Podcasts about michigan state legislature

Bridging Divides: The Michigan Political Leadership Program takes a bipartisan approach to public policy at Michigan State UniversitySince 1992, over 800 Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) graduates have applied the skills and relationships they learned to work in their communities and serve in statewide offices. Tonya Schuitmaker and Rudy Hobbs are Co-Directors at the Michigan Political Leadership Program. They share with us how MPLP Fellows gain expertise to tackle public policy issues as candidates for office, as government officials or as citizen activists.The MPLP at Michigan State University is a bi-partisan program that identifies individuals from across the state committed to community service and brings them together to engage in a leadership and public policy curriculum. The curriculum also incorporates practical politics, public policy analysis and process, personal leadership development and effective governance. Most notably, 17 MPLP graduates are now serving in the Michigan State Legislature.

Determine what exactly makes Lake Michigan so different from Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, & Superior. Discover where Michigan derived from per the Ojibwe People. Understand why Jean Nicolet was an important figure during 1630's including the various Indian Tribes that Western European Explorers came upon. Learn if shipping increased heavily along Lake Michigan during the same time United States was at war internally during 1860's. Go behind the scenes and learn everything about Door Peninsula including Indian Tribes interpretation. Learn what makes the Leelanau Peninsula so unique including a Michigan Lighthouse located in the same vicinity. Discover what lighthouse having been built in 1858 served as a vital place for ships entering and leaving Manitou Passage including history behind North & South Manitou Islands. Learn if this particular lighthouse took more than one year to get built and whether or not it became last manned light on Lake Michigan. Get to know Ludington, Michigan including for who it's named after. Discover what particular year during 1850's happened to be the worst ever in maritime history for Ludington area. Get a timeline of events from 1856-1867 involving Congress and Michigan State Legislature pertaining to lighthouse funding for Big Sable Point. Understand significance behind what day marks represent. Learn which first didn't arrive to Big Sable Point Lighthouse until late 1940's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Fredendall // #LeadershipThursday // www.ptonice.com  In today's episode of the PT on ICE Daily Show, ICE Chief Operating Officer Alan Fredendall discusses the current state of healthcare & rehab as an industry, who the big players are, what (if anything) is being done to change things, and how individual therapists can begin to affect meaningful change Take a listen to the podcast episode or check out the full show notes on our blog at www.ptonice.com/blog. If you're looking to learn more about courses designed to start your own practice, check out our Brick by Brick practice management course or our online physical therapy courses, check out our entire list of continuing education courses for physical therapy including our physical therapy certifications by checking out our website. Don't forget about all of our FREE eBooks, prebuilt workshops, free CEUs, and other physical therapy continuing education on our Resources tab. EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION ALAN FREDENDALLGood morning, everybody. Welcome to the PT on ICE Daily Show. Happy Thursday morning. We hope your day is off to a great start. My name is Alan, the pleasure of being our Chief Operating Officer here at ICE and a faculty member in our Fitness Athlete and Practice Management Divisions. It is Leadership Thursday. We talk all things practice, ownership, business management. Leadership Thursday also means it is Gut Check Thursday. This week's Gut Check Thursday comes directly from ICE's CEO, Jeff Moore. sent this to me last week said hey I was just goofing off in the gym trying to get some lifting and cardio in together and so he sent me a workout of 100 bench press with the weights on the barbell 135 for guys 95 for ladies and a hundred calories on a fan bike for guys 80 for ladies with the caveat that you can break up that work however you like you can Do 100 bench press straight through, 100 calories on the bike straight through. You can break it up into 10 rounds of 10 and 10, 20 rounds of 5, 5, 5. Whatever rep scheme suits your fancy, you are allowed to do that as long as you get all of those bench press and all of those calories done. that bench press weight should be light to moderate for you enough that you could potentially do five to ten reps unbroken. If it's so heavy that you could only do maybe singles or doubles or triples it's going to take you a long time to work through a hundred so keep that in mind. Other than that just pace yourself on the bike. There is no use racing that bike to finish a couple seconds maybe faster than normal only to lay on that bench for 30 seconds before you feel like getting some reps in. So just treat it a moderate approach on that bike and hammer out that bench press as able. So that is Gut Check Thursday. Today we're talking about changing the status quo. What does that mean? We're talking about the status quo as it is across healthcare in general, but of course specifically to rehab today on PT on ICE. So we're gonna talk about what is business as usual in rehab, who are the major players, We're going to talk about what is currently being done to address some of the issues across the rehab professions and again in particular physical therapy. And then are there more effective ways to try to change things. WHAT IS BUSINESS AS USUAL IN REHAB? So let's get started first by talking about what is business as usual. And in the rehab industry, the healthcare industry in general, we have what is really going on across pretty much every industry in the country of a slow merger acquisition consolidation of small to moderate companies being bought out by larger companies and slowly paring down the amount of organizations who really offer the same or similar service. A good representation of this is the airline industry. We only have four major airlines left. Southwest, Delta, American, and United. 20 or 30 years ago, there were over a dozen. And in the wake of some of the IT issues we had last week, we may even see that Delta and American could be going away soon if they don't fix their IT infrastructure and get their feet back on board. And so we see that there are just a handful of major players in the industry. And we would label those too big to fail kind of organizations. We have the same phenomenon going on in physical therapy and again in healthcare in general. When we look at healthcare, when we look in particular at rehab, we really have four major players. We have health insurance companies that control the care that patients are able to receive. and the amount of time providers have to spend paperwork wise on providing that care and also the amount of money that providers get. We know that almost every American has health insurance and so that health insurance for the foreseeable future is going to be part of the equation and therefore these health insurance companies are a big player in this industry. We have just a handful of health insurance companies, about 10, that generate $1.3 trillion collectively and employ over half a million people, with an average profit increase every year of about 9% year over year. And these 10 companies insure about three-fourths of Americans. So again, a very consolidated, condensed industry. where if any of those companies were to go out of business or something, it would have a lot of ramifications for the economy, for patients, and for providers. And so health insurance companies stand as one of those too big to fail type of organizations in this equation. Right after health insurance companies are health care companies. Large, national, across state lines, corporate, health care clinics, whether they are primary care clinics, dental clinics, urgent cares, physical therapy clinics, whatever, we see the same issue across all health care professions is that over time we are slowly paring down that the vast majority of clinics are owned by a large corporation and that usually as we get near the top of these organizations, Nobody involved in the leadership or management of the company is actually a healthcare provider. And so these are