Sandy James has finally called it quits as a member of the Barry County Board of Commissioners, according to a front page story in the Hastings Banner of April 27. She announced her decision at the April 25 board meeting, publicly letting her colleagues in on her little secret that she has prayed to God every two years since 1992 to seek His guidance on whether or not to seek another term.
Her comment reminded me of professional athletes who tell the world on camera about how God granted their wishes to win the Super Bowl, the World Series or whatever contest was being broadcast. As TV commentator Andy Rooney said after the Buffalo Bills’ last-minute field goal attempt failed to win the 1991 Super Bowl, the publicly pious displays from both teams
along the sidelines seemed disrespectful to a God with so many other more important things on His plate.
So the God who announced from the mountaintop that year he was a fan of the New York Giants also told Sandy James recently it’s time for her to step down after 14 years on the Barry County Board. I’m sure Sandy would say God answers all prayers, no matter how insignificant, but I think it’s insulting to the serious business of praying to God to suggest he’ll get you that bicycle you’ve been wanting, like he’s Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. It’s also more than a bit selfish to suggest God directed you to serve in public office and protected you against your electoral enemies in each election until now.
Forgive my cynicism, but I suggest Sandy had other reasons for not running again, which I brought up in an earlier post. For one, she has remarried after her first husband’s death and just last month took a splendid honeymoon vacation with her new beau in Aruba. Now that she has a new man in her life, she has reason to do things other than county business. She is much more financially secure. Another possible reason is that this time she might face a formidable opponent in the August primary, retired detective Ken DeMott. My inside political sources tell me DeMott had an excellent chance to unseat James, the longest serving commissioner in Barry County history with seven two-year terms.
Her decision allows her to go out with the band playing, rather than the sudden shock and indignity that Marge Radant and Orvin Moore suffered in 1994 when they were turned away at the polls. It isn’t often a Republican incumbent loses, but when it happens, it’s an embarassment for the one who is told by voters to take a hike.
So despite Sandy’s insisting that the Almighty spoke to her from Most on High and told her not to seek an eighth two-year, the better bet is that she may be naive and sometimes comes up with the most ridiculous explanations for her behavior, she’s not entirely politically stupid after serving on the board for 14 years. In other words, folks, she saw the handwriting on the wall. Say, isn’t that phrase taken from a biblical passage? See, God spoke to Sandy after all!
More important is that Sandy’s announcement means more change on the County Board, which has to be good news for a beleaguered local government sorely lacking in leadership, vision, toughness, intelligence, (you fill in the blanks for the rest of the way). Ken Neil, Jeff MacKenzie and Sandy James have been retired, either at the ballot box or by understanding of what lies ahead. Now it’s time to set sights on Tom Wing and throw his arse into a snowbank in December. Bring it on.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Constituents to Question Congressman
Vern Ehlers of the 3rd Congressional distrist plans to field questions for an hour in Ionia and Hastings this Saturday (April 29):
Show up and ask him if his arms are tired from carrying the water for the incompetant adminstration occupying the White House.
Ehlers will also be in Grand Rapids the following Saturday:
Ionia Town Meeting
9 - 10 a.m.
Ionia County Central Dispatch Headquarters
545 Apple Tree Drive, Ionia
Hastings Town Meeting
11 a.m. - 12 noon
Hastings City Hall, Council Chambers
201 East State Street, Hastings
Show up and ask him if his arms are tired from carrying the water for the incompetant adminstration occupying the White House.
Ehlers will also be in Grand Rapids the following Saturday:
Grand Rapids Town Meeting & Special Events
9 - 10 a.m. - Town Meeting
10:30 a.m. - 12 noon - Medal of Merit Ceremony
12 noon - 1 p.m. - Congressional High School Arts Competition Awards
All events will be held at:
Gerald R. Form Museum, Auditorium
303 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Dine With Dick
Anyone who can get close to Dick Devos and not toss their cookies is invited to check this out and see the hair plugs up close and personal:
So, a billionaire is asking you for money. I mean, it's only ten bucks and you get a breakfast out of it. It's not like he's raising tons of campaign cash from out of state millionaires and fat cats using his daddy's 130' Westport yacht. Oh, wait... the Detroit News says he is. By the way, anyone who wants to see what creating the world's largest pyramid scheme gets you, feel free to click here and get as close as you ever will to a boat whose price tag could feed the third world. Don't billionaires usually spend their own money when running for office? You have to have some big ones to ask for $10 when you've got A BILLION DOLLARS! Actually we don't know how much he has because Tricky Dick refuses to release his tax returns.
By the way, after spending almost 3 million dollars on campaign ads, you'd think DeVos could have given us some clue where he stood on just one issue. Oh yeah, he's for more jobs. I bet he likes sunny days and rainbows too. If it's early enough to spend millions, it's early enough to tell us what you plan to do when elected.
BREAKFAST WITH DICK DeVOS at the Battle Creek Hunt Club
Complete with local celebrity servers Tuesday, May 2, 2006
7:30 am to 9:00 am
Dick is kicking off a bus tour of Michigan here in Battle Creek, so let's all bring your families and friends to show him Calhoun County is behind him.
Tickets are $10.00 each
If you want to support this event, but can't make it consider purchasing a couple of tickets for local college and high school students.
So, a billionaire is asking you for money. I mean, it's only ten bucks and you get a breakfast out of it. It's not like he's raising tons of campaign cash from out of state millionaires and fat cats using his daddy's 130' Westport yacht. Oh, wait... the Detroit News says he is. By the way, anyone who wants to see what creating the world's largest pyramid scheme gets you, feel free to click here and get as close as you ever will to a boat whose price tag could feed the third world. Don't billionaires usually spend their own money when running for office? You have to have some big ones to ask for $10 when you've got A BILLION DOLLARS! Actually we don't know how much he has because Tricky Dick refuses to release his tax returns.
By the way, after spending almost 3 million dollars on campaign ads, you'd think DeVos could have given us some clue where he stood on just one issue. Oh yeah, he's for more jobs. I bet he likes sunny days and rainbows too. If it's early enough to spend millions, it's early enough to tell us what you plan to do when elected.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Globe Gobbled by Greed
Right here in West Michigan is a weekly newspaper that serves as yet another example of a local business that lost its soul and its mission because it was captured by a corporation.
The Penasee Globe, which began in 1884 as the Wayland Globe, has become just one of the many suburban Grand Rapids area weeklies now owned by the Advance Newspapers group, which has strong business ties to the Booth chain and the Grand Rapids Press. What used to be a quaint weekly chronicle of the doings of ordinary people in Wayland, Hopkins, Martin, Dorr, Moline and Gun Lake has undergone a makeover into small cog in the corporate media.
The old Wayland Globe had been a classic old-style community weekly under the reign of Irvin and Helen J. Helmey until they sold it to Ron Carlson and Nyla Aamoth in 1986. The new owners updated the paper, had 100% turnover of staff members within two years, changed its name to Penasee, made it look more like a magazine and proceeded to eliminate a lot of the old features, such as the little old ladies’ chatter, the spaghetti dinners and church activities. Carlson and Aamoth admitted they were only in it for the money and they finally sold the Globe a few years ago to the Advance, which was happy to expand its empire. Since capturing the weekly, it has reworked the whole operation into a publication with a sprinkling of local news, lots of general chit-chat columns used by all papers in the chain and lots of shared regional news and ads.
