"Steal the vote" plan coming to Michigan?
Some Republicans in the Michigan Legislature are pushing a plan that would award the state's electoral votes by congressional district, meaning a presidential candidate could win by a large margin but still lose the election.Here's how the scheme, championed by state Rep. Pete Lund, R-Shelby Township, would work: Instead of awarding the state's 16 electoral votes to the candidate who garnered the most votes across the state, candidates would receive one electoral vote for each congressional district he or she carried. As Michigan has 14 congressional districts, the remaining two votes would be given to the statewide winner.
Had this scheme been in place in last November's election, Mitt Romney would have won nine of Michigan's 16 electoral votes, despite losing the popular vote to President Barack Obama by 9.5 points.
Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, has signaled support for the measure.
"I hear that more and more from our citizens in various parts of the state of Michigan that they don't feel like their vote for president counts because another area of the state may dominate that or could sway their vote," Bolger told the Gongwer news service. "They feel closer to voting for their congressman or their congresswoman and if that vote coincided with their vote for president they would feel better about that."
What Bolger failed to mention, however, is that the state's gerrymandered congressional districts were drawn by him and Republican Party operatives.
"Michiganders cast over 240,000 more votes for Democratic congressional candidates than Republicans, but still elected a 9-5 Republican delegation to Congress," the Republican State Leadership Committee proudly pointed out in a report for its REDMAP gerrymandering project.
Project REDMAP is working on implementing similar schemes in other states, including Wisconsin and Ohio.
Gov. Rick Snyder said last week that he was "open-minded" to the idea and that 2013 "would be the best year" to consider it.
Snyder appeared to do an about-face in an interview this week with Bloomberg TV, saying: "I'm very skeptical of the idea and the time frame that would be done. We don't want to change the playing field so it's an unfair advantage to someone. And in a lot of ways, we want to make sure we're reflecting the vote of the people, and this could challenge that."
"I don't think this is the time to really look at it," Snyder added.
Of course, Michigan citizens know all too well what can happen when right-wing proposals aren't initially on the governor's "agenda."
Even the conservative Detroit News editorial board has come out against what it calls the "steal the vote" plan.
"Michigan has been a blue state in presidential elections for 25 years, but now some Republican lawmakers want to change the color to red without doing the hard work of changing votes," the Detroit News opined today. "Their shady attempt to steal an advantage voters won't give them ought to die a quick death."
Whether you're a Democrat, a Republican or an independent, "even the most partisan among us would have to agree this doesn't pass the fairness test," the Detroit News said.
Announcement of Film Selections
Focus on French Cinema 2013
February 1, 2013
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Thérèse Desqueyroux - Opening Night Film
Directed by Claude MillerGenre: Drama Screenplay: Claude Miller and Natalie Carter Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gilles Lellouche, and Anais Demoustier France French release November 2012 |
38 Witnesses
Directed by Lucas Belvaux
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Tango Libre
Directed by Frédéric Fonteyne |
War Witch
Directed by Kim Nguyen |
Granny's Funeral
Directed by Bruno Podalydès |
Renoir - Saturday Night Film
Directed by Gilles Bourdos |
Our Children
Directed by Joachim Lafosse |
Little Lion
Directed by Samuel Collardey |
Becoming Traviata
Directed by Philippe Béziat |
Welcome to Argentina
Directed by Édouard DelucGenre: Comedy, Road Movie Screenplay: Édouard Deluc, Thomas Lilti, Philippe Rebbot, and Anais Carpita Running Time: 1 hour 34 minutes Starring: Nicolas Duvauchelle, Philippe Rebbot, Gustavo Kamenetzky, and Paloma Contreras France French Release January 2013 Click Here for Synopsis
Click Here for Trailer
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You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet -
Directed by Alain Resnais
Genre: Fiction
