Save the U.S. Senate - Elect Gary Peters
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Where you want to be. October-December 2014
As We See It
Save the U.S. Senate — Elect Gary Peters
Michigan progressives and liber-
als are extraordinarily lucky to have a SPECIAL REPORT
candidate the quality of Gary Peters, The GOP drive to destroy
the Democratic nominee, standing up public education / Page 6
for them in this critical fight to retain
Carl Levin’s old seat. over the past three-quarters century
The alternative would be to put in or more in defense of human rights,
a Michele Bachmann look-alike and women’s rights, minority rights, on
sound-alike in the world’s greatest the environment, in the social sphere,
deliberative body – representing the in the field of voting rights, on immi-
great state of Michigan, no less – for gration reform.
SIX YEARS. Worst of all, unless stopped they
It would will continue to doom American de-
be six years of
abject pain for
Editorial billionaires talk with their money
bags of loot. Every day, on every
mocracy to the kind of mockery they
so cynically applaud to strip the poor
Michiganders. radio and TV station, their money and middle class of their dignity and
As much a fighter for workers buys lies and distortions to tear down their rights.
and the middle-class as Peters is, the Peters candidacy, while SAYING Gary Peters is a known quantity.
his GOP opponent, Terri Lynn Land, NOTHING about the incalculable A lifelong Democrat and progres-
would be the absolute opposite damage Land would do to the public sive, Peters has worn his patriotism
should she advance in November to trust if she ever gains that seat. proudly, serving two tours in the U.S.
Washington, D.C. Stop them! Naval Reserve at home and overseas
That’s because Land is nothing The prospect of Land winning in the Persian Gulf region, rising to
less than a right-wing stooge for the Carl Levin’s seat is horrible. the rank of lieutenant commander in
Koch Brothers and the DeVos family, The U.S. Senate can only be the service of his country.
and would dance on her marionette saved from the clutches of the corpo- Peters has served in local gov-
strings exactly as she is manipulated. rate vultures who would turn America ernment, in the Michigan Senate, and
And she would be one more vote into a non-democratic plutocracy by he represents the 14th Congressional
for the next Clarence Thomas or electing members of the caliber of District as their congressman in the
Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Gary Peters and rejecting the can- U.S. House of Representatives.
Court – or one more vote against the didacies of kooky conservatives like Gary Peters will strengthen
next outstanding nominee put up Land. Obamacare, not kill it.
by President Barack Obama or his Readers, we are telling you that Peters will help our nation’s gov-
Democratic successor. the balance of the U.S. Senate hangs ernment prosper, not shut it down.
Land knows how inept she is as on a knife-edge this Nov. 4. Gary Peters will stand with our
a politician and a stateswoman. Her Any swing to the right would president, not insult him.
supporters know it. They don’t dare unbalance that critical legislative Peters will be a GREAT United
put her in front of a microphone to body in favor of the tea party brand States senator, every bit as worthy of
debate Gary Peters because they of right-wing Republicanism we all the office as Carl Levin, who has, in
know the kind of unelectable gibber- know and have come to loathe. fact ENDORSED the congressman in
ish that would pour forth should she And why do we, as liberals and his bid for the Senate.
open her mouth in front of an audi- progressives, loathe this virulent Here at Left of the Line, we, too,
ence. strain of conservatism gone mad? strongly support GARY PETERS to be
So they’re keeping her under Because Republicans marching Michigan’s next United States sena-
wraps, hoping a disinterested elec- under the banner would turn the tor, and urge our readers to the polls
torate will sit this one out and let the clock back on every advance made on Nov. 4 to elect this good man.
e-mail to the editors at leftoftheli-
nellc@gmail.com
Vol. I • No. IV
However, unsolicited material,
Oct.-Dec. 2014 written prior to editorial consent
being given for publication and
Progressive views for the 2nd Congressional District sent to Left of the Line, may or may
public, and that your credibility and not be evaluated for use in upcom-
Mission Statement ing issues. Nor will this material
courage as a letter-writer should be
America was founded on liberal recognized by your neighbors. be returned to the authors unless
principles and progressive ideas, Letters should be succinct, leg- special dispensation is granted.
and Left of the Line is dedicated to ible, courteous and stay within the Moreover, only material promoting
defending both going forward. framework of a single topic. Re- or defending liberal and progres-
member, there will be another issue sive principles and ideas will be
of our news magazine, and you will considered for publication.
Left of the Line
be able to write again.
Left of the Line is a free bimonth-
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Letters can be submitted Advertising
through the wonderful efforts of
progressive and liberal views to our unionized friends of the United Left of the Line news magazine
residents of Michigan’s 2nd Con- States Postal Service by writing: accepts offers to advertise within
gressional District. The newsletter our pages with the understanding
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Or, if you prefer, send us your spirit of the publication’s principles
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Made in the U.S.A.
Still Ringing True
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and
the only way they could do this is by not voting.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
2
2nd congressional district
Counties: Lake, Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, Ottawa and portions of Allegan,
Kent and Mason.
Cities: Fremont, Grand Haven, Grandville, Holland, Hudsonville, Jenison, Kent-
wood, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, Norton Shores, Walker and Wyoming.
been discussed. Don’t know much
about Annette, but I do know she
claims to be pro-choice. My vote
will either go to her, or to no one
for this seat. I’m disappointed that
this information wasn’t made more
public before the 11th hour.”
Randy’s prosecutorial back-
ground means he is no stranger
Letters
to the courtroom or to our local
judiciary. It would also imply that
he’ll be a “tough on crime” kind of
judge. He’ll serve as District Court
date) has sought and received en- judge until 2016. He’ll work along-
What exactly are Randy
dorsement from Michigan Right To side Judges Hoopes, Closz and old
Kostrzewa’s ‘true colors’?
Life. Now, this may mean very little nemesis Andy Wierengo (In 2010,
to you, but it sure means something he ran a very negative campaign
When Gov. Rick Snyder an-
to me. against now-sitting Judge Wierengo
nounced the appointment of Ray-
“We can talk all day about how and lost). Then he’ll have to run
mond “Randy” Kostrzewa to replace
Randy’s views on choice will not for re-election ... non-partisan, of
retiring District Court Judge Mi-
affect his judicial decisions, but I am course.
chael Nolan, I was a bit surprised.
not about to help set an anti-choice One wonders about Randy’s
You see, I remember meeting
person on the path to a judicial trajectory: How did he go from the
Randy and his wife Linnea at several
career that may, some day, bite me Democrats’ darling to a Republican
Democratic fundraisers back in
in the ass. Look: I don’t care if the appointee in two short years?