In short, in just 20 years, the Wayland Globe has been transformed from a community newspaper to a corporate newspaper. It’s a lot like the old-style local greasy spoon restaurant with home-cooked soups and specials of the day transformed into a McDonald’s or an Applebee’s. What’s lost here is a sense of community. Go to any town the size of Hastings or even smaller and you’re likely to see franchises of McDonald’s, Ace Hardware, Wal Mart, etc. And now you’re likely to find the friendly local weekly paper is owned by some far away corporate media, too.
The last straw for the Penasee Globe came last week when they found a way to get rid of editor Scott Sullivan, an incorrigible community journalist who didn’t fit in with the corporate philosophy of toeing the bottom line. Wayland folks say they’re going to miss Scott, but the Globe will keep chugging along as a corporate weekly newspaper with little if any genuine interest in the community. The people on the Globe’s mailing list have been just like that rabbit in the fable who got into the pot with warm water and just didn’t notice when the cooks slowly but surely turned up the heat until it was too late for him to understand he was on the menu. The Globe’s death as a community publication was very slow and painful, and too many just didn’t understand until it was too late.
The Penasee Globe, which began in 1884 as the Wayland Globe, has become just one of the many suburban Grand Rapids area weeklies now owned by the Advance Newspapers group, which has strong business ties to the Booth chain and the Grand Rapids Press. What used to be a quaint weekly chronicle of the doings of ordinary people in Wayland, Hopkins, Martin, Dorr, Moline and Gun Lake has undergone a makeover into small cog in the corporate media.
The old Wayland Globe had been a classic old-style community weekly under the reign of Irvin and Helen J. Helmey until they sold it to Ron Carlson and Nyla Aamoth in 1986. The new owners updated the paper, had 100% turnover of staff members within two years, changed its name to Penasee, made it look more like a magazine and proceeded to eliminate a lot of the old features, such as the little old ladies’ chatter, the spaghetti dinners and church activities. Carlson and Aamoth admitted they were only in it for the money and they finally sold the Globe a few years ago to the Advance, which was happy to expand its empire. Since capturing the weekly, it has reworked the whole operation into a publication with a sprinkling of local news, lots of general chit-chat columns used by all papers in the chain and lots of shared regional news and ads.
In short, in just 20 years, the Wayland Globe has been transformed from a community newspaper to a corporate newspaper. It’s a lot like the old-style local greasy spoon restaurant with home-cooked soups and specials of the day transformed into a McDonald’s or an Applebee’s. What’s lost here is a sense of community. Go to any town the size of Hastings or even smaller and you’re likely to see franchises of McDonald’s, Ace Hardware, Wal Mart, etc. And now you’re likely to find the friendly local weekly paper is owned by some far away corporate media, too.
The last straw for the Penasee Globe came last week when they found a way to get rid of editor Scott Sullivan, an incorrigible community journalist who didn’t fit in with the corporate philosophy of toeing the bottom line. Wayland folks say they’re going to miss Scott, but the Globe will keep chugging along as a corporate weekly newspaper with little if any genuine interest in the community. The people on the Globe’s mailing list have been just like that rabbit in the fable who got into the pot with warm water and just didn’t notice when the cooks slowly but surely turned up the heat until it was too late for him to understand he was on the menu. The Globe’s death as a community publication was very slow and painful, and too many just didn’t understand until it was too late.
Friday, April 21, 2006
The Art of the Possible
It was Woody Allen who said that "70% of success was just showing up." I think that's true with politics as well. Last week about a dozen hearty souls braved the somewhat chilled, foggy morning air of Caledonia to protest on behalf of Unicameral Michigan's Fire the Senate petition drive. The demonstration was in front of the coffee shop where Caledonia Township Supervisor Bryan Harrison was holding a candidate coffee with State Rep. Glenn Steil Jr. Steil is the backer of a bill that seeks to cut off the budding Unicameral movement at the knees. Steil, who was nice enough to meet with the demonstrators (something many of his colleagues wouldn't have dared to do and for that I give him credit), understands that the best way to stop a revolution is to give the people a small portion of what they want and hope to diffuse their anger just enough that they don't care enough to keep fighting the system. It's hard work to get up early, march up and down the street feeling like an idiot as cars drive by ignoring you, and most people don't want to do it if they don't have to- especially when they don't think their cause has a chance.
Margaret Mead said "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." The American political system is set up so that citizens have the ability to lobby their representatives, run for office and become part of the political system. The problem now is too many have opted out of the system. Too many people don't think they can win the war so they never join the battle. I think that's a guaranteed way to lose. As Emiliano Zapata said, "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." That may be a bit rough for some, but the point I take from it is you're sure to lose if you never bother fighting in the first place.
The Unicameral Michigan movement basically began with one person with an idea and it blossomed. But unfortunately, it's sexy to think about revolution and a lot of brutal, hard, demanding work to actually do it. Too many people have let the cause down by quitting. Too many people have said it can't be done. Too many people just want to sit back and criticize and talk about how things could have and should have been done differently. Too many people found it easier to talk about revolution than to do it. Too many people want to sign a petition but they don't want to hustle other people to sign them. Too many people sit back and wait for a leader to lead them instead of doing it themselves. While there is still plenty of time, the Unicameral Michigan movement is in trouble if the pattern continues. The citizens of this country need to realize what's at stake and what is needed. If you opt out of the system you can't question why the system doesn't represent you. If you don't fight you can't expect to win.
Unicameral doesn't have the deep pockets of L. Brooks Patterson and Dick DeVos. It doesn't have a rich Californian who can pay signature collectors a $1 a piece. A grassroots movements needs people and a little bit of money. But now days most people would rather talk about what needs to be done than do it. It doesn't take a lot of work, but it does take more than talk.
Last Friday a dozen people said "enough" and took to the streets and forced a politician to notice and to listen. Too many people think it only matters when millions are in the streets and that's simply not true. Last week I saw how a tiny group of people can affect the news cycle. Wood Radio and Channel 13 showed up to listen and report on what they had to say and spread the word to their listeners and viewers. The Sun & News and the Hastings Banner paid attention and a few thousand people got to hear what those protestors had to say. We are programmed by our corporate media to think it's only useful when there is a tidal wave with millions in the streets in massive demonstrations (though they still ignore and belittle those as witnessed in the run up to the Iraq War), but I've seen how a tiny pebble can cause enough ripples to make a difference. We can't all expect to part of some giant movement. But we do have the chance to make a ripple and sometimes in politics that's enough.
It's understandable that people are busy and pressed in their lives. I think it's a planned side effect from the current economic culture that if we force people to work more hours then they have less time to concern themselves with changing the way things are and marching through the streets looking to tar and feather politicians and fat cat businessmen. Last week a dozen people took time out of their lives to make a difference. If only more people would bother...
