Friday, April 30, 2010

Immigration Update:

--L.A. Times col. 1, 'OBAMA LAWYERS WEIGH ARIZONA OPTIONS,' by Richard A. Serrano and Peter Nicholas: 'A team of top government lawyers has quietly begun studying legal strategies for the Obama administration to mount a challenge to Arizona's new illegal immigration law, including the filing of a federal lawsuit against the state or joining a suit brought by others ... Attorneys from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are examining legal options and hope to make suggestions by mid-May, before the Arizona law takes effect sometime in midsummer ... Grounds for a possible U.S. challenge could include charges that the Arizona measure unlawfully preempts the federal government's role in securing the country's borders ... Or federal officials could file a civil rights challenge asserting that the law encourages racial profiling.'

--ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: 'The Los Angeles Police are preparing for as many as 100,000 marchers to rally for immigration rights in downtown Los Angeles during the annual May Day event Saturday.' --L.A. Times

Duncan Hunter: Deport Illegal Immigrants' Children Who Are Natural-Born Americans

Now here is an un-American idea. Lets take citizens of our country, children, and say under our constitution you have no rights and we want you to GET OUT. Wow. Who would Congressman Hunter put out of our country next, which United States citizens would he come for next. Whose door would he come to with the border police to remove you from your house and put you on a bus out of the country.

I thought his father was awful in Congress. Should have guessed it could get worse.

Lawmakers still seeking retirement plan deal | lansingstatejournal.com | Lansing State Journal

Biggest debate in Lansing at the moment. Can the Republicans and Democrats actually come together on something? Is there something still to the art of negotiating and leading? Okay this is the "proof moment".

Michigan governor candidates debate 'urban agenda' | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Good development that citizens get to see and hear candidates of BOTH parties in same debate during the primary season. Good for citizens and good for candidates.

When will they debate a rural agenda?

Granholm to sign bills today on 'Oprah' banning texting while driving | detnews.com | The Detroit News

How about cell phone use being banned while driving?

Granholm just cannot resist that limelight. Signing on Oprah? Yikes.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Immigration

--AP, 'Referendum could delay AZ immigration law to 2012,' by Jonathan J. Cooper and Paul Davenport: 'Challenges to Arizona's tough new law targeting illegal immigration have started to emerge ... The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders says it will file suit Thursday in Phoenix federal court, the first of several lawsuits expected in coming months. ... The group argues federal law pre-empts state regulation of national borders, and that Arizona's law violates due-process rights by allowing suspected illegal immigrants to be detained before they're convicted.'

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

GVSU promises to immediately cut tuition 5 percent if lawmakers guarantee minimum funding | - MLive.com

The issue of state aid to universities and tuition gets more and more complicated. One of these days the legislature is going to put in place a "system" board of trustees that will govern all the universities. Or they will create two "systems": one for the UM, MSU and WSU and a "system" for the other 12 universities. This would take a constitutional amendment but if the voters approve the 2010 ballot question on whether we should convene a constitutional convention in 2011 then this could be addressed at this time.

Tuition and state aid levels will continue to be a "hot topic".

Female staffers face uphill climb - Erika Lovley - POLITICO.com

The "glass ceiling" lives in Congress.

Senators' letter to Facebook - Politico Staff - POLITICO.com

This is about Facebook's policy on privacy. Important letter in the debate about the "connected online community" and privacy.

Levin accuses Goldman Sachs of running 'conveyor belt' of toxic mortgages | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Should not the folks who "bought" from Goldman also be held accountable for making bad or overly risky decisions--those who bought these instruments were institutional investors who purchase billions and billions of dollars of financial instruments. They were purchasing and Goldman was accommodating. Maybe all parties ought to be held accountable.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Mexico hobbled in drug war by arrests that lead nowhere

This issue will play into the immigration reform issue now before the House and Senate.

Senate Majority Issues Statement on Retirement Reforms and Budget Cuts/Balancing

From the Senate Republicans today. Nothing in response yet from House or Senate Democrats:

Senate Republicans approve retirement reforms that will save taxpayers billions of dollars

Senate Majority Leader Bishop urges Granholm and Dillon to follow the Senate's lead and pass the bills

Senate Majority Leader
Mike Bishop

Senate Republicans bucked political pressure by passing two significant reforms to the public employee retirement system that will help the state and our schools save $245 million next year and more than $3.1 billion during the next 10 years.