Screenplay : Alex Réval and Laurent HerbietRunning Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Pierre Arditi, Sabine Azéma, Jean-Noël Brouté, Anne Consigny, Anny Duperey, Hippolyte Giradot, Gérard Lartigau, Michel Piccoli, Denis Podalydés, Michel Robin, Andrzej Seweryn, Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc, Michel Vuillermoz, Lambert Wilson France French Release September 2012 Click Here for Synopsis
Click Here for Trailer
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Paris Under Watch -
Directed by Cédric Jimenez |
hortmagazine nov-dec (my last issue--won't be renewing) good article on raising potatoes w/ several suggestions on planting. trenching or furrowing = oldest method OR straw mulch above ground OR raised beds OR containers for limited spaces
see organicgardening.com/indoorherbs
last month's blog had article about run off from no till fields and build up of fertilizers/pesticides. however the organic gardening dec-jan issue has an article extolling the NO-TILL Gardening method: healthy, undisturbed soil may be the secret to carbon sequestration. organic ag encourages a robust pop of soil organisms, including beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, which may facilitate the accumulation of SOC (soil organic carbon). no till ag reduces the loss of SOC by reducing the rate of decomposition. by combining the health of organic soil, we may be able to maximize carbon sequestration. so both articles have good points--hard to find a absolute solution to any problem
my blackberries: doyle's thornless blackberry inc fruitsandberries.com
from the progressive feb 2013 p. 31 "despite the gov's attempt to obfuscate, ordinary people in spain cannot be fooled. they first first hand the effects of these adjustments no matter what they are called. many kids feel them because they are going hungry, thanks to gov cuts in free school lunches and food banks" sounds familiar doesn't it?
p40 about super bowl and ads -- ad by soda stream and their sodastrea, gadget -- however the company is housed in an illegal israeli settlement on the west bank. not only that but palestinian workers have been fired when trying to agitate for better wages and working conditions.
talkbacktees.com
By Derek Melot/Bridge Magazine
* The Capitol news service MIRS is paywall protected, but I wanted to share some basic data it collected on salaries for top political appointees in Michigan.
“Salaries of the department directors as of Jan. 10, 2013:
- John Nixon, Department of Technology, Management and Budget: $250,000
- Mike Flanagan, Department of Education: $189,515
- Andy Dillon, Department of Treasury: $174,204
- Gregory Vadnais, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs: $167,237
- James Haveman, Department of Community Health: $146,450
- Dan Heyns, Department of Corrections: $146,450
- Kriste Kibbey Etue, Michigan State Police $146,450
- Kirk Steudle, Department of Transportation: $146,450
- Dan Wyant, Department of Environmental Quality: $145,000
- Jamie Clover Adams, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: $145,000
- Maura Corrigan, Department of Human Services: $145,000
- Keith Creagh, Department of Natural Resources: $145,000
- Dan Kirchbaum, Department of Civil Rights: $136,000
- Attorney General Bill Schuette: $124,900, *pay rate set by SOCC
- Secretary of State Ruth Johnson: $124,900, *pay rate set by SOCC.”
* Michigan’s debate over road funding is not unusual: “In the search for more transportation money, governors and state lawmakers are largely avoiding one of the most obvious and straightforward funding sources: state gasoline taxes. … Instead, they have proposed selling bonds backed by higher tolls, tapping reserves or surpluses, taxing miles driven instead of fuel bought or hiking income or sales taxes. In fact, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell wants to get rid of the gas tax altogether.”
* The Amtrak passenger rail service carried almost 800,000 ridersin Michigan in 2012, a record. The Michigan Department of Transportation said greater awareness and a more positive view of train travel contributed to the passenger growth. And this is with a limited service that’s been plagued by delays.
Part of the challenge for improvement is, as Amtrak passengers will tell you, operating a passenger rail line on rail routes used and owned by freight companies.
As a 2009 state-sponsored study put it: “Freight railroad ownership of the rail lines with the resulting control of dispatching duties has caused problems with on-time performance of passenger trains. Some of the line segments have heavy freight train volumes that often delay passenger trains, producing persistent on-time performance problems.”
