Come Heller high water …
- You probably aren’t even aware of one of the biggest news stories in Michigan in a decade because we barely have a functioning circulatory system for media anymore since the decline of newspapers. How do I know? Because if you were aware of it, you’d be pissed. The story: A panel of three federal judges has ruled that, yes, the Republican Party did in fact illegally gerrymander the hell out of the state the past 11 years so they could “enjoy durable majorities in Michigan’s congressional delegation and in both chambers of the Michigan legislature for the entire decade.” It was so bad and so egregious that the judges described the gerrymandering as “of historical proportions.” In other words, Republicans did a fantastic job of turning a blue state red by temporarily winning legislative control in a pivotal year (maps are redrawn every 10 years) then using that control to make sure they kept power. The state has until August to redraw them fairly or the judges will do it. Which is great. But the damage has been done. A state this size is like the Titanic. It’s
slow to turn. So Michigan is likely to be saddled with the effects of gerrymandering years after the lines are redrawn. What should happen, but won’t, is that judges should use the new maps to retroactively award state House, Senate and congressional seats. In other words, a do-over on recent elections. Some will say, “Hey, it’s just all part of the game.” But that’s not the case. It wasn’t merely toe-over-the-line illegal. This violated your 1st and 14th Amendment rights. Like I said, you should be pissed. At the very least, this should serve as yet another warning to voters to stop being so damned complacent. This is what Republicans – who position themselves as morally-superior patriots – actually do when they gain power: change the rules of the game. - They’re doing the same thing in Washington. The Mueller report laid out 10 ways Trump obstructed justice. Then this week, we learned he didn’t fire deputy AG Rod Rosenstein after Rosenstein assured him “I give the investigation credibility” and “I can land the plane.” And yet Congress is doing nothing because the Senate is Republican. And yet here we sit.
- Bryant Gumbel’s show on HBO took a critical look at the so-far largely empty promises made by the Ilitch family in redeveloping a swath of downtown Detroit. When they built Little Caesar’s Arena, they got $324 million from Michigan taxpayers, money that was supposed to go to schools. In return, the Ilitchs were supposed to develop a 50-block area around the stadium, but so far little has happened. I’m not surprised. Handouts to corporations that don’t need them have always been a boondoggle. But cities and states can’t seem to stop offering them. They repeatedly take the bait that these wonder projects will bring jobs, inflate the tax base, save a blighted area etc. etc. etc. And it’s almost never true. Are Michigan cities better off for all the tax cuts they gave to automakers for decades? Look at Detroit, Flint, Saginaw for the answer. Subsidies and tax breaks are an addiction and the only way to beat an addiction is to go cold turkey and ban the practice of sucking up to corporations.
- Saudi Arabia just beheaded a 22-year-old man who was on his way to attend Western Michigan University in 2012 when he was arrested. His crime? He attended a pro-democracy rally during the Arab Spring. Tell me again why we’re friends with this nation? Oh, that’s right. Oil. I figure they have less than 20 years left before electric cars make them largely obsolete.
- I never knew I peeled fruit incorrectly until the invention of the interwebs. (Trouble is I’m terrible with a machete.)
- Just heard a local commercial say, “If we have it, it’s here.” Truer words were never spoken.
- I’m curious: Do people who have no interest in “Game of Thrones” simply endure it when someone who loves the show yammers on and on about it or do they say something like, “Stop right there, I’m not a fan and don’t know or care what you’re talking about”?
- Game of Thrones has been around eight years already, by the way. I didn’t start watching until a couple years ago, which probably explains why I still don’t know the names of more than a couple characters. If I’m talking about it with the lovely yet formidable Marcia, who is a big fan, I usually have to refer to characters by past actions and characteristics, as in “the sneaky little guy who forced that girl to marry him,” the “blond lady with the dragons” or “the guy who read all those books.” Remembering names has always been an issue for me.
- A guy on “Jeopardy” is over a million bucks in winnings. I’ll bet he’s insufferable to talk to at dinner parties.
- “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
Image: Michigan Congressional Districts since 2013
Andrew, I am aware of the gerrymandering in our state and voted against it.
Only to discover that apparently the citizens of Michigan don’t actually have a say in the votes they cast. What? Why does a judge get to decide? How many years before a judge, maybe a Supreme Court Judge get to choose the President? You know how that would go.
Are Americans so busy looking at screens that they no longer bother to see what is going on around them, except of course on social media.
The reprehensible actions by the Michigan republicans in their gerrymandering did not go unnoticed to me.
I saw it slowly developing over the years with opposition that was totally ineffective, it was mind boggling.
Politics are nasty, gerrymandering makes it even more vile.
