Up North Progressive
Politics and commentary for Northern MichiganListen To EMU Regent Jim Stapleton Tell The Dirty Rotten Truth About The Origin of the Education Achievement Authority
Monday , 3, November 2014 Nerd Problems, Section 16 7 Comments
It seems fitting to know now that the first meeting to discuss the governor’s concept for the EAA was at a restaurant called “The Chop House.” The EAA most certainly lived up to being a horrific chop house of children and their education.
This recording was made on September 22, 2014. Eastern Michigan University Regent Jim Stapleton revealed to faculty and students the facts about a meeting that took place with the governor and several other members of his inner circle in April of 2011 to discuss a new school district called the Education Achievement Authority. Stapleton admits that what was pitched to him and Roy Wilbanks on that day and what actually happened are two completely different realities. You can listen to Jim Stapleton tell a group of EMU faculty what happened:
In this eight minute clip, Stapleton starts out describing how the first meeting to discuss forming the EAA went down. Stapleton and Wilbanks sat down with Rick Snyder, Richard Baird, a representative of the Eli Broad Foundation, Chief of Staff Dennis Muchmore, and attorney and charter school/school voucher snake oil salesman Richard McClellan. Richard Baird pitched the idea of a new state-wide school district to the two EMU administrators, then talked about how this was a political decision, and that of all the public institutions in the state, the governor believed EMU was the right fit for this project.
Stapleton also describes the decision to not share this with anyone else in the University administration, and when he went to Roy Roberts, the emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools, to talk to him two days after that meeting with the governor, Roberts had never heard anything about it.
There is much regret in Stapleton’s account and how it has impacted the College of Education at EMU. He tries to lay blame on everyone, until a faculty member at the meeting tells him there is no way he can blame them.
What it came down to was money. Wilbanks and Stapleton thought the state would funnel money into EMU, and the university would have another school district to place student teachers. None of those things happened. The EAA never became a state-wide district, it’s remained in Detroit and the children who are placed there are not getting the education they were promised.
But, Rick Snyder wanted this to move quickly. By July of 2011 there was a press conference announcing the EAA. And we all know what happened after that.
From the very beginning the EAA was a failed experiment pushed by people with no background in education and have no business establishing school districts anywhere in Michigan. Non-education people making education decisions always means disaster and the ones who suffer of course are always the children. It’s time for Detroit Public Schools to abolish the EAA for good. On November 4 we can remove Rick Snyder so he can’t harm our school children with his steak house rush job any more.
We are now less than two days away before the 2014 midterm election. Absentee ballots are coming in with reports of very high returns similar to a year we would be electing a president. This is good news, as it’s a fact that when more people vote, Democratic Party candidates win.
Which is why it’s very important that if you don’t vote by absentee, then you need to make sure to know where you vote and make the effort to go there on Tuesday, November 4. There could be lines, but that’s okay, as long as you are in line by 8:00 pm election officials at the precinct are required by law to allow you to vote. You will need your driver’s license or state picture ID to vote. Make sure you have your voter registration card too.
Once you have your ballot and you’re ready to vote, you will have many names to choose from. Most will have their party affiliation next to them, but judges and school board candidates are non-partisan. Contact your local county Democratic Party headquarters if you have questions. They will be more than happy to help you with selecting the right candidates.