For perspective, look at the map below of rail lines. Now, imagine if the interstate highways were owned not by the public, but by, say, FedEx, with a state motor travel agency leasing space and time on the highways for drivers.
beautyberry callicarpa L == shrub to check out, attracts butterflies
hudson valley seed library www.seedlibrary.org packages have art work
harvest parsnips after several hard frosts--thinking about trying them this summer. great fried (and fattening). sew directly in garden in spring. germination often poor so sew more. long growing season needed about 120 days
Cree saying:
only after the last tree has been cut down
only after the last river has been poisoned
only after the last fish has been caught
only then will you find that money cannot be eaten
Ouch. It hurts when you see it spelled out.
se blottir contre (sa mère, son chien) - to cuddle up next to (one's mother, dog)
échanger qqch contre qqch - to exchange something for s-t else
goûter à qqch - to taste something
grignoter qqch - to nibble on, eat away at something
gronder de - to scold for ___-ing
loucher sur - to ogle
quêter pour (les orphelins) - to collect for (orphans)
vivre de (ses rentes) - to live on (one's income)
Land O Links — 06 February 2013
* The Capitol news service MIRS is paywall protected, but I wanted to share some basic data it collected on salaries for top political appointees in Michigan.
“Salaries of the department directors as of Jan. 10, 2013:
- John Nixon, Department of Technology, Management and Budget: $250,000
- Mike Flanagan, Department of Education: $189,515
- Andy Dillon, Department of Treasury: $174,204
- Gregory Vadnais, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs: $167,237
- James Haveman, Department of Community Health: $146,450
- Dan Heyns, Department of Corrections: $146,450
- Kriste Kibbey Etue, Michigan State Police $146,450
- Kirk Steudle, Department of Transportation: $146,450
- Dan Wyant, Department of Environmental Quality: $145,000
- Jamie Clover Adams, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: $145,000
- Maura Corrigan, Department of Human Services: $145,000
- Keith Creagh, Department of Natural Resources: $145,000
- Dan Kirchbaum, Department of Civil Rights: $136,000
- Attorney General Bill Schuette: $124,900, *pay rate set by SOCC
- Secretary of State Ruth Johnson: $124,900, *pay rate set by SOCC.”
* Michigan’s debate over road funding is not unusual: “In the search for more transportation money, governors and state lawmakers are largely avoiding one of the most obvious and straightforward funding sources: state gasoline taxes. … Instead, they have proposed selling bonds backed by higher tolls, tapping reserves or surpluses, taxing miles driven instead of fuel bought or hiking income or sales taxes. In fact, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell wants to get rid of the gas tax altogether.”
* The Amtrak passenger rail service carried almost 800,000 ridersin Michigan in 2012, a record. The Michigan Department of Transportation said greater awareness and a more positive view of train travel contributed to the passenger growth. And this is with a limited service that’s been plagued by delays.
Part of the challenge for improvement is, as Amtrak passengers will tell you, operating a passenger rail line on rail routes used and owned by freight companies.
As a 2009 state-sponsored study put it: “Freight railroad ownership of the rail lines with the resulting control of dispatching duties has caused problems with on-time performance of passenger trains. Some of the line segments have heavy freight train volumes that often delay passenger trains, producing persistent on-time performance problems.”
For perspective, look at the map below of rail lines. Now, imagine if the interstate highways were owned not by the public, but by, say, FedEx, with a state motor travel agency leasing space and time on the highways for drivers.
beautyberry callicarpa L == shrub to check out, attracts butterflies
hudson valley seed library www.seedlibrary.org packages have art work
harvest parsnips after several hard frosts--thinking about trying them this summer. great fried (and fattening). sew directly in garden in spring. germination often poor so sew more. long growing season needed about 120 days
Cree saying:
only after the last tree has been cut down
only after the last river has been poisoned
only after the last fish has been caught
only then will you find that money cannot be eaten
Ouch. It hurts when you see it spelled out.
se blottir contre (sa mère, son chien) - to cuddle up next to (one's mother, dog)
échanger qqch contre qqch - to exchange something for s-t else
goûter à qqch - to taste something
grignoter qqch - to nibble on, eat away at something
gronder de - to scold for ___-ing
loucher sur - to ogle
quêter pour (les orphelins) - to collect for (orphans)
vivre de (ses rentes) - to live on (one's income)