2012 when, due to the retirement
register of deeds, or the county sur- There clearly seems to be no
of Judge James Graves, a seat on
veyor or the clerk are anti-choice stopping Randy. The question is,
the Circuit Court bench was open,
(not saying any of them are); but how “tough” will he be on repro-
and six fine candidates were vying
when we’re talking about a judge, ductive rights, as he makes his way
for it (Kostrzewa ultimately lost to
that’s a very different matter. up the political ladder? Will he
Annette Smedley, by a very narrow
“Randy is a good guy - I’ve seen put his religious beliefs aside and
margin). He was everywhere. He
him at every Democratic fund-raiser remain an impartial advocate for
was energetic, personable and ada-
I’ve attended. This topic NEVER constitutionally-mandated rights
mantly on board with Democratic
came up. I can’t help but be con- of privacy? Or will he follow the
Party core values. Or so he said. Or
fused that Muskegon County Demo- right-wing playbook so brazenly
so we thought.
crats have taken him under their revealed by Sarah Cupp, conserva-
In October 2012, I wrote on the
wing, when his position on choice tive pundit, in March of this year?
Muskegon County Democratic Party
does not conform to the party plat- Wrote Cupp: “We, of course,
Facebook Page:
form. want to make abortion illegal. We
“I want every Democrat in
“If I had known about it before can’t be afraid to talk about that, but
Muskegon to be aware of something
the ‘Meet the Candidates’ night, I think politically right now it’s prob-
I just learned a couple of days ago.
Randy K (circuit court judge candi- you’d best believe it would have see LETTERS • page 17
3
Do it. Your influence counts. USE
IT!
***
On another note, taking off my
Every vote columnist’s cap and putting on my
co-publisher’s hat, I’d like to remark
not cast is a on the very successful initial year of
publication for Left of the Line that
vote against
we’ve enjoyed.
This news magazine started out
progress and
at about this time in 2013 as simply
an idea that co-publishers Terry
Judd, Michael Walsh and myself had
hope that we, with the help of donors and
subscribers like yourself, were able
to turn into reality.
By David Kolb
Left of the Line
David Kolb With this issue, we have com-
pleted our first election cycle and
Take heart. But fight back!
Don’t be dismayed by the for-
The Outside are making preparations to begin the
next – one that we hope will culmi-
ests of yard signs for the Republi- ordinary, average citizens who don’t nate with a resounding victory in
cans, planted in the hundreds – if have the luxury of untold millions in 2016 for the forces of liberalism and
not the thousands – all over the 2nd campaign booty to see them to vic- progressivism, which we champion
Congressional District. You must tory. and continue to applaud.
understand these folks have endless These candidates – to whom this Toward that end, some changes
resources to throw into the campaign issue of Left of the Line news maga- are in store.
fight that will culminate on Nov. 4. zine is devoted – are doing all they As I write this, a new web site is
What they DON’T have is a lock can with extremely limited in our being created for the news magazine,
on the votes that will be cast that day, corner of West Michigan. one that will give us a much larger
and as near as I can tell, they are run- They ARE fighting back! presence on the news and opinion
ning scared. But they cannot make it to the scene in West Michigan. It will be an
From every bit of polling that I winner’s circle unless YOU, the voters interactive site in which readers can
can glean from various sources, if comment and chat, and one that we
liberals and progressives come out hope will become a meeting place
to vote, we are well within reach of Find a way to get to your for like-minded members of our po-
taking back major offices at the state polling place on Nov. 4. litical community.
level – bouncing “Gov. Nerd” and We hope to have it up and run-
booting the worst Michigan Attorney within the various communities, cit- ning by the the New Year. Watch for
General in history, Dean Schuette, for ies, villages and townships within the the announcement!
instance. 2nd Congressional District do YOUR Additionally, at roughly the same
Locally, progressives have been part. time, we will be initiating a Facebook
running some extraordinary cam- Find a way to get to your polling and Twitter presence to augment
paigns. The re-election effort for place on Nov. 4. both this online publication and the
Collene Lamonte in the 91st State If you cannot do that, learn how to new web site, where again we hope
House District has been nothing get an absentee ballot, and cast your ideas and candidate support will be
short of epic. Cathy Forbes’ chal- vote that way. made easier and more accessible.
lenge to take the GOP-held seat in However you do it, SHOW UP on We cannot do any of this without your
the 34th State Senate District has Election Day. support and contributions.
been inspiring. But for sheer guts Remember, every vote not cast So, if you are receiving Left of the
and glory, Grand Haven’s Sarah How- is a vote for the GOP incumbents Line news magazine from others, we
ard’s courageous incursion into Arlen who have been busy these past years urge you to join our mailing list – it’s
Meekhof’s fiefdom of the 30th State wrecking the nation’s and the state’s free – and become a regular sub-
Senate District in Ottawa County has social safety nets, trying to destroy scriber. All you need do is write us
been breathtaking in its daring. our economy to spite President an e-mail at leftofthelinellc@gmail.
In short, local candidates who Barack Obama (whom they hate), com, or drop us a note via the won-
oppose everything the tea party, the and inflicting untold damage on our derful unionized personnel at the
Koch brothers, Rupert Murdoch and critical institutions such as public USPS at: Left of the Line LLC, P.O. Box
the DeVos family stand for are doing schools. 1710, Muskegon, MI 49440.
their utmost to make a stand for the OK, you know what to do. see OUTSIDE • page 5
4
OUTSIDE • from page 4 David Kolb is a reporter, edito- gan Press Association, United Press
Also, if you haven’t donated, please rial writer, columnist and author. His International and the American
consider doing so in order that we work has appeared in The New York Legion. “A World War Chronicle,” a
may put out a better product. Alas, Times, Washington Post, Interna- collection of Kolb’s editorials about
your donation would not be tax- tional Herald Tribune, the Daily Kos World War II, was nominated for the
deductable, but it would be appreci- and many other publications and Pulitzer Prize. Kolb is publisher and
ated! media outlets. Kolb’s journalism has editor of Left of the Line news maga-
In closing, good luck and best earned numerous first-place awards zine.
wishes to you all, from all of us here at from the Associated Press, Michi-
Left of the Line news magazine.
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE
In Lansing, Collene Lamonte will continue to:
• Repeal the retirement tax and restore lost tax credits and deductions like the
$600 per-child deduction, Earned Income Tax Credit and Homestead Property Tax Credit.
• Restore education funding and make college more affordable.
• Create jobs by giving local businesses the first chance at state contracts.
• Ensure that women who do the same work as men get the same wage.
Vote Tuesday, November 4
www.collenelamonte.com LamonteForRep @collenelamonte
PAID FOR BY: COMMITTEE TO ELECT COLLENE LAMONTE, P.O. BOX 6, MONTAGUE, MI 49437
5
SPECIAL REPORT
Republicans have worked relentlessly to destroy
Michigan’s public schools and hurt its teachers
By Harrison Sikkenga them having a devastating effect on public education and
and Ed Haynor public school employees.
