Tag: detroit

The “Ford is adding jobs” story is a fraud

This story here is nothing more than a big, fat, fraud:

Dearborn — Ford Motor Co. plans to add 5,000 U.S. jobs in 2014 as it prepares to launch 16 new vehicles in North America, the most in any one year of the automaker’s 111-year history.

About 3,300 will be salaried positions in the Southeast Michigan area. The remaining 1,700 will be hourly hires spread out throughout the country. Seven North American plants will add capacity or get a new product next year.

Ford will introduce next-generations of its F-150 pickup truck and Mustang car and add a compact Lincoln MKC to its lineup in 2014, along with a new Transit van.

Ford had five North American vehicle launches in 2013.

via Ford to add 5,000 jobs in 2014 | The Detroit News.

Okay, here is why this story is nothing more than a big, fat, fraud. One reason is because before they allow any new hires in, the union will tell Ford; “You have to bring back any laid off people, before you hire from the outside.” Second of all, if you do not have a high school diploma, or at least a 2 year degree; you will not get hired at all. Actually, Ford likes to see at least 2 years of manufacturing experience before they will even remotely look at your application.

So, the idea that Ford is just going to hire people off the street is a nothing more than a big, fat, propaganda lie. How do I know this? My Father is a retired G.M. worker and they have been doing the same thing for years.

Nice try though.

UPDATE: I just wanted to say thanks to the person on Facebook, who sent me the ton of traffic. I really don’t know who you are and I can’t really find out because my logs don’t say what page on Facebook that the links are coming from.

However, just the same thank you very much. Traffic around here has been kinda light, because for one thing its the off season there’s no election and too, I think people are just tired of reading about politics.

Again, whoever you are I think you very much and I hope you send people links to my site more often on your page.

A perfect example of why I am not a huge fan of the GOP

Before you get any ideas about this, read what I write, before you pass judgement.

But first, the story:

LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder has added his voice to the chorus of criticism directed at Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema over his latest antigay remarks.

Agema, in a speech at a Republican meeting in Berrien County on Thursday, said that gay people manipulate the system to get free health insurance because they are dying from AIDS at a young age.

Agema cited his experience as a pilot with American Airlines, according to a transcript of his remarks published by the Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.

“I’m a flight attendant,” Agema said. “You have AIDS. You come to me and say, ‘Hey, tell them I’m your lover for the last six months.’ You get on our health care.

“American Airlines spends $400,000 before you die of AIDS. And he goes on to the next, and the next, and that’s what was happening.

“Folks, they want free medical because they’re dying between 38 and 44 years old. It’s a biggie. So, to me it’s a moral issue. It’s a biblical issue. Traditional marriage is where it should be and that is in our platform, so people that are opposed on that issue within our party are wrong.”

Media reports about Agema’s comments brought a storm of criticism and calls for Agema’s resignation. Last March, Agema came under fire for approvingly posting on Facebook an article that said gay people were sexually promiscuous, rife with sexually transmitted diseases and responsible for “half the murders in large cities.”

Snyder condemns such remarks as “extreme and discriminatory,” Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel told the Free Press this morning.

via Gov. Snyder: Dave Agema’s antigay remarks ‘extreme and discriminatory’  – Detroit Free Press 

Okay, first off; Since when did the GOP became the political party that coddles homosexuals? Second of all, I was under the impression that the Republican Party was the party of moral Christian values.  At least they were back in the 1980’s, when Reagan was in office. The truth is, if it had not been for the Christian Right in America; Reagan would have never been elected at all. The problem is that the Republican Party establishment is now really pushing the Christian Right out of the party, in favor of an fiscal, Libertarian, Secularist forum of Conservatism. I can tell you this, if they continue to do this; the Republican Party will never win another election.

Do not get me wrong here, I am not in favor of a Christian version of Sharia law or anything silly like that; but good grief, can the Republican Party at least stand for something other than being the party of no? Are we that far gone as a society that even the party that supposedly believes in Conservative values, now is hostile to anyone, who happens to express any sort of Conservative Christian values?

