Up North Progressive
Politics and commentary for Northern MichiganBlog Archives
That Moment In The Story When The Hero Finds Proof of The Villain’s Evil Plan: Richard D. McLellan’s 1990 Notes On School Choice
Monday , 23, March 2015 Section 16 7 CommentsIn Michigan, one of the first instances of school choice happened in the 1970s when Jack Hoekstra, president of the Kalamazoo School Board, tried to stop desegregation of Kalamazoo Public Schools by allowing parents to choose the school they wanted their kids to attend with the condition they were responsible for transportation. School choice has […]
An Open Letter To Our New State Superintendent of Education Brian Whiston
Sunday , 22, March 2015 Section 16 5 CommentsCongratulations on being selected for the important position of State Superintendent of Education. You have entered into a position where there are many old and new challenges to face. Public education in Michigan faces constant attacks from both the state and corporate education reformers, often working together to take our schools out of the hands […]
Graymont Makes Third Offer for 10,000 Acres of State Owned Land: You Still Have Time To Contact The DNR
Tuesday , 10, March 2015 DNR, Environment 17 CommentsOn March 6, 2015, British Columbia-based limestone company Graymont submitted a third revised proposal to purchase 10,000 acres of state forest land that spans three Upper Peninsula counties. The royalty for the limestone is still 30 cents per ton. Changes to the proposal include the value of the timber on the land in the price, […]
A Special Kind of Stupid: @Todd_Courser @GaryGlennUS @CindyGamrat and the Obtuse Electoral Vote-Rigging Bill
Sunday , 8, March 2015 Presidential Primary 2016, Tea Party, Tealiban 4 CommentsBack in November Pete Lund came up with a really bad idea. Let’s split the electoral votes Michigan has in the presidential election between the winner and runner up. That way, the state becomes even more irrelevant to candidates who need to win the most electoral votes to make it to the 270 finish line […]
Our Christian School Was Never A Christian School: Isn’t Lying One of the Thou Shalt Nots?
Tuesday , 3, March 2015 Section 16 2 CommentsYesterday Jay McNally of American Christian Academy American Classical Academy Lindbom Classical Academy Livingston Classical Academy wrote a rebuttal to Eclectablog after a series of articles were published on the blog reporting the treatment of Glenn and Sue Ellen Ikens after they tried to enter the Lindbom Elementary School last Saturday for an “open to […]
Both of These Are Just Like The Other: Both of These Do Not Belong
Wednesday , 25, February 2015 Michigan Women Leave a commentAt the same time HB 4147, the bill that requires public schools to allow all and any form of public religious expression to take place anywhere and any time on school property was introduced, another house bill, HB 4140 was sponsored and sent to committee. This bill is just as ridiculous, but for completely different […]
Michigan Companies Enjoying Snyder Tax Cuts Donate $3.2M To Tell Taxpayers To Vote Against Their Own Interests
Wednesday , 18, February 2015 Nerd Problems 46 CommentsOn May 5, 2015 Michigan voters will be asked to vote yes or no on a proposal to raise the Michigan Sales Tax from 6% to 7% to fund road repairs, and bring with it a long line of other tax increases. Governor Snyder cut taxes on Michigan businesses in 2011 while raising taxes on […]
Why Does Tom Casperson Hate Nature?
Monday , 16, February 2015 DNR, Environment, Wolf Hunt Leave a commentMichigan State Senator Tom Casperson recently pushed through a resolution meant to take wolves off of the endangered species list. Again. Wolves were returned to that list in December, 2014, after Michigan voters soundly defeated two ballot initiatives to stop wolf hunting in the state. As is the norm for Republicans in the 21st century, […]
Please Support House Bill 4147 And Radically Change Our Public Schools
Saturday , 14, February 2015 Section 16 Leave a commentEvery week, the Up North Progressive’s email inbox receives a list of bills introduced to the Michigan state legislature. This week, the Michigan House wants to make teaching Reading, Writing, and Math illegal with HB 4143. They also don’t want Michigan schools teaching Science either. The Michigan House also believes they need to tell women […]
DNR Natural Resources Commission Meeting Set For March 19 In Roscommon
Tuesday , 17, March 2015 Up North Progressive Community, DNR, Environment Leave a commentOn Thursday, March 19, 2015, The DNR Natural Resources Commission will hold it’s monthly meeting in Roscommon at the Ralph A. Macmullan Conference Center. The agenda for the meeting begins at 10:00 and continues through the day until Keith Creagh will announce his final decision on the Graymont purchase of 10,000 acres in the Upper […]