The critical reform measures are part of the Senate Republican plan to address Michigan's $1.4 billion budget shortfall without raising taxes. The initiatives will bring much-needed savings and financial stability to public education and control the cost of state government.

Since 2000, private sector compensation dropped 19.7 percent, while public sector wages and benefits increased 11 percent during the same period - a 31 percent difference. Republicans understand that this course is unsustainable.

Senate Bill 1227 will save schools $211 million (more than $118 per pupil) for the coming school year that, when coupled with the K-12 budget passed by the Senate last month, will keep school aid whole. Along with Senate Bill 1226, the reform's substantial savings will help the state and our public schools balance their budgets without laying off teachers. These measures are equally about saving jobs and reducing the cost of government.

Senate Republicans made a few changes to the governor's plan to make the reforms fiscally responsible. Her proposed increase in the multiplier was removed because it was estimated to cost schools $500 million in the long term.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop urges Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Speaker Andy Dillon to persuade the House to join with the Senate and immediately enact public employee retirement reforms.

Senate Republicans agree with Speaker Dillon's recent call for `bipartisan action' to enact cuts and reforms. We have introduced reforms to save more than $2 billion and several of our initiatives have already passed the Senate.

It is not about politics, it is about the future of our state. However, as the governor continues to remind us, schools need time to plan. We must approve the public employee retirement reforms now.

Secretary of State prepares to shape new campaign finance rules | - MLive.com

Very, very important that this rule making process begin immediately.

Ground-Level Engagement | GOVERNING

Fieger to decide this week on gubernatorial run | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Building Better Communities by Aligning Interests | GOVERNING

A Value-Added Tax For America? | GOVERNING

This is the next federal tax debate--watch for it in 2011.

Campaign bundlers shake money trees - Josh Israel & Aaron Mehta - Center for Public Integrity - POLITICO.com

Money and political contributions are either the honey of politics and campaigns OR the poison of the system.

Amazing amount of bundling being done in DC. Almost makes it a waste of time to give individual contributions to candidates because your contribution will be a speck as compared to the DC lobbyists "bundling" money for candidates.

Max Baucus: A bank tax is coming - David Rogers - POLITICO.com

This will be an interesting fight in the US Senate. If they cannot get financial reform done how on earth will they get a bank tax done. So of this will depend on what happens with the Goldman Sachs investigation being conducted by Senator Levin.

'Nobody wins' on immigration reform - Jonathan Martin - POLITICO.com

The Arizona immigration law is awful and is racial profiling. This is an article about how Republicans and Democrats lose in this debate if they do not do something soon to fix the immigration issues in this country.

Mich. state Sen. Allen to run for US House | detnews.com | The Detroit News

One more into the 1st Congressional District Republican Primary.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Michigan Republican gubernatorial hopefuls offer ideas to fix economy | lansingstatejournal.com | Lansing State Journal

Michigan State Legislature for the Week of April 25th

We expect the legislature to continue to pass first house budget bills so they can sit in the opposite house until the legislative leaders can reach a compromise on budget cuts, tax cuts, tax increases and/or tax shifts. Until they do this there can be no resolution or passage of the budget bills.

Many, many capitol observers believe that the legislature will not do anything on the state budget until AFTER the November elections and more and more observers believe that they will wait until the new Governor and new legislature is sworn into office in 2011.

Very little other legislative action scheduled and very few major pieces of legislation expected to move thru the legislature this week.

What's Going on in DC this Week

Detroit News blog tells us the following for the week of April 25th:

--Sun., April 25: Michigan's Gov. Jennifer Granholm is the featured guest on CNN's State of the Union program from 9 to 10 a.m. She'll be talking about the state of the Michigan economy and rumors about her being a potential Supreme Court nominee.

From the Supreme Court on Monday: word on whether the Supreme Court will reopen the 1922 case against Illinois seeking the separation of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes watersheds.

--Tue., April 27: Sen. Carl Levin's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations digs deeper into the role investment bank Goldman Sachs played in the real estate crisis and subsequent market crash. Expect a lot of tough questions and big national headlines coming out of the Tuesday morning hearing.

