Almost Breaking News

   Today being so hot I took the day off and spent it in fount of the fan trying to stay cool or at least trying to. Having nothing to do, except for sweating, I decided to catch up on some of my reading and I happened to come across this article in the Thursday, July 19,2012 edition of The Bay City Times newspaper page A9. Entitled ” Group delivers signatures asking for GOP apology.”

   ” LANSING – A group upset over last month’s silencing of a Democratic lawmaker who said “vagina” during House debate about anti-abortion legislation and another who said “vasectomy” delivered more than 115,000 signatures Wednesday asking for an apology. Members of the Progressive Chance Campaign Committee and Democracy For America brought the signatures to the office of House Speaker Jase Bolger. The signers want GOP leaders to apologize to Reps. Lisa Brown and Barb Byrum after spending their speaking privileges for a day.”

    I am personally very happy about this, having signed the petition myself, and waiting to hear what will happen. For those of you reading this the GOP majority in the Michigan House passed a law making it almost impossible for a woman to obtain an abortion including cases of rape, child molestation, and if the mother’s life was threatened by the pregnancy. Rep. Lisa Brown and Rep. Barb Ryrum did make the comments “vagina” and “vasectomy” during debate on the anti-abortion bill and because they were Women and Democrats suffered the penalty of being silenced. At present Gov. Snyder has asked the House to temporarily put a hold on the bill at least untill after the General Election on November 6th. In my opinion to keep voters from getting riled up against the GOP at least until after the election. But I strongly agree with the stance of the Michigan ACLU who used the slogan ” If you can’t say it don’t legislate it.”

   Hear again I would like to hear from my readers on their openings on this matter. Thanks.

Tax Returns

   In the 1967, in response to a  Look magazine reporter’s challenge to actually release his current tax return instead of just filling out a financial disclosure statement, which was commonly used at the time,  George Romney, father of Mitt Romney, former president of American Motors Corp., then current Governor of the State of Michigan, released his tax returns for the previous 12 years just before declaring himself a candidate for the Republican Presidential Race in 1968.

   News reports at the time described the elder Romney’s tax release as ” a move believed to be without president in American politics. ”

   Now fast forward to the current Republican Presidential Nomination and Mitt Romney refusal to release only two years of his tax returns and his wife’s statement on a daytime national television program ” We’ve given all you people need to know and understand about our financial situation and how we live our life. ” as reported in a recent article in the Wall Street  Journal.

   Now I’ll be the first to admit that I do not know if the Romney’s have or have not got anything to hide by releasing more of their returns. But I also will be the first to admit that Mitt Romney’s refusal to release more  and especially his wife’s statement on national television, and given the growing pressure from his fellow Republicans to comply and release more of his tax returns, can not be a very smart political move in what is all ready described as a close race. It is just fanning the flames of political speculation which coud end up causing him to lose the Presidency race come November 6th.

   I would like to hear from other people out their about their thoughts and opinions on this matter. Any takers ?

Hello World

   To start this blog off, let me introduce myself. My name is Dave, I am 60 years old,and live in Eastern Central Michigan. I am currently retired, having spent a good part of my life as a Navy Hospital Corpsmen assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps. I have also worked in Community Mental Health, working with the mentally ill, mentally retarded, and developmentally disabled. I also have worked inpatient care in Hospice.

   I have been involved in politics locally for some time, having served 16 years an elected Precinct Delegate, an appointed member of the Bay City Human Service Committee, and an elected member of the Bay City Charter Review committee. I am also a charter member and active participant of Occupy the Tri which encompasses the counties of Bay, Saginaw, and Midland.

   I strongly belive in the quote from the late President John F. Kennedy, ” Some see the world as it is and ask why. Others see the world as it can be and ask why not ?”

   One of the things that I hope to accomplish with this blog is to inform you, my readers, of things happening politically that are not generally well covered by  conventual media and suggest how you can respond for change. This is also my first attempt at being a Citizen Journalist.

   This blog is, and will always be, open to public comment from you the readers to foster an open exchange of ideas, but I do ask that you try to keep your posts positive and non judgmental of other ideas and beliefs.

   Thank you for being so patient during this, my first rambling, and I hope that over time you will find this blog informative and interesting to read.