As for the man’s comments, were they offensive? To a homosexual, yes, they were. But, that is the point! Christian moral values are always offensive to those who partake in immorality. Yes, Homosexuality is immoral. The Bible plainly says this in the Old and New Testaments.

It galls me that Snyder and his political correct friends in the GOP have taken this sort of cowardly stand against someone, who dares to speak his convictions against something that Biblically, is considered an abomination to the living God. Shame on Snyder and may he lose his reelection bid. I voted for the idiot; and first he stabbed my Father in the back, and now, he is stabbing the Christian Right in the back. For this, he should not be reelected.

 

The Sunday Night Music Express Presents: Gordon Lightfoot

This posting is dedicated to the the 29 men who lost their lives on the Edmund Fitzgerald lake freighter 38 years ago. May they rest in peace.

As the winds of November whipped through a park beside the Detroit River, 29 lanterns flickered at the water’s edge and bagpipes wailed as about 60 people gathered Sunday evening to remember the 29 men who lost their lives on the Edmund Fitzgerald lake freighter 38 years ago.

“It’s appropriate to have this here because the ship was built 1,000 yards south, and it unloaded all the time 1,000 yards north,” said Tom Abair, 62, codirector of the River Rouge Historical Museum.

In a heated tent set up beside the park’s lighthouse, Abair and other museum volunteers displayed mural-size photos and a model of the famed ore carrier that sank in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975, in a gale. Source: The Detroit Free Press

Lyrics:

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called “Gitche Gumee”
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,
that big ship and true was a bone to be chewed
when the Gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
with a crew and good captain well seasoned,
concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
when they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang,
could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
and a wave broke over the railing
And ev’ry man knew, as the captain did too
’twas the witch of November come stealin’
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
when the Gales of November came slashin’
When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin’
“Fellas, it’s too rough t’feed ya”
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
“Fellas, it’s bin good t’know ya!”
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
and the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when ‘is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
if they’d put fifteen more miles behind ‘er
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
they may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
in the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams;
the islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
with the Gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
in the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral
The church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call “Gitche Gumee”
“Superior,” they said, “never gives up her dead
when the gales of November come early”

Detroit elects first white Mayor in 40 years

I see this as a very good thing and not for the reasons you might think!

But, first, the video:

The Story:

Detroit’s New Mayor – Mike Duggan

For Duggan, born in Detroit but who lived much of his life in the western Wayne County suburb of Livonia, it was a victory rooted in his turnaround persona that may also reflect a move away from decades of racial politics.

He will replace one-term Mayor Dave Bing in a city where 83 percent of the residents are black and in a region where racial divisions have strained city-suburb relations until recently.

A beaming Duggan Tuesday made a veiled reference to race but immediately brushed it aside to focus squarely on the monumental tasks that voters decided to put in his hands — and which he’ll share with an emergency manager appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder who holds the power to make most major decisions.

“What we have in common is much more powerful than what divides us. Now the real work begins,” Duggan said. “They want somebody to go into City Hall, get rid of the bureaucracy and get city services going.”

via Duggan: ‘Now the real work begins’ | The Detroit News.

Now about why I believe that Mike Duggan won the election; I believe that Duggan won because quite frankly, the people of the city of Detroit and I mean everyone — was sick and tired of the racial politics of the city. Those racial politics, by the way, date back to the first black mayor of the city of Detroit, Coleman A. Young. Quite bluntly, Young hated white people with a passion; and it showed in the white parts of the city, namely southwest Detroit — where I grew up.

Also too, I believe that many people in Detroit were sick of business as usual. That “Business as usual” bankrupted the city and put the city in the position that it is in now. I believe that Duggan represented a better path for the city of Detroit.  What amazes me, as that Duggan has, as you can see in the video; an overwhelming support of the black community, which I think is an awesome thing.