--Thu., April 29: The House's Intelligence Committee, whose ranking member Rep. Pete Hoekstra is a Republican gubernatorial candidate, holds a closed door hearing on Flight 253 forensics. Though no press or public is allowed in the hearing, any big revelations could leak ... stay tuned.

Also next week: There could be more rumors on who the President will nominate to the Supreme Court. Two Michigan-connected names are popping up on the radar: Granholm and former Detroit Public Schools teacher Ann Claire Williams, so there could be some local interest.

From The Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/dcblog/index.php#ixzz0m6z4WNao

Allen announcing Congress bid intentions Monday | detnews.com | The Detroit News

One more joins the primary election and hopes to replace Bart Stupak.

Jason Allen will be a strong, strong candidate in the Republican primary and will be heavily favored to win--especially among party regulars. He will do the best at fundraising and will run the most sophisticated campaign amongst all the Republicans. Smart, savy and well connected in the UP with a strong base below the bridge. Makes him the most likely leader in the 1st CD Republican primary.

Major weakness is he had to move his family into the district last week, but his strength is that he has been the Senate's lead visiting Republican to the UP for almost a decade. When they wanted a Republican to come to the UP it was Jason. He also has owned a camp in the UP for decades. A regular visitor. Question to ask is can he overcome the "carpetbagger" label.

Jason Allen is the man to watch in the 1st CD Republican primary. Watch him.

Poll: Fieger a favorite among likely Dem voters | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Interesting question to ask about this poll is about the cross tabs--of those interviewed what percentage were from southeast Michigan and what percentage from other regions of the state. A slight variance in the percentages would greatly impact the numbers for each candidate in this poll--especially Feiger.

A huge 29% said they were unsure who they would vote for if the primary were held today. Understandable but a big number and makes the race for Governor very fluid in both parties by the way. Candidates might just want to ignore the polls for awhile and focus on raising money and getting primary voters to sign on the dotted line.

Enough with polls this early in the election year.

Dems desperately seek diversity | detnews.com | The Detroit News

African Americans are talking about some strong candidates for Lt. Governor--regardless of who wins the primary. Can't really handicap the potential winner for Lt. Governor without knowing who will be the Democratic nominee.

Seems Republicans will most likely chose a women but from where depends on again who wins the Republican nomination for Governor. If its Hoekstra it would be a women from southeast Michigan and if Snyder it would be a women from West Michigan, etc..

Poli-Bites: Here's an award for you, and one for you, and ... | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

When you are running for Governor or Congress "every little bit helps--every little award helps, or so they think. Read about the golden mouse awards!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Op-Ed Columnist - A Tea Party With a Difference - NYTimes.com

Climate Bill On Hold After Lindsey Graham Threatens To Withdraw Support Over Immigration

Looks like POTUS is going to move the politically important immigration bill ahead of the climate control bill. this is thought to help in some key Democratic US Senate races--not the least of which is the reelection effort of Senator Reid, Senate Majority Leader.

Chris Hayes In 60 Seconds: 'The Culture Of Washington Is Totally And Completely Corrupt'

Raul Grijalva Gets Death Threats: Arizona Rep's Office To Close After Threats Over Immigration Bill

We will get more and more of these stories after the Arizona vote on immigration. We will see more and more extreme reactions to this national issue. Congress and the President should move quickly to deal with the national immigration issue.

Have Conservatives Gone Mad? - Politics - The Atlantic

State House OKs ban on texting, driving | lansingstatejournal.com | Lansing State Journal

What about a ban on using a cell phone while driving? Other states have banned cell phone use and texting while driving.

Also concerns were raised during the legislative debate on texting that allowing the police to pull over drivers for texting could lead to racial profiling. Agree?

Pa. rep says foe feigning bisexuality for votes | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Obama slams 'misguided' Arizona immigration bill | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Talk of national economic boycott of Arizona by Hispanic groups across the country. They could receive huge support from other interest groups and this boycott to grow into a huge national effort that could hurt the very important Arizona tourism industry.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Why do so few Americans trust the government? | - MLive.com

Newt Gingrich: Tea Party Turning Into The 'Militant' Wing Of GOP

Roots of State Gridlock Tied to 1961-62 Constitutional Convention | DomeMagazine.com

Not much publicity on the convention vote this Fall. Our constitution gives the people of Michigan the right to decide every 16 years if they want to convene a constitutional convention to amend their constitution.