Dave Young, editor of the Hastings Banner and history major, has often talked to me about his hero Bob LaFollette. LaFollette never became president and is largely unknown by most people. But by fighting for what he believed in he forced people to notice and to listen, and eventually his ideas were stolen and became Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Sure, LaFollette and his people probably hated that they never got 100% of what they wanted and maybe Fighting Bob doesn't get his just rewards in the history books, but he still won the war by fighting the battle. You see, sometime it's enough to stand up and fight. You can't always expect to win each skirmish. Sometimes it's enough to show up and make noise and bother people and make sure the other side doesn't win. And eventually they realize they can't beat you and they steal your ideas and sometimes I think that's not such a bad thing... even if it means waking up at 4 in the morning to march along a highway feeling ignored and working for what sometimes seems like a losing cause. I'd like to thank the folks at Unicameral Michigan for at least showing up which is something most people don't bother to do. I'd like to thank them for fighting in a world where most people don't bother to.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." - Mohandas Gandhi
The deadline for becoming a candidate or precinct delegate is fast approaching. Your democracy needs you...
Margaret Mead said "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." The American political system is set up so that citizens have the ability to lobby their representatives, run for office and become part of the political system. The problem now is too many have opted out of the system. Too many people don't think they can win the war so they never join the battle. I think that's a guaranteed way to lose. As Emiliano Zapata said, "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." That may be a bit rough for some, but the point I take from it is you're sure to lose if you never bother fighting in the first place.
The Unicameral Michigan movement basically began with one person with an idea and it blossomed. But unfortunately, it's sexy to think about revolution and a lot of brutal, hard, demanding work to actually do it. Too many people have let the cause down by quitting. Too many people have said it can't be done. Too many people just want to sit back and criticize and talk about how things could have and should have been done differently. Too many people found it easier to talk about revolution than to do it. Too many people want to sign a petition but they don't want to hustle other people to sign them. Too many people sit back and wait for a leader to lead them instead of doing it themselves. While there is still plenty of time, the Unicameral Michigan movement is in trouble if the pattern continues. The citizens of this country need to realize what's at stake and what is needed. If you opt out of the system you can't question why the system doesn't represent you. If you don't fight you can't expect to win.
Unicameral doesn't have the deep pockets of L. Brooks Patterson and Dick DeVos. It doesn't have a rich Californian who can pay signature collectors a $1 a piece. A grassroots movements needs people and a little bit of money. But now days most people would rather talk about what needs to be done than do it. It doesn't take a lot of work, but it does take more than talk.
Last Friday a dozen people said "enough" and took to the streets and forced a politician to notice and to listen. Too many people think it only matters when millions are in the streets and that's simply not true. Last week I saw how a tiny group of people can affect the news cycle. Wood Radio and Channel 13 showed up to listen and report on what they had to say and spread the word to their listeners and viewers. The Sun & News and the Hastings Banner paid attention and a few thousand people got to hear what those protestors had to say. We are programmed by our corporate media to think it's only useful when there is a tidal wave with millions in the streets in massive demonstrations (though they still ignore and belittle those as witnessed in the run up to the Iraq War), but I've seen how a tiny pebble can cause enough ripples to make a difference. We can't all expect to part of some giant movement. But we do have the chance to make a ripple and sometimes in politics that's enough.
It's understandable that people are busy and pressed in their lives. I think it's a planned side effect from the current economic culture that if we force people to work more hours then they have less time to concern themselves with changing the way things are and marching through the streets looking to tar and feather politicians and fat cat businessmen. Last week a dozen people took time out of their lives to make a difference. If only more people would bother...
Dave Young, editor of the Hastings Banner and history major, has often talked to me about his hero Bob LaFollette. LaFollette never became president and is largely unknown by most people. But by fighting for what he believed in he forced people to notice and to listen, and eventually his ideas were stolen and became Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Sure, LaFollette and his people probably hated that they never got 100% of what they wanted and maybe Fighting Bob doesn't get his just rewards in the history books, but he still won the war by fighting the battle. You see, sometime it's enough to stand up and fight. You can't always expect to win each skirmish. Sometimes it's enough to show up and make noise and bother people and make sure the other side doesn't win. And eventually they realize they can't beat you and they steal your ideas and sometimes I think that's not such a bad thing... even if it means waking up at 4 in the morning to march along a highway feeling ignored and working for what sometimes seems like a losing cause. I'd like to thank the folks at Unicameral Michigan for at least showing up which is something most people don't bother to do. I'd like to thank them for fighting in a world where most people don't bother to.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." - Mohandas Gandhi
The deadline for becoming a candidate or precinct delegate is fast approaching. Your democracy needs you...
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
School ‘bored’ selections
While your local media outlets carefully avoid endorsing personal candidacies for political office, I don’t hold back. I’ve already come out strongly in favor of Brian Reynolds for 87th District State Representative and I make no apologies. It's time to take on the local school board elections which are May 2.
The three-for-two race in the Hastings Area School System offers voters 2 quality choices and 1 chump. We have incumbent Terry McKinney and challengers Tammy Pennington and Jeff Guenther seeking the two open seats. Incumbent Mike Huber is not seeking another term. Pennington and Guenther both are quality candidates and deserve to be elected over the incumbent.
Pennington has been director of the Commission on Aging for two decades and her commitment to the community is unquestioned. She’s been through a few scrapes during her tenure at the COA, but who hasn’t in a job that at times gets very political? I don’t always agree with her, but I would never question her integrity nor her ability to make good decisions on behalf of children.
Guenther, the son of a former Hastings superintendent, has remained in the community and has been a loyal employee for the sometimes difficult Hastings Manufacturing Co., now undergoing restructuring. Guenther has a winning way with people and he has a good sense of finances. You might say his inside peek at the goings-on at Hastings Manufacturing has provided him a training ground on how to do more with less.
McKinney has been a massive disappointment, mostly because of his attitude and lack of understanding of serious human rights issues. His most egregious offense came three years ago when the board interviewed six candidates for superintendent. McKinney publicly said he liked William Skilling from Byron Center, despite the very public information made known that Skilling was one of the architects in the scandalous inhumane treatment of gay music teacher Gerry Crane. Skilling, a right-wing Christian of the lowest order and principal at Byron Center at the time Crane was being hounded from his job, once threatened Crane with outright firing if he was caught promoting tolerance. During Skilling’s interview with the Hastings board, he told the seven members he had “no regrets” about what he did in the notorious affair, which ended with the sudden and unexpected death of Crane from a heart attack at the age of 32. How can anyone have “no regrets” in assessing such a horrible story, a crime against humanity? Skilling looked and acted a lot like one of those protesters from Topeka at military funerals. Yet McKinney expressed support for this neo-Nazi and for this he deserves to be shown the door. Hastings voters would do well to send a message to him and all other homophobic types that this kind of attitude and behavior will not be tolerated in public education and in a free society.
Otherwise, the other interesting race is in Caledonia, where incumbent Ken Yonker and newcomer Walt Fish are the best bets over the four paranoid swine also on the ballot. The public lynching of Superintendent Wes VanDenburg is over now and the fearsome foursome can all take their pitchforks and torches back home with them.
InDelton, Elizabeth Matteson is a quality board member on a board that needs to work on proper procedures of instilling public confidence.
