Michigan Policast for May 6, 2019

Walt, Christine, and Amy kick off the show with a conversation on pictures of potholes on social media.  Christine posits that this is the most effective way to get people engaged in #FTDR, while Walt argues that people are already aware of the need, and the only problem is getting the revenues.  What do you think?

* Michigan Senate panel cuts gas tax hike from transportation budget

* FY 2019-2020 Transportation Budget Senate Fiscal Agency bill analysis (pdf)

* Senate Fiscal Agency Transportation S.B.149 (pdf)

* Whitmer threatens to veto budget if gas tax increase not included **This headline is misleading. While Whitmer’s office said she would veto this plan, it is because it offers no plan to fix the roads, not because it had no gas tax. Whitmer has repeatedly said she will consider any plan that includes the revenues to fix the roads.

* Reddit thread on Michigan potholes – This is a delightful rabbit hole of comments on Michigan roads.

* Fix MI Roads on YouTube

* Michigan Drivers One-Up Each Other with Photos of Damage from Bad Roads, at Governor’s Request

* If Whitmer’s gas tax increase is dead, sales tax on services, anyone? (Follow journalist Chad Livengood on Twitter here)

* Michigan not alone in looking at gas-tax increase for roads

“It’s going to take $2.5 billion a year,” said Detroit Regional Chamber CEO Sandy Baruah of Michigan’s road-building needs. “Anyone who thinks you can cut even half of that out of other elements of the state budget without having significant ramifications to real people, you’re smoking something that’s not legal.”

“This is 40 years of disinvestment in the state of Michigan, and it’s coming due now,” Whitmer said of the roads.

 

In segment two this week, Amy takes us through the bipartisan car insurance issue. Gender and regional disparities, catastrophic claims, and so much more.

* Michigan women pay more for car insurance than men

* What’s the Average Cost of Car ...

Michigan Policast for April 29, 2019

Walt and Christine cover the federal court ruling that Michigan is unconstitutionally gerrymandered.  The legislature was ordered to fix it in time for the 2020 election.  Walt’s expertise in this area shines in this segment.  If you’re interested in this issue, you’ll want to hear what he has to say.

* Federal court: Michigan political maps illegally rigged to ‘historical proportions’

* GOP emails: Let’s ‘cram Dem garbage’ into southeast Michigan districts

* 9 things Michigan voters need to know about the gerrymandering case

* Panel rules Michigan’s congressional districts are unconstitutionally gerrymandered

* These are the Michigan political districts federal judges say were gerrymandered (with maps)

* Judges Rule Michigan Districts Are Unconstitutionally Gerrymandered

* Federal Court Rules That Michigan’s Congressional Map Was Unfairly Gerrymandered

Source: The Detroit News 

In segment two we cover Joe Biden’s entrance into the 2020 Presidential race.  He’s currently leading the polls and he says he’s the one to beat Trump.  What’s the deal here?

* Michigan 2020 Primary- Biden With Strong Lead, but Sanders Waiting in the Wings (Polling from March)

* How Joe Biden Could Win The 2020 Democratic Primary

* Joe Biden announces he is running for president in 2020

* Joe Biden Supporters Are Older And More Moderate — And Sticking With Him So Far

* Joe Biden is running for president. Has his time come? Or come and gone?

* How Joe Biden Could Win The 2020 Demo...

Michigan Policast for April 22, 2019

Walt, Amy, and Christine do something a little different this week.  The redacted Mueller report was published last week, and the talk of impeachment is being heard all around the country.  House should the Democrats in the Michigan congressional delegation respond?  What about Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens, who both flipped formerly Republican districts?

* Read the Mueller Report: Searchable Document and Index

* The Mueller Report Is 448 Pages Long. You Need to Know These 7 Key Things.

* Impeach Donald Trump

* How Impeachment Ended Up in the Constitution (just kind of interesting

Michigan Policast for April 15, 2019

Walt, Amy, and Christine chat about the primaries.

Segment 1:  Does Michigan belong to Bernie?  Biden leads in Michigan right now, but so did Hillary.  Will the pollsters repeat the mistakes of 2016?

* Biden tops Dems pack in Michigan, Sanders second: poll

* Back in Michigan for a second White House run, Bernie Sanders visits Warren

* Bernie Sanders’s real base is diverse — and very young

* Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders campaigns in Lordstown

* Why The Polls Missed Bernie Sanders’s Michigan Upset

* What The Stunning Bernie Sanders Win In Michigan Means

 

Segment 2:  What about Mayor Pete?  What kind of impact will the LGBTQ community have on his campaign?  How important is his age to this era of politics?