Not much on the merits in the debate right now because the focus has been on what it would cost--an estimated $28 million beginning to end. There is a lot to debate about the merits of a convention and the potential contents of a convention.

This is one of those articles that is now beginning to be published on the merits.

Financial Reform in Congress

--Wall Street Journal, A1, “Finance Bill Climax Looms,” by Jonathan Weisman and Damian Paletta: “President Barack Obama used a Manhattan speech to urge top banking executives to back his sweeping overhaul of financial-market rules … In Washington, senators intensified bipartisan negotiations aimed at producing legislation that could be supported by members in both parties. Timing for a possible agreement was uncertain, but … Chris Dodd (D., Conn.) and ... Richard Shelby … appeared committed to closing a deal. Internal GOP divisions improved Democrats' chances of securing another of their big domestic priorities: a bill they could tout as addressing the causes and aftermath of the financial crisis. A big test could come as soon as Monday, when Republicans likely will need all 41 of their senators to stop floor debate on the bill.”

Ex-DPS teacher is considered for Supreme Court | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Thursday, April 22, 2010

College Tuition and Graduating in Three Years

Want to save $50,000? Try a three-year college degree.

With costs soaring, some colleges offer students a way to graduate early with a three-year college degree. But critics say students lose out on gaining breadth of experience.

By Amanda Paulson, / Staff writer Christian Science Monitor
posted March 12, 2010 at 12:52 pm EST

Carmen Lookshire is halfway through her first year of college, but she already has her studies mapped out – and is looking at graduation in just two more years.

The art history major is one of the first students to take advantage of the new three-year college degree at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. – part of a growing number of such programs designed to help students shave tuition costs and get to the job market or graduate school faster.

"It saves a year of tuition, and that's always a good thing," says Ms. Lookshire, who will be taking out loans to help with the $45,000 yearly bill. "But it's also a good challenge. I knew going into the program that I want to attend grad school, and I thought it was a good way to show the schools I'd like to go to that I was committed."

Students always have had the option of finishing their degrees faster if they accumulate enough credits. And many more take five or six years to get through a four-year program. But recently, the idea of a structured three-year degree has gained traction, due in part to spiraling college costs and the struggling economy.

The few schools to offer one so far have made it an optional program for very driven students, with the same requirements as a standard degree. But some educators also question why the four-year, 120-credit model has to be the norm (unlike in Europe, where the standard is often three years).

"We have an undergraduate curriculum that is in need of pruning, reengineering, and clearing out the rubble," says Robert Zemsky, an education professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. "From an educational point of view, I think it would be a stronger curriculum. >From a financial viewpoint, it would save families 25 percent."

While almost everyone agrees that soaring costs are a problem, many educators push back against anything that would pare down the college experience, arguing that the strength of the US system – particularly with liberal arts schools – is its emphasis on a broad-based education, along with the ability it gives students to explore new subjects, mature, and gain meaningful experiences in the classroom and on campus.

"I don't think our society suffers from overeducation. It suffers from undereducation," says Diane Ravitch, an education professor at New York University and a former assistant secretary of Education. About one-third of college freshmen enter in need of remediation, she notes, and spend their first year catching up.

Derek Bok, president emeritus of Harvard University, adds that trimming would most likely mean cutting "general education" courses already overburdened with the task of teaching students to write and speak. He envisions a higher-education landscape in which a few elite schools would continue to offer four-year programs while others cut back to three – and begin to resemble vocational schools.

"Whether the savings from a three-year college would be worth the sacrifices is a value judgment," Dr. Bok wrote in an e-mail. "But those of us who believe deeply in a well-rounded education as the best preparation for a full life will clearly regard this change as a long step backward."

While a broad shift in graduation requirements doesn't seem imminent, many more schools are offering formal support to students who do an accelerated program.

Bates College, Franklin & Marshall College, Lipscomb University, Manchester College, and Southern New Hampshire University are among those offering three-year programs. Rhode Island lawmakers have approved a bill that requires all state schools to create a three-year bachelor's program by this fall.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is also considering an "accelerated" three-year program for students, meant to save them money. This, no doubt, in response to student protests about tuition hikes at the state university.

