Detroit Raw

Elections, who cares?

By Sam Riddle Special to the Michigan Citizen Michigan Republicans manage just fine with a political sunscreen that blocks liability from issues that would burn Dems for at least three to four elections. Potholes that eat tires while nuking front wheel alignments that drone whack working-class checking accounts must be acts of God not negligent Republicans that control Michigan spending priorities. Big oil drilling, even fracking, is coming soon to a suburb near you (try big yawn Rochester), and Democrats remain invisible to suburbanites. Wave the Koch brothers-supplied flag, bash Detroit, and the friendly-fire Snyder Gang is good to go. State Police did not issue an Amber Alert when a young Detroit mother disappeared with her two children. No question: Had the mother and her children been white, the information highways would have been on fire with pictures, license plate numbers and car descriptions.  Relatives found the mother dead — shot in the head. The children are still missing. Snyder’s state police float on — Amber Alert-free. How many times can you take a beat-down without taking notice you are suffering? It is simply beyond comprehension what is going down in Detroit without vigorous opposition from the very people who will one day say “I didn’t know or understand.” Everything from water shutoffs to total destruction of the right to vote that neutered the Detroit City Council and office of mayor generates a deafening silence as corporate welfare do-gooders take a bow in the art-over-people scam. The large number of people in Detroit who appear to not give a damn is astounding because I know you give a damn. Tapping into what that may be is the challenge of the Riverfront. During the past week as part of the Michigan Citizen editorial board, I participated in the interview of six candidates for Wayne County executive including dead-man-walking Robert Ficano. Another abysmally low Detroit turnout could make a large Livonia turnout key to victory for another McNamara as the rest of the white vote is split. [caption id="attachment_12478" align="alignleft" width="126"] Sen. Coleman Young[/caption] Major Detroit Raw fist bump to State Sen. Coleman Young for voting no on the not so grand bargain. Thank you Sen. Young for standing strong on a floor of Mackinac Island droppings. Congressman John Conyers better not fall victim to in-house relationships tainting political decisions about campaign leadership. When the Congressman’s district was carefully gerrymandered, Senators Bert Johnson and Virgil Smith sat on the Redistricting Committee, My understanding is there were no vigorous objections to the line drawn to hurt the congressman, but he won anyway. We must never let haters cause us to lose hope or dislike ourselves and never let haters make you weak in your faith. Keep the faith. Stay on the battlefield. Sam Riddle is political director of Michigan National Action Network. Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/sam.riddle or Twitter at twitter.com/samriddle.