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DETROIT (CNN) – Following a rally in Detroit with Barack Obama Sunday afternoon, Joe Biden will return home to Wilmington, Delaware to prepare for his Thursday night debate with Sarah Palin. The Delaware senator’s schedule is blank until he flies to St. Louis for the debate, though he will head to Washington to vote on the bailout package when the vote is scheduled in the Senate. Spokesman David Wade says the only preparation Biden has done up to this point is reading and talking to a wide range of colleagues, among them senators Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein....

...Granholm was asked how to get the public on board the push to more alternative energies. She said some members of the state Legislature aren't enamored with government mandates on environmental issues. If you can't woo them with wind turbines, she said, point to all the jobs that are being created by pushing for alternative energy. Granholm covered numerous other topics: She said there needs to be a "carbon tax'' on coal, oil and gas to help reduce carbon emissions. "That's a good thing,'' the governor said. Granholm said she was in Japan and saw high-speed rail service. "Why don't...

Sayonara - Granholm heads to Japan Posted: Sep 15, 2008 05:42 AM Updated: Sep 15, 2008 10:30 AM LANSING, Mich. (WOOD)-- Governor Granholm leaves for Japan Monday in an effort to bring jobs back to Michigan. The governor will visit three cities in three days and will meet with 22 companies who are considering investing in Michigan. Those include alternative energy companies, medical, manufacturing, as well as automakers. This is Granholm's sixth overseas investment trip since 2004.

DETROIT (AP) - The state auto club said that the statewide average for a gallon of self-serve regular fuel was up about 5 cents to $3.94 early Saturday from Friday morning. That's up about 20 cents from Monday. AAA spokeswoman Nancy Cain said there were some reports of prices above $4 a gallon. On Friday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Attorney General Mike Cox promised to monitor and swiftly deal with any gas gouging in the state. Hurricane Ike threatens some of the Gulf Coast's oil refineries. Closing oil refineries because of the hurricane could lead to an eventual bump in...

LANSING, Mich. -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm has met Sarah Palin several times and says the Alaska governor seems like a very nice woman. But the Michigan governor says that doesn't mean the Republican vice presidential candidate should be exempt from tough questions in an Oct. 2 debate with her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden. "She wouldn't ask to be treated with kid gloves. This is the vice presidency," Granholm told reporters Thursday. "She's tough. She's made that very clear."

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden assured a crowd of donors in Lincoln Park Tuesday night that he would handle himself just fine in his debate with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Democratic Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has even agreed to spend several days with him as Palin's stand-in for him to practice, he said. But he said "we'll see" whether he takes her up on her offer. He's not aiming to take any cheap shots, he said. "Folks, look, I know what she's going to try to do: she's going to try to make it as personal as she can. She's...

(WXYZ) Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's legal team is asking the court to step in and stop removal hearings that are set to take place on September 3rd. In a complaint filed with the court, the mayor's attorneys argue that Governor Jennifer Granholm has made prior statements indicating that she has prejudged the matter and will be predisposed to remove Kilpatrick from office. Attached is a Summons, Complaint and Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction which was filed today. A hearing before Judge Ziolkowski is scheduled for Friday, August 29th at 10:00 a.m.

Attention women: If you live in Michigan and you're a fan of Barack Obama then there's a big party being thrown today just for you. Well, assuming your name isn't Jennifer Granholm. The Ivory Tower reports this morning that the Barackstar's campaign is kicking off their official "Michigan Women for Obama" organization. Here's the trick... the headliner isn't Michigan's first female governor, one of the former "rising stars" of the national Democratic Party. It isn't that female governor who took so many folks by storm only four years ago at the Democratic National Convention. It isn't the woman who cleaned...