* Elizabeth Warren’s fundraising numbers provide a telling snapshot of the Democratic primary ahead

* What The Potential 2020 Candidates Are Doing And Saying, Vol. 14

* Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s Presidential Bid Gets Boost From Hollywood Donors

* The RS Politics 2020 Democratic Primary Leaderboard

* 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary timeline (on Wikipedia)

* The Eternal Sunshine of Mayor Pete

In segment 3 Amy covers the Michigan cyberbullying law that was pushed through lame duck last year. Much of the information in Amy’s segment is covered in her upcoming piece in the Northern Express.

* Michigan’s cyberbullying law – PA 457 of 2018

* Amy Kerr Hardin on Northern Express

*

Michigan Policast for April 8, 2019

On this episode, Christine and Walt get their hands dirty with some tough topics.  We kick things off with Governor Whitmer asking the legislature to do their work and get a budget done on time.  Will she own a shutdown should they come to an impasse?  How does this compare to Trump’s shutdown over the wall?

* Whitmer ultimatum: No budget signature without ‘real’ road funding

* MIRS Monday, April 1, 2019 (audio) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she won’t sign a budget that doesn’t include a road-funding fix, in this podcast with MIRS

* Michigan State Budget Office – Here’s everything you need to dig into the budget bills, associated documents, and spending reports

* Governor Rick Snyder’s blog post on the importance of getting budgets done on time

Hey Michigan: tired of phony political “fixes” and half-measures? Me too! Time to fix these damn roads. I have a solution. Got an alternative? #FTDR pic.twitter.com/6AFS24fh1B

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) March 28, 2019

In segment two we continue the conversation around Speaker Lee Chatfield and his choice of words describing the actions taken by the Governor and Attorney General on Line 5.  Is it fair to criticize his remarks as sexist?  Audio includes the segment from his interview on WJR.

* Speaker Lee Chatfield, State House District 107

* Michigan Policast for April 1, 2019 (Includes a segment on AG Nessel legal opinion)

* Attorney General Opinion on Constitutionality of 2018 PA 359 (pdf)

* Governor Whitmer Executive Directive 2019-13 regarding Public Act 359 of 2018 (pdf)

* Stop calling women in politics ’emotional’

* Democrats: Chatfield’s remarks on Whitmer, Nessel show he’s ‘intimidated by powerful women’

 

Segment three is all about huggy Joe Biden.  Is Joe just being Joe?  And if so, is that because Joe is insensitive?  Can anyone get it right?

* All the Women Who Have Spoken Out Against Joe Biden

Michigan Policast for April 1, 2019

This week Walt and Christine take on a handful of topics, starting with President Trump’s visit to Grand Rapids.  Walt has soundbites and actual facts to rebut the crazy things trump spewed forth.  We also discuss the anti-Trump Rally which included Richard Ojeda (Facebook video at bottom of post).

* AP FACT CHECK: Trump misleads on health care, Russia probe

* New: Former Dem presidential hopeful Richard Ojeda to headline anti-Trump rally

.@VoteOjeda2020 is angry, actually he is pissed off and he thinks you should be too.https://t.co/pkC2zcomMw

— Future Majority (@future_majority) March 29, 2019

In segment two we talk about the role of empathy in winning the 2020 elections.  Which candidate can connect with the voters?  Does policy have a place in showing empathy?  This segment includes comments from Elissa Slotkin’s appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.

Elissa Slotkin represents the 8th District of Michigan

Last night I went on @RealTimers to talk about the issues we’re focused on here in the Midwest: the cost of healthcare & prescription drugs, protecting people with pre-existing conditions –– and how to approach these issues pragmatically.

Watch more here: https://t.co/wHyORYDL5R pic.twitter.com/zIoF5JQpGK

— Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) March 30, 2019

There’s a lot going on in segment three.

AG Nessel publishes opinion regarding the constitutionality of the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority

* Attorney General Opinion on Constitutionality of 2018 PA 359 (pdf)

* Governor Whitmer Executive Directive 2019-13 regarding Public Act 359 of 2018 (pdf)

* Michigan Straits Corridor Authority meeting

* Enbridge to build $350M tunnel to protect Line 5 in Straits of Mackinac

* Enbridge design of the tunnel, taken from Enbridge Report to the State of Michigan: Alternatives for replacing Enbridge’s dual Line 5 pipelines crossing the Straits of Mackinac (pdf)

The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association increases the per-vehicle assessment fee

*

Michigan Policast for March 25, 2019

Walt gets us rolling with a conversation on the Democratic primaries.  We have soundbites, we have questions, we have theories.  Here are the links:

Presidential Approval Ratings — Donald Trump

 

Michigan! On the road to Center Line for a morning town hall at Hometown Heroes Coffee. Looking forward to seeing you at 8:30. pic.twitter.com/Baj2kA9bY8

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 18, 2019

 

Segment two is a look at the 2019 ALICE in Michigan.  This is an economic study by the Michigan Association of United Ways.  Was the “Michigan Comeback” really a comeback?  Was Governor Snyder really the “Comeback Kid?”  Decide for yourself by downloading the report.