Left of the Line Consider the following bills passed by the Republi-
While Governor Snyder and his Republican cohorts can majority and signed by Gov. Snyder with no biparti-
continue to peddle the lie that they have increased fund- san support.
ing for public schools the truth is that every single school • PA 4 enacted the Emergency Manager Law over the
district in the state has thousands, perhaps millions, of will of the voters which allows elimination of local con-
dollars in less funding in their budgets than they did trol and contractual rights, dissolves school districts and
when Gov. Snyder took office. Over the past four years permits the sale of public schools to “for profit” charter
Michigan has engaged in a spectacular disinvestment in companies.
K-12 public education. • PA 277 eliminated the cap on charter schools.
Recently, the nonpartisan advisory group, Educa- • PA 129 expanded the number of cyber schools.
tion Trust Midwest, issued a scathing report blaming • PA 300 established a special 3 percent tax on cur-
Michigan Republican politicians for declines in student rent school employees.
achievement. Specifically, they cited • PA 300 eliminated all paid health
their “practically singular focus on care benefits for future school em-
charter schools, choice and gov- ployees upon retirement.
ernance as a panacea to our chal- • PA 300 retroactively allowed
lenges” in public education. taxation of public pensions with a
Michigan has the distinction discriminatory tax based on age.
of leading the nation in the num- • PA 300 shifted health care costs
ber of for-profit charter schools. to public school retirees by reduc-
Over the past seven years charter ing their health care subsidy.
schools have received $5.6 bil- • PA 152 required all current
lion. That’s $5.6 billion taken out of public school employees to pay 20
neighborhood schools and sent to Harrison Sikkenga Ed Haynor percent for health care or suffer a
charter schools, the vast majority of which report student hard cap on employer contributions.
achievement numbers at or below traditional public • PA 204 exempted development property from the
schools. In late June the Detroit Free Press ran an eight- 18-mill non-homestead school property tax.
day series “State of Charter Schools” in which they docu- • PA 159 eliminated a portion of sales taxes on cars,
mented the shortcomings of charter schools, their lack of boats and RVs (net loss $330 million).
transparency and inadequate accountability for the tax • PA 53 requires school districts to discontinue collec-
dollars they receive at the expense of our local neighbor- tion of union dues, selectively targeting school employ-
hood public schools. ees.
The push for charter schools, cyber schools and • PA 54 freezes wages and increases health care costs
unlimited schools of choice has done nothing to improve to school employees after their contract expires.
public schools. It is part of the Republican right wing long • PA 54 bans school employees from bargaining a
range strategy to eliminate public education. By privatiz- retroactive contract settlement.
ing public education Republicans feather the pockets of • PA 102 prohibits consideration of seniority in layoff/
their supporters at the expense of our children’s educa- recall situations for school employees.
tional opportunities. • PA 103 prohibits school employees from bargaining
Visit the website www. kidsnotceos.com and see for reduction in the labor force, performance evaluations,
yourself how much Snyder and the Republican Legisla- discipline, discharge, merit pay and classroom observa-
ture have cost your kids and grandkids and your local tions.
public schools. • PA 101 radically weakened the Michigan Tenure Act.
But funding is only part of the Republican war on • PA 349 enacted “Right to Work” which affects all
public schools. Since January 2011, the Republican Michi-
gan Legislature has adopted more than 600 laws, many of see SCHOOLS • page 7
6
SCHOOLS • from page 6
How Gov. Rick Snyder & Legislative Republicans School Funding Cuts have Hurt West Michigan School Children
MASON/OCEANA/LAKE
COUNTY PUBLIC 2011-12 Funding Loss 2012-13 Funding Loss 2013-14 Funding Loss 2014-15 Funding Loss Total 4 Year Loss under
SCHOOLS Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 republican control
Baldwin $ - 314,949 $ - 301,697 $ - 270,458 $ - 198,867 $ - 1,085,971
Hart - 639,009 - 565,250 - 525,182 - 235,559 - 1,965,000
Ludington - 1,042,535 - 1,053,106 - 938,997 - 825,317 - 3,859,954
Mason County Central - 674,868 - 494,550 - 404,309 - 90,621 - 1,664,349
Mason County Eastern - 225,718 - 165,613 - 137,013 - 30,710 - 559,054
Pentwater - 132,493 - 133,480 - 112,627 - 99,346 - 477,946
Shelby - 859,895 - 790,273 - 700,009 - 467,132 - 2,817,309
Walkerville - 147,782 - 106,726 - 85,170 - 19,090 - 358,768
Total Funding Loss per year $ - 4,037,249 $ - 3,610,695 $ - 3,173,765 $ - 1,966,642
Total 4-Year Funding Loss
since 2010 to Mason-Oceana-
Lake County Schools $ - 12,788,351
MUSKEGON COUNTY 2011-12 Funding Loss 2012-13 Funding Loss 2013-14 Funding Loss 2014-15 Funding Loss Total 4 Year Loss under
PUBLIC SCHOOLS Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 republican control
Fruitport $ - 1,438,177 $ - 1,041,646 $ - 846,881 $ - 189,818 $ - 3,516,521
Holton - 434,195 - 311,910 - 262,943 - 58,936 - 1,067,983
Mona Shores - 1,788,421 - 1,329,972 - 1,119,293 - 250,876 - 4,488,561
Montague - 697,269 - 5 25,599 - 443,204 - 99,339 - 1,765,410
Muskegon - 2,720,635 - 2,647,275 - 2,328,804 - 2,097,313 - 9,794,027
North Muskegon - 466,052 - 467,396 - 412,865 - 185,739 - 1,532,052
Oakridge - 883,877 - 670,271 - 561,173 - 125,780 - 2,241,102
Orchard View - 1,294,359 - 1,250,740 - 1,100,548 - 656,737 - 4,302,384
Ravenna - 499,948 - 388,857 - 320,662 - 71,872 - 1,281,340
Reeths-Puffer - 1,808,988 - 1,337,770 - 1,128,106 - 252,851 - 4,527,715
Whitehall - 1,049,999 - 763,721 - 619,573 - 138,870 - 2,572,163
Total Funding Loss per year $ - 13,081,920 $ - 10,735,157 $ - 9,144,052 $ - 4,128,131
Total 4-Year Funding Loss
since 2010 to Muskegon County
Schools $ - 37,089,258
NEWAYGO COUNTY 2011-12 Funding Loss 2012-13 Funding Loss 2013-14 Funding Loss 2014-15 Funding Loss Total 4 Year Loss
PUBLIC SCHOOLS Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 under republican control
Big Jackson $ - 17,907 $ - 12,621 $ - 13,189 $ - 2,956 $ - 46,673
Fremont - 1,075,745 - 773,119 - 644,047 - 144,355 - 2,637,266
Grant - 972,120 - 684,558 - 571,897 - 128,184 - 2,356,759
