flint resident living with the crisis.
Dan Kildee will continue to work in Washington representing the people of the Fifth District and fighting for the issues most important to all Americans: Jobs, improving K-12 and higher education, healthcare, and protecting the environment. Endorsements and recognition for Dan Kildee include the Sierra Club, The MEA, Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Wheelrights, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, AFSCME, and the AFL-CIO.
The people of the 5th District must send Dan Kildee back to Washington DC on November 6, 2018, To learn more about Congressman Kildee, visit his campaign website.
Why Gary Glenn Won’t Be Doing Number Two in the State House Anymore
Monday , 20, August 2018 Community, Election 2018, LGBT Rights, Religious Fundamentalism Leave a comment
What happens when you’re a two-bit sleazy grifting career politician ranked number two most conservative in the state house but you need fresh money meat to dupe into voting for you, and you fail? Blame everybody but yourself of course! Career political homophobe Gary Glenn (R-No More Foxhole For You!) lost his August 7 primary to Kevin Daley, a Republican who’s obviously lived in Bay County longer than Gary Glenn, and is adamant the only reason he could have possibly lost was because of the big bad power companies in Michigan.
“Let me be clear. I have no regrets. No thought has or will enter my mind that if I’d only been quieter or less confrontational about the free market principles that I believe should apply throughout our economy, maybe the big bad utility monopolies wouldn’t have come gunning for me. Far from it. I’m flattered that they thought me that big a threat to their current monopoly scheme.”
Gary Glenn decided to run for State Senate but the 36th State Senate District already has an incumbent Republican running, so he picked up and moved down the road to Bay City which is in the 31st State Senate District thanks to Republican gerrymandering. Gary Glenn thinks Consumers Energy and DTE spiked his primary campaign by creating super PAC front groups to fund with their dark money.
Glenn’s claim that Michigan’s energy companies have it out for him is because while he was doing number two in the state house, he introduced House Bill 4220: A bill designed to allow the regions of the state Consumers Energy and DTE provide power to per PA 3 of 1939 be opened up to any fly-by-night power company that feels like coming to Michigan and setting up shop. Oh and no smart meters because they cause cancer or hack the Gibson or give you headaches or something. The only problem with this cunning “free market” plan is everywhere else this has been tried has resulted in more expensive electricity and less of it. Residents of northern Michigan like Up North Progressive rely on an energy cooperative for electricity and if Gary Glenn’s bill passed, would put large parts of northern Michigan in the dark. Remember Enron?
If it’s true the power companies have it out for Gary Glenn to the point they’re funneling money into campaigns to keep him out of office, then it’s very likely Republicans in Michigan are starting to feel the same way about him as Republicans in Idaho. How much did they dislike Gary Glenn in Idaho? When he came up for re-election for Ada County Commissioner, they voted for the Democratic Party candidate instead.
So who is the Republican candidate running for Glenn’s former seat in the 98th State House District? The Missus! Moving to Bay City didn’t change the state house district thanks to Republican Gerrymandering, so a Glenn can still run for the 98th State House. This is why it’s important to vote for Sarah Schultz on November 6th and stop the Glenn family from doing number two in Michigan’s state government.
Make sure you also vote for Cynthia Luczak for 31st State Senate and Joe Weir for 36th State Senate on November 6th.
Jerry Hilliard for Michigan’s U.S. House District 4: Meet the Candidates 2018
Wednesday , 15, August 2018 Election 2018, Gerrymandering The Vote, Meet the Candidates 2018 1 Comment
The next US Congressman to represent the people of Michigan’s fourth district is Jerry Hilliard. Hilliard was born in Mid-Michigan and attended Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan – Flint Campus where he earned degrees in Business, Biology, Physical Education, and his MBA. Jerry Hilliard has worked in both private and public sectors. He worked for Nabisco and taught Business and Economics at Whittemore-Prescott High School and in Virginia.
Progressive issues Jerry Hilliard will fight for include Medicare for all. Too many people, especially young parents with children don’t have health care in Michigan and can’t afford it with the low-paying jobs Michigan is only capable of producing under Republican control. Hilliard also supports the policies of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the legalization of marijuana, a fair minimum wage and protecting the rights of LGBT citizens.
Currently, Jerry Hilliard is endorsed by the Michigan AFL-CIO and the AFT.
To find out more about Jerry Hilliard’s campaign, visit his website and sign up to get involved. The 4th US Congressional district is a large one originally gerrymandered with direct input from former Republican US Congressman Dave Camp. Jerry Hilliard is a progressive who will make things better for the people living in the 4th District. Let him know he has your support and your vote on November 6, 2018.
Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Seeks Feedback for Number Crunching Study to Make Health Care Less Expensive from the People Who Make Health Care More Expensive
Monday , 13, August 2018 Election 2018, Obamacare Leave a comment
The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (MIDIFS) asked for innovative ideas on how to stabilize and lower costs on health insurance in Michigan today. Who are they asking? The presidents and CEO’s of health insurance companies.
The state budget for 2019 provides for an actuarial study to implement a state innovation waiver provided in Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act. This act makes it possible to apply for a waiver for certain parts of our federal health insurance law to make health care less expensive.
And somehow MIDIFS thinks the people who pay out millions of dollars in lobbying fees to Michigan politicians have the answers. According to MIDIFS Director Patrick McPharin:
“While the most common waiver sought has been for some form of a reinsurance program, there are other programs states could pursue. I am asking these insurers to submit their recommendations on a potential reinsurance program, and any other waiver ideas they think DIFS should study.”
Reinsurance if you’re wondering is insurance for insurance companies to provide health coverage to previously uninsured patients without driving up the cost of premiums for everyone else – a practice pre-ACA insurance companies indulged in because it made more money for the insurance companies’ shareholders and CEOs. Reinsurance coverage was included in the ACA temporarily until 2016. In 2017, when the money that was supposed to be provided to the reinsurance program fell short, the Republicans in Congress made sure shortfalls were paid to the US Treasury like they were supposed to and the reinsurance program floundered from underfunding. And as we all know, premiums are bounding up higher. When Republicans tried to repeal and replace Obamacare, one of the things they included in their new cheaper but better health care plan was continuing the reinsurance program for health insurance companies.
Asking insurance company CEO’s how to fix the rising cost of health insurance is much like asking defense industry contractors the best way to lower the cost of defense spending. What if MIDIFS were to ask someone other than the people getting rich off of an industry how to lower costs? Perhaps they could ask doctors, or nurses, or other medical care professionals who are just as frustrated with our for-profit health care system as patients.
Whatever decision is made, there will be a future public comment period for the rest of us to let MIDIFS and the insurance companies know just how much we appreciate the rising cost of health insurance in Michigan. In the meantime, you can let your opinion be known this November 6, 2018, when you vote for candidates supporting single-payer Medicare for all.
Dr. Rob Davidson for Michigan’s U.S. House District 2: Meet the Candidates 2018
Monday , 13, August 2018 Election 2018, Meet the Candidates 2018 Leave a comment
February 25, 2017, was the first day of Michigan’s next congressman from the second district’s campaign. Dr. Robert Davidson stood up from the crowd occupying the bleachers of Baldwin High School in Baldwin, Michigan, and for 15 minutes debated with DeVos-funded Republican Bill Huizenga on the truth about market-based health insurance versus single-payer health care. People urged him to run for office, and the wonderful news is, he did.
Dr. Rob Davidson is a Michigan native. He attended Kalamazoo College and completed medical school at Michigan State University. After finishing his education in emergency medicine in Maine, he and his wife returned to Michigan and settled in Spring Lake, Michigan, where they raise three children. Dr. Rob Davidson works as an Emergency Room physician for Spectrum Health in western Michigan. He also serves on the Spring Lake School Board.
Dr. Rob’s primary campaign issue is health care. Since that snowy day in February of 2017 when he took on his opponent and easily dominated the debate on why market-based solutions to health care don’t work, Dr. Rob shares his experiences as an emergency room doctor dealing with people who need life-saving care, yet balk at receiving it because of the cost. Medicare for everyone will help Americans make health care choices based on need rather than dollars. Dr. Rob supports allowing veterans the right to choose where they receive their care outside of the VHA if necessary. He also wants to see the VHA restructured into a nonprofit organization and improve mental health care.
Endorsements for Dr. Rob Davidson include the Indivisible Project, Sierra Club, the MEA, the NEA, the AFT, The ALF-CIO, the UAW, Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, SEIU, Operating Engineers Local 324, Sheet Metal Workers Local 7, IBEW 275, Pipefitters, Plumbers and Service Trades Union 174, West Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council, AFSCME, AFGE, PWA, Women for Justice, Progressive Democratic Women’s Caucus of Muskegon, Brand New Congress, Justice Democrats, Demand Universal Healthcare, Our Revolution Grand Rapids, Clinicians for Progressive Care, Lake County Democratic Party, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
To see other issues important to Rob Davidson and get involved with his campaign, visit his website. Dr. Rob Davidson as the next Congressman serving the 2nd District will listen to people not deep pockets. Dr. Rob accepts no donations from super PACs or corporate donors, so he will be representing us when he gets to Washington DC in 2019. Vote for Dr. Rob Davidson on November 6, 2018.