I am convinced Mike Duggan has his work cut out for him. I wish him and his staff the best. However, I believe that if he plays his cards right and goes in with the right attitude; I believe that he can possibly do some great things for the City of Detroit.

Here’s to a prosperous future in the City of Detroit!

Ghetto Wars: Detroit police seek answers in triple shooting

Things in Detroit are not what they used to be….

Here is proof:

On Friday, Taeler Shaltry wrote on her Facebook page: “Yah its finally Nov I have 2 more weeks until my expected due date I can’t wait! I’m really excited!!!!”

Two days later, the pregnant woman was killed when she was shot inside a Detroit home. The shooting also injured an elderly man and killed his adult grandson.

Doctors delivered Shaltry’s baby via emergency C-section, saving the infant. On Monday, the baby was in critical condition at Henry Ford Hospital.

Police continued Monday to investigate the shooting at 9206 Meyers on the city’s west side. The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said the woman at the scene died from a gunshot wound to the head. It did not release her name pending identification by her family, but Sharon Shaltry said the victim is her daughter.

via Detroit police seek answers in triple shooting; newborn and grandpa in critical condition | Detroit Free Press | freep.com.

Detroit used to be a great place; now it’s a crime ridden cesspool. Who or what is to blame is the question. The answers are more than this blog posting would be able to fill.

It’s a sad thing to watch from 15 miles away. 🙁

Detroit News: DOJ will monitor Detroit, Hamtramck elections

To make sure that the black guy wins. Because we just cannot have the evil white man win the election! 🙄

Sickening… 😡

The Story:

Washington — The U.S. Justice Department said Monday it will monitor municipal elections Tuesday in Detroit and Hamtramck along with Orange County, N.Y., and Cuyahoga and Lorain counties in Ohio.

The department said monitoring is designed to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color or membership in a minority language group.

During the 2012 elections, the federal government had about a half-dozen or so inspectors in Detroit monitoring polling stations and responding to complaints. The department will have a smaller presence for Tuesday’s election.

In Cuyahoga, Lorain and Orange Counties, the Department will assign federal observers from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to monitor polling place activities based on court orders. The observers will watch and record activities during voting hours at polling locations in these jurisdictions and Civil Rights Division attorneys will coordinate the federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.

In addition, Justice Department personnel will monitor polling place activities in Detroit and Hamtramck. Civil Rights Division attorneys will coordinate federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials. The department has previously monitored polling places in Hamtramck to ensure voters’ civil rights were upheld.

In 2000, Hamtramck agreed to revamp election procedures to ensure all voters were treated equally under an agreement reached with the Justice Department. The agreement resolved a government suit claiming violations of the Voting Rights Act aimed at Arab-American voters in the November 1999 election.

The agreement stems from an investigation that began after the Justice Department received complaints from Arab American voters in Hamtramck that their citizenship had been challenged by private citizens during the November 1999 general election. “As a result of those challenges, Arab American voters and other dark-skinned voters, such as Bengali-Americans, were required by pollworkers to take a citizenship oath prior to being permitted to vote. This requirement was not imposed on white voters,” the Justice Department said.

Each year, the department deploys federal observers to monitor elections across the country. To file complaints about discriminatory voting practices, including acts of harassment or intimidation, voters may call the Voting Section of the department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.

via DOJ will monitor Detroit, Hamtramck elections | The Detroit News.

Black Activist seeks records from Michigan Governor Snyder’s NERD Fund

File this one under, “If the races were reversed, blacks would be screaming, “Persecution!” at the top of their lungs.”

But, because Governor Snyder is one of them evil crackers who kept the black man down for so many years — it is perfectly okay! 🙄

The Story:

Lansing — Political activist Robert Davis has filed a lawsuit claiming Gov. Rick Snyder’s aide Rich Baird illegally was provided a state-funded office, email account, travel expenses and police protection while acting as a “private consultant.”

Baird, a top Snyder adviser, was paid a $100,000 salary out of Snyder’s NERD Fund until the governor decided about a week ago to move him to the state payroll at $140,000 a year.