Lakewood is almost hopeless, a community that is clueless about exactly what has created its problems, a district long divided over decades. Some observers have called it “Bosnia,” and not without good reason. Don’t be surprised if the new superintendent doesn’t last very long.
It isn’t easy to serve on a school board these days. State government is starving our public schools to death and the federal government is imposing programs that set them up to fail so they eventually can be privatized. All of this while the public was asleep at the wheel. Good luck, boys and girls, you certainly will need it.
The three-for-two race in the Hastings Area School System offers voters 2 quality choices and 1 chump. We have incumbent Terry McKinney and challengers Tammy Pennington and Jeff Guenther seeking the two open seats. Incumbent Mike Huber is not seeking another term. Pennington and Guenther both are quality candidates and deserve to be elected over the incumbent.
Pennington has been director of the Commission on Aging for two decades and her commitment to the community is unquestioned. She’s been through a few scrapes during her tenure at the COA, but who hasn’t in a job that at times gets very political? I don’t always agree with her, but I would never question her integrity nor her ability to make good decisions on behalf of children.
Guenther, the son of a former Hastings superintendent, has remained in the community and has been a loyal employee for the sometimes difficult Hastings Manufacturing Co., now undergoing restructuring. Guenther has a winning way with people and he has a good sense of finances. You might say his inside peek at the goings-on at Hastings Manufacturing has provided him a training ground on how to do more with less.
McKinney has been a massive disappointment, mostly because of his attitude and lack of understanding of serious human rights issues. His most egregious offense came three years ago when the board interviewed six candidates for superintendent. McKinney publicly said he liked William Skilling from Byron Center, despite the very public information made known that Skilling was one of the architects in the scandalous inhumane treatment of gay music teacher Gerry Crane. Skilling, a right-wing Christian of the lowest order and principal at Byron Center at the time Crane was being hounded from his job, once threatened Crane with outright firing if he was caught promoting tolerance. During Skilling’s interview with the Hastings board, he told the seven members he had “no regrets” about what he did in the notorious affair, which ended with the sudden and unexpected death of Crane from a heart attack at the age of 32. How can anyone have “no regrets” in assessing such a horrible story, a crime against humanity? Skilling looked and acted a lot like one of those protesters from Topeka at military funerals. Yet McKinney expressed support for this neo-Nazi and for this he deserves to be shown the door. Hastings voters would do well to send a message to him and all other homophobic types that this kind of attitude and behavior will not be tolerated in public education and in a free society.
Otherwise, the other interesting race is in Caledonia, where incumbent Ken Yonker and newcomer Walt Fish are the best bets over the four paranoid swine also on the ballot. The public lynching of Superintendent Wes VanDenburg is over now and the fearsome foursome can all take their pitchforks and torches back home with them.
InDelton, Elizabeth Matteson is a quality board member on a board that needs to work on proper procedures of instilling public confidence.
Lakewood is almost hopeless, a community that is clueless about exactly what has created its problems, a district long divided over decades. Some observers have called it “Bosnia,” and not without good reason. Don’t be surprised if the new superintendent doesn’t last very long.
It isn’t easy to serve on a school board these days. State government is starving our public schools to death and the federal government is imposing programs that set them up to fail so they eventually can be privatized. All of this while the public was asleep at the wheel. Good luck, boys and girls, you certainly will need it.
Please, don't forget to vote May 2.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Problems with comments
I have received several complaints about this blog not taking comments. I believe I have found the problem and am currently trying to correct the situation. The comments were being put in a folder which I now have to sort through- so it may take a while for your comment to appear but hopefully they'll be up soon. Thanks for the feedback and keep reading and commenting.
Jack Hoogendyk- Trespasser?
Since when do politicians make house calls- to their opponents?
This Kalamazoo Gazette story is bizarre.
Hoogendyk's house call spurs request for probe
Friday, April 14, 2006
By Sarita Chourey
Larry DeShazor is wondering why state Rep. Jack Hoogendyk entered his home without his permission, while the two-term lawmaker says he stopped by DeShazor's house as part of his constituent outreach in the neighborhood.
DeShazor, who has served on the Portage City Council since 2002, plans to challenge Hoogendyk in the Republican primary in August. Hoogendyk represents the 61st District, which includes Portage, Parchment and several townships.
"Jack (Hoogendyk) was standing in the middle of my house, and I just want to know why he was there,'' DeShazor said of the encounter that occurred about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday. "I did not give him permission to come in or invite him.''
DeShazor said he quickly escorted Hoogendyk and a repairman, who was installing a new water heater and who Hoogendyk said he knew, out of his home.
"He said he was there to give me his campaign material. Why would I want his campaign material?'' DeShazor said.
Hoogendyk, R-Texas Township, said DeShazor's home was one of about 100 he visited that day as part of "constituent contact,'' not campaign activities.
Hoogendyk said he encountered the repairman in DeShazor's driveway. He said he held the door open for the repairman to re-enter DeShazor's home and asked him if DeShazor was home before stepping inside and standing in the living room.
...
On Thursday DeShazor asked the Portage Police Department to look into the circumstances of Hoogendyk entering his home.
Police Chief Richard White said he has referred DeShazor's inquiry to the Michigan State Police.
In case you don't know, most politicians (the ones that actually know how to win) don't just blindly go door to door- they usually have a list and know who's home they're visiting.
What does DeVos hate more?
Jobs, Small Businesses, the Environment or Property Rights?
This story is interesting and I think it speaks for itself. Don't just read my excerpts- click the blue words that link to the MLive story and read it yourself. DeVos only cares about himself and his rich friends...
A driveway grading contractor in Ada Township said he'll go out of business if he can't get crushed concrete from Pettis & Associates recycling facility.
...
Local contractors said their businesses will be hurt if plans for a major residential project on property owned by Dick DeVos and RDV Corp. CEO Jerry Tubergen push out the Pettis recycling operation.
...
Local contractors contacted by the Forest Hills Advance concur with Pettis' belief that Ada Township is closing her business to pave the way for residential development on adjacent property owned by DeVos and Tubergen.
In a 2003 letter to Ada Township, Tubergen advised it to shut down the Pettis operation so that a major residential development could be built north of the Grand River. Pettis' recycling site is immediately south of 800 acres owned by Ada Holdings and managed by RDV Corp., which is owned by the family of Dick DeVos.
...
Ada Township board members earlier this year held closed meetings, claiming attorney-client privilege, where they discussed Pettis' business. Pettis objected to the closed sessions. She has also raised concerns about a conflict of interest involving Township Trustee Randy Damstra, chief investment officer of alternative investments for RDV Corp. Damstra, whose $8,000 campaign for a township board seat in November 2004 was largely financed by the DeVos family, did not recuse himself from voting on the zoning violations.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Rick Albin needs a Schauer
We are informed that Battle Creek's own State Senator Mark Schauer will be the guest on WOOD TV 8's "To the Point" with Rick Albin - former Republican candidate and staffer for 2nd district Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra who, by the way, was part of the Jack Abramoff affair- a fact ignored by the mass media in West Michigan including Mr. Rick Albin.
Schauer is the Democratic Floor Leader in the State Senate and Chair of the Senate Democrat’s Campaign Committee. He represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Calhoun County and most of Jackson County.