Here are the candidates suggested by Up North Progressive:
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Mark Schauer and Lisa Brown
Secretary of State
Godfrey Dillard
Attorney General
Mark Totten
United States Senate
Gary Peters
United States House of Representatives
District 1 – Jerry Cannon
District 2 – Dean Vanderstelt
District 4 – Dr. Jeffrey Holmes
District 5 – Dan Kildee
Michigan State Senate
District 25 – Terry Brown
District 33 – Fred Sprague
District 34 – Cathy Forbes
District 35 – Glenn Lottie
District 36 – Joe Lukasiewicz
District 37 – Dr. Phil Bellfy
Distric 38 – Christopher Germain
Michigan State House
District 70 – James Hoisington
District 97 – Mark Lightfoot
District 98 – Joan Brausch
District 99 – Bryan Mielke
District 100 – Mark Balcom
District 101 – Tom Stobie
District 102 – John Ruggles
District 103 – James Cromwell
District 104 – Betsy Coffia
District 105 – Jay Calo
District 106 – Robert Kennedy
District 107 – Jim Page
District 108 – Grant Carlson
District 109 – John Kivela
District 110 – Scott Dianda
State Board of Education
Pamela Pugh Smith
Cassandra E. Ulbrich
Regent – University of Michigan
Mike Behm
Kathy White
Trustee – Michigan State University
Faylene Owen
George Perles
Governor – Wayne State University
Marilyn Kelly
Dana Alicia Thompson
Justice of the Supreme Court
Richard Bernstein
Bill Murphy
Justice of the Supreme Court (Unfinished)
Deborah A. Thomas
Ballot Proposals
Proposal 1 – NO
Proposal 2 – NO
There will also be county commissioners, county road commissioners, local school board members, and district and circuit court judges to vote for. In these cases, it’s best to get in touch with the local Democratic Party office and ask who they suggest or endorse. In the 51st Circuit Court for instance, The Mason County Democratic Party endorses Paul R. Spaniola. Many of the county Democratic parties have pages on Facebook where you can ask questions.
Make sure you get out and vote on November 4. We need every vote to win and start Michigan back on the road to recovery after four years of failed GOP control of our government.
7,431,648 people Are Registered To Vote In Michigan
Friday , 31, October 2014 Uncategorized Leave a commentWhat are you doing to get them out to vote on November 4?
Fear is a powerful motivator. Words, actions and intentions we would never consider reality become perfectly normal when reacting to what scares us. Among friends, even those who are highly educated, the irrational fear that makes people accept what is simply not true is even less understandable.
The Democratic Party in Michigan worked tirelessly this election to educate people on what our Republican-dominated state government did to us over the past four years, and what they have every intention to do if they win next Tuesday. People with the capacity for rational thought got the message, but there are still a group of people who don’t seem to get it, no matter how much evidence or facts are presented to them. You may call them low-information voters, Fox News watchers, tea party, or something much worse.
No amount of facts or proof, even if you have first-hand knowledge will penetrate the irrational wall of fear that surrounds people. Only one person in this country has died of Ebola, but that doesn’t stop low-information people awash with fear from making death threats against health care workers returning from Africa showing no symptoms and testing negative for the disease.
In Michigan, irrational fear motivates low-info tea party members in the state. They even use a terrified animal as their banner on Facebook.
A brief overview of the issues they’re using to motivate voters is typical: Fear of minorities, same-sex marriage, women exercising their constitutional right to choose their own health care, Ebola, immigrant children, and the irrational notion that Sharia Law will ever be something we need to worry about. We already know what they think of the Affordable Care Act.
All of these concerns which the tea party considers most important have one thing in common: There is not one shred of evidence that any of these issues are real problems in the United States or Michigan. Being afraid of them is enough.
As frustrating as it is, talking to these people in the state of fear they live in is useless. They will never listen to you or your mountain of evidence nor appreciate how rational you are when you attempt to explain the truth. Facts don’t matter for these voters, their fear leads them. Understanding how much recently became apparent when a dear close friend accused me of trying to control her thoughts, “because that’s what you Democrats do.” In 2012 we called this fear the bubble. In 2014 there are thankfully fewer people inside the bubble, but for those who are still there, it’s what they take with them to the polls this Tuesday.
And that is why we can’t be apathetic this year like we were in 2010. It’s vital that people who are well informed and know what’s at stake if Republicans win four more years in Michigan get out and vote on November 4. Halloween has nothing on the angry, fearful, low-information voters who will vote next Tuesday.
Up North Progressive’s First Donation Celebration!
Tuesday , 28, October 2014 Community Leave a commentHosting a website costs money. There are ways to make money with them too, but that takes time to build up presence online. The first donate button was added a couple of months ago and has received no attention.