"It's an idea that's been around for many years in the background," says Roland King, a spokesman for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. "Once we got into seriously looking at dropping the cost of a college education with the economic downturn, it's moved to the forefront."

The idea got an added jolt last year from Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) of Tennessee, a former Education secretary, when he compared a three-year degree to fuel-efficient cars that outcompeted gas guzzlers.

Not all students want it. Bates's program has existed for nearly 45 years, but few students take advantage of it: just 34 over the past 10 years. At Hartwick, however, 22 percent of this year's applicants expressed interest in the quicker degree.

Margaret Drugovich, Hartwick's president, says she launched the program after seeing the number of families who wanted a liberal arts education but couldn't afford the high costs. Students take an extra course each semester, get preferred registration, and are required to take a course during the school's optional January term. Study abroad is still possible – often during that "J-term" – and advisers help students fill all their requirements. "It's a student-by-student thing," she says, noting the option works best for students who are more organized and mature.

Those who choose to graduate early sometimes have mixed feelings. Ryan Schwartz, a media relations specialist in Austin, Texas, graduated from Stanford University in 2006 in just under three years, due in part to AP credits from high school. "At the time, I was really excited. I was ready to get out into the real world ... and Stanford was ridiculously expensive," says Mr. Schwartz. But he's come to regret some of what he missed: senior year with his friends, extra classes that interested him, a final research project and thesis. "College gives an opportunity for you to really expand on your vision for your life. By finishing in such a short time, you miss out on widening your horizons."

Still, Mr. Zemsky points out, only a few students are looking for a liberal arts experience. Others agree that changes are worth at least investigating. "I don't think there's any magic in 120 credit hours," says William McKinney, vice chancellor for academic affairs at Indiana University-Purdue in Fort Wayne. "The concern I have is that we're letting [the issue] of cost drive the conversation."

Five GOP governor candidates meet in first TV debate | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Romney endorses Hoekstra for governor | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Not a surprise since Hoekstra endorsed and campaigned for Romney during Presidential elections.

Great news for Hoekstra--will help him in SE Michigan, where he needs help. Strong endorsement.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

State budget problem is not just taxes, and it's not just spending | - MLive.com

Interesting article. As we have been saying our budget problems will only be solved with a balanced approach that includes careful evaluation, measurement and possible amendment of revenue (taxes) AND spending (budget).

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Granholm: I'll veto any budget that cuts education | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Granholm plans lose support | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

The loss of public support in this poll is translated into loss of political, legislative support for this proposal.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Can Michigan afford generous tax exemptions for retirees? | - MLive.com

This is what Dr. Charles Ballard said while speaking at NMU recently. Seniors won't like this but it is an important policy debate. I am sure it will be the "third rail of politics" until after the November election!

Bernero goes on the offensive at Democratic gubernatorial forum | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Taxes in Michigan are out of whack, but who should pay? | - MLive.com

Revenue and budget balancing/ cuts--the two things that will confront every public policy maker in Michigan for the next several years. We cannot move forward until we deal with both of these issues. This article sets forward the tax and revenue issues confronting us as a state and as a people.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Lansing political food fight begins anew | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Many observers believe that Lansing policy makers will not address the budget deficit and tax reform until AFTER the November elections--some believe that they won't do anything until the new Governor and legislature is sworn in in January.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Op-Ed Contributor - Send In the Professors - NYTimes.com

Read this if you are a college student (or used to be one)! It will make you think about your experiences of going to college in Michigan (or anywhere in the US) versus going to college in Iraq!

This is not about tuition increases or state funding. More fundamental.

Political pendulum in Michigan swings away from the Democrats

2010 will indeed be a very tough year for incumbents in Michigan but it is way too early to say that one party or the other will overcome the other in Michigan. Michigan has always been a state with a very independent, ticket splitting electorate. Michigan also is a state that tends to decide late in the general election who is favored. Early polls have been very inaccurate in Michigan.

Now the primary election in August is another issue. Watch those open seats and see where the political divide is between conservatives and/or liberals in the state. Will the moderates carry the primaries or will the Tea Baggers have more influence than pundits think?