large, for-profit clinics that provide some sort of healthcare treatment. In the rehab industry and physical therapy in specific, just eight companies are closing in on owning 75% of all outpatient physical therapy clinics. And so that's very similar to health insurance, right? A small amount of companies own the vast majority the organizations and clinics within the industry. We have universities as our third player in the equation. They are responsible for educating entry-level students and getting them prepared to become new clinicians. They certainly have a stake in the equation here. And then finally we have the government itself. That can be kind of vague when we say the United States government. We're kind of really referring to enforcement organizations, Medicare, IRS, who are trying their darndest to try to regulate the other three organizations, big players in the industry. And what we find when we look at the intersection of all these giant, large, too-big-to-fail organizations is that we find that Over time, they have become intertwined. They have developed a symbiotic relationship with each other such that it would be really hard to affect significant change on one piece of the puzzle without it affecting everything else downstream. We see that universities have grown their cohort sizes so much that they are now graduating hundreds. Hybrid programs with multiple cohorts starting per year are getting close to graduating thousands of physical therapists per year. And all of those students need clinical placements. Those large corporate health care clinics are happy to take those students and put them to work for some free labor. I think we've probably all experienced that. at one point or another in our student career. And when those universities grow these cohort sizes, they begin to need those large clinics to have places to send their students to. And those clinics rely on those students, again, as part of their labor force alongside their staff therapists as well. We see that health insurance companies need, at some level, some providers to take their insurance so that they can offer to their customers, our patients, that there are some providers who take your insurance. If we get to a level where no one is taking insurance, health insurance companies are gonna be in a lot of trouble, and so we see that they are trying to hang on and kind of fight back against a shift across healthcare towards cash-based physical therapy and trying to go around the insurance system. And then finally we see that the United States government hasn't necessarily quit trying to enforce curb all the fraud waste and abuse in Rehab in health care in general what we see is they've kind of changed their policy over the years instead of throwing people in jail or busting up companies or that sort of thing that they have shifted their strategy to just collect fines right if they can't and stop it, then they will collect a piece of the revenue that all these different organizations are making. And so you see that fines are becoming much more popular than actual legal action when the government tries to get involved in significant issues with fraud, waste, and abuse in healthcare. So that's business as usual currently. Universities pumping out students, big corporate clinics taking students, offering students a job, health insurance companies playing both sides against the middle and then the government just trying to come in and take a little bit off the top at the end of the day. And really what we see happening is at the end of the day, there's really no impetus to change business as usual, the status quo among those four groups. It is working well enough that there is no significant push to really change things. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO CHANGE THINGS? What is being done to change things? You may have noticed what we did not mention in one of those big players was an organization like the American Physical Therapy Association. Not much is being done here because not much can be done. If we take a second, and please don't hear that this episode is just an episode designed to dump on the American Physical Therapy Association, but structurally it is not designed to hang on and try to enforce or weigh in or make any sort of decisions or affect really a lot of long-term change on any of the issues we see among the big players in our industry. That when we look at what is the APTA, really it is a non-profit member organization. It's not a charity. It's not a church. It's a member organization, it's a non-profit, it doesn't pay taxes, and so at the national level it really can't affect change. Nothing about our profession is regulated on the national level, it is all regulated on the state level. Your scope of practice, whether you can manipulate the spine, dry needle, whether who can prescribe exercise, who can do cupping, who can do blood flow restriction, all those different scope of practice issues are all handled by individual state legislations. And because of that, the APTA cannot really weigh in. They can also not weigh in because they can't legally weigh in. When we look at how the APTA is structured, it's structured as a non-profit corporation. It is forbidden by law, as is every non-profit company, every church, every anything, from engaging in political activities. So what the APTA has is a secondary organization called the PT PAC, the Political Action Committee. That is an entirely different organization. It's an entirely different pool of money. And that is the group that can try to lobby for things like mitigating Medicare reimbursement cuts. But that in general, on the national level, by design, it can't be effective. And just being an APTA member without donating any extra money to the PT PAC itself doesn't really allow us as individual clinicians to help the APTA effect change either. HOW DO THINGS ACTUALLY GET DONE? So, how do things actually get done then? Things really get done in our profession at the state level. State legislation, changing scope of practice, doing things like expanding direct access, opening up the ability to dry needle. We saw Washington just get access to dry needling a couple months ago. That was a state-led initiative from the clinicians in that state, from the state physical therapy chapter, and from the state legislature in Washington. That is how things actually begin to move around in our profession. And the unfortunate thing is you cannot join, just join your state chapter. You have to join the APTA and then also join your state chapter at the same time. So you can't be a part of just your state without being a part of the national organization, which I personally believe is a little bit unfortunate because I'd rather see my time and money go towards the organization that's going to affect the most change, which is going to be my state chapter. A really good example right now, we're close to completely removing direct access restrictions here in Michigan, and that is led on the state level. A guy over on the west side of the state, Dustin Karlich, he is pushing that initiative with the Michigan State Physical Therapy Association through the Michigan State Legislature, and we're hoping that that gets heard in the fall meeting of the state legislature. and that we have direct access restrictions completely removed here in Michigan. And again, that is all done at the state level, not at the national level. So what can we do? What can be done? If that is the status quo, if that is what is currently being done, and most of it is being done at the state level, What can we do to try to change the status quo? We hear a lot here at ICE, you know, what is being done about this issue? What is being done about that issue? And the truth is, not a lot, right? We're not expecting to see reimbursement probably go up ever again. We've talked about why that is. The math just doesn't math with that. And so if we can't meaningfully affect the change that we want to see, especially at the level that we want to see it, what can we do as individuals and what can be done to try to change things in our profession? The first is to recognize, like, hey, we're in a Cold War event, kind of, right? These big organizations that don't really want to change things are pitting themselves against each other, and again, they don't really have an impetus to change. We see a lot of proxy fighting going on, arguing back and forth about who and who cannot dry needle or use cupping or blood flow restriction or whatever. We kind of have these proxy fights across the country. We go back and forth constantly. And the truth is, we need to