Commentary: Fixing gerrymandering–Michigan’s ballot proposal
By Paul Rozycki “Politics is more difficult than physics.” – Albert Einstein Last month’s column took a look at the history and techniques of gerrymandering and its impact on American politics