Today I added the Bitcoin donate button. I assumed it would get as much use as the Paypal button. I was wrong.
Was the amount of the donation enough to cover hosting fees? No, but I was still floored to see the donation come in. Thank you!
Meet The Candidates: Michigan State House District 110 Scott Dianda
Monday , 27, October 2014 Candidates Leave a comment
The 110th Michigan House District Is comprised of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Ontonagon counties, and a portion of Marquette County. The residents of those counties know it’s almost time to re elect Scott Dianda to the Michigan State Legislature. Dianda was elected to his first term in 2012. He and his wife live in Calumet.
A lifelong resident of the Upper Peninsula, Dianda attended school at Lake Superior State University and The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Scott Dianda has experience in retail, and worked for the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Currently, State Congressman Dianda is working to strengthen business and protect the environment in his district. He introduced a resolution calling for the protection of the Great Lakes from an invasion of Asian Carp. The Great Lakes provide not only fishing and recreation, but are also vitally important to business in the region, whether it’s transportation, commercial or sport fishing. The Great Lakes must be protected from invasive species of fish that would destroy the ecosystem of the lakes. Our economy depends on keeping this natural resource healthy. Dianda also worked for funding to provide relief for the damage done by the previous winter. Especially important to the 110th District is developing new ways to provide energy to the U.P. The Presque Isle Power Plant costs too much to operate, and the people who rely on it for electricity can’t no longer afford paying for the power it generates. Scott Dianda’s resolution will provide the means for more efficient and less costly electricity for the residents who rely on PIPP, and the old coal-fired plant can be retired.
Scott Dianda is the representative who is working to make things better for the people of the 110th District. To learn more about him, you can visit his website, where he can be contacted and provides news about his campaign. On November 4, re elect Scott Dianda, so he can continue working for the people of his district.
GREAT MOMENTS IN HISTORY THAT NEVER HAPPENED – Rick Snyder Endorsement Edition
Sunday , 26, October 2014 Candidates, Nerd Problems 4 Comments
- Now that our anti-war treaty with Rome has expired, Carthage can muster an army and fight off these Numidians for good! Thank goodness Rome will leave us alone now that the debt is paid …
- Queen Olga of Kyiv burned alive 20 of our best men in a sauna for revenge after we murdered her husband, and then she invited us to her husband’s funeral and slaughtered 5,000 of our people, but this time she promises she wants peace! All we have to do is send her some birds …
- Harold of Wessex swore an oath to support me as heir to the English throne. It is good that I have such a trustworthy ally in England and will never undermine my authority or right of succession …
- What’s that? The entire Swedish Army is preparing to attack Prague? Don’t be ridiculous! The Swedish are in Westphalia with the French and Holy Rome negotiating peace. The war is finally over …
- Now that we have made this treaty with the white men and they have promised us our hunting lands forever, the Lakota and Cheyenne will live in peace and harmony and never have to worry about greedy prospectors coming to The Black Hills looking for gold …
- He lied to us every chance he got, raised taxes on poor people and old people, made right to work for less law after he said he wouldn’t, assigned Detroit an emergency manager after he said he wouldn’t, promised to be a moderate then took a hard right conservative stance and signed almost everything the tea party-infested state legislature wanted … but we should trust him with another four years if he promises to be nicer and not lie to us this time …
Really? If Snyder promises things will get better, we should give him a second chance? Is this a joke? Sadly, it is not. The Detroit Free Press today endorsed the Nerd for four more years. This is after they listed every terrible thing he did while Governor and suggested that if they give him the paper’s endorsement, that he really should consider being nicer to everyone; not just his rich friends and the DeVos family who write all the checks.
So while the Republicans laugh it up about a “liberal” paper endorsing their candidate, keep in mind the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News are owned by the same company. The media are as liberal as the Republicans who own them.
Mark Schauer has the endorsement of Up North Progressive, and my vote. He is the right choice for Michigan and deserves your vote too.