A politician for a polarized court - William Yeomans - POLITICO.com

Might the appointment of a person from the elective side of government help the Supreme Court build more internal coalitions and compromises within the Court--making a less divided Court who more reflects America? A Court who is more sensitive to the other two branches of government and the voting public?

There is "precedent" for this on the Court. Many, many of the justices over the years have come from the "political/elective side" of Government. Sandra Day O'Connor is a recent example who served as a State Court judge in Arizona.

Hoekstra and 100 Jobs Theme

I like this one--very creative. If you have not followed this campaign, Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-Holland) is leaving Congress to run for Governor. He is ahead in the polls. His focus in Congress was foreign affairs and intelligence. He also worked intensely small business issues and also to prevent the federal government from competing with businesses in the private sector.

His campaign for Governor has now created a very interesting campaign tactic: dropping in on a few businesses each week and working there for a few hours. He gets to visit with customers and owners and find out what is on their minds. He gets to experience working conditions of all sorts of different businesses and their employees. Not to mention that he gets lots of great local press who cover this--especially in small towns across Michigan.

Smart move Congressman.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Joel I. Klein, Michael Lomax and Janet Murgu�a - Why great teachers matter to low-income students

This op ed piece makes a very strong case for low income students getting the best education possible--regardless of whether they go to school in a rural or urban area.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

The Fix - How will John Paul Stevens retirement affect the midterms?

The Fix
- How will John Paul Stevens retirement affect the midterms?

-Will it have an effect on the Congressional Midterm elections, including the recent retirement announcement of the UP's Bart Stupak?

-Will the fight over a new Supreme Court Justice nomination have an impact on Michigan's election for the next Governor?

Friday, April 9, 2010

Stupak Press Conference on Retirement

go to:

http://mediasite.nmu.edu/NMUMediasite/Viewer/?peid=75fede9a0575462eb1bd622647fdc3cd

UP Legislative Retirements due to term limits

The Upper Peninsula has two state senators and four state representatives.

Both the state senators, Prusi and Allen, are retiring due to term limits.

State Representatives McDowell (Soo) and Lahti (Houghton) are running for the state senate.

That means we lose all of our seniority in the state Senate and half of it in the state House. This like the Stupak retirement will mean less state aid to our district because we will have freshman legislators who will not have the experience and the connections that the men they are replacing have in the legislature. Seniority matters. Seniority means dollars, programs and services in those districts with public officials with seniority.

Upper Peninsula Congressional Seniority

With Stupak's retirement the Upper Peninsula and the entire 1st Congressional District will lose all the benefits of Stupak's 16 years of seniority and all the federal dollars that it brings to the district.

His tenure and experience enabled him to bring millions and millions of federal dollars into the district. Whether the people of the 1st Congressional District elect a Democrat or a Republican they will still be a freshman--which means years and years before we get the federal dollars rolling again into the district.

Stupak Retires

It is a very hard job being a member of Congress. The lifestyle is awful.

No time at home, constantly on the road, constantly raising money and no private life.

Now add in constant media coverage and intrusion into your private life and constant questioning of your values, belief system and honesty.

No wonder members of Congress want to retire earlier than normal. Whew.

Congressman Stupak I am sure found this a difficult decision.

Getting to Know You | DomeMagazine.com

Eating the Seed Corn | DomeMagazine.com

FCC pushes forward with broadband agenda | Signal Strength - CNET News

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Bart Stupak Retiring? Democrats Worried Michigan Congressman May Not Run For Re-Election

Georgetown University professor: Cox’s challenge to health care a 'serious constitutional claim' | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Monday, April 5, 2010

Threats to Governors

30 Governors have received written threats. FBI is investigating. Michigan Governor Granholm has received one of them. This violent streak in American politics is unnerving and not excusable for any reason.

One wonders how many of the threats were from within Michigan or did the threats on Governor Granholm come from non resident extremists?

Congressional offices say they are now getting huge numbers of nasty emails an calls from folks not only who do not live in there districts but not even in the state. A very large percentage of the calls come from Americans all across the nation--which of course makes no sense since Congresspersons are elected by only the folks in their districts and that is the only group of folks they need to respond to or to please.