The republicans are probably saying to each other — If they’re stupid enough to let us get away with it, they deserve what they get How DID this happen? Which governor was it?
And they’d be right.
Isn’t it curious that a liberal, Democrat like Andy Heller specifically chose to not mention the hundreds of Christians that were murdered by Muslim terrorist bombers in Sri Lanka? I guess it doesn’t fit the liberal narrative.
Also – The murdered people were “Christians”, not “Easter Worshippers” .
What in blazes are you talking about – I haven’t written anything about that. Fair warning:Next time you put words in my mouth, Abner, I’m blocking you. You can say whatever you want about me, but you don’t get to put words in my mouth.
I guess you forgot that all but one of the terrorist responsible for 911 were Saudi’s.
No, I am not curious at all.
Why not enlighten us with your thoughts on the terror attack in Sri Lanka.
I am mortified with what goes on in the minds of these lunatics armed to the gills and laden with explosives.
Terrorism across the globe is evil.
And now we have this deranged individual in Poway, CA shooting up a Synagogue,
Too much hate in the world, including hate constantly thrown at Andy for speaking his mind.
What? You mean the “law and order” party did something illegal?
It is remarkable that despite of the gerrymandering, Republicans still lost control of the state government in the last election.
I’ve watched Game of Thrones from the very beginning. I never binge watched it, except to record it and watch one or two episodes later in the week. But I’m with you on the name of characters. I learn them, then quickly forget. It will be the blonde queen, the big lady who can really fight, or the the guy with a patch on his eye. Too many characters for this old guy with grey hair to remember!😎
I did not put words in your mouth Andy. I actually pointed out that you did not mention the Muslim terrorist attacks on Christians. This is the liberal “media” practice of omission by agenda and doctrine.
The fake term “Easter Worshippers” is popular among Democrats. Obama, Hillary, et al have been using that fake term so as to try and distract from the facts in Sri Lanka.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-26/easter-worshippers-lefts-allergy-language
Dear Mr. Heller. I don’t know how you do it. I’ve just read over the “Easter Worshipper” posting. Oh, my. Note to Mr. Devereaux: if you worshipped at your church last Easter Sunday, you are an “Easter Worshipper”, too.
But to gerrymandering: yes, voted against it. Years ago, before we really knew much about it, a Calvin College (small liberal arts church-based college in Grand Rapids) political scientist talked about how dangerous this was for our democracy. Now that it’s, rightfully so, an issue again, a way forward might be to use a panel of political scientists to develop suggestions. I’d like to see an academic, thoughtful approach contrasted with what our politicians suggest.
Abner/Working D@d,
Do you mean like how Fox News didn’t mention the New Zealand Mosque shooting a couple weeks ago, or the white supremacist who plowed his car into pedestrians in California because he thought they were Muslim?
Exactly. His paranoia is blindingly silly.
Strange word: gerrymandering was injected into our political system during the governorship of Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, who enacted the process by a law in 1812.
I am not taking sides with anyone here, but when I read the quotes about Easter Worshippers, my first thought was “..people who were worshipping on Easter” ; both Mrs. Clinton and President Obama mentioned the holy week surrounding Easter. That’s how it appeared to me.
Same thought with the ending quote from Harriet Tubman: However, in 2019, we don’t need to come up with a dream to change the world. That’s already been done . Always remember that we have within us the strength, patience and passion to do so. Put aside the shoulda’s and coulda’s and put our collective strength, patience and passion to just do it! Or are we stupid enough to just let them get away with it?
Not sure why in the hell it makes a difference that they were Christians or Easter worshipers or who said what. The bottom line is many innocent people and children were murdered by a bunch of radical terrorists. That is what we should be concerned about. Amazing that people bring up the Clintons and Obama. Does it really matter?
Guilty as charged! People have a tendency to pick-pick-pick things apart which wastes time and thoughts about getting to the real problem.
The Supreme Court has already picked a President, in the year 2000 they told Florida to stop counting votes, and that got us GWB and the war in the Middle East and the Great Recession
I found this to be a great piece of commentary that really put things into perspective.
” For the past eight years, I’ve studied how these politics of racial resentment have profound negative consequences for working-class white communities. I traveled across southern and midwestern states to track the everyday effects of anti-government, anti-immigrant politics and policies. Time and again, I found that the material realities of working-class white lives are made worse not by immigrants and citizens of color — but by GOP policies that promise greatness but deliver despair.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/its-time-to-talk-about-being-white-in-america/2019/04/29/20aed83a-6a9b-11e9-be3a-33217240a539_story.html
I’ve been aware of gerrymandering for many years, voted against it, and still feel “we the people” cannot do anything about it. Politics are so corrupt voting is a waste of time and energy.