Hesperia - 547,268 - 402,938 - 317,260 - 71,110 - 1,338,576
Newaygo - 806,755 - 597,531 - 482,128 - 108,063 - 1,994,477
White Cloud - 522,184 - 374,234 - 293,840 - 65,861 - 1,256,118
Total Funding Loss per year $ - 3,941,979 $ - 2,845,001 $ - 2,322,361 $ - 520,529
Total 4-Year Funding Loss
since 2010 to Newaygo County
Schools $ - 9,629,869
OTTAWA COUNTY 2011-12 Funding Loss 2012-13 Funding Loss 2013-14 Funding Loss 2014-15 Funding Loss Total 4 Year Loss
PUBLIC SCHOOLS Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 Compared to 2010-11 under republican control
Allendale $ - 1,138,138 $ - 869,145 $ - 736,064 $ - 164,980 $ - 2,908,326
Coopersville - 1,189,326 - 874,773 - 746,069 - 167,222 - 2,977,389
Grand Haven - 2,802,333 - 2,860,082 - 2,562,167 - 2,252,727 - 10,477,308
Hamilton - 1,247,991 - 925,481 - 769,300 - 172,429 - 3,115,201
Holland - 1,973,018 - 1,965,305 - 1,675,186 - 804,907 - 6,418,415
Hudsonville - 2,903,246 - 2,194,042 - 1,832,261 - 410,679 - 7,340,228
Jenison - 2,209,169 - 1,677,669 - 1,390,054 - 311,564 - 5,588,456
Saugatuck - 393,343 - 400,341 - 389,242 - 345,010 - 1,527,936
Spring Lake - 1,161,976 - 948,872 - 811,277 - 247,890 - 3,170,015
West Ottawa - 3,494,629 - 2,586,983 - 2,109,599 - 472,841 - 8,664,052
Zeeland - 2,778,114 - 2,032,863 - 1,691,692 - 379,172 - 6,881,841
Total Funding Loss per year $ - 21,291,283 $ - 17,335,556 $ - 14,712,911 $ - 5,729,421
Total 4-Year Funding Loss since
2010 to Ottawa County Schools $ - 59,069,167
Total 4 Year School Funding
Loss to West MI Schools since
2010 under republican control $ -118,576,645
Sources for the above chart are from State Aid Status Reports - http://mdoe.state.mi.us/SAMSStatusReports/StatusReport.aspx
and House and Senate Fiscal Agencies 6/9/14, as found on the Kids Not CEOs website at: http://www.kidsnotceos.com/. Funding is
based on actual school enrollments, other than 2014-15, which is based on enrollment estimates. Because of rounding to the nearest
dollar, row and column totals may not add up exactly.
see SCHOOLS • page 24
7
Dean Vanderstelt for Congress
There’s only one sane choice for 2nd Congressional on the U.S. House of Representatives.
District voters to make when casting ballots for our next Those yokels, having almost destroyed the nation’s
congressman: economy under their heroes, George W. Bush and Dick
DEAN VANDERSTELT. “Deficits Don’t Matter” Cheney, somehow survived to
Our current Republican congressman, Bill Huizenga wrest a death grip on an important branch of the nation’s
of Zeeland, is the most destructive, far-right representa- legislature.
tive West Michigan has ever sent to Washington and the Beginning in 2010, when Democrats lost control of the
results and his record prove it. House, Republicans then have used their wedge in the
Incredibly, Huizenga has voted to shut down our fed- U.S. House to systematically throttle back the robust eco-
eral government and, in so doing, has given aid, comfort nomic recovery engineered by President Barack Obama.
and his vote to those crazies on the far right who were They lied when they squawked that Obama would de-
willing – and are still willing – to drive the United States stroy America.
into a catastrophic debt default that would cripple the Instead, President Obama’s administration single-
middle class and consign poorer handedly saved the automobile
Americans into a life of poverty. industry while Republicans like Mitt
Huizenga loves, loves, LOVES Romney were rooting for the Big
the ruinous “Paul Ryan Budget,” Three to “go bankrupt.”
and has in fact gleefully voted for Republicans, should they ever
various versions of that same idiotic regain the White House and Con-
proposal that would destroy Medi- gress, like they did completely from
care as we know it – a program that 2001-2006 - God forbid - would
is a savior for senior citizens - by again play recklessly with our for-
turning it into a voucher plan that eign policy and the lives of our men
will bankrupt them. and women in the military.
Huizenga has lent his support Huizenga proudly stands with the
– and his vote – more than 50 times political party hell-bent on turning
to the tea party’s obsession with back decades of progress on affir-
repealing the Patient Protection and mative action and voting rights.
Affordable Care Act without substi- The hated “Jim Crow” laws of the
tuting any alternative whatsoever. Dean Vanderstelt evil Confederacy are embraced by
Getting rid of “Obamacare” the Grand Old Party because re-
would drive children and the poor off the health plan, and implementing them means fewer Democrats going out to
return many to the days when pre-existing conditions vote.
meant you could not get insurance. Republicans want college student loan rates to soar
But wait. disastrously higher.
Perhaps we exaggerated about Republicans not hav- Republicans hate public education.
ing a health care alternative. As one Democratic repre- They can’t stand attorneys because lawyers win big
sentative observed, the GOP DOES have plan. cases against corporate raiders and right-wing cabals.
Here it is: “Don’t get sick. But if you do get sick, die The wingers held up the farm bill for years in order
quickly.” to punish the working poor.
If that weren’t enough, Huizenga’s bogus pose as a Perhaps worst of all, Huizenga’s party insanely denies
“friend to the environment” is as a fraud. the existence of global warming, a threat not only to the
The congressman rates basically a “zero” from every United States but the world.
meaningful environmental interest group that isn’t con- In sum, today’s lunatic GOP stands for NOTHING that
trolled by his pals, the Koch brothers, and his cronies at would uplift the average, ordinary American.
Fox News and in the tea party. Republicans have NOTHING in common with former
But the forthcoming election isn’t just about throwing party legends such as Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roos-
the ridiculous Huizenga out into the street and onto his evelt.
keister where he belongs. Patriots like Dwight Eisenhower would NEVER
It’s about breaking the GOP’s dangerous stranglehold
see VANDERSTELT • page 9
8
VANDERSTELT • from page 8 would count for a victory beyond measure.
get elected today in a party primary. Ronald Reagan? Electing a moderate Democrat like DEAN VANDER-
Today’s fanatics in charge of the party would call him a STELT, who supports our president and most liberal and
“RINO” – a “Republican In Name Only” as they like to put progressive policies, would send shockwaves across the
it. nation.