The show will cover the economy, outsourcing, the election year political posturing over the SBT (which most businesses don't pay and when polled say is not their biggest concern- health care is if you didn't know, but you don't hear the state GOP which controls the legislature doing anything on that, do you?), and the 2006 campaigns which, thanks to the $2 million already spent by Billionaire Dick Devos, has already been underway for quite some time.
The show airs at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday, April 16.
This is the station’s first streaming video broadcast and can be found by clicking the pretty blue words right here.
Schauer is the Democratic Floor Leader in the State Senate and Chair of the Senate Democrat’s Campaign Committee. He represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Calhoun County and most of Jackson County.
The show will cover the economy, outsourcing, the election year political posturing over the SBT (which most businesses don't pay and when polled say is not their biggest concern- health care is if you didn't know, but you don't hear the state GOP which controls the legislature doing anything on that, do you?), and the 2006 campaigns which, thanks to the $2 million already spent by Billionaire Dick Devos, has already been underway for quite some time.
The show airs at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday, April 16.
This is the station’s first streaming video broadcast and can be found by clicking the pretty blue words right here.
That's Debatable
This week’s edition of the Hastings Banner had an interesting front page story about the County Board discussing a resolution to support the Unicameral Michigan “Fire the Senate” state-wide petition drive.
It was understandable the board decided to table it, but a couple of commissioners’ public comments about the issue revealed alarming ignorance (although that's hardly breaking news for anyone who's been paying attention to local politics). Board Chairwoman Clare Tripp said she didn’t know anything about the campaign and asked what “Unicameral” means. She’s the chairwoman of the Barry County Board of Commissioners and she doesn’t know anything about a state-wide petition drive that started a year ago in Hastings? Does she read the Banner, the Battle Creek Enquirer & News,
the Lansing State Journal, the Penasee Globe, or follow the news much at all? Let’s not forget the extent of her post-high school education has been at a beauty school. Tripp is either playing coy with all this and not telling the truth- or even worse, she really is not paying attention and clueless about what’s happening around her. Not exactly what we should want or expect from a local government leader since that means she's either a liar or an idiot. Some have even suggested the motion was tabled so she could look up "unicameral" in the dictionary. Anyone who knows Miss Tripp should send her to this link:
What Does Unicameral Mean?
Here's the short version:
The other ignoramus at the meeting was Tom Wing (once again, probably not a suprise), who insisted both sides of the issue be heard, even though he was told by David Brinkert, acting as spokesman for the Unicameral effort, that the Fire the Senate folks have been trying very hard to get anyone in state government to talk about the pros and cons, but the response has been pure silence.
It seems state reps and senators don’t want to discuss the matter, they choose to ignore it in hopes it will go away. This is the very reason we NEED to FIRE THE SENATE! The politicians no longer consider themslves accountable to the people who gave them their jobs. I can think of no stronger signal than firing them. Then maybe they will understand the effect of downsizing on the American worker and quit putting their lobbyist buddies ahead of We the People.
Mr. Wing, the Unicameral crowd would love to hear from the other side. So how about Mr. Wing take on Fire the Senate spokesperson Joe Lukasiewicz one-on-one at a public forum? We're sure that the First Friday would open up a special night edition for this heavyweight grudge match. I would hope Mr. Wing would not succumb to his previous habits by showing up late or not showing at all. And if he doesn't feel qualified then maybe he can do his homework and find someone who IS willing to debate the Unicameral folks. In the words of our current commander-in-chief: “Bring it on.”
It was understandable the board decided to table it, but a couple of commissioners’ public comments about the issue revealed alarming ignorance (although that's hardly breaking news for anyone who's been paying attention to local politics). Board Chairwoman Clare Tripp said she didn’t know anything about the campaign and asked what “Unicameral” means. She’s the chairwoman of the Barry County Board of Commissioners and she doesn’t know anything about a state-wide petition drive that started a year ago in Hastings? Does she read the Banner, the Battle Creek Enquirer & News,
the Lansing State Journal, the Penasee Globe, or follow the news much at all? Let’s not forget the extent of her post-high school education has been at a beauty school. Tripp is either playing coy with all this and not telling the truth- or even worse, she really is not paying attention and clueless about what’s happening around her. Not exactly what we should want or expect from a local government leader since that means she's either a liar or an idiot. Some have even suggested the motion was tabled so she could look up "unicameral" in the dictionary. Anyone who knows Miss Tripp should send her to this link:
What Does Unicameral Mean?
Here's the short version:
Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber.
The other ignoramus at the meeting was Tom Wing (once again, probably not a suprise), who insisted both sides of the issue be heard, even though he was told by David Brinkert, acting as spokesman for the Unicameral effort, that the Fire the Senate folks have been trying very hard to get anyone in state government to talk about the pros and cons, but the response has been pure silence.
It seems state reps and senators don’t want to discuss the matter, they choose to ignore it in hopes it will go away. This is the very reason we NEED to FIRE THE SENATE! The politicians no longer consider themslves accountable to the people who gave them their jobs. I can think of no stronger signal than firing them. Then maybe they will understand the effect of downsizing on the American worker and quit putting their lobbyist buddies ahead of We the People.
Mr. Wing, the Unicameral crowd would love to hear from the other side. So how about Mr. Wing take on Fire the Senate spokesperson Joe Lukasiewicz one-on-one at a public forum? We're sure that the First Friday would open up a special night edition for this heavyweight grudge match. I would hope Mr. Wing would not succumb to his previous habits by showing up late or not showing at all. And if he doesn't feel qualified then maybe he can do his homework and find someone who IS willing to debate the Unicameral folks. In the words of our current commander-in-chief: “Bring it on.”
Friday, April 14, 2006
Barry County Board Campaign Countdown
We’ve got a little more than a month until we reach the deadline for filing for political offices, and there are interesting rumors making the rounds regarding the Barry County Board of Commissioners. It is entirely possible there will be some changes on the board seated next January. And right now, Board Chairwoman Clare Tripp might have a sense of dread creeping into her mind. If enough seats change hands she could find herself demoted... or worse.
First, and that stands for First District, Donald Tubbs mysteriously and suddenly stopped attending County Board meetings right around the time I commented on it. At one time it appeared that Tubbs had designs on Commissioner Donald Nevins’ seat. However, the inside word has him bowing out quietly for undisclosed reasons.
Second District, along with the Eighth, appear to have very little action at this point. Incumbents James French and Wayne Adams, respectively, seem to be the safest bets to be returned to office without much of a tussle, unless there’s somebody out there flying in under the radar screen.
The Third District, where Sandy James has turned back many a challenge and served for 14 years, there is a rumor and a virtual certainty. The latter is that she’ll have a challenger again, this time a potential troublesome one in Ken DeMott, who is retired from the Barry County Sheriff’s Department and a popular figure around Hope and Rutland townships. Sandy did win last time over Marlin Walters, but she didn’t carry Rutland Township. The rumor is that Sandy will hang it up at the end of the year, not seek re-election to an eighth two-year term and go out with the band playing. It’s not far fetched. Newly remarried, she may not really need the job and health care and retirement benefits any more. And who has served on the County Board longer than Sandy? Damn few.
