POLITICAL UPDATE--Education

This update focuses on education. Bill Ayers and comrades are using schools to promote socialism. Heterodox views are punished harshly on campus, as illustrated by a recent controversy involving Walter Block.

Phyllis Schlafly: 'Social Justice': Code Word for Anti-Americanism
Education Reporter: 'Social Justice' Education is Already Shaping America's Future
Bill Costello: Where the Education Gender Gap is Leading America
Bill Andersen: Leftist Faculty, Duke, and Campus Realities
Thomas DiLorenzo: Thought Policing 101
Karen Effrem: Evidence of Academic or Emotional Harm of Preschool Education or All-Day Kindergarten
Phyllis Schlafly: Some Change Is a Big Improvement

Learn more about education issues in Education Reporter.

Obama Screws Michigan

President Obama had dealt another blow to Michigan's economic prospects. With the "Big Three" automakers already on the verge of bankruptcy, Obama issued an executive order to allow states including California to regulate cars on the basis of their supposed contributions to global warming.

Elections and Consequences: UAW to get what they voted for, if not what they wanted
West Michigan auto suppliers, environmentalists have mixed reaction to Obama order on emissions

The regulations being pushed by the environmentalists in California would further damage the Big Three both absolutely and relative to foreign automakers. They will damage the economy as a whole, particularly in Michigan.

California, which is so broke that it is planning to start issuing "IOU's" to pay its bills, should not be regulating anything.

As RightMichigan points out, this is what Michiganders who voted for Obama voted for, if not what they wanted. House democrats previously unseated Michigan democrat John Dingell from his post leading the House Energy and Commerce Committee in favor of radical leftist Henry Waxman of California.

(In case anyone is wondering, this plan is not federalism, as the federal government is not giving up any power to regulate business.)

And this is all to support the fraud of global warming. (See this post for more information: The Truth About Global Warming.)

Tax Hike Plans

Local government officials are plotting future transportation taxes.

City, county officials propose new transit taxes, fare hikes

KALAMAZOO -- City and county leaders proposed a two-tiered tax plan Monday for public transit in Kalamazoo County while also recommending that bus fares be increased by 15 cents per trip.

Kalamazoo city taxpayers would pay 1 mill while county taxpayers outside of the city would pay 0.4 mills under the plan proposed by City Manager Kenneth Collard and County Administrator Peter Battani.

The fare hike from $1.35 per trip to $1.50 would be in place by May 1, according to the proposal.

...

The proposal calls for county voters, including those living in the city, to vote May 5 on a three-year, 0.4-mill levy that would pay for Care-A-Van and bus routes that extend beyond the city of Kalamazoo.

On Nov. 3, city voters would be asked to approve a three-year, 0.6-mill levy to fund Metro Transit.

Before the previous levies expired on Dec. 31, city taxpayers paid 1.38 mills while those in the rest of the county paid 0.38 mills.

This plan is more reasonable than the last one, but the politicians still try to get as much money out of the voters as they think they can. Why should folks in Augusta pay for bus routes they don't use? Why not let the free market provide bus service.

Battani said services would have to be cut drastically if voters do not approve both tax requests.

"If the community knew what was at stake here, they would support it," he said. "There's no question in my mind."

That's what they said last time, too.

Previous:
Future Tax Hikes?
They Won't Take NO for an Answer
Tax Eaters Are Never Full
The bus routes have been saved
Ax the bus tax
Bus Tax: The Facts
Tax increase for busing?

George for Governor?

State Senator Tom George, who represents Kalamazoo County, is considering a run for governor.

Michigan state Senator Tom George explores run for Michigan governor's office

LANSING -- State Sen. Tom George said Monday that he'll form a campaign committee to explore a 2010 run for governor.

The 52-year-old Kalamazoo County Republican said his campaign would focus on the state's economy.

George, a medical doctor, was elected in 2002 to the Senate after serving one term in the state House. He has supported a statewide smoking ban and wants to require Medicaid recipients to lead healthier lifestyles in return for benefits. He heads the Senate Health Policy Committee and is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

George may lose some support amongst conservatives due to his support for Governor Granholm's sales tax increase, as well as his support for banning smoking and mandating the HPV drug Gardasil for teenage girls.

Self Defense?

From the Gazette.