Who would they give us for president? Ignoramuses It would be akin to the shot fired at Lexington and
like Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum. Concord. It would be the spark that ends the tyranny of
Far-out whackos like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. Republican domination of West Michigan, and indeed,
Obnoxious blowhards like Sean Hannity and Rush in the U.S. House of Representatives, where that political
Limbaugh are their heroes. Creeps like Ted Nugent party has been responsible for so much of the damage
speak for them. and misery that plagues ordinary Americans.
True, the 2nd Congressional District has been trans- Don’t sit this election out.
formed into an virtually impregnable Republican political VOTE on Election Day, Nov. 4.
fortress, buttressed with millions of right-wing cash. Liberals and progressives are the REAL patriots.
But here at Left of the Line, we don’t believe such a daunt- We must save our republic from the Republicans.
ing prospect of unlikely victory should be cause to sit on And we can start doing the job by throwing Bill Hui-
the sidelines. zenga out of office and electing a good man and a good
It should be a rallying cry! Democrat, DEAN VANDERSTELT, as our next congress-
Trashing Huizenga, even forcing him to the brink, man.
Godfrey Dillard for Secretary of State
One of the real civil rights heroes the vote to count.”
in Michigan is on the ticket this Nov. 4 In contrast, Ruth Johnson, the
and he’s precisely the kind of pro- Republican incumbent, has done
gressive, liberal fighter our state’s NOTHING to push for broader voter
voters and electors need to be our registration, and nothing to make it
next Secretary of State. easier for voters to get to the polls.
Thus, Left of the Line believes it is She has also done ZERO to push for
imperative that GODFREY DILLARD initiatives that would increase the
be elected on Nov. 4. numbers of days voters can vote, and
In many ways, Dillard’s distin- ZILCH to adopt methods - such as
guished record speaks for itself: Sunday voting - to up vote counts.
• A law degree from the Univer- Why?
sity of Michigan. Because the sick truth is, right-
• As that university’s attorney, wingers like Johnson and the GOP
Godfrey Dillard fought hard to pre- cabal behind her don’t want more
serve affirmative action programs for Godfrey Dillard voters to cast their ballots on Election
minority students seeking entrance Dillard is more than ready to Day – only those going to the polls
into one of the world’s great universi- make his mark on Michigan’s po- who will vote THEIR way.
ties. litical scene. He understands how We believe once in office, God-
• He worked for the Foreign Ser- important it is that the primary focus frey Dillard will change all that.
vice during the Carter and Reagan of the Secretary of State’s office is to Dillard will repeal years of inertia
presidencies, earning Dillard a broad register voters, get them to the polls and foot-dragging that we’ve seen
reach of international experience. and ensure that our state’s elections in the Secretary of State’s office ever
• Dillard taught law at Wayne are run fairly and honestly. since it has been populated with the
State University. “There’s nothing more important likes of Ruth Johnson and her even-
• As a student athlete basket- than the fundamental right to vote, to worse predecessor, Terri Lynn Land.
ball player at Vanderbilt University, make sure that democracy works in We say, kick the GOP out of the
Dillard helped break the “color line the state,” Dillard told the mlive.com Secretary of State’s office.
barrier” in the Southeastern Confer- news service. “It’s not just a question Elect GODFREY DILLARD, Demo-
ence in the NCAA. of their right to vote, but the right for crat, this Nov. 4.
9
Elect Schauer, and stop Snyder
The worst candidate of a sorry bunch in the Republi- Americans in Michigan now live in cities where their
can candidate banana tree this Nov. 4 is Gov. Rick Snyder, democratically elected officials had been replaced by
alias “The Nerd.” He’s a genuine wooden nickel phony, Snyder appointees.
and nothing more than a stalking horse for his soul mates In Muskegon Heights, that school district has been all
the Koch Brothers. but destroyed by Snyder appointees, who rule in place of
Those Colorado right-wing billionaires, like their duly elected school board members accountable to the
billionaire friends in Ada and Texas and elsewhere, just PEOPLE and the VOTERS.
love them some Rick Snyder because he slides their Ah, there’s the rub. In Koch Brothers World, the
anti-union, anti-public schools, environment-degrading PEOPLE and the VOTERS are just props for the pathetic
agenda into the public domain smoother than Jack Slick. Potemkin Village-style democracy they are trying to pass
And “The Nerd’s” pals will pay anything to guarantee off as the real thing.
their guv’s re-election. Just like they are trying to pass off
Don’t believe us? Follow the Snyder as the real thing.
money. Kick the bum out of office, for
Yes, follow the money, and don’t heaven’s sake.
believe a word of the ridiculous pat- “The Nerd” doesn’t deserve re-
ter the GOP throws up, like sand in election, and he didn’t deserve to
your face, to obscure the truth that win in 2010, either.
Snyder is anything but a corporat- Rather, we say, elect a REAL
ist stooge for the far right and its people’s representative.
interests – which by the way don’t That would be DEMOCRAT MARK
include YOU, brothers and sisters. SCHAUER.
In fact, the entire “gag” behind Schauer, of Battle Creek, under-
the Snyder “nerd” image that Re- stands working-class Michiganders.
publican comedians like to tell us is His dad was a teacher, his mom was
that “The Nerd” is merely some af- a nurse, and Schauer has steadily
fable schlub with a sorta, kinda, soft worked his way up through the
spot in his heart for the underprivi- elected ranks of city commission,
leged but who simply doesn’t have state House, state Senate and finally
the power to stand up to those awful representative in Congress, stand-
Koch Brothers and their allies who Mark Schauer ing up for average, ordinary people
control the Michigan Legislature. all the way.
Why, to hear Snyder and his apologists tell it, the guv We couldn’t agree more with Mark’s assessment of
didn’t really want Right to Work (For Less), it was shoved the dismal Snyder governorship:
down his throat. “Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has shown that he
And boy, oh boy, he really wants to help Detroit and puts big corporations and the wealthy ahead of regular
Michigan’s public schools, but “they” just won’t let him. people. At the same time, he has put the Michigan Dream
And gee whiz, he didn’t really want to tax everybody’s at risk, dismantling our public education system, making
pensions and Social Security earnings. “They” made him college unaffordable for many, cutting money for vital
do it. Waaaa. services like police and fire departments that keep our
Then came March 16th, 2011, when “The Nerd” communities safe, and removing key protections for our
signed Public Act 4 into law. Great Lakes and our other natural assets.