The Fourth and Fifth Districts, where the turnover occurred in the August primary in 2004, has interesting prospects with the possibility of revenge factors. “Hoot” Gibson has filed for his second term and we’ll see if former incumbent Ken Neil, who was upset by just 10 votes two years ago, is interested in a grudge match. The same is less likely for former Board Chairman Jeff MacKenzie, who was soundly thrashed by Michael Callton in 2004 and picked up only 32% of the vote. That's not a great scenario to suggest a rematch. The smart money is on MacKenzie continuing his farming and lawyering. Callton seems ready to coast to another term.
The Sixth District thus far has been filled with plenty of speculation. Sources suggest that some within the Republican Party have been asking Gun Lake area citizens if they’re interested in giving it a go for the August primary. There has been talk that some are upset with some of Miss Tripp's actions and are ready for a change. We'll keep you posted if any reports come our way...
The Seventh District, other than the Third, could become Tripp’s other headache. Jeff VanNortwick is the candidate who won’t go away, much like Tim Burd finally overcame Orvin Moore about a dozen years ago. Van Nortwick beat incumbent Tom Wing in both Johnstown and Baltimore townships, but lost big in Assyria, where Wing enjoyed a lot of Farm Bureau support. Wing appears to be even more vulnerable now, in the wake of reports in the Banner of his spotty attendance record at County Board meetings. It was said he had either missed or had been tardy for a whopping 32% of meetings until last fall. Van Nortwick will surely make hay of that fact even if Wing's attendance has improved of late.
Surveying the scene of a basketball game, Detroit Pistons scout Will Robinson once said, “It ain’t very good, but it sure is interesting.”
First, and that stands for First District, Donald Tubbs mysteriously and suddenly stopped attending County Board meetings right around the time I commented on it. At one time it appeared that Tubbs had designs on Commissioner Donald Nevins’ seat. However, the inside word has him bowing out quietly for undisclosed reasons.
Second District, along with the Eighth, appear to have very little action at this point. Incumbents James French and Wayne Adams, respectively, seem to be the safest bets to be returned to office without much of a tussle, unless there’s somebody out there flying in under the radar screen.
The Third District, where Sandy James has turned back many a challenge and served for 14 years, there is a rumor and a virtual certainty. The latter is that she’ll have a challenger again, this time a potential troublesome one in Ken DeMott, who is retired from the Barry County Sheriff’s Department and a popular figure around Hope and Rutland townships. Sandy did win last time over Marlin Walters, but she didn’t carry Rutland Township. The rumor is that Sandy will hang it up at the end of the year, not seek re-election to an eighth two-year term and go out with the band playing. It’s not far fetched. Newly remarried, she may not really need the job and health care and retirement benefits any more. And who has served on the County Board longer than Sandy? Damn few.
The Fourth and Fifth Districts, where the turnover occurred in the August primary in 2004, has interesting prospects with the possibility of revenge factors. “Hoot” Gibson has filed for his second term and we’ll see if former incumbent Ken Neil, who was upset by just 10 votes two years ago, is interested in a grudge match. The same is less likely for former Board Chairman Jeff MacKenzie, who was soundly thrashed by Michael Callton in 2004 and picked up only 32% of the vote. That's not a great scenario to suggest a rematch. The smart money is on MacKenzie continuing his farming and lawyering. Callton seems ready to coast to another term.
The Sixth District thus far has been filled with plenty of speculation. Sources suggest that some within the Republican Party have been asking Gun Lake area citizens if they’re interested in giving it a go for the August primary. There has been talk that some are upset with some of Miss Tripp's actions and are ready for a change. We'll keep you posted if any reports come our way...
The Seventh District, other than the Third, could become Tripp’s other headache. Jeff VanNortwick is the candidate who won’t go away, much like Tim Burd finally overcame Orvin Moore about a dozen years ago. Van Nortwick beat incumbent Tom Wing in both Johnstown and Baltimore townships, but lost big in Assyria, where Wing enjoyed a lot of Farm Bureau support. Wing appears to be even more vulnerable now, in the wake of reports in the Banner of his spotty attendance record at County Board meetings. It was said he had either missed or had been tardy for a whopping 32% of meetings until last fall. Van Nortwick will surely make hay of that fact even if Wing's attendance has improved of late.
Surveying the scene of a basketball game, Detroit Pistons scout Will Robinson once said, “It ain’t very good, but it sure is interesting.”
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Political Theatre=Lousy Legislation
The Michigan Legislature once again has given us some good political theater that has little to do with the welfare of the people. It’s been a pattern for some time, so we shouldn’t be surprised.
The latest example came earlier this month when the state House and Senate quickly, enthusiastically and with great fanfare, approved elimination of the dreaded "job killer," the Single Business Tax, only to watch Gov. Jennifer Granholm veto the bill. The developments set the stage for a melodrama pitting the tax-cutting good guys, Republicans, against the business-hating Democratic governor.
Sorry, folks, it’s just not as simple as our esteemed lawmakers would like us to believe. Granholm, and most other folks for that matter, agree the Single Business Tax must go, but like a responsible parent urging her kids to eat their veggies, she admonishes the children in the Legislature that they must find a way to make up for the lost revenue as a result of eliminating the SBT instead of continuing the Republican record of partying now and letting someone else clean up the mess. Some of the kids insist abolishing the SBT will generate more tax revenue because it will stimulate business, but even an economic idiot should understand that won’t happen soon enough to stop the bleeding from lost revenue. Therefore, it would mean more cutting for roads, police, fire, revenue sharing and education over the next year. Just what this state needs, eh?
Furthermore, where the hell were these guys and dolls on the SBT over the last 30-some years? Former State Senator Ed Fredricks of Holland was beating that drum loudly in 1975, just after he was first elected to the House. For many years afterward, he was a lonely voice in the wilderness and didn’t get any traction on the issue throughout the 1980s, even with his GOP comrades in both the House and Senate.
So now, after all these years, the Single Business Tax becomes a hot issue, even though the Republican Party has held a majority in one or both chambers since 1990 and until Granholm came along in 2002, also owned the governor’s chair. These shenanigans came on the heels of their magificent performance on the proposed minimum wage increase last month. Here was an issue the GOP majority said was dead in the water because it would cost jobs. Yet when both the House and Senate saw a petition drive to get the proposal on the ballot in November pick up steam, they suddenly (within a week of each other) voted to approve a minimum wage hike to take effect in October (imagine that, just in time!). Some have suggested, including myself, the GOP majority’s sudden change of heart had little to do with concern for the ordinary workers in Michigan (who make too much already according to Dick Devos' wife and former state Republican Party Chairwoman Betsy DeVos), but a lot to do with the fear a minimum wage issue on the ballot would draw a lot of anti-Dick DeVos voters to the polls and help Granholm win a second term as Governor this November.
Many of these same legislators played the same game of political posturing with us several years ago when they accepted their 40 percent wage increases. House members, one of them Patty Birkholz, grandstanded and voted to turn down the raises, knowing bloody well their comrades in the Senate were not in session and could not do likewise in rejecting the raise. So, by the rules of the game, the pay increases went into effect despite all their on-the-record protestations about how they were against it. I repeat — Great theater, lousy legislation.