recognize, hey, how did we actually win the real Cold War? We've significantly changed our strategy, right? How did we do that? We stopped expecting that doing the same thing over and over again would create meaningful change, right? We stopped going into small countries and propping up a government to fight against the Soviet Union. We recognized after 50 years of that, that that wouldn't work. What we did instead was we shifted to focus on our economy, we shifted to focus on being self-sufficient with natural resources, and we went an economy-driven strategy instead of a military-driven strategy, and that's what actually ended the Cold War. We see a very similar recommendation here inside the PT profession. What is the strategy? Literally anything except what we're trying to do, which has not worked in decades. This is one of my favorite books of all time. This is a hefty book. None of you are probably going to read this. That's okay. This is Army FM 7-8, Field Manual 7-8. It is infantry tactics. What I love about this book is probably a thousand pages of how to fight a war. What I love is that almost every section starts with, if what you're currently doing is not working, stop trying to expect a lot of change by doing the same exact thing over and over again. Change your strategy, right? Do the unexpected. There is a whole page in here on how to react to an ambush and the first sentence is, if ambushed, attack back immediately. Why? It is the unexpected thing to do. We have to do the same thing in physical therapy. Do the unexpected strategy because the expected strategy, the thing we've been trying, for the past 50 years or so has not really changed anything and we should not expect that doing the same thing over and over again will affect any sort of meaningful change. If we just stick our head in the sand and say, certainly someone is going to fix all of these issues soon, we should not expect that those issues will be fixed anytime soon. So, what are our recommendations? Support your local state PT association. You can't join it directly, but you can support your state PT PAC, your political action committee, which means that you can give money to your state physical therapy association that they can use to pass meaningful legislation in your state. So if you're in a state and you want access to dry needling, you want access to spinal manipulation, cupping, blood flow restriction, you want better direct access, you want whatever, it's going to change most likely at the state level and so support your state level association. As an industry, as a profession, we need to recognize that slowly over time, we're moving towards a state where it is not going to be possible to accept every single insurance and run a sustainable and profitable practice that lets us pay our therapists what they need to make to make a decent living while working at a reasonable volume, right? We have moved over the years from 40 patients a week to 60 patients a week to 80 to the average now is climbing towards a hundred patients a week that is Unsustainable and the again the idea that we can just do the same thing over and over again and expect change is not going to happen we're not going to to really make any meaningful change by trying to see a hundred patients a week or 120 patients a week and to try to generate more money to be able to pay more people. There are limits to how much you can get, how much you can work, and we need to recognize that over time, if things don't change with insurance, we need to let that ship sail. That is a tough transition, that is a hard transition, but it is a transition that is going to have to happen to some degree at some point in time for almost every physical therapy clinic in the country. unless things meaningfully change. How can those things change? There are systems in place for us to report our outcomes and increase our reimbursement from insurance. Almost nobody does that because it takes time, but it is possible. We're going to see our reimbursement here at our clinic here in Michigan go up 20% in 2025 because we are reporting our outcomes and And we are getting rewarded with more reimbursement. So there are systems in place, but if you don't want to use those systems or do those tasks, you need to recognize that you need to let that insurance ship sail. And it means that you're not going to be on it. And then over time, we'll need to probably pare down our insurances and potentially be cash only across the majority of the profession. And then as individuals, what can we do? Yes, we can support our state physical therapy association and state PT pack, but we can also stick up for ourselves. Every time you go to work for somebody that overworks you and underpays you, you confirm to the leadership of that organization that there is another sucker out there who is willing to accept that, right? And we just perpetuate the cycle that we have been trapped in for many decades. And again, what is the best strategy? Anything different than what we're already doing. So when you are given that quote unquote opportunity from that organization, and it looks terrible, don't take it. There are 34,000 physical therapy clinics across the country. Find a different one. There is a clinic for you that is going to pay you well and respect your time and autonomy. I guarantee it. It just might not be three minutes from your house, right? We sometimes need to choose a little bit of discomfort to make a meaningful bump in our own individual practice and our own individual work inside of the bigger profession. SUMMARY So changing the status quo, recognizing we're kind of stuck in a cold war with several organizations that are too big to fail, that don't really have an impetus to change what they're doing because it's working well enough for all of them. What is being done currently? Not a lot on the national level because it can't. We have to stop expecting that black helicopters with agents in suits from the American Physical Therapy Association are going to drop out of helicopters and just fix things. There are only 160 people that work at the APTA. Almost all of them are administrative roles. There are very few people there that are doing a lot of of groundwork because the groundwork of our profession happens at the state level. So what can we do to support that? Support your state physical therapy association. If you're like me and you don't want to join the American Physical Therapy Association just to support your state association, you can still support your state's physical therapy political action committee PAC PAC by donating money. If you go to that website I think you'll be surprised by how few people donate and in reality how much gets done at the state level with a relatively small amount of manpower and money and that if we all just gave a hundred bucks to those organizations I think we'd be really surprised at how much more change we see affected if only in our individual states, but how effective and how large that change could be across our profession. So, when in doubt, if your courage strategy is not working, literally do anything else, right? Write from the Army Field Manual. If you are being ambushed, attack back because that is the strategy that is least expected. Do something different. Go around insurance companies, support your state political action committee, and stop working for employers who don't respect your autonomy and who don't respect your livelihood, who are trying to overwork you and underpay you. That's all we have for today's episode. I hope you found this helpful. I'd love to hear any discussion you all have about this. You can leave a comment here. I'll be back tomorrow. We're gonna talk about Fitness Athlete Friday, how to develop really brutal strength in a way that translates to improvements in your Olympic weightlifting. So we'll see you again tomorrow morning. Have a great Thursday. Have fun with Gut Check Thursday. Bye, everybody. OUTRO Hey, thanks for tuning in to the PT on Ice daily show. If you enjoyed this content, head on over to iTunes and leave us a review, and be sure to check us out on Facebook and Instagram at the Institute of Clinical Excellence. If you're interested in getting plugged into more ice content on a weekly basis while earning CEUs from home, check out our virtual ice online mentorship program at ptonice.com. While you're there, sign up for our Hump Day Hustling newsletter for a free email every Wednesday morning with our top five research articles and social media posts that we think are worth reading. Head over to ptonice.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.  