Friday, April 2, 2010

chatter

Well at least the Easter weekend has brought us a slight relief from the political chatter and nastiness of the debate.

State pay issue will get worse | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Renewables, Sustainability and Land use

The Michigan Land Use Institute has a new web site and it is very useful and interesting for those interested in the topic.

Check it out:

www.mlui.org

Your Government May be Watching Your Every Move

Your Government is Watching You!!!! Violates first amendment rights? Too much security? Or just good government and making places safer for its citizens?

Technology
Sensors Make Cities Smarter
In the not too distant future, cameras and sensors will empower officials to instantly monitor constantly changing dynamics.
By Zach Patton | April 2010

Call it City 2.0: a metropolis where officials instantly monitor all of the urban environment's constantly changing dynamics--the outside temperature; snow or rainfall; traffic; and perhaps most importantly, people moving through the streets, flowing from one neighborhood to the next. This system helps officials send resources to the street corner where gangs are converging, manage traffic before it becomes congested, and respond to emergencies seamlessly--automatically--before they're even reported.
It may sound like science fiction, but the idea of a living, sentient city--one in which managers use real-time data to respond to events as they occur--isn't the stuff of fantasy anymore. By creating intricately linked networks of cameras and sensors throughout an urban area, cities in the U.S. and elsewhere are already making great strides toward tracking weather conditions and traffic flow, to name a few, and then using that data to govern more effectively.
The ultimate City 2.0 vision is of a "highly networked, highly metered environment so that an administrator can oversee the inputs and the outputs," says Rob Enderle, a technology analyst with the Enderle Group. Tapping into all this real-time data, he says, means "you can run a city cheaper and have happier and safer citizens." The city, in short, becomes a more efficient place for people to live and work. It also means a government can do more with less.
The reality isn't that far away. Many of the building blocks are familiar, even mundane: sensors that monitor weather conditions and air pollution; smart-grid technology that helps deliver energy more efficiently; cameras that track the flow of pedestrians and automobile traffic; devices that measure and relay snowfall to the public works department; and access to Wi-Fi and cloud computing.
Alone, each of these blocks performs one discrete function for one purpose. But if a city fused all of those different data streams, it could create a place keenly aware of changes in the urban environment. With that awareness, a city could respond rapidly and efficiently where and when needed.
The sentient city is still an emerging idea, and managers will have to address many issues--technological and otherwise--before smart cities can flourish. But as more and more cities implement and refine the tools used to gather and assess all this data, the idea of City 2.0 is a vision that's quickly coming into focus.
he genesis of these ideas is decades old. Enderle likens the vision of sentient cities to the concept of "arcologies," the classic sci-fi notion of megalopolises made up of gargantuan, self-contained structures that house thousands of residents in an all-encapsulating environment. At the arcology dynamic's core is the idea that if you can contain all aspects of a city's life and needs, you can monitor and control what happens there.
While arcologies remain firmly ensconced in the pages of Utopian literature, cities have begun implementing technologies that approach somewhat similar ideals of monitoring the urbanscape as a whole. Traffic-light cameras, for example, are ubiquitous in many places. Some localities have gone further, installing video cameras throughout the city and creating a network of video streams. Chicago is the most prominent U.S. city to outfit itself with such a web of cameras. In 2004, the Windy City installed 250 surveillance cameras at sites thought to be at risk of a terror attack. Those devices were linked to 2,000 other cameras already spread throughout the city and networked into Chicago's emergency dispatch center. Mayor Richard Daley said his goal is to have a camera trained on every single intersection in the city.
Then there are gunshot location systems-a technology that uses audio sensors attached to rooftops and telephone poles to detect when a gun is fired and pinpoint the location. In 1995, Redwood City, Calif., was the first in the nation to test this system, which lets police respond to shots without receiving a 911 call. Today more than 30 U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., rely on the same acoustic sensors.
Surveillance cameras and gunshot detection were the first steps toward a fully sensor-equipped city. In more recent years as sensor technology has improved, the focus has broadened from public safety and emergency response to include subtler changes in environment. Matt Welsh, an associate professor of computer science at Harvard University, has spent the past four years designing and building a system of sensors to constantly monitor conditions in Cambridge, Mass. Welsh and his team have worked with the city to disperse nearly 30 sensors around the relatively small town. "We wanted to capture the ephemeral changes in environment," he says. Using the sensor data, Welsh hopes to gain understanding of how the city works on a minute level. He's recently begun looking at air pollution levels in areas with high automobile traffic, for example, and how those levels shift during the course of a day. The information from monitoring those outputs continuously on a city block, he suggests, could be extremely useful in the city's future decision-making.
Meanwhile, other cities are experimenting with monitoring residents' energy use in real time. Pilot programs that let citizens view their individual energy consumption as it's being used are up and running in Houston; Boulder, Colo.; and Dubuque, Iowa.
hile the technology for a sentient city is already available, what's missing is the ability to connect all the different data streams to form a comprehensive picture of a city's happenings. Wilmington, N.C., however, is trying. In February, the city and surrounding New Hanover County launched a pilot that could make it the nation's first true smart city. Using cameras and sensors, the city will analyze and respond to everything from traffic congestion and fuel consumption to water quality and sewage capacity.
For the most part, though, cities have yet to make the leap to fusing different kinds of sensor data. "The concept of City 2.0, is that all these things would be networked," Enderle says. "But I don't see anybody doing a great job of connecting all these things together."
As with so many IT projects, the obstacles toward a fully networked sentient city aren't really technological. The issues are much bigger than that, says Mark Cleverley, the director of strategy at IBM's Global Government Industry. "It's about how technology is changing," he says, "but it's also about how society is changing."
It's also about getting a city's agencies to work together to share and analyze sensor data. And that can be a challenge. "The big problem is working through the political structure," Enderle says. "It can be very turf-oriented and very fragmented when it comes to this kind of stuff." And what works for one city may not work for another. Cleverley worked with Stockholm to build a congestion--pricing system that utilized radio--frequency ID tags to track citizens' automobiles throughout the city. Cleverley says there's been widespread acceptance of the program and a general agreement that it's had a dramatic effect on reducing traffic congestion. But when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg floated the idea of congestion pricing in 2008, it took his citizens a New York minute to rebuke the notion.
Unsurprisingly there are privacy concerns. While most citizens probably don't mind the idea of pole-mounted devices collecting data on rainfall or air pollution, they are likely to be less receptive to the notion of cameras or traffic sensors that follow their movements throughout a city. Those kinds of concerns are not insurmountable, but they must be dealt with, says Cleverley, who notes that Chicago adopted a policy with its vast network of cameras that individuals' faces are, by default, blurred out. Law enforcement officials must go through an approval process, akin to obtaining a warrant, if they want to look for a specific person.
In the end, the collection of sensor data isn't what's important--it's how a city uses that information. "You can deliver better outcomes for society if you think about a city as a system of systems," says Cleverley. "What these technologies do is make it easier to track these systems. What they don't do is guarantee success."