No wonder there’s a Fire the Senate campaign out there.
The latest example came earlier this month when the state House and Senate quickly, enthusiastically and with great fanfare, approved elimination of the dreaded "job killer," the Single Business Tax, only to watch Gov. Jennifer Granholm veto the bill. The developments set the stage for a melodrama pitting the tax-cutting good guys, Republicans, against the business-hating Democratic governor.
Sorry, folks, it’s just not as simple as our esteemed lawmakers would like us to believe. Granholm, and most other folks for that matter, agree the Single Business Tax must go, but like a responsible parent urging her kids to eat their veggies, she admonishes the children in the Legislature that they must find a way to make up for the lost revenue as a result of eliminating the SBT instead of continuing the Republican record of partying now and letting someone else clean up the mess. Some of the kids insist abolishing the SBT will generate more tax revenue because it will stimulate business, but even an economic idiot should understand that won’t happen soon enough to stop the bleeding from lost revenue. Therefore, it would mean more cutting for roads, police, fire, revenue sharing and education over the next year. Just what this state needs, eh?
Furthermore, where the hell were these guys and dolls on the SBT over the last 30-some years? Former State Senator Ed Fredricks of Holland was beating that drum loudly in 1975, just after he was first elected to the House. For many years afterward, he was a lonely voice in the wilderness and didn’t get any traction on the issue throughout the 1980s, even with his GOP comrades in both the House and Senate.
So now, after all these years, the Single Business Tax becomes a hot issue, even though the Republican Party has held a majority in one or both chambers since 1990 and until Granholm came along in 2002, also owned the governor’s chair. These shenanigans came on the heels of their magificent performance on the proposed minimum wage increase last month. Here was an issue the GOP majority said was dead in the water because it would cost jobs. Yet when both the House and Senate saw a petition drive to get the proposal on the ballot in November pick up steam, they suddenly (within a week of each other) voted to approve a minimum wage hike to take effect in October (imagine that, just in time!). Some have suggested, including myself, the GOP majority’s sudden change of heart had little to do with concern for the ordinary workers in Michigan (who make too much already according to Dick Devos' wife and former state Republican Party Chairwoman Betsy DeVos), but a lot to do with the fear a minimum wage issue on the ballot would draw a lot of anti-Dick DeVos voters to the polls and help Granholm win a second term as Governor this November.
Many of these same legislators played the same game of political posturing with us several years ago when they accepted their 40 percent wage increases. House members, one of them Patty Birkholz, grandstanded and voted to turn down the raises, knowing bloody well their comrades in the Senate were not in session and could not do likewise in rejecting the raise. So, by the rules of the game, the pay increases went into effect despite all their on-the-record protestations about how they were against it. I repeat — Great theater, lousy legislation.
No wonder there’s a Fire the Senate campaign out there.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
87th District & Fire the Senate updates
And then there were three...
The latest in the continuing saga of the candidates for 87th District State House seat has another new development.
Rumor has it that former Hastings Mayor Frank Campbell has decided to put an end to his run. Campbell reportedly has told friends and supporters he was preparing to file for his candidacy last week, but reconsidered because of lack of the kind of support he expected.
What started as a five-person race for the right to succeed term-limited Gary Newell has been trimmed to three with the recent news that Mark Doster has bowed out. That leaves only Brian Reynolds, Susan Vlietstra and Brian Calley as the remaining three known candidates, but some won’t rule out the possibility former Barry County Board Chairman James Bailey will throw his hat in the ring.
But why are there no other candidates from Ionia County. Is it because no one wants to mess with Calley, the chosen one?
For my summary about the three remaining announced candidates, check out these links: Brian Calley, Brian Reynolds, and Susan Vlietstra
Unicameral rides a roller coaster
The Unicameral Michigan's Fire the Senate movement has been on a roller coaster ride.
Spokesperson Joe Lukasiewicz has reported its “ups” are enthusiastic responses from ordinary citizens and polls showing between 57 and 66 percent support if the issue qualifies to get on the November ballot. The “downs” are the deliberate tactics by politicans and most corporate media to ignore the petition drive, thereby keeping information from the public about its very existence. Of course, the reason is very simply that the fewer people who know about, the greater the likelihood it will fail to get enough signatures.
The Grand Rapids (VanAnDeVos) Press and Kalamazoo Gazette, and other metro dailies, have refused to publish any stories about the drive, which one would think would make good copy because of its “David vs. Goliath” appeal. There are others who ignore or laugh, even Michigan Radio, which recently did a piece on ballot issues, some of which no longer exist, did not mention the effort to abolish the State Senate.
Money is a problem because, as the website says, Unicameral has no “sugar daddy,” no well-funded out of state lobby to put up the bucks. The media refuses to take a grassroots effort seriously, unless it has a billionaire financier. Any takers reading this blog who would like to help out?
There are plenty of urban myths:
1. Some say it’s a Democratic Party issue, yet the Allegan and Calhoun County Dems have rejected it, as did the state party a year ago. The Unicameralists insist it’s non-partisan.
2. Some still cling to the belief Our Founding Fathers meant state governments to have two houses just like in Washington D.C. Lukasiewicz says he’s tired of giving the civics lesson about the federal model having 50 states with two senators each and the other chamber is based on population. There is no such difference within each state, by law the two state chambers are based on population.
3. Some still cling to the misguided notion of checks and balances. Back to ninth-grade civics: Checks and balances are supposed to be between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, not within the same legislative branch.
4. Some say they want to keep their representation in Lansing. I’ve got news: They don’t represent us, they represent monied special interests. So cut ‘em from 148 to 110.
5. Others still yet insist lobbyists will become more powerful if there are fewer legislators. Totally irrelevant. The number of lobbyists will be reduced only by campaign finance reform and changing the term limits laws, not by keeping the same number of legislators.
State Rep. Glenn Steil Jr., son of the man who led the charge 14 years ago to give us term limits, now wants to increase the maximum years lawmakers can serve and he has acknowledged we can live with fewer legislators. His bill suggests reducing the House from 110 to 60 and the Senate from 38 to 20. Former House Speaker Rick Johnson has endorsed the plan.
Steil, when he introduced his bill, immediately was put on Channel 8 TV’s Rick Albin’s “To the Point” to explain himself. Yet no major media has asked Lukasiewicz or Unicameral to appear. Why not?
Let’s take back our government. Fire the Senate!
Friday, April 07, 2006
When your own dad calls you a liar...
Dick Devos' hometown paper is calling the gubernatorial candidate out for his newest campaign ad which attempts to paint the billionaire as the man who single-handedly made Grand Rapids what it is. The ultra-conservative paper (which has so far enthusiastically backed the son of ScAmway founder Richard DeVos) called his new ad "revisionist" and even his own father has weighed in on the issue and said that by claiming he "turned Grand Rapids around" he's engaging in "a little political license."
The Press surprisingly pulls no punches in calling DeVos out for the misleading ad:
The problem is, he hasn't done anything that didn't include playing with daddy's money. DeVos is a self-made man like Paris Hilton is a self-made woman. Everything he's done was due to winning the birth lottery. Even his own dad is calling him on it...