PLYMOUTH -- For 15 years, Kylleen Hargrave-Thomas told anyone who would listen that she was innocent of murdering her ex-boyfriend. Gov. Jennifer Granholm finally listened. Hargrave-Thomas, 56, who served nearly 11 years for the murder of her ex-boyfriend, is scheduled to be released from the Scott Correctional Facility in Plymouth on Sept. 2, after Granholm commuted her first-degree murder sentence July 24. The decision was announced Tuesday. Advertisement "This is very good news," said Hargrave-Thomas' son, Nevill Hargrave-Thomas, 32, of Wixom. "We're very happy." Others contend Granholm bowed to advocacy groups after refusing to give the woman clemency in 2005....

Michigan should be a layup for Barack Obama. The state's economy is in the doldrums, blue-collar auto workers are losing jobs and the state hasn't voted for a Republican in a presidential election since 1988. But recent polls show the race is closer than many expected... Among the factors that could help Sen. McCain are Sen. Obama's decision not to contest Michigan's mid-January primary...and critical comments he made last year about Detroit's auto makers. But perhaps the biggest boon to his efforts: the unpopularity of the state's Democratic governor, Jennifer Granholm. Gov. Granholm has an approval rating of 30%... Voters...

It's a no-expenses paid trip to what looks to be one of the most hotly debated political events in the country. At least seven local people have won a coveted spot in Michigan's 2008 delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, earning them a first-hand view of a historic presidential nomination. For at least two of the area delegates, this is the first time they will travel to the August convention, where their only duties are to hob nob with party leaders, cheer wildly -- and cast their vote for a presidential nominee."I'm really excited to be a part...

LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Jennifer Granholm as expected has rejected a proposed ban on a late-term procedure that opponents call partial-birth abortion. Granholm announced Friday she vetoed the bill recently passed by the state Legislature. The bill was designed to mirror a federal ban that was ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court last year. The state-level measure does not include an exception for a mother's health, which Granholm says is why she won't support it. Granholm vetoed a 2004 ban, but hundreds of thousands of voters signed petitions that allowed the bill to become law with only the approval...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm isn't switching her support quite yet to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Granholm and Lieutenant Governor John Cherry both endorsed New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton last October. They're among seven Michigan Democratic superdelegates who backed Clinton. Fifteen support Obama, with one more expected to endorse Friday. Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said Thursday that, while the governor has made it clear she'll support the Democratic nominee, she won't make a formal statement supporting Obama until after Clinton announces a decision on her campaign. Clinton plans to hold an event in Washington...

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — General Motors is closing four truck and SUV plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico as surging fuel prices hasten a dramatic shift to smaller vehicles. CEO Rick Wagoner said Tuesday before the automaker's annual meeting in Delaware the plants to be closed are in Oshawa, Ontario; Moraine, Ohio; Janesville, Wis.; and Toluca, Mexico. He also said the iconic Hummer brand will be reviewed and potentially sold or revamped. Wagoner said the GM board has approved production of a new small Chevrolet car at a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, in mid-2010 and the Chevy Volt electric...

The married mayor also signed off on a confidentiality agreement that hid from the Detroit City Council the role those text messages played in an exorbitant $8.4 million settlement of a whistle-blowers' lawsuit by former police officers. The scandal has led the City Council to ask Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a fellow Democrat, to remove Kilpatrick from office for misconduct. The council accuses the mayor of violating provisions in the city charter as part of the whistle-blowers' settlement. The nine-member council also is expected to begin forfeiture of office proceedings against the mayor in about two weeks.

...Officials in Lansing reported this month that the state faces a revenue shortfall between $350 million and $550 million next budget year. This is a major embarrassment for Governor Jennifer Granholm, the second-term Democrat who shut down the state government last year until the Legislature approved Michigan's biggest tax hike in a generation. Her tax plan raised the state income tax rate to 4.35% from 3.9%, and increased the state's tax on gross business receipts by 22%. Ms. Granholm argued that these new taxes would raise some $1.3 billion in new revenue that could be "invested" in social spending and...

The Detroit City Council Tuesday will officially ask Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office. Last week, council members voted 5-4 to begin forfeiture of office proceedings against Kilpatrick. On a separate 5-4 vote, they approved asking Granholm to terminate Kilpatrick's hold on the mayor's office. A third vote -- to censure the mayor -- passed on a 7-2 vote.