PA4 took the concept of Emergency Financial Manag- “Snyder cut over $1 billion from education, raising
ers (EFMs), put in place to help struggling municipalities class sizes, hurting school quality and making it harder
and schools, and turned it into a corporatist’s dream. for our children to compete for the jobs of the future. And
The EFMs became known as Emergency Managers Snyder’s unfair tax on retirement income and property
(EMs), their powers extended beyond just the financial tax hike on seniors are hurting retirees who have worked
to setting school curriculum and even dismissing incon- hard and played by the rules.
venient locally-elected officials. Two years later, when “A nerd should know that’s no way to build a strong
Detroit was assigned an EM, more than half of African-
see SCHAUER • page 11
10Best of all Schauer’s ticket includes a terrific lieuten-
SCHAUER • from page 10 ant governor candidate, Lisa Brown, a two-term Michigan
economy.” House representative and the Oakland County Register of
Gov. Mark Schauer would REPEAL the Snyder pen- Deeds.
sion tax. It was Brown whom the GOP famously silenced in
Gov. Mark Schauer would never again put in an an abortion debate on the floor of the House when she
unelected, unaccountable czar to lord it over Michigan declared, “I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my
residents in their own cities and school districts. vagina, but no means no.” Brown was courageously op-
Gov. Mark Schauer would fight to overturn the GOP’s posing the GOP’s latest anti-choice law.
mandate of forcing women to pay extra for abortion in- Our great state of Michigan is at a critical turning
surance coverage. point.
Gov. Mark Schauer would work to raise Michigan’s If “The Nerd” is re-elect-
minimum wage higher than
the Republicans have al- “The Nerd’s” pals will pay ed, the political landscape for
Michigan’s progressives and
lowed – and allowed only to
STOP a Democratic referen-
dum that would have accom-
anything to guarantee liberals may become unalter-
ably changed.
Rick Snyder is a clone
plished the feat.
Gov. Mark Schauer
their guv’s re-election. of Wisconsin’s Scott Walker,
Ohio’s John Kasich and Flori-
would expand Obamacare in Michigan so that all of our da’s Rick Scott.
residents get affordable health care for themselves and They are all far-right authoritarians who are actively
their children. promoting a Heritage Foundation-, Koch Brothers- and tea
Gov. Mark Schauer would work to unshackle Michi- party-agenda.
gan from the chains the union haters have drawn around Left of the Line ENDORSES Democrat MARK SCHAUER
our state. and Democrat LISA BROWN for election to governor and
Gov. Mark Schauer would help restore Michigan’s lieutenant-governor, respectively.
pristine waters and forests, not DESTROY them through If you as voters don’t vote to repeal the Snyder gover-
expanded fracking or SELL THEM OFF to the highest bid- norship, we will suffer the consequences for years.
ders for PEANUTS. MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT THIS TIME OUT!
Inspired by true events, this made in Michigan film stars
award-winning actress Kate Thomsen, is produced by Left of
The Line contributor Roger Rapoport and directed by Joe
Anderson.
Details at www. pilot-errormovie.com/showings
Trailer at vimeo.com/105185122
Please join us for one of these special November
events near you featuring cast, crew and veteran
pilots.
Sneak Preview • Muskegon Harbor Theater, Friday, Nov. 7, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
World Premiere • Air Zoo, Portage, Saturday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m. (ticketed reception
at 5:30 p.m.)
Grand Rapids Premiere • Celebration North, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6:45 p.m.
Muskegon Premiere • Cinema Carousel, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 8 p.m.
White Lake Area Premiere • Howmet Playhouse, Thursday Nov. 13 , 7:30 p.m.
Detroit Area Premiere • Redford Theater, Friday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m.
Ann Arbor Premiere • Quality 16, Monday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m.
Kalamazoo Screening • Kalamazoo 10, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m.
Grand Haven Screening • Grand Haven 9, Wednesday Nov. 19, 6:45 p.m.
Holland Screening • Holland 7, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 8 p.m.
11Lamonte for the critical 91st District
If liberals and progressives – almost all of whom are frack out what remains of the fossil fuels within the earth.
Democrats – DON’T vote this fall, they’ll LOSE one of the • The costs for these Republican-inspired bills will
best friends they’ve ever had in the Michigan House of be a further degraded environment, befouled water and
Representatives. a potential for freakish earthquakes and damage to the
You know whom we’re talking about: STATE REP. bedrock. Yet raise taxes on these robber barons? Un-
COLLENE LAMONTE, D-91st, representing all the good thinkable for Gov. Snyder and his fat-cat cronies!
people of Muskegon County outside the central met- • Teachers, a noble calling of the most respected
ropolitan area. However, the 91st includes the cities of professional standing, have been marginalized, even ridi-
Whitehall and Montague, Norton Shores and Roosevelt culed by the right-wingers, who have over the decades
Park, home of good Democrats and union members. robbed them of what little negotiating power they once
We know the right-wing Republican noise machine, had.
well-oiled with cool cash by billionaire • Unions have been demonized, and
sugar daddies like the Koch Brothers (who Snyder, as did Big John Engler before
hate government’s interference) will soon him, have tried to destroy this working-
kick in to try to portray Lamonte as an inef- man’s friend by cutting into their ability to
fective first-termer. organize and raise money. Unions, which
That’s what the GOP does when it faces have given ordinary people decent wages
real opposition – it lies, it dissembles, it and benefits and safe working conditions,
obscures and it trivializes the great men are “the enemy” to the GOP’s corporate
and women in government who truly serve masters. Let them deny it.
the people. So beware when the mud • Pensions? Why, those kinds of worker
bucket comes out and the dirty hands of benefits, that allow ordinary people to
the right-wing spinmeisters start hurling retire with dignity and comfort, are con-
what they’re well-paid to fling. sidered ancient history to the Republican
The bare-faced omission in all their Party, anachronisms that should never
spinning is that Collene Lamonte can only have been bargained away by owners in
accomplish what the GOP majority in the the first place.
Collene Lamonte
House allows her to achieve, and political • And if you’re lucky enough to still have
achievement in our representative democracy is abso- a pension, “The Nerd” and his pals have locked onto that,
lutely dependent on majority rule. too, with a nice friendly tax bite THEY ENACTED INTO
So what have Republicans managed to achieve dur- LAW that steals the wealth YOU accumulated during your
ing their grossly mismanaged reign of legislative, gu- prime working years.
bernatorial and judicial majorities – majorities they have In the face of this riptide of shame and outrage
held, with only a few notable exceptions in one branch stand legislators like Collene Lamonte, who are trying to
of the Legislature and for a very brief spell on the state salvage what’s possible in a state where REPUBLICANS
Supreme Court – a lamentable THREE DECADES of GOP CONTROL EVERYTHING.
misrule? And Lamonte has done a masterful job.