The Press surprisingly pulls no punches in calling DeVos out for the misleading ad:
The latest TV spot by GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos comes with a bold claim:
"Dick DeVos turned Grand Rapids around," it states on an introduction to the ad on the candidate's Web site.
The 30-second ad, which first aired around the state last week, contrasts a bleak black-and-white city -- empty, crumbling buildings -- that morphs into a colorful metropolis, with shots of the Amway Grand Plaza, the downtown campus of Grand Valley State University, Van Andel Arena and DeVos Children's Hospital.
-snip-
But the ad strikes some as revisionist history. And media analysts warn it could invite unfavorable comparisons with the hefty investments in Grand Rapids by Amway co-founders Rich DeVos, his father, and Jay Van Andel.
"You're living in the shadow of admitted giants," said Calvin College communications professor Randall Bytwerk. "It would be easy for people say, 'Yeah, he is taking credit for more than he has been directly responsible for.'"
...Lansing political analyst Bill Ballenger considers the latest spot a gamble.
Ballenger said DeVos needs to establish himself as a business figure who could be trusted to revitalize the state economy. But he said DeVos also risks stirring up criticism that he is riding the coattails of Amway's first generation while taking credit for what they started.
"In West Michigan, everybody really knows the facts," said Ballenger, a former Republican legislator. "People could be a little bit stunned, saying, 'What is this dude doing? We know the truth.'"
"People want to see some separation between his father and Jay Van Andel. They want to see what Dick DeVos could do by himself without a head start, standing on third base."
The problem is, he hasn't done anything that didn't include playing with daddy's money. DeVos is a self-made man like Paris Hilton is a self-made woman. Everything he's done was due to winning the birth lottery. Even his own dad is calling him on it...
Blog-O-Rama
Fulton's Friends Furious Over Flap
David T. Young, who was one of the Habitat for Humanity supporters that witnessed Fulton Sheen's failure to pay for dinner or to make a contribution at March 24 Habitat dinner, wrote a letter to the editor to the Allegan County News & Gazette to outline his objections. The News & Gazette received two letters this week, circling the wagons and defending Sheen, one from longtime GOP member Lee Murray of Hopkins and the other from Jerry Bohl, president of Allegan County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Young said in his letter he doesn't think it's appropriate for the president of a non-profit organization to endorse or give testimonial on behalf a political candidate in an election year.
The following is Bohl's letter, as printed in this week's edition of the Allegan County News & Gazette:
"In regards to the letter with the headline of 'Politicians should contribute to charities, not use them.' "We, at Allegan County Habitat for Humanity, wish to take issue with Mr. Young on his assessment of State Rep. Fulton Sheen. Several of our board members attended the dinner in question and can assure Mr. Young and your readers that Fulton Sheen was not 'using' that dinner for his own benefit.
"Hasn't everyone forgotten their wallet at one time or other?
"Habitat received a check from Fulton on the following Wednesday, and it was for much more than the $8 cost of the dinner.
I know for a fact that Fulton supports many Allegan County non-profits-not just with money, but with time also. He's very active in his church and has worked-meaning grubby-clothes, get-dirty work-on several of the houses Habitat has built.
"Mr. Young, we already have a state representative who has 'common sense and integrity' — his name is Fulton Sheen."
- Jerry Bohl, President, Allegan County Habitat for Humanity
Walking the Tightrope
Speaking of what might be considered inappropriate endorsements, there are some within the ranks of the Barry County Republican Party who aren't happy with Barry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie DeBoer introducing local businessmen and women to State Rep. candidate Brian Calley, the anointed one from Portland to succeed term limited State Rep. Gary Newell in the 87th District. The chamber director, wife of former State Police Commander and Sheriff Steve DeBoer, was a supporter of Newell and has had to walk a tightrope to avoid appearance of impropriety in the political arena. After all, the chamber, like Habitat for Humanity, is supposed to be politically neutral. In her defense, Calley bought a membership into the Barry County Chamber, a politically savvy move that got him an appearance at Hastings Kiwanis. Calley sure seems to be lining up the supposed power brokers who think they are hitching their wagons to the next State Rep.
Lincoln Day Doings
The Barry County GOP Lincoln Day dinner will be Friday, May 19, and as promised, it excludes Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who snubbed the local party at previous dinners. The Barry Republicans invited the Rev. Keith Butler, one of the sacrificial lambs seeking the nomination to go down in November to Democratic U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. At least it wasn't a return appearance of Betsy ("Michigan workers are paid too much") DeVos, former party chairwoman and wife of GOP gubernatorial candidate and billionaire Dick DeVos (who somehow seems to claim he's not a politician despite years of lobbying on behalf of such causes as privatizing public schools while contributing millions to the politically dominant radical think tank, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, whose ideas got us in the mess we're in with regards to shrinking state coffers and cuts to local communities via revenue sharing- we could respect him more if he was at least honest about who is is and what he stands for instead of pretending he's a self-made man who is a newcomer to the political arena).
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Check this out...
Machiavellian machinations
at the Hastings Library?
The Hastings Public Library Board has announced the groundbreaking for the new building May 19, but the hoopla has been tainted by disturbing evidence of inside political and inter-personal fighting that may lead to the premature exit of Library Administrator Barbara Schondelmayer who is said to be planning to retire at the end of 2007, after the new library has been completed and is up and running.
Reading the Hastings Banner last November, I picked up on some curious comments made by Hastings Township Supervisor Jim Brown to the City Council, something to the effect that building a new library without the person who led the charge to get it done just doesn’t look good to the public. Up until that point, I didn’t even know there was a problem and couldn't make much sense of the comments so I kept my eyes and ears open for the rest of the story. It came when the Banner checked with Schondelmayer and with Library Board President Brenda Teegardin, both did a lot of dancing, declining to give straight answers to concerned questions about what’s really happening here. That’s a sure sign something stinks. Don’t be all that surprised if we see an announcement that Schondelmayer is retiring “to spend more time with her family” or “to pursue other career interests,” code phrases in the business and public relations worlds that really mean somebody was told to retire, step down, resign, or face the alternative of being fired.
The question is, why would Barb Schondelmayer be on the hot seat? She has been the administrator for 21 years without any serious problems, yet now, just as her dream of having a new library built is close to being realized, she’s having unpleasant “discussions” with the Library Board. Why is the Library Board in a hurry to have her step down in such an important period in the library’s history?
Schondelmayer, despite lacking a master of library science degree, seems to have done a competent job as administrator. Getting rid of her at this point only seems to be a public relations disaster. Word on the street is that Lizanne Fehsenfeld, current director of the Thornapple Arts Council, covets Schondelmayer’s job. Fehsenfeld just happens to be the vice president of the Library Board. She also was on the Thornapple Arts Council Board when its director resigned abruptly and she took over at the helm, first as an “interim” but then staying on as the permanent leader. She seems to be an ambitious woman who has a way of working herself into higher positions of power. That's fine, but not if it comes at the expense of someone who has served ably and has finally helped achieve something so many have sought for so long- a new library for the city of Hastings.
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