The City Council put aside more than three months of internal bickering and hand-wringing, narrowly approving efforts that take the first step toward removing popular Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who faces perjury and other charges related to explicit text messages sent to a former aide.

Lansing - Even if the legislature gathers support to temporarily suspend the state's sales tax on gasoline, the plan won't be signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm. House Republicans are promoting a plan to suspend the tax for the summer to give relief to motorists struggling with record high gas prices. "It's not significant. It won't put millions of dollars in your pocket, but every little bit helps when gas is approaching $4.00 per gallon," said State Representative Dave Hildenbrand, a Lowell Republican said Monday outside an Lowell Mobil station. Liz Boyd, Governor Jennifer Granholm's spokesperson, told WZZM 13 today the...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The inaugural committee for Governor Jennifer Granholm might owe $19,500 in unpaid federal taxes. The debt appears to stem from the 2003 tax year. That would relate to the first inauguration of Granholm and Lieutenant Governor John Cherry, both Democrats.

So after all that talk about the importance of new revenues the woman didn't even pay her own taxes? Shocking details are emerging today that indicate Michigan's most prominent tax-hike advocates, Governor Jennifer Granholm and John Cherry, are in trouble with the federal government for, get this... refusing to pay their taxes! The kind of trouble you don't get in for a minor offense. The kind of trouble that only comes after repeated notifications from the federal government. A couple of sources indicate that Lansing's Channel 10 News will lead tonight's broadcast with the news that the United States Department...

Is anyone out there wondering what has happened to the nearly infamous Governor of Michigan-Jennifer Granholm? After the major "budget battle" that lasted nearly all of 2007 and ended with major tax increases, she disappeared. She has not been seen on television since she signed the taxes into being. I wonder if the television ads by Mitt Romney has anything to do with her conspicuous disappearance from the political arena, especially with the primary held in Michigan last week? Mitt Romney's political ads were quite effective in pointing out what the nation needs to hear-Michigan is in a "one-state recession"....

Clinton on the economy— and the Detroit reporter who asked about something elseBy J. Patrick Coolican · January 16, 2008 · 3:09 PM Sen. Hillary Clinton just held a conference call to talk about the economy with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. They’ve both endorsed her. She’d give relief to people hit by the foreclosure crisis and invest a bunch of money in green energy technology to prime the pump, among other proposals. Paul Krugman, N.Y. Times columnist and Princeton economist and Clinton fan, evaluates the economic plans of everyone, here. Brad DeLong, a Berkley...

United Van Lines, LLC has released its annual migration study on where it takes its clients to and from among the 48 contiguous states. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has tested their data against actual census data going back to 1977 and found the two to be very highly correlated. This makes UVL data something of a leading migration indicator. According to UVL, a staggering 67.8 percent of its Michigan client traffic was outbound in 2007. That rate is an all-time record high, eclipsing the previous 1981 record of 66.9 percent during a year the Great Lake State suffered...

"Tony McDonald, a member of the University of Texas Young Conservatives, sets up a protest anti- American Civil Liberties Union nativity scene, dubbed a 'solstice barn,' on the university's campus in Austin December 4, 2006. The display features a 'Nancy Pelosi' angel, a 'suicide bomber' shepherd, and Marx, Lenin and Stalin as the Three Wise Men." "Josh Perry, a member of the University of Texas Young Conservatives, spreads hay as he sets up a protest anti-American Civil Liberties Union nativity scene, dubbed a 'solstice barn,' on the university's campus in Austin, Texas December 4, 2006. The display features a...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Governor Jennifer Granholm says the most important thing she learned this year is she's not ever going to raise taxes again to deal with any budget shortfalls.

'Twas just before Christmas, when all throughout Lansing Taxpayers were shouting, bureaucrats were all dancing Earlier in '07; a new tone was set Services we'll threaten and taxes we'll get State Deputy Directors were singing in chorus Our shelves are all empty, you must seek monies for us We'll need more French wine, let the people drink water The budget will suffer, tax incomes we oughta The administration's new appointees were snuggled warm their beds While Troopers in springtime were hitting the treads The State of the State sought a breathtaking vision of seventeen new programs worth taxing decision Then,...