Kalamazoo County police say self defense may have led to slaying of Cooper Township man

ALAMO TOWNSHIP -- Kalamazoo County police are investigating whether the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old man by a relative Thursday may have been a case of self-defense.

A witness to the shooting told police that John Millard Stafford Jr., of Cooper Township, was making threats and had forced his way into a house in the 6000 block of West C Avenue in Alamo Township before he was shot by a family member, said Capt. Mike Bowen of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office.

...

Bowen said Stafford had arrived at the residence with an acquaintance, according to the witness, before he forced his way inside and was shot.

Pfizer Job Losses

Pfizer has announced that it will buy fellow pharmaceutical company Weyth. Along with this purchase, it will cut xxx jobs. It isn't known yet how many job losses there will be in Kalamazoo.

Pfizer: Future strong; But Wyeth purchase comes with job cuts, CEOs say
Pfizer-Wyeth merger to mean job cuts, manufacturing-plant closures

This follows the usual pattern for the company that was known as Upjohn. It merged with Pharmacia, then merged with Monsanto, then was bought by Pfizer. Each time there were significant job losses in Kalamazoo.

The Right Agenda: Don't Support Obama

Recently a troubling meme has been echoed by a number of sources, not just in the mainstream media, but also on the right.

The line being peddled is roughly this: "Now is not the time to be partisan. In these troubled times, we cannot afford for Obama to fail. We must come together and support him and hope that he succeeds."

Thankfully, not all conservatives are buying this.

Pray Obama fails
Not all conservatives are singing O-Kumbaya

It's disappointing that it's even necessary to refute something like this.

Conservatives should support America. That means both supporting good policies and opposing bad ones. In the unlikely event that Obama proposes any good policies, we should support them. But supporting America means opposing bad policies.

What about unity? It might be nice if everyone agreed to support the right policies. Back in the real world, that's never going to happen. People disagree about what goals should be pursued. Even when people agree about goals, they disagree about what means should be used.

"Unity" is the same thing as "no dissent". Put that way, it sounds a lot more ominous.

Not only is supporting bad polices bad for the country, but it is also bad politically. Supporting bad policies makes you culpable for their outcomes. It makes it unfeasible to criticize them later. It makes it much more difficult to call for their repeal.

To win back power, Republicans can't just sit around waiting for democrats to screw up. Democrats are a lot better at holding on to power than Republicans are. Instead, Republicans must offer an alternative. They can do so by opposing bad policies and supporting good ones. If they can turn public sentiments against Obama's policies, they can score defensive political victories even without majorities in Congress.

For conservatives, the case is even more clear. Opposing Obama's bad policies is both a moral and political necessity.

POLITICAL UPDATE--The Culture War

This update focuses on the culture war. Another anniversary of Roe v. Wade has passed, and pro-abortion fanatics are ever more intent on restricting freedom. America's holidays are also under attack.

Don Devine: Merry Newspeak Freedom
Phyllis Schlafly: We Must Educate Leaders To Be Conservatives
Warren Mass: Faith Triumphs Over Persecution
John Eidsmoe: The War on Christmas
James Fulford: The War Against Thanksgiving
Ron Paul: Restricting Freedoms and Choices

POLITICAL UPDATES are archived here.

The Weekly Standard on Detroit

The Weekly Standard magazine has an article profiling the city of Detroit. It's a must-read.

The City Where the Sirens Never Sleep

Detroit is dying. But, it is not dead yet.
by Matt Labash
12/29/2008, Volume 014, Issue 15

Perpetual Student

The Gazette profiles a perpetual student.

Twenty-seven degrees and counting: Kalamazoo man enjoys the 'freedom' of intellectual pursuits

KALAMAZOO -- You might say Michael Nicholson has a passion for learning.
The 67-year-old Kalamazoo retiree has amassed 27 college degrees since 1963, and he's not done yet.

He started with a bachelor's degree in religious education at William Tyndale College in Detroit. That led to a master's degree in theology at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Since then, he has earned two associate's degrees, 19 master's degrees, three specialist's degrees and one doctoral degree.

He's currently pursuing two master's degrees at Grand Valley State University, one in health administration and the other in special-education administration.

Nicholson has 10 master's degrees, a specialist's degree and a doctorate from Western Michigan University, which the registrar's office reported is the most degrees awarded to any one person in the school's history.