Davis, who frequently challenges Snyder’s Detroit emergency manager and bankruptcy moves, won a hearing on Monday before Ingham County Circuit Judge James Jamo. He has formed a group, Citizens United Against Corrupt Government, through which he files his court cases.

The NERD Fund was a target of critics because its donors’ names aren’t made public. This could hide a conflicts of interest in which one or more wealthy funders sought favorable treatment from Snyder’s administration, critics say.

Snyder and the board in charge of the NERD fund have announced they’ll replace it with a new fund whose contributors’ names will be disclosed. But they say they won’t make public donors to the NERD Fund or how much they gave.

In a show cause order issued Thursday, Jamo prohibited Snyder from destroying, altering or moving any documents related to his NERD Fund, which the governor plans to dissolve by year’s end.

Davis is seeking to freeze NERD Fund records in connection with his lawsuit and wants the right to question Detroit mayoral candidate Mike Duggan.

He claims Duggan conspired with Snyder and Baird “behind closed doors” to appoint Kevyn Orr as Detroit’s emergency manager. Duggan has said he rebuffed a Snyder effort to recruit him as an emergency manager candidate and argued against appointing one.

Davis contends it’s crucial to take a “limited deposition” from Duggan no later than Friday because “voters deserve to know his true involvement” in Orr’s selection. Davis works for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 25 union, which has endorsed Duggan’s opponent, Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon.

via Activist seeks records from Snyder’s NERD Fund | The Detroit News.

Another shoe in Detroit’s Corruption Drops: Friend of ex-Detroit mayor gets 21-year sentence for corruption

Good to hear about this one; this guy was a straight up thug, just like the former mayor.

(Reuters) – A friend and former business associate of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick must serve 21 years in prison for corruption, a federal judge said Friday, a day after she handed Kilpatrick one of the longest prison terms ever given a U.S. politician.

Bobby Ferguson, 44, would stop at nothing to further his business interests, said U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds in sentencing him on nine counts including extortion and bribery. Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

“The atmosphere of corruption forced many good people away from the city,” said Edmunds. “The impact on the morale of the city of Detroit cannot be overstated.”

Ferguson’s lawyers had argued for a sentence of no more than 10 years, saying the government sought to lay the blame for all of Detroit’s ills on Ferguson and Kilpatrick.

Detroit, which filed for bankruptcy in July, has lost more than half of its population since the 1950s, leaving it with a shrinking tax base and huge debt.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Bullotta had argued for Ferguson’s sentence to be equal to Kilpatrick’s, on the grounds that Ferguson was the “muscle and money man” who bullied business people, threatening financial harm and cancellation of their city contracts if his demands were not met.

via Friend of ex-Detroit mayor gets 21-year sentence for corruption | Reuters.

BREAKING NEWS: Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick gets 28 years for crimes

I am honestly shocked that he got that much. 😯

The Story at the Detroit News:

Detroit — Kwame Kilpatrick has been sentenced to serve 28 years in prison for crimes of racketeering and conspiracy committed during his six years as the mayor of Detroit. That sentence was just handed down in U.S. federal court by Judge Nancy Edmunds.

Edmunds said she was required to issue a sentence that is “sufficient but not greater than necessary” for a criminal enterprise that ran from Kilpatrick’s time in the state House to the mayor’s office. She described the former mayor as a larger-than-life character who helped himself to a jet-setting lifestyle. A significant sentence, she said, sends the message that corruption won’t be tolerated.

Kilpatrick appeared stunned on hearing his sentence, and a few in the courtroom crowd could be heard saying “Oh no.” If he serves the entirety of the 28 years, the 43-year-old would be 71 when he walks out of prison.

After declining to testify on his own behalf during the trial, Kilpatirck spoke before Edmunds made her ruling. It was an emotional and occasionally apologetic speech that included the omission: “I really messed up.”

“We’ve been stuck in this town for a very long time dealing with me,” he said. “I’m ready to go so the city can move on.”