 

Download the 2019 ALICE in Michigan report here for information on unemployment, underemployment, demographics, regional data, and more.

 

Study: More Michiganders struggle to afford basic needs

Our #FTDR report is the subject of segment three.

* How proposed gas tax hike could impact trucking companies

* Business Leaders for Michigan applauds Gov. Whitmer for bold budget proposal

* Chamber Statement Following Governor Whitmer’s State Of The State Address

* Governor Proposes 45-Cent-Per-Gallon Tax Increase to Fix the Roads

 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce advocates raising the gasoline tax, an initiative with rare political support from both conservatives and liberals https://t.co/kmXvYIP1Rm

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 20, 2019

This week Walt talks to Dr. Charles Ballard, Professor of economics and director of State of the State Survey at MSU.

* Charles Ballard website

* By the numbers: Michigan is among 10 states that have a flat income tax

* Michigan at a Crossroads: Michigan Tax Policy for the Incoming 2019 Gubernatorial Administration (pdf) by Dr Charles Ballard

* Charles Ballard on Twitter

Michigan Policast for March 18, 2019

Amy kicks off our show this week with the latest on impeachment, Christine gives the rundown on AG Nessel, and Walt gets into campaign finance with Elissa Slotkin and Craig Mauger, of

Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

Segment 1:  Amy offers the pros and cons of impeachment

* POD SAVE AMERICA: To impeach or not to impeach

* Impeach Donald Trump

Segment 2:  Christine reviews Dana Nessel’s record

* Michigan Attorney General website

* Michigan AG open investigations

* Frank Kelley Wikipedia page

* Michigan Attorney General FOIA request site

* Michigan AG news which includes details on lawsuits and other items mentioned in the podcast

* State Senator Stephanie Chang Opinion Request (pdf)

* Former AG Schuette’s Opinion 7306, which is the question of Sen. Chang’s request

* Governor Whitmer’s Opinion Request on “polluter panels” (pdf)

* Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson requests opinion on changes to initiative and referendum process

As promised. https://t.co/FBHggap6db

— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) February 4, 2019

Segment 3:  Dark Money with statements from Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (MI08) and an interview with Craig Mauger of Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

* Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin

* End Citizens United

* H.R.1 – For the People Act of 2019

* Freshman Dems demand more power from Pelosi

* Nancy Pelosi on Impeaching Trump: ‘He’s Just Not Worth It’

Interview with Craig Mauger, Executive Director of Michigan Campaign Finance Network

* Michigan Campaign Finance Network

*

Michigan Policast for March 11, 2019

Walt and Christine welcome Amy back to the show.

* The show kicks off with a conversation around the cost to #FTDR.  How much do we really need?  What does the business community think?

* Amy takes on the latest public approval ratings in Michigan, for President Trump, Governor Whitmer, and the state of things in general.

* Walt runs through HR-1.  What’s in it and why should the House pass a bill that’s DOA in the Senate?

* Hank Mayers from Michiganders for Fair and Transparent Elections joins the show

Resources

Segment 1 – FTDR

* Business Leaders for Michigan applauds Gov. Whitmer for bold budget proposal

* MI Chamber Issues Response to Gov. Whitmer’s Budget Proposal to Fix the Roads

* ‘FIX THE DAMN ROADS’ WAS EASY. HOW TO PAY? NOT EASY.

* The Michigan governor’s gas-tax hike is a model plan for other states to follow

* Senate Fiscal Agency – The Rising Costs of Road Repair (pdf)

* MDOT – Transportation Funding

Segment 2 – Polls and approval ratings

* Statewide poll provides early indication of how Michigan voters may approach 2020 general election

* Poll finds Gov. Whitmer has 43 percent favorable rating, Trump has 40 percent

* EPIC▪MRA STATEWIDE POLL OF ACTIVE AND LIKELY 2020 NOVEMBER VOTERS (pdf)

* EPIC▪MRA STATEWIDE POLL OF ACTIVE AND LIKELY VOTERS – MAR 2011 (pdf) – Comparison data

Segment 3 – Hr-1 2019 passes the US House but will not get a vote in the Senate

* H.R.1 – For the People Act of 2019

*

Michigan Policast special edition on Governor Whitmer’s budget proposal.  March 6, 2019

In this special edition of the Michigan Policast, Walt talks to former Lieutenant Governor John D Cherry.

Listen to this episode to hear:

* Why it matters that Governor Whitmer is still new to the office

* How the budget demonstrates the changing priorities between Governor Whitmer and her predecessor Rick Snyder

* Why this opening bid is important and why the Republican response is encouraging

* Why the gas tax is a clean, simple solution.  A revenue mix is the product of negotiations

* What really concerns the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Association

* Why some new taxes are just previous taxes being put back into place in order to pay for earlier cuts

* How too many compromises keeps the job from getting done

* What the lottery really means to Michigan state revenue

* What the public really wants from the state government regarding #FTDR