There is an interesting discussion in the comments. One person asks the obvious question.

Who's paying for all these degrees?

Learning is a fine hobby, but should you really get state-subsidized degrees if you never intend to use them? Particularly when they are in practical skills like administration. Why not just read books?

Perhaps some day this blog will beat his record.

Local News

Local news around Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo County commissioners unlikely to ask voters to approve new jail millage in 2009 (Elections have consequences!)

GOP trails in efforts to attract minorities (What else is new? Why not attract blue-collar whites, who Republicans might have a chance of winning?)

Thousands appeal to Obama to stop abortion on 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Michigan drivers to pay for state transit bailout

Twenty-seven degrees and counting: Kalamazoo man enjoys the 'freedom' of intellectual pursuits

Obama Wants More Abortion

President Obama issued an executive order to increase government funding for abortion.

Obama reverses abortion aid ban

His campaign promise to reduce the number of abortions was a lie.

Impeach Obama!

It's time to impeach President Barack Obama.

Why now?

Well, Obama has promised to blatantly violate the constitution.

He has lamented that the Warren Court didn't do enough to implement "redistributive change".

As Obama sees it, the Warren Court failed to “break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution.” The judges instead clung to the hoary construction of the Constitution as “a charter of negative liberties” — one that says only what government “can’t do to you.” For Obama, economic justice demands the positive case: what government “must do on your behalf” (emphasis added).

Obama has pledged to implement unconstitutional gun control laws.

He has promised to sign the unconstitutional Freedom of Choice Act.

And that's just the beginning.

Time for impeachment!

Bush Does Something Good

President Bush today commuted the sentences of Ramos and Compean, the Border Patrol agents who were imprisoned for shooting a Mexican drug dealer illegally crossing the border.

Bush cuts sentences of Ramos, Compean
Agents convicted of shooting smuggler will be released from prison March 20

Now, they should have been pardoned and it should have happened two years ago. But still, at least they are finally out of prison.

The WMU College Republicans called for this two years ago: Free Ramos and Compean!

The Privileged Planet

The Privileged Planet by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards

The debate over the origin of the universe has been one of the most contentious cultural conflicts in recent times. Many scientists insist that the origin of the universe is entirely natural, there is no supernatural, and Earth and humanity are are insignificant and mediocre.

This flies in the face of the beliefs of many people. But it must be true... because it's science, isn't it?

The authors of The Privileged Planet argue that it isn't. The truth is that Earth is unique. While naturalist scientists have assumed that other planets were teeming with alien life, they have repeatedly been surprised to discover more and more restrictive conditions for the existence of life. Beyond this, Earth's position is not only favorable for life, but also for scientific discovery.

Gonzalez and Richards marshal evidence from astronomy, cosmology, physics, climatology, chemistry, and geology. While they cover far too much to list here, they make a very strong case for a "correlation between habitability and measurability".

They then discuss the philosophical implications of these discoveries. They show how the history of the Copernican Revolution has been greatly distorted into something that Copernicus never supported. They discuss what has come to be known as the Copernican Principle, the notion that Earth must be mediocre because most places are mediocre. This is an assumption, not a conclusion, and its predictions have repeatedly been falsified.

They also discuss the Anthropic Principle, which says that conditions necessary for an observer to exist will be observed by the observer. While true, this principle does nothing to explain why such conditions exist at all.

They show that the hopes of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI), built upon some scientists faith in naturalism, have repeatedly been dashed. Instead, the evidence suggests that the universe has been "designed for discovery".

The book is written from the perspective of intelligent design, including an "old-Earth" timescale. One of the authors was denied tenure due to his views on intelligent design. It offers lots of interesting information and is well worth reading for those interested in its subject.

POLITICAL UPDATE--News from Abroad

This update focuses on news from abroad. Trouble continues in Israel, Somalia, India, and elsewhere.

Robert Spencer: Calling for Genocide In Your Neighborhood
Michael Economides: Russian Energy Imperialism
Ilana Mercer: Paleos Must Defend the West…And That Means Israel Too
Robert Maginnis: Stay Out of Somalia
Robert Maginnis: How Close Are We To War With Iran?
Thomas Sowell: The Meaning of Mumbai
Felix Moreno: Victim Disarmament at Sea
Gustavo Coronel: Hugo Chavez’s Bleak Political Future
William Hoar: North Korean Blackmail Beats the U.S. Blacklist
Pat Buchanan: China's Path to World Power
Don Devine: Congratulations General Odierno?