Look around you, friends, and what do you see? She has stood tall for Medicaid expansion, which
• Our public school systems are fighting to survive in ensures that our poorest residents obtain decent medical
the face of right-wing determination to ruin these be- care.
loved institutions of learning. Collene has been in the front lines for seniors, even when
• Our roads are crumbling before our eyes, and what the forces of tea party greed have overrun all common
is the Republican solution to raising money to pay for sense, such as when she voted against the GOP’s vicious
their desperately needed repair? You guessed it, in- scheme to put telephone landline service in jeopardy – a
crease taxes on working people rather than corporations service older Michiganians rely on and absolutely need
or a sane hike in fuel taxes that would hit the very people for their safety and sense of well-being.
ruining our roads! “Many seniors rely on landlines to call for help and
• Last issue, Left of the Line news magazine exposed to use with heart monitors and other medical devices
the fraudulent bills, passed over Democratic nay votes that only work with landlines; this bill compromises their
like Collene Lamonte’s, that would make it easier for the
oil and gas trusts to pour poison into Michigan’s land to see LAMONTE • page 13
12LAMONTE • from page 12 these very public places.
Guess what? One single Republican – not from our
safety,” Lamonte said. “There is no need to rush legisla-
2nd Congressional District – signed on to Collene’s bill,
tion through that puts millions of Michiganders at risk just
meaning it is dead, thanks to them, because without a
to satisfy the phone companies. Public safety must come
majority behind it, legislation cannot escape committee
first.”
in Lansing.
Guess what? It passed with ALL Republican votes.
Rep. Lamonte, a native of Montague, eked out a nar-
This is the face of the GOP, folks!
row victory in 2012 to win her first term in the Michigan
Where was the Grand Old Party when it came to
House. She is bravely seeking to defend that seat in No-
helping protect the lives of lone service industry work-
vember against an arch-enemy of just about everything
ers, like Jessica Heeringa, abducted from a Norton Shores
progressives and liberals stand for - Holly Hughes, the
gasoline station and still missing to the horror of her fam-
likely Republican candidate.
ily and friends.
The 91st is a “swing” district, meaning throughout its
Collene drafted a bill – that became known as “Jes-
history victory can belong to either party.
sica’s Law” – to MANDATE that owners install working
So VOTER TURNOUT will be critical.
security cameras in their stores so that police won’t begin
We enthusiastically endorse STATE REP. COLLENE
blind any new abduction or murder cases committed in
LAMONTE for a second term.
Cathy Forbes for State Senate 34th District
By 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, senator Goeff Hansen, workers of this state, and
every citizen in the 34th Senate Dis- promised no taxes, then vote against the special
trict will have had an opportunity to immediately raised interests blocking the
decide who our next senator will be. them on those least able construction of an alter-
Luckily, we have a strong Demo- to pay - senior citizens, native bridge to Canada,
cratic candidate for that seat, who is the working poor and and FOR the urgently
working her heart out – and the souls the struggling middle needed reconstruction
of her shoes, too – for the opportunity class. of our roads.
to provide good, solid representa- How can we possi- She will work to
tion to the citizens of this state and bly trust someone who repeal Gov. Snyder’s
district. would break his prom- Right to Work (For Less)
That candidate is CATHY ise so severely and so Mess, an anti-union
Cathy Forbes
FORBES, a woman with the work quickly? He also claims boondoggle passed by
ethic, the intelligence and the ethics to be for education, yet sat silently the Republicans behind closed doors
to represent the everyday people of by as his very own party decimated with no legislative hearings allowed.
this district. funding to education, putting our Cathy Forbes will be there for
Cathy Forbes, an Hesperia native schools at great risk. women on women’s choice issues.
and an elected road commissioner Elsewhere in these pages, Left of She will work to expand voting hours
for Oceana County, has demonstrat- the Line columnist Roger Rapoport and affirmative action for minorities.
ed her grasp of the issues and her details the smear campaign directed She will work to help students afford
willingness to work for you and me in against Forbes by Hansen’s well-paid the college of their choice. She will
the state Legislature. Cathy has been PR minions. be behind efforts to upgrade pub-
enormously successful in business, Rapoport also lifts the veil on lic education and downgrade the
but instead of throwing her lot in with Hansen’s deceitful efforts to shift charter school mania pushed by the
the wealthy, as her opponent has, will the blame for Michigan’s road woes anti-MEA GOP.
work for us, the regular people who onto the shoulders of Democrats like In short, she will be a solid vote
keep this state strong. Forbes – even though Republicans for progress and change in Michigan.
She has a battle in front of her, control everything in this state, and Left of the Line proudly endorses this
though, as she is running against an have for the PAST FOUR YEARS. wonderful candidate to replace the
incumbent whose pockets are lined But let’s talk about what electing awful Goeff Hansen.
with gold and who has a proven re- Cathy Forbes to the Michigan Senate Please, on Nov 4, vote for CATHY
cord of smearing his opponent. might accomplish. FORBES for State Senate in the 34th
That candidate, incumbent GOP There, she will work for the District.
13Why Republican Hansen still votes against
6,000 critical road-building Michigan jobs
By Roger Rapoport taxes to pay to fix our broken roads, you, Sen. Hansen, are
Left of the Line blaming local county road commissioner Cathy Forbes
This is an open letter for this statewide problem from Ishpeming to Dowagiac.
to Michigan 34th District “What will you blame her for next, global warming?
State Sen. Goeff Hansen, in Or will your allies have go back to sending out ads of her
response to his blizzard-of- crawling out of a toilet like they did last time when you
lies campaign against his were running against incumbent Mary Valentine?
Democratic opponent Cathy “Sen. Hansen it was YOU, not Cathy Forbes, who
Forbes. voted against one of the biggest road building projects
“Dear Sen. Hansen: in Michigan history - the vital new bridge to Canada that
“It’s been a few weeks your own Republican Gov. Snyder is still campaigning for.
Roger Rapoport since the police in your “It was YOUR campaign that received a political con-
hometown of Hart tried and tribution from Moroun after blocking this badly needed
failed to block your re-election opponent Cathy Forbes project that would promote important commerce, relieve
from campaigning in your hometown. Glad that little highway congestion at the busiest commercial border
‘snafu’ was resolved in Ms. Forbes’ favor and that your crossing in America and promote public safety on over-
hometown police apologized to her. But I’m not writing crowded roads.
about that. “More than $120 billion worth of goods pass through
“I’m writing to ask you to call off the misogynist hate this corridor each year. Financed by Canada from tolls,
campaign being conducted by your friends in the Michi- this project was destined to create badly needed jobs
gan Republican Party against Ms. Forbes. with no obligation to Michigan taxpayers. Campaigning
“Last week, voters for this project in West Michigan, Gov. Snyder said the
were mailed the ri-
diculous assault on her
Commentary public ‘shouldn’t let one special interest override the best
interest of 10 million Michiganders.’
alleged links with former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, with “Finally, one thing I can agree on with The Nerd!
whom Ms. Forces never even served. As you know, Gov. “Apparently you missed that event. Maybe Rick’s e-
Granholm’s governmental spending during her term has mails to you bounced or your phone lines were down.