DETROIT -- Economic experts said Michigan is going through the worst depression of the decade. Michigan's unemployment rate increased to 7.7 percent in October, the highest rate since late 1992, and 43,000 jobs have been lost in the process. Michigan has had the nation's highest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for several months.

Department of Corrections: $2.078 billion in gross spending, compared to $1.940 billion enacted the previous year. Department of Labor and Economic Growth: $1.301 billion, compared to $1.231 billion enacted the previous year. Higher Education: $1.896 billion, compared to $1.787 billion enacted the previous year. Department of Community Health: $12.048 billion, compared to $11.196 billion enacted the previous year. Department of Human Services (Welfare): $4.588 billion — an increase of more than $80 million, plus 171 new employees.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Legislature and Gov. Jennifer Granholm early Wednesday finished a budget deal to fund Michigan's government, ending a nine-month fight over tax increases and spending cuts that briefly caused a government shutdown along the way. The final agreement came a month after Granholm and lawmakers passed $1.3 billion in tax increases and gave themselves an extra 30 days to resolve the spending plan.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Michigan shows that New York Senator Hillary Clinton leads all challengers in the race for the state’s Electoral College votes. At the same time, the poll shows voters are less than thrilled with the performance of Governor Jennifer Granholm. Clinton leads Rudy Giuliani in Michigan by nine points (47% to 38%) and holds a thirteen point margin over Thompson (50% to 37%). Those margins are unchanged since August. Two other Republicans, John McCain and Mitt Romney, have gained a bit of ground but still trail Clinton by seven.

Still nothing in the way of compromise from Andy Dillon and the Democrats in the House. They're too busy counting all those new tax dollars they just stole from us. Meanwhile, Jennifer Granholm couldn't be bothered to work on finding agreed-upon cuts yesterday... she was too busy padding her resume for a 2009 cabinet position. And while the state's Democrat leadership goofed around Michigan inched closer to a second ever government shutdown. Inched isn't really the right word, though. More like, ran... full speed ahead. Just so we're clear, it's now been: 283 DAYS since you said: "We are facing...

The Michigan GOP Hilarious Radio Ad Dr. Granholm kills the patient! Listen to the Radio Ad at http://www.migop.org/default.asp Click the Granholm Tax Soap Opera Button Warning do not drink coffee or soda when listening to this ad, I will not be responsible for replacing your keyboard. Thank-you

Address only per FR rules. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20071006&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=710060310&Ref=AR&imw=Y

There was good news and bad news Friday about the proposed new taxes in Michigan. Democratic House Speaker Andy Dillon said Friday some of the planned taxes on services could be eliminated -- if the state's sales tax is increased. Dillon said lawmakers are debating the idea of putting the sales tax increase on the ballot next year so that voters can decide their own financial fate. The proposal, according to lawmakers, is to raise the state's sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent and to reduce the number of services that would be taxed. Critics of the service...

LANSING, Mich. -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm this week put her political muscle behind the tax increase she has said for months was needed to solve Michigan's budget woes. She got an income tax increase that restored the revenue lost under the tax cuts of her Republican predecessor, John Engler, and a 6 percent sales tax on some services. Together, they'll raise the $1.5 billion she wanted. It was a different tack for a Democratic governor who refused during her first term to push for a general tax increase, although she -- and the GOP-controlled Legislature -- often balanced the books...

...At about 2 a.m. Monday, a handful of Republicans in the Legislature broke days of gridlock and handed Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm the $1.48 billion tax increase she has been demanding. The state's personal income tax will rise to 4.35% from 3.9%, and the rest of the revenue grab will come from a new 6% sales tax on business services. Already 14th in tax burden among the 50 states, according to the Tax Foundation, Michigan is now headed up in the rankings. Congratulations. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce estimates that two-thirds of the $750 million in new sales tax revenue...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan's governor says a deal that solves the state's fiscal crisis through broad-based tax increases and spending cuts should help the state's image.