POLITICAL UPDATES are archived here.

Ordinance Repealed!

The "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" ordinance was repealed by the Kalamazoo City Commission! That's the good news. The bad news is that they want to pass a new "compromise" ordinance instead. One doubts that a compromise is possible on this issue. Since it was repealed, there will not be any public vote on the ordinance.

--------------------

City repeals gay-rights ordinance; commissioners hope compromise can be found

KALAMAZOO -- The Kalamazoo City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to repeal its new anti-discrimination ordinance, stopping a citywide referendum on creating a protected class for gay, lesbian and transgender individuals.

Commissioners talked individually over the past week, saying Monday they hoped a cooling-off period would allow for talks to negotiate a middle ground.

Monday's vote means there will be no citywide referendum scheduled on whether to keep the ordinance that banned gender-orientation discrimination in city housing, public accommodations and employment.

But Mayor Bobby Hopewell said he expects another ordinance will be offered.

...

Kalamazoo's religious leaders also took opposing sides.

The Rev. Michael Brown, director of the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, called the ordinance "polarizing" and confusing, while the Rev. Douglas Vernon, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo, said commissioners showed "courage and wisdom in passing this law."

Hopewell appointed Commissioners David Anderson, Stephanie Moore and Don Cooney to lead the new negotiations.

POLITICAL UPDATE--The Economy

This update focuses on the economy. America's economic troubles continue as government bailouts only make the situation worse.

Kurt Williamson: Socialism's Success
Michael Telzrow: Socialism's Broken Promises
William Jasper: Bailout Mania!
Charles Scaliger: Bernanke's Money Maneuvers
Gary North: When Trust Runs Out
Alex Newman: Auto Bailout: Lemon or Lemonade?
Ron Paul: Government and Fraud
Walter Williams: Counterfeiting versus Monetary Policy
Ron Paul: Economic Freedom or Socialist Intervention?
Charles Scaliger: Bretton Woods
Gary North: Oldsmobile Nation
Pat Buchanan: In Earmarks Lies Salvation?
Will Grigg: Sovietizing the Economy: The Final Phase
Charles Scaliger: Free-market Thinkers

See also:
The Recession Reader
The Bailout Reader

Loyalty

How did Kalamazoo County Commissioner Ann Niewenhuis thank the Republicans who helped get her elected?

KALAMAZOO COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Vice chairwoman survives challenge

KALAMAZOO -- Deb Buchholtz-Hiemstra narrowly survived a challenge from a fellow Republican Tuesday to retain her position as vice chairwoman of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.

Democrats, who hold a 9-8 board majority, had recruited newly elected Commissioner Ann Nieuwenhuis to replace Buchholtz-Hiemstra.

But their plan was foiled Tuesday when Democrats David Buskirk and Frank Thompson sided with Republicans to keep Buchholtz-Hiemstra.

Buskirk was unanimously chosen to be the board's chairman for a third straight year. This will also be Buchholtz-Hiemstra's third year as vice chairwoman.

The meeting, which grew heated in the debate over who would work alongside Buskirk, was the first session of the 2009-11 county board.

"I hope to be accepted by the board and not have this held against me,'' said Nieuwenhuis, of Comstock Township, afterward.

She said the Democrats recruited her to run for the position and that she didn't actively seek it.

So much for loyalty.

Democrat Jack Urban, who nominated Nieuwenhuis, said he was dissatisfied because he thinks the board hasn't moved quickly enough to create a new dental clinic or public defender's office.

"It has proceeded entirely too slow in the minds of many of us,'' Urban said.

Since when is dentistry a function of the county commission?

A public defender's office is just a way to make work for democrat trial lawyers, of course.

Local News

Local news in Kalamazoo.

Three from Kalamazoo attend new-judges seminar in Lansing

Backers of gay-rights ordinance mobilize

KALAMAZOO COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Vice chairwoman survives challenge

Voters may get final say in gay- rights ordinance

He's retired, but that doesn't mean Robert Snell will quit working