been easily eclipsed by current GOP Gov. Rick Snyder in “Or maybe you don’t realize that the state Cham-
every year during his current lamentable, unproductive ber of Commerce has joined organized labor and many
and undistinguished term. chambers of commerce in our area including Muskegon,
“Meanwhile, he and the Republican-dominated Leg- Grand Rapids and Grand Haven to support the bridge.
islature – of which YOU are a key member – have raised And just in case you’ve forgotten the depressing details
taxes on the poor, the middle class and the elderly to about your vote on this issue, let me refresh your memory.
help pay for a whopping $7.2 billion tax break to busi- Here’s an excerpt from a follow-up column from respect-
ness interests. ed Bridge Magazine editor Phil Power, allowing readers
“You have been part of the Republican team behind to vent about his 2011 piece, ‘Mouroun’s Victory Is A Loss
these decisions and have consistently voted to the right For Everyone.’
of the governor to defeat major job creation projects like “ ‘Last week, I received a torrent of comment on my
a badly need bridge to Canada, which was opposed by column about the astounding efforts by Manuel J. “Matty”
Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun - who has gen- Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge, to block a new
erously contributed to your campaign. bridge over the Detroit River, which would provide com-
“One of Snyder’s pet projects, raising more than $1 petition to his very profitable monopoly.’
billion to help fix our crumbing roads before winter sets “ ‘Virtually every corporate interest and political
in, was not passed by your party - which of course domi- leader wants the new bridge, which would be known as
nates our Legislature. the New International Trade Crossing. But Moroun has
“Sen. Hansen, this is YOUR team, the folks who can donated heavily to many legislators.’
quickly ram through anything it wants in lame duck ses- “ ‘And on Oct. 19, 2011, the Senate Economic Devel-
sions such as the Right to Work (For Less) laws the gover- opment Committee voted 3-2 not to report a bill authoriz-
nor claimed were not even on his agenda (Rick ‘The Nerd’ ing the bridge to the full Senate, even though Gov. Rick
Snyder signed the bill anyway). That was accomplished Snyder has made this a top priority. All three No votes
in record time by failing to hold public hearings and were Republicans — and all three have taken campaign
locking the public out of legislative hearings with the contributions from Matty Moroun.’
support of nearly $1 million worth of police protection.
“Now, after refusing to pass Snyder’s own plan to raise see HANSEN • page 15
14HANSEN • from page 14 for your campaign.
“You are not in a strong position to be casting stones
“ ‘Here are some sample online comments: “Woof” or asphalt against local road commissioner Cathy Forbes.
asked: ‘So who were the three GOP scumbags who voted There is no way she or any other county official can be
against it?’ ” held responsible for the failure of you and your fellow Re-
“ ‘The answer: Sens. Mike Nofs of Battle Creek, Geoff publican legislators to pass your own governor’s proposal
Hansen of Hart and Mike Kowall, of White Lake Township. to fix our broken roads statewide.
They all accepted money from Moroun, as did one sena- “You certainly can’t blame her or Jennifer Granholm
tor who voted for the bridge. for voting against the bridge to Canada that Gov. Snyder
“ ‘The Detroit Free Press has reported that Moroun wanted. And there is no way you can accuse Cathy Forbes
family members contributed $9,700 to six of seven com- of taking money from the owner of a competing bridge
mittee members, the only exception being Sen. Dave for trying to block this new project.
Hildenbrand, R-Lowell. The two Democrats on the com- “Your vote against this $2 billion bridge was against
mittee did not vote at all. They said they would have sup- the best interests of everyone who has business in Cana-
ported the bridge had Republicans agreed to community da or vice-versa, including all the important tourists who
benefits for the mostly desolate Delray area where the vacation in your district and are put off by embarrassing
U.S. portion of the new bridge would go. border crossing delays. Who knows, some of these visi-
“ ‘Reader “Les” wrote: “Your editorial … led me tors might even shop in your grocery store!
today to call the senators involved “Again, in May 2014, you voted
and I asked them if they thought that for a Senate transportation bill that
Matty Maroun gave them the money specifically restricted the building of
because they were good looking? I new bridge or any other international
thought it tainted their whole involve- crossing bridge between Detroit and
ment in the process. To their credit, Windsor. As Detroit Sen. Coleman
most of them listened, except Mike Young II put it, ‘You have a better
Nofs’ office, who hung up. … If this chance of proving that the world is flat
is not bribery, it surely would be a or that Sasquatch lives in the U.P. than
conflict of interest.’ ” to prove that we don’t need this project.
“ ‘ “Concerned” commented: Let’s just call this what it is. There is one
‘Watching this unfold over the last person who doesn’t want this bridge
“ ‘year, you could see this coming, because he doesn’t want competition.’
given the large expenditures from “So let’s get this straight. A suc-
the Ambassador Bridge company on cessful career woman who has never
television and direct mail. There were held elective office outside Oceana
enough half-truths and untruths from County is being accused by your re-
the bridge company that it confound- election team of being single-hand-
ed the public and scared the legisla- Cathy Forbes
edly responsible for letting our roads
tors.’ ” crumble after YOU and YOUR party have failed to fix them
“ ‘Reader “Jeffrey” was frustrated: ‘I can’t begin to for fear of raising taxes in an election year.
express my frustration over the political corruption in our “YOU have voted again and again against a badly
state … I have written letters to my elected representa- needed bridge that would help everyone in our state
tives and personally called them, but nothing seems to thereby preventing the creation of at least 6,000 badly
work. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to match Matty’s politi- needed jobs.
cal “contributions.” Which begs the question, ‘Who do “Right now, I have the feeling that, like Mouron’s 85
our elected politicians represent – the voters who elected year-old Ambassador Bridge, time is running out on your
them or the Matty Morouns …?’ ” political career.
“ ‘I can observe that all the campaign contributions “I’ll be stopping by your Muskegon campaign office
flowing from Moroun interests are raising all kinds of at 3130 Glade Suite B. to return to sender this latest lying
questions about the workings of the political process in attack on Cathy Forbes.
Lansing. And those questions risk impugning the reputa- “I’m also encouraging other recipients of this ad to
tions of some Michigan lawmakers. do the same and to call your office at (231) 342-3772. You
“ ‘Everybody — skeptical Michigan citizens, legisla- owe her and the voters who have on the receiving end of
tors whose reputations are at risk, even the Ambassador this dishonest smear campaign an apology.
Bridge company — would be better off if a thorough pub- “Sincerely, Roger Rapoport.”
lic review of this mess would result in tightened standards
that would prevent single-interest groups from dominat- Muskegon author, publisher, editor and film-maker
ing in important public policy debates with overwhelm- Roger Rapoport is the producer of the feature film “Water-
ing campaign contribution strategies.’ ” walk” and the forthcoming movie “Pilot Error,” based on his
“Sen. Hansen, these independent allegations of politi- novel. Rapoport is a regular contributor Left of the Line.
cal corruption in Power’s excellent article don’t bode well
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