Up North Progressive
Politics and commentary for Northern MichiganBlog Archives
Part of the beauty of Morel hunting in northern Michigan is the opportunity to enjoy the woods in spring. Usually this means looking at spring flowers, plants, trees budding and perhaps the glimpse of an animal. Usually humans make enough noise to warn wildlife it’s time to disappear. Such was the case with this little […]
Another Public Education Hit Piece Courtesy of Bill Gates and MLive.com: Education Trust Edition
Wednesday , 20, May 2015 Section 16 1 CommentKyle Feldscher tells a tale of horror and woe about to befall public education in Michigan if something isn’t done about it right now. According to his article, “Michigan risks falling behind traditionally low-achieving states in public education” a report shows Michigan’s children are achieving so poorly in public schools the state’s ranking could possibly […]
This is the view looking west toward the capital on Michigan Avenue as you pass by Omar’s strip club. The capital dome is getting a shiny coat of paint and repairs to the tune of $6.4 million. The last time expensive renovations happened at the capital was when Republican Governor John Engler was in office. […]
Voter’s Rejection of Proposal 1 About More Than Taxes
Wednesday , 6, May 2015 Nerd Problems 15 CommentsIn 2011, Rick Snyder talked about shared sacrifice and raised taxes on poor people, the elderly and the middle class. He slashed spending on schools and gave corporations a big tax cut because they’re the “job creators.” What do we have to show for this shared sacrifice? Crumbling roads, shuttered schools, “emergency management,” eliminated services, […]
Polls open at 7:00. You know what to do.
Michigan Republicans Adopt Resolution Demanding SCOTUS Respect States’ Rights: Anti-Marbury v. Madison Edition
Monday , 4, May 2015 LGBT Rights, Same Sex Marriage Leave a commentStraws, meet Clutching. Right-wing religious authoritarians in the United States are terrified because they know the end of treating same sex couples as second class citizens no longer is a matter of if, but when. Their ability to discriminate against people of the LGBT community makes them cry out they’re the ones being discriminated against. […]
Proposal 1 Will Be Defeated 2 To 1 On May 5 Latest Poll Predicts
Sunday , 3, May 2015 Nerd Problems Leave a commentIn an EPIC-MRA poll released on May 1, both likely voters and certain voters answered they would vote no on proposal 1 on May 5 by a margin of two to one against those who plan to vote yes. Proposal 1, if passed, would increase Michigan’s sales tax from 6% to 7%, and trigger ten […]
The Nerd’s Detroit School Plan is Politics As Usual: Detroit Teachers Fight Back
Thursday , 30, April 2015 Nerd Problems, Section 16 Leave a commentToday 18 Detroit Public Schools closed for the day as their teachers went to Lansing to protest the Nerd’s announcement of his latest plan to destroy public education in the city. The city’s public schools, after decades of constant attack from politicians and school reformers finally had enough and went to Lansing to let Snyder […]
Michigan Women’s Music Festival Ends After 40 Years
Thursday , 23, April 2015 Community, LGBT Rights, Michigan Women Leave a commentSince 1976 in a secluded wooded setting in Northern Michigan women from all over the world gathered to share space and music at the Michigan Women’s Music Festival. This haven for lesbian and feminist folk began for the purpose of creating women or womyn-only space where lesbian feminist issues could be discussed in a safe […]
Superintendent of Pine River Area Schools Speaks The Truth: Lansing Must Listen
Wednesday , 15, April 2015 Section 16 12 CommentsThe Up North Progressive Lives in the Pine River Area Schools District. Superintendent Matt Lukshaitis published this letter yesterday with the request to share everywhere. Honorable Gentlemen, So far, the M-STEP process is a painful invasion of teaching and learning and really, state testing has become an oxymoron. The testing process is not good for […]