There is no such thing as "qualified immunity." Immunity of any kind, regardless of the office, is obstruction of justice.
January 21, 2020
By Vanessa Romo
Drinking fountains are marked "Do Not Drink Until Further Notice" at Flint Northwestern High School in Flint, Mich., in May 2016. After 18 months of insisting that water drawn from the Flint River was safe to drink, officials admitted it was not.
The Supreme Court (click here) on Tuesday cleared the way for water crisis victims to sue state and local government officials in Flint, Mich.
For years, Flint city officials and state regulators have argued that they are protected by "qualified immunity" from being sued for their role in the water contamination crisis. But lower courts have ruled to the contrary.
In refusing to take up a pair of cases involving the lead-tainted water, the Supreme Court has upheld those lower court rulings.
Attorney Michael Pitt, co-lead counsel on the class action lawsuit, which includes thousands of Flint residents suing for damages from the 2014 incident, welcomed the decision as a major victory.
He said, "It's time for the people of Flint to start feeling like they are going to get their day in court," Michigan Radio reporter Steve Carmody reported. "This just moves the entire process closer to that day."
Pitt added that his clients have thus far "been denied justice."...
.....................................................................................................
Q: How many lakes are there in Michigan?
A: There are more than 11,000 inland lakes, 5 acres in size or larger, in Michigan. According to the Michigan Historical Society, one is never more than 6 miles from an inland lake or more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes.
The formation of the advisory council in Michigan is long overdue. The states has a great deal of water issues in every county in the state. In order to maintain quality of life and economic strength Michigan demands a comprehensive council to provide oversight to serious issues of water quality and sustainability.
January 24, 2020
By Madeline Clark
Lansing -Two Flint residents (click here) are among 21 people who were just selected to serve on Michigan’s first advisory council for environmental justice.
The council will be under the direction of Governor Whitmer.
Lynn Williams and Mona Monroe-Younis are the representatives from Flint.
Williams is the community engagement officer for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and a board member on the Richard Allen Battle Foundation.
Monroe-Younis is the executive director of Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint and a neighborhood planner for the Flint Planning and Development Department.
The other representatives are as follows:
Paul Mohai, Ph.D., Ann Arbor
Tony Reames, Ph.D., Farmington Hills
Carla Walker-Miller, Detroit
Fadi Mourad, Farmington Hills
Monica Lewis-Patrick, Detroit
Bryan Lewis, Detroit
Salah Ali, Dearborn
Theresa Landrum, Detroit
Justin Onwenu, Detroit
Nick Leonard, Detroit
Sylvia Orduño, Detroit
Frank Houston, Royal Oak
Donavan McKinney, Detroit
Joel Howrani Heeres, Detroit
Alison Sutter, Grand Rapids
Nicole Britten, Saint Joseph
Bryan Newland, Brimley
John Petoskey, Northport
Keith Cooley, Detroit
January 24, 2020
by Maurie Backman
...In 2020, (click here) for example, beneficiaries received just a 1.6% COLA. That raise, in turn, would've added about $24 a month to the average senior's paycheck if it weren't for the fact that Medicare premiums rose simultaneously, thereby knocking out more than one-third of that increase.
But that's not the only reason why seniors are unhappy with not just this year's COLA, but COLAs in general. On a whole, they do a poor job of serving their intended purpose: keeping up with inflation. The Senior Citizens League estimates that Social Security benefits have lost 33% of their buying power since 2000. And that's why the majority of seniors feel the way COLAs are determined needs to change -- immediately.
A new way to calculate COLAs
In a recent survey by the Senior Citizens League, 85% of retirees said Congress needs to make changes to deliver higher COLAs to seniors. This especially holds true in light of the fact that COLAs have been extremely low for more than a decade, averaging just 1.4% annually. By comparison, COLAs averaged 3% annually between 1999 and 2009.
Not only have COLAs dipped in recent years, but Medicare Part B premiums -- which eat into Social Security increases -- have grown nearly three times as fast. As such, seniors on both Social Security and Medicare have seen a measly income boost over the past 10 years.
What's the solution?
Many seniors insist that COLAs need to be calculated differently. Right now, the CPI-W is an imperfect tool for determining COLAs, because its data reflects expenses that aren't senior-specific. Seniors, for example, are likely to struggle with rising healthcare costs, and care less about fluctuating fuel prices, since they don't commute daily to work. That's just one example, but it explains why 38% of the seniors surveyed by the Senior Citizens League think there should be a distinct CPI for older Americans -- the CPI-E, or Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, whose data would then dictate what COLAs amount to.
Meanwhile, 47% of seniors feel there should be a minimum 3% COLA guarantee each year -- a raise that's more in line with the general rate of inflation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 24, 2020
By Niv Elis
A spat (click here) between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over social security has brought an issue long considered a sacred cow for Democrats to the forefront of the 2020 race....
...The back-and-forth comes as both candidates have staked out somewhat different positions on social security.
Sanders has consistently called for expanding the entitlement programs such as social security as well as benefits, promising to raise money by increasing taxes on the wealthy and on corporations.
Meanwhile, Biden has also argued for an expansion of social security, though he has also frequently called for “grand bargains” that would sacrifice Republican sacred cows by raising taxes and also Democratic ones by addressing, in some form, the unsustainable elements of Social Security.
That willingness to compromise and work with Republicans is often touted as an attractive asset by some of Biden supporters, but it has been less well received by progressives who support Sanders.
I find the hubris leaking to the public, "Stick with Mitch," in violation of the oath taken by the members of the US Senate before the proceedings began.
The reason that witnesses would turn the proceedings into a 2 to 5 month process rather than a 2 to 5 day process also in violation of the oath of the proceedings.
"I solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of [Donald John Trump], now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: so help me God."
If the US House Impeachment managers are stating there are witnesses the US Senate needs to hear from that is a matter of fact and not opinion.
Kindly remember, one of the most extremist elements in the Republican Party is the "Freedom Caucus." One of it's members became so disgusted with the current Executive Branch, including the president, he resigned from being a Republican.
June 11, 2019
By Haley Byrd and Kate Sullivan
Rep. Justin Amash on Monday stepped down (click here) from the conservative House Freedom Caucus less than a month after becoming the first Republican member of Congress to say President Donald Trump has committed impeachable offenses.
"I have the highest regard for them and they're my close friends," he told CNN. "I didn't want to be a further distraction for the group."
Amash's series of tweets in mid-May shook Capitol Hill, as the conservative Michigan lawmaker said special counsel Robert Mueller's report established "multiple examples" of Trump committing obstruction of justice. Amash was later insulted by Trump for his opinions -- the President said he's "been a loser for a long time" -- and faced blowback from top Republican officials. He's also now facing a primary challenger who is touting his support of Trump....
There has been compelling testimony by highly regarded members of the State Department in regard to lawlessness by the president and his associates. The truth is very evident and for the US Senate to play games at the cost of the US Constitution is illegal. The oath demands the US Senate to carry out it's constitutional responsibilities as the US House did.