Campaigns--Stupak Race

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC are

backing former Charlevoix County Commissioner Connie Saltonstall’s Democratic

primary challenge to Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak.

The endorsements come in the wake of Stupak’s high-profile effort to insert tight

restrictions on federal funding of abortions into the health care reform law.

Last Week, Saltonstall won the endorsements of the National Organization for

Women and MI List, a Michigan organization that backs female candidates who

support abortion rights.

NARAL announced Wednesday that it was donating the maximum of $5,000 to

Saltonstall’s primary campaign

NMU > Campus Sites

Guns on Campus

The following was sent out today from the NMU Communications Office:

>>> The NMU Sportsmen Gun Club plans to participate in next week's

>>> national "Students for Concealed Carry on Campus: Empty Holster

>>> Protest," a silent protest against state laws and college policies

>>> that ban concealed weapons on college campuses. Participating

>>> students will wear visible empty gun holsters from Monday through

>>> Thursday, April 5-9. We are informing you of this event so you will

>>> not be alarmed if you see one or more students displaying gun

>>> holsters during the protest period. For more information, contact

>>> Jeff Mincheff of NMU Public Safety (jminchef@nmu.edu) or Fred Gygi,

>>> student event organizer (fgygi@nmu.edu). NMU's current policy is

>>> that anything capable of firing a projectile is considered a weapon

>>> and must be registered and stored at NMU Public Safety and Police

>>> Services.

>>> Cindy Paavola