Per FR policy address only. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/UPDATE/709300367

Sunday, 30 Sep 2007, 7:27 PM EDT LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- The hours ticked away Sunday as lawmakers struggled to reach a budget deal that would avert a partial shutdown of state government and the worst budget debacle since the payless paydays of 1959. The state House was stalled trying to put up the votes needed to change the way some teacher and state worker health benefits are handled. It had failed earlier Sunday afternoon to pass a measure that would place the state's 6 percent sales tax on a wide range of services, clearing the voting board without the...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Legislature are down to the last day to avoid a partial state government shutdown. Sources tell FOX 2 Politcal Analyst Tim Skubick that a framework of a temporary budget deal appeared to be falling into place early Sunday, but the final details haven't been worked out or voted on by lawmakers. The key pieces are a higher income tax -- possibly to 4.35 percent -- and an expanded sales tax on some services. Government restructuring proposals that could include health benefits for public school teachers also could be part of an...

See for example this thread first. Michigan workers face a layoff From the GOVERNMENT! Don't try to scoff! "Don't come in on Monday 'cause we can't make your pay!" Maybe they should go union, (cough cough).

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Two-thirds of Michigan's state government workers were told Friday not to report to work Monday as negotiations continued on a budget plan that could avert a partial state government shutdown. Messages went to about 35,000 state workers, telling them they were being placed on a temporary layoff beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday and not to go to work unless otherwise notified. About 18,000 state employees will remain on the job, including 12,000 prison employees, said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm. "We will have limited state police," Boyd added. A shutdown would mean...

From Michigan State Police: Partial Shutdown of the Michigan State Police Per Executive Directive 2007-20, the Michigan State Police (MSP) will implement a partial shutdown of operations on October 1, 2007. During the shutdown, the MSP will retain 222 uniform troopers, 15 sergeants, three lieutenants and 27 emergency dispatchers to provide basic law enforcement services on an emergency basis. This represents a 90 percent reduction in MSP staff. During the shutdown, all MSP work sites will be closed, including posts. MSP specialized services will only be activated if the service is deemed necessary to protect imminent threats to public safety,...

The transcript of a speech delivered Thursday by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21020521/

LANSING, Mich. -- Lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Thursday night they were still working on a deal to avoid a partial government shutdown next week, but the specter of a shutdown still hovered over the talks. Granholm said in a five-minute televised address that played on TV and radio stations around the state Thursday evening that she was taking the first steps toward shutting the government down, but remained hopeful an agreement could yet be reached Thursday night. Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, the lead Republican in budget negotiations, said during his televised address from a Capitol hallway that...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Governor Granholm plans to give a five-minute televised address at 6:05 this evening to outline budget negotiations and what could happen if there's a government shutdown on Monday. State leaders were still talking today to try and avoid the shutdown. Granholm already has warned that state parks could close, and Detroit casinos and liquor sales could take a hit if she has to shut down government because a budget deal isn't reached today. State programs that protect citizens' health and safety, such as state police patrols, could continue. The Democratic governor, Democrat-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate...

Per FReep rules address only. http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070926/NEWS01/309250003

As the clocks ticks toward the deadline to avert a shutdown of state services, our chief investigative reporter Steve Wilson has been looking into a sweetheart deal that will cost Michigan millions. It’s the story of a new state police headquarters that the state will lease from a friend and supporter of the Governor for nearly three times what it would cost to build…even though many say a new building isn’t even necessary now. But not even the brass or workers at State Police headquarters in Lansing ever asked for a new building, never said it was cramped, or falling...

Next Sunday at midnight remains the dire deadline for the state to balance next year’s budget or start shutting down government operations. So why, even in the face of such dire consequences, why would the governor and legislature alike keep racking up future debt on a questionable project. Michigan’s beleaguered taxpayer’s aren’t buying a new building, we’re just leasing it from Ferguson and his partners in a 25-year deal that adds up to $116.7 million dollars…that includes paying his taxes on it and a $3 million dollar fee for his company to manage it.