Note: I have a visitation to attend this evening but will be along in another hour or so. I opted to go ahead and publish this diary at its usual time, since I didn't want to hold up discussion just because of my short absence.
Although I spend most of my blog-reading time here at DK, I thought it would be interesting to see what is being talked about this week in Michigan blogs. Some bloggers write posts on a very regular basis, while others are more sporadic. Below the orange squiggly are some of the stories being covered.
Progress Michigan uses many forms of social media (Twitter and Facebook, in particular), but they also have a blog as part of their website. Here's the latest article (18 June): The Budget Shell Game, which is a call for a progressive income tax.
We need to take a fundamentally new direction when it comes to our state budget. As was aptly noted in the Detroit Free Press: “Why is it that an impoverished family living in Flint making $10,000 a year and a working-class family in Howell making $50,000 both contribute 9.2% of their hard-earned money each year, while a billionaire like Manuel (Matty) Moroun contributes less than 5% toward an education system, work force and infrastructure that helped him accumulate a personal wealth of $1.5 billion?”
Michigan Liberal states that "Michigan Liberal is an independent, non-partisan forum and source for commentary and information from a vaguely leftish point of view. It is not associated with, nor is its editor and owner a registered member of, any political party." Eric B(aerren) is the editor and principal writer, and if you don't like heavy doses of snark, it's probably best to avoid his blog. This week (22 June), he wrote briefly on the rumors swirling about a Lon Johnson run for the MI-1 seat:
Lon Johnson. I don't always read this blog, but when I do, I always read the comments. There is frequently as much information in the comments as in the short blog entries.
Tim Skubic at MLive is a familiar face to anyone who watches "Off the Record" on PBS, and according to his brief bio at MLive.com "has covered Michigan politics and government longer than any other political journalist in state history, starting with the swearing-in of former Gov. William Milliken in 1969." More of a column than a blog, his latest article (as of this writing) is here: No-reason absentee voting is likely to fail. While you're at it, be sure to check out Skubic's take on his one-on-one interview with Ohio governor and possible R-Clown Car candidate, John Kasich: Not afraid to punt. One additional note: I rarely read the comments to Mr. Skubic's columns as they are generally a cesspool of trolls for the Right and troll-feeders on the Left.
Motor City Muckraker is the blog of Steve Neavling, a Detroit-based, independent journalist. He covers a wide range of topics, but his main focus for 2015 is to track every structure fire in Detroit, in hopes of documenting the crisis facing the Detroit Fire Department due to understaffing and old, failing equipment. His most recent report is here: May fires in Detroit.
Michigan Capitol Confidential: I'm not providing a link to this one, although it is a simple search away for the brave of heart and strong of stomach. If you believe the best defense is a good offense, and you want to know what the Mackinac Center with their ALEC-inspired agenda is up to, this is the blog to read. I can't even say that I read it so you don't have to; I'm not that brave. But if you are wondering where the latest bills are coming from, and what the spin is going to be, this site gives you a good heads up.
Politically Speaking is the blog written by former Macomb Daily writer, Chad Selweski. His focus is generally, but not limited to, Michigan and Macomb County politics; I would never describe him as a progressive (in fact, I once described him as a proud curmudgeon), but his years with the Macomb Daily have provided him with contacts and the ability to cover a wide-range of stories. His latest (and mostly old news to savvy Daily Kos readers) is here: Michigan GOP gerrymandering going according to plan.
Eclectablog is, of course, the blog of our very own Motor City Kossack; his latest effort is here: Todd Courser [my personal pick for Worst Person in the State these days] .
These are just a few of the blogs that are MI-based/MI-focused. Do you have any favorites that I missed? And as always, this is an open thread.