Norris Howard is in the co-host chair, and we get into some interesting topics on the podcast around Metro Detroit.  The rundown: 01:05 - There are new districts for the Michigan State Legislature in Metro Detroit, focused on the city of Detroit and nearby suburbs. This happened after a legal challenge that black voters weren't properly represented. Norris Howard, who has a political education and reporting background - as well as a native born Detroiter - discusses his thoughts and the shifting of Metro Detroit's demographics. Basically, you need to check your situation because it's very likely your district changed. Map: https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/how-new-michigan-house-maps-uncouple-detroit-suburbs-boost-black-voters 14:02 - A recent Detroit Free Press article says that there's too much commercialization in a Tigers home run celebration that features the staff from the Little Caesars guy and three pizzas. Has the ship sailed? Editorial discussed: https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/04/03/tigers-home-run-celebration-little-caesars-marketing/73178705007/  23:24 - Metro Detroit has a pair of prestigious James Beard award winning finalists, we discuss. As always, you can find Daily Detroit on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Thanks to our members on Patreon. Local coverage requires local support: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief forThursday, June 22nd, 2023. Gravity Jack: Gravity Jack is a full service digital agency specializing in the development of Virtual & Augmented Reality experiences, mobile apps, blockchain and Web3 projects. Founded in 2009 as the first American agency to offer augmented reality, they even patented it; Gravity Jack's digital experiences have been a source of innovation for small business, Fortune 500 Companies, and the US Military. Get your vision in motion at gravityjack.com https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/submarine-titantic-missing-submersible-tourists-latest-b2360568.html Rescue hopes for missing Titanic submarine hinge on new ‘banging’ sounds as 12 hours left– live There are now 12 hours of oxygen left in the missing Titan submersible as rescue efforts continue for the five passengers. A Canadian aircraft searching for the sub in the Atlantic Ocean detected intermittent “banging” noises from the vicinity of its last known location, the US Coast Guard said. Crew searching for the missing sub heard banging sounds every 30 minutes on Tuesday and again four hours later on Wednesday after additional sonar devices were deployed. However, the US Coast Guard clarified that they “don’t know the source of the noise”. Aboard the Titan is CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood. Mr Dawood’s sister, Sabrina Dawood told Sky News that the Dawood family is solely focused on the rescue of her brother and nephew and hope for their safe return. The watercraft submerged on Sunday morning from its support vessel to travel to the Titanic wreckage which sits at a depth of 12,500ft. About an hour and 45 minutes later, the Titan lost contact with its surface ship, the Polar Prince. The Titan is equipped with a four-day emergency oxygen supply. https://notthebee.com/article/texas-christian-university-offers-queer-art-of-drag-class Someone wanna tell me why Texas "Christian" University offers a "Queer Art of Drag" class? Hey TCU, I think it's time for a name change. Texas Christian University's Women and Gender Studies department offered a "Queer Art of Drag" class during the Spring 2023 semester. The course required students to give a performance as their own "drag persona." "Drag is an art form with a rich history of challenging dominant norms and systems of oppression; building queer community; and cultivating experiences of queer joy in a hostile world," the course website rads. "Critical drag explores drag performance as an outlet for social critique, and queer world making." The syllabus also says students must create a "drag vision board," give an "in-class lip-sync performance," and make a "storyboard" for a final performance. A "My Drag Worksheet" assignment required students to create a name, a "drag greeting," a "lip-sync portfolio," and "strike a pose" for their drag persona. Students were required to give their final presentation using their drag persona voice and submit a video performance for TCU's "Annual Night of Drag." Why do I suggest TCU change its name? Hmm, let's see… "A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God," Deuteronomy 22:5 (ESV). https://notthebee.com/article/huh-math-and-reading-scores-for-13-year-old-americans-are-the-lowest-theyve-been-in-decades-and-tanked-during-the-pandemic Math and reading scores for 13-year-old Americans are the lowest they've been in decades and tanked during the pandemic Remember how we shut down all the schools for a virus that didn't put most children in danger? The math and reading performance of 13-year-olds in the United States has hit the lowest level in decades, according to test scores released today from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the gold-standard federal exam. The last time math performance was this low for 13-year-olds was in 1990. In reading, 2004. Maybe we should have been listening to the experts who predicted "brain drain" and developmental consequences that would set America, and the world at large, back decades in education by shutting down schools for two years. A large body of research shows that most American children experienced academic struggles during the pandemic. It has also been clear that low-income students of color were most heavily affected by school closures and remote learning, which in some districts lasted more than a year. I heard many experts discussing this from 2020-2022, but most people probably didn't, because the Experts™ censored their peers from warning us. And yet the truth remains that some people did actually warn us that closing schools wasn't merely a 2-year setback, but a decision that would affect multiple generations to come. The 13-year-olds who took this version of the NAEP exam last fall were 10 years old — and in fourth or fifth grade — when the pandemic began. Many were old enough to participate in remote learning without minute-to-minute adult assistance, as younger children often needed. But the ages of 10 to 13 are also a crucial period for mastering foundational skills, from multiplication to recognizing a character's feelings in a short narrative passage. "The bottom line — these results show that there are troubling gaps in the basic skills of these students," said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which gives the NAEP exam. "This is a huge-scale challenge that faces the nation." But it's okay, because proficiency is racist anyway. Civilization might not work without competent, educated people, but we'll feel nice when we're all equal in squalor. We can be the "quit" in equity! The percentage of 13-year-olds who reported reading for fun has also declined. Last fall, 31 percent said they "never or hardly ever" read for fun, compared to 22 percent in 2012. Have you looked at the woke books they give these kids? No wonder it's not fun! Anyway, we might not have to wait long for the end to come, because while we talk about race and gender instead of teaching math, other countries like China are preparing their kids for engineering and war… https://www.theepochtimes.com/proposed-hate-speech-law-in-michigan-threatens-first-amendment-rights-conservatives-warn_5329978.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=travis_in_flint&src_src=partner&src_cmp=travis_in_flint Proposed ‘Hate Speech’ Law in Michigan Threatens First Amendment Rights, Conservatives Warn A bill moving through the Democrat-controlled Michigan State Legislature would make it easier for prosecutors to bring felonious “hate crime” charges against dissident speech. The possible implications for preachers, school administrators, teachers, parents, politicians, and citizen activists have alarmed conservatives concerned about the effect the bill may have on free speech. The proposed legislation, HB 4474, would amend the state’s Ethnic Intimidation Act of 1988 in order to consider it a hate crime if a person is accused of causing “severe mental anguish” to another individual by means of perceived verbal intimidation or harassment. The amendment defines the words intimidate or harass as a “willful course of conduct, involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested…” “Words are malleable,” Attorney David Kallman of the Great Lakes Justice Center (GLJC), a non-profit legal organization dedicated to preserving liberty in America, told The Epoch Times. “They can be redefined by whoever is in power. “Under the proposed statute, ‘intimidate and harass’ can mean whatever the victim, or the authorities, want them to mean. The focus is on how the victim feels rather than on a clearly defined criminal act. This is a ridiculously vague and subjective standard,” he said. “The absence of intent makes no difference under this law. You are still guilty of the crime because the victim felt uncomfortable. “The bill will lead to the prosecution of conservatives, pastors, and parents attending a school board meeting for simply expressing their opposition to the liberal agenda,” Kallman said. A convicted violator could receive a fine of up to $10,000, up to five years in prison, or both. The bill does provide the court with the option of an alternative sentence. The text reads in part, “An alternative sentence may include an order requiring the offender to complete a period of community service intended to enhance the offender’s understanding of the impact of the offense upon the victim and wider community. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, testified that Michigan has the fifth-highest number of hate crimes committed per capita in the United States, with many more incidents not reported. She stated that HB 4474, and similar early judicial intervention measures, can help prevent initial non-violent hate crimes from escalating into murder. “You can literally save lives,” Nessel, a lesbian, told the committee. Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Kim Worthy, a Democrat, called the existing Ethnic Intimidation Law “woefully inadequate.” She testified that HB 4474 was a “useful tool” that would make it “easier to prosecute real hate crimes” and send a message that they are “absolutely intolerable in this state.” “We have to protect our victims of hate crimes,” Worthy said. https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-disney-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-officer-leaving-the-company?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dwbrand Top Disney Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Officer Leaving The Company Disney’s top Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officer will be leaving the entertainment giant to “pursue other endeavors” as the company continues to face headwinds from conservative customers over its promotion of LGBT themes and battles with Florida Republicans, according to a memo obtained by Variety. An internal memo sent to employees this week announced that Latondra Newton, the company’s chief DEI officer and senior vice president, would be moving on from the company, Variety reported Tuesday. Newton will reportedly be moving to a board at a different corporation after six years at Disney. “I’m writing to share the news that Latondra Newton has decided to leave The Walt Disney Company to pursue other endeavors,” the internal memo obtained by Variety read. “Working alongside all of you and so many others, she has inspired countless cast members and employees to bring about lasting change and to help create a world where we can all feel safe and we all belong.” Julie Merges, currently a human resources executive at the company, will be the interim top DEI officer while a hiring search is conducted. At Disney, Newton worked “with various business segments and leaders across the enterprise to build on Disney’s commitment to produce entertainment that reflects a global audience and sustains a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone,” according to the company. Newton signed on to a letter from top Disney executives taking aim at “racial disparities” following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis resolving to pursue “real change.” Under Newton, Disney also began its “Reimagine Tomorrow” program which focused on “representation” for a host of different groups including increasing “gender diversity,” “Black Representation,” “Female empowerment,” “Diverse Families,” “LGBTQIA+ Representation,” and “Middle Eastern Representation.” In recent years, Disney has come under fire from some customers over its insertion of LGBT themes into children’s content, including the inclusion of a gay kiss into the 2022 “Lightyear” film which flopped at the box office. The company also voiced opposition to a Florida law intended to shield kids from being taught gender ideology and sexual topics in the classroom. The company has also faced backlash online after video emerged of a man in a dress welcoming small children into a Disneyland boutique full of princess costumes.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief forThursday, June 22nd, 2023. Gravity Jack: Gravity Jack is a full service digital agency specializing in the development of Virtual & Augmented Reality experiences, mobile apps, blockchain and Web3 projects. Founded in 2009 as the first American agency to offer augmented reality, they even patented it; Gravity Jack's digital experiences have been a source of innovation for small business, Fortune 500 Companies, and the US Military. Get your vision in motion at gravityjack.com https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/submarine-titantic-missing-submersible-tourists-latest-b2360568.html Rescue hopes for missing Titanic submarine hinge on new ‘banging’ sounds as 12 hours left– live There are now 12 hours of oxygen left in the missing Titan submersible as rescue efforts continue for the five passengers. A Canadian aircraft searching for the sub in the Atlantic Ocean detected intermittent “banging” noises from the vicinity of its last known location, the US Coast Guard said. Crew searching for the missing sub heard banging sounds every 30 minutes on Tuesday and again four hours later on Wednesday after additional sonar devices were deployed. However, the US Coast Guard clarified that they “don’t know the source of the noise”. Aboard the Titan is CEO and founder of OceanGate Expeditions Stockton Rush, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood. Mr Dawood’s sister, Sabrina Dawood told Sky News that the Dawood family is solely focused on the rescue of her brother and nephew and hope for their safe return. The watercraft submerged on Sunday morning from its support vessel to travel to the Titanic wreckage which sits at a depth of 12,500ft. About an hour and 45 minutes later, the Titan lost contact with its surface ship, the Polar Prince. The Titan is equipped with a four-day emergency oxygen supply. https://notthebee.com/article/texas-christian-university-offers-queer-art-of-drag-class Someone wanna tell me why Texas "Christian" University offers a "Queer Art of Drag" class? Hey TCU, I think it's time for a name change. Texas Christian University's Women and Gender Studies department offered a "Queer Art of Drag" class during the Spring 2023 semester. The course required students to give a performance as their own "drag persona." "Drag is an art form with a rich history of challenging dominant norms and systems of oppression; building queer community; and cultivating experiences of queer joy in a hostile world," the course website rads. "Critical drag explores drag performance as an outlet for social critique, and queer world making." The syllabus also says students must create a "drag vision board," give an "in-class lip-sync performance," and make a "storyboard" for a final performance. A "My Drag Worksheet" assignment required students to create a name, a "drag greeting," a "lip-sync portfolio," and "strike a pose" for their drag persona. Students were required to give their final presentation using their drag persona voice and submit a video performance for TCU's "Annual Night of Drag." Why do I suggest TCU change its name? Hmm, let's see… "A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God," Deuteronomy 22:5 (ESV). https://notthebee.com/article/huh-math-and-reading-scores-for-13-year-old-americans-are-the-lowest-theyve-been-in-decades-and-tanked-during-the-pandemic Math and reading scores for 13-year-old Americans are the lowest they've been in decades and tanked during the pandemic Remember how we shut down all the schools for a virus that didn't put most children in danger? The math and reading performance of 13-year-olds in the United States has hit the lowest level in decades, according to test scores released today from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the gold-standard federal exam. The last time math performance was this low for 13-year-olds was in 1990. In reading, 2004. Maybe we should have been listening to the experts who predicted "brain drain" and developmental consequences that would set America, and the world at large, back decades in education by shutting down schools for two years. A large body of research shows that most American children experienced academic struggles during the pandemic. It has also been clear that low-income students of color were most heavily affected by school closures and remote learning, which in some districts lasted more than a year. I heard many experts discussing this from 2020-2022, but most people probably didn't, because the Experts™ censored their peers from warning us. And yet the truth remains that some people did actually warn us that closing schools wasn't merely a 2-year setback, but a decision that would affect multiple generations to come. The 13-year-olds who took this version of the NAEP exam last fall were 10 years old — and in fourth or fifth grade — when the pandemic began. Many were old enough to participate in remote learning without minute-to-minute adult assistance, as younger children often needed. But the ages of 10 to 13 are also a crucial period for mastering foundational skills, from multiplication to recognizing a character's feelings in a short narrative passage. "The bottom line — these results show that there are troubling gaps in the basic skills of these students," said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which gives the NAEP exam. "This is a huge-scale challenge that faces the nation." But it's okay, because proficiency is racist anyway. Civilization might not work without competent, educated people, but we'll feel nice when we're all equal in squalor. We can be the "quit" in equity! The percentage of 13-year-olds who reported reading for fun has also declined. Last fall, 31 percent said they "never or hardly ever" read for fun, compared to 22 percent in 2012. Have you looked at the woke books they give these kids? No wonder it's not fun! Anyway, we might not have to wait long for the end to come, because while we talk about race and gender instead of teaching math, other countries like China are preparing their kids for engineering and war… https://www.theepochtimes.com/proposed-hate-speech-law-in-michigan-threatens-first-amendment-rights-conservatives-warn_5329978.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=travis_in_flint&src_src=partner&src_cmp=travis_in_flint Proposed ‘Hate Speech’ Law in Michigan Threatens First Amendment Rights, Conservatives Warn A bill moving through the Democrat-controlled Michigan State Legislature would make it easier for prosecutors to bring felonious “hate crime” charges against dissident speech. The possible implications for preachers, school administrators, teachers, parents, politicians, and citizen activists have alarmed conservatives concerned about the effect the bill may have on free speech. The proposed legislation, HB 4474, would amend the state’s Ethnic Intimidation Act of 1988 in order to consider it a hate crime if a person is accused of causing “severe mental anguish” to another individual by means of perceived verbal intimidation or harassment. The amendment defines the words intimidate or harass as a “willful course of conduct, involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested…” “Words are malleable,” Attorney David Kallman of the Great Lakes Justice Center (GLJC), a non-profit legal organization dedicated to preserving liberty in America, told The Epoch Times. “They can be redefined by whoever is in power. “Under the proposed statute, ‘intimidate and harass’ can mean whatever the victim, or the authorities, want them to mean. The focus is on how the victim feels rather than on a clearly defined criminal act. This is a ridiculously vague and subjective standard,” he said. “The absence of intent makes no difference under this law. You are still guilty of the crime because the victim felt uncomfortable. “The bill will lead to the prosecution of conservatives, pastors, and parents attending a school board meeting for simply expressing their opposition to the liberal agenda,” Kallman said. A convicted violator could receive a fine of up to $10,000, up to five years in prison, or both. The bill does provide the court with the option of an alternative sentence. The text reads in part, “An alternative sentence may include an order requiring the offender to complete a period of community service intended to enhance the offender’s understanding of the impact of the offense upon the victim and wider community. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, testified that Michigan has the fifth-highest number of hate crimes committed per capita in the United States, with many more incidents not reported. She stated that HB 4474, and similar early judicial intervention measures, can help prevent initial non-violent hate crimes from escalating into murder. “You can literally save lives,” Nessel, a lesbian, told the committee. Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney Kim Worthy, a Democrat, called the existing Ethnic Intimidation Law “woefully inadequate.” She testified that HB 4474 was a “useful tool” that would make it “easier to prosecute real hate crimes” and send a message that they are “absolutely intolerable in this state.” “We have to protect our victims of hate crimes,” Worthy said. https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-disney-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-officer-leaving-the-company?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dwbrand Top Disney Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Officer Leaving The Company Disney’s top Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officer will be leaving the entertainment giant to “pursue other endeavors” as the company continues to face headwinds from conservative customers over its promotion of LGBT themes and battles with Florida Republicans, according to a memo obtained by Variety. An internal memo sent to employees this week announced that Latondra Newton, the company’s chief DEI officer and senior vice president, would be moving on from the company, Variety reported Tuesday. Newton will reportedly be moving to a board at a different corporation after six years at Disney. “I’m writing to share the news that Latondra Newton has decided to leave The Walt Disney Company to pursue other endeavors,” the internal memo obtained by Variety read. “Working alongside all of you and so many others, she has inspired countless cast members and employees to bring about lasting change and to help create a world where we can all feel safe and we all belong.” Julie Merges, currently a human resources executive at the company, will be the interim top DEI officer while a hiring search is conducted. At Disney, Newton worked “with various business segments and leaders across the enterprise to build on Disney’s commitment to produce entertainment that reflects a global audience and sustains a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone,” according to the company. Newton signed on to a letter from top Disney executives taking aim at “racial disparities” following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis resolving to pursue “real change.” Under Newton, Disney also began its “Reimagine Tomorrow” program which focused on “representation” for a host of different groups including increasing “gender diversity,” “Black Representation,” “Female empowerment,” “Diverse Families,” “LGBTQIA+ Representation,” and “Middle Eastern Representation.” In recent years, Disney has come under fire from some customers over its insertion of LGBT themes into children’s content, including the inclusion of a gay kiss into the 2022 “Lightyear” film which flopped at the box office. The company also voiced opposition to a Florida law intended to shield kids from being taught gender ideology and sexual topics in the classroom. The company has also faced backlash online after video emerged of a man in a dress welcoming small children into a Disneyland boutique full of princess costumes.

In this week's episode we are interviewing the only African American Candidate for the 13th Congressional District in the City of Detroit on either side of the political aisle; Martell Bivings. Martell is the Republican Candidate for the 13th Congressional District going against Michigan State Legislature and India Immigrant Shri Thanedar in the upcoming November General Election. In this week's interview we discuss the fallout from the August Primary Election results and the harsh reality and the likelihood of no African American representation from the 12 or the 13th Congressional District from the City of Detroit in almost 70yrs. In a crowded field of Democratic Candidates in the 13th District, Martell ran unopposed on the Republican side vying for this coveted seat heading into the November General Election. Listen and learn about this candidate is who could be Detroit's last shot at Black representation in Congress.  PLUS, we have a thought-provoking and engaging Thought of the Week, which I believe is directly in line with tonight's theme, entitled "Vote Or Die Trying." IN this week's Thought we discuss the growing voter apathy in the African American Community and what we need to do to overcome it. We are the answer, we are the solution to our problems. And, here's another opportunity for us to heed the call to action.  This is definitely a show worth your time and attention, and we hope that you not only listen but encourage others to do so as well.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/michael-s-nimmons/message

This week on the pod, we're talking about running for office. When women run, especially women of color, it's undeniable that they're held to a different standard than their white male counterparts. Jasmine Clark tells co-hosts Amanda Weinstein and Rachel Vindman about how her validity as a candidate has been questioned all along the way, even after winning her race in 2018.The hosts are joined by Mari Manoogian, the youngest woman currently serving in the Michigan State Legislature. Mari discusses her experience running for office as a young woman of color and about how the voters in Michigan want to elect leaders who fight for reproductive justice and stand up against extremism.Jasmine then interviews A'shanti Gholar, the president of Emerge, an organization dedicated to recruiting and training Democratic women to run for office. Jasmine and A'shanti chat about what got her first interested in politics, the uphill battle that women face when they run for office, and what we can do to support them… not just as candidates but also as human beings.Finally, Amanda, Jasmine and Rachel raise a glass to solidarity and the rising Blue wave, to kids connecting to their culture at camp, and to listeners who are maintaining their hope despite living in red districts in this episode's “Toast to Joy.”If you're ready to join the Great Troublemaker Turnout, please sign up here! Talking to the people in your network is the most impactful way to influence voters, and Red Wine & Blue is committed to providing everything you need to tap into this super power: training, tools, community, and support. Suburban women are taking a stand - join us!For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

The Michigan State Legislature just approved a new, record-breaking state budget that sits at a whopping $75B dollars. Emily Lawler and Craig Mauger explain what allowed for such a big budget this fiscal year, and what the money might go toward. GUESTS: Emily Lawler, politics editor for the Detroit Free Press Craig Mauger, politics reporter for the Detroit News —— Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way. If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work. Stateside's theme music is by 14KT. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Christine Greig, former legislator and Democratic Leader in the Michigan Legislature, for a conversation about the importance of fair representation for women in state legislatures and how to achieve fair representation.  

Josh Barker of Radio Free Hillsdale explains the Job Applicant Criminal History Act proposal currently being considered by the Michigan State Legislature.

Julian Assange has officially asked for a pardon, the Michigan State Legislature has subpoenaed voting evidence in Detroit and the surrounding suburbs, Dominion whistleblower Melissa Carone watched the Dominion CEO testimony and states she has evidence he lied, new info and connections on Solar Wind, The Pentagon shut down their SIPRNET today, Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg is being sued for tampering in our election and a Democrat official indicted for brandishing a knife at a pregnant Trump supporter. https://linktr.ee/RedPill78 https://linktr.ee/M3thods DAILY UPLOADS Rumble: http://www.rumble.com/RedPill78. Odysee: https://odysee.com/@RedPill78:e Bitchute: https://rumble.com/embed/v8ayk3/?pub=2fkof LIVESTREAM 1. Dlive: https://dlive.tv/RedPill78  2. Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/redpill78  3. Pilled.net: https://pilled.net/#/profile/13935  4. PureSocial: https://puresocial.tv/channel/redpill78/ RedPill78 993 “C” S. Santa Fe Ave  #245 Vista, CA  92083 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Barker of Radio Free Hillsdale breaks down the Michigan State Legislature's HB 5412-5416, which were passed in the early summer to expand options for telemedicine in the state of Michigan.

Josh Barker of Radio Free Hillsdale discusses Michigan State Legislature's policy proposal to limit National Guard deployment when there is no active declaration of war or other constitutional Congressional war action.

On today's edition of West Michigan Live. Storm Team 8 Chief Meteorologist Bill Steffen joined Justin to talk about today's windy weather. The Michigan State Legislature is considering adding a State Insect. Last, Hope Network CEO Phil Weaver is this week's CEO Spotlight presented by Corp! Magazine.

Tune in Tuesday night at 8pm for a life-changing, thought-provoking and compelling testimony of transformation and redemption. We are calling it the "Transformation of Darryl Woods" 29yrs ago, Darryl Woods was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, His life was headed on a downward spiral to nowhere. When he was convicted at the tender age of 18yrs old, he also had a 1yr son whom he believed he may never see again  Listen as Darryl takes us through the rollercoaster ride of this terminal prison system that feels eerily similar to the popular movie "The Shawshank Redemption." The only difference in this story is Darryl didn't have to break out, but long after he found God and dedicated his life to serving Him, in Dec of 2018 Darryl was granted a full commutation of his life sentence by then Gov. Rick Synder. In fact, Darryl was the last name on a small list submitted on the last day the Michigan State Legislature was in session before the Holiday Break, and it happened to be the last day the current sitting Governor of the State of Michigan would have an opportunity to grant Darryl Woods the favor he had been praying and asking God for, for most of his prison sentence.  In this interview Darryl Woods Sr is also joined by his son Darryl Woods Jr, who; although he was physically absent as Darryl Jr's father, he more than made up for it being a constant motivator, and encourager in his son's life even from behind prison walls. In fact, Darryl Sr. not only helped his son get admitted into Michigan State University, but he also helped him go "tuition-free," And, now his son Darryl Jr is a motivational speaker traveling around the world motivating and inspiring others with his message of inspiration and empowerment. Join us for this inspiring interview, plus a whole lot more. Just click the listen to listen OR visit www.michaelnimmons.com 

Tune in Tuesday night at 8pm for a life-changing, thought-provoking and compelling testimony of transformation and redemption. We are calling it the "Transofrmaiton of Darryl Woods" 29yrs ago, Darryl Woods was convicted and ssntened to life in prisoin without the possiblity of parole, His life was headed on a downward spiral to nowhere. When he was convicted at the tender age of 18yrs old, he also had a 1yr son whom he believed he may never see again  Listen as Darryl takes us through the rollercoast ride of this terminal prison system that feels eerily similar to the popular movie "The Shawshank Redemption." The only difference in this story is Darryl didn't have to break out, but long after he found God and dedicated his life to serving Him, in Dec of 2018 Darryl was granted a full commutation of his life sentence by then Gov. Rick Synder. In fact, Darryl was the last name on a small list submitted on the last day the Michigan State Legislature was in session before the Holiday Break, and it happened to be the last day the current sitting Govenor of the State of Michigan would have an opportunity to grant Darryl Woods the favor he had been praying and asking God fior, for most of his prision sentence.  In this interview Darryl Woods Sr is also joined by his son Darryl Woods Jr, who; although he was physcialy absent as Darryl Jr's father, he more than made up for it being a constant motvator, and encourager in his son's life even from behind prison walls. In fact, Darryl Sr. not only helped his son get admiitted into Michigan State University, but he also helped him go "tutition free," And, now his son Darryl Jr is a motivational speaker traveling around the world motivating and inspiring others with his message of inspiration and empowerment. Join us for this inspring interview, plus a whole lot more.Just click the listen to listen OR visit www.michaelnimmons.com 

We are excited to be talking politics in this VIP Spotlight Edition, as we talk with Candidate for State Representative District 9 Donald Stuckey. In this interview, we not only discuss why Mr. Stuckey decided to throw his hat in the political ring and run for State Rep for the 9th District, we talk about the political landscape of the State of Michigan as well as the Trump White House. Listen as we discuss the importance of voting in this August and November Election and why you need to make sure to do everything within your power to get others out to the polls to vote as well. This November, we need to send a message to the legislature in Lansing, and in the U.S. Congress & Senate that the agenda of the American people is the only agenda that matters.  We also talk about what we're calling the feminization of our African American men. In a recent video of Cavs Superstar Lebron James, he is seen leaving a press conference with a suit jacket and shorts and what appears to be a women's purse. This caused a stir on social media and raised a number of questions regarding the fashion choices of many of our Black Athletes and the implications behind them. Are these new style trends for Black males purely European or is there something more sinister taking place? We plan to talk fashion, politics and more on this Tuesday's VIP Spotlight Edition of the Thinking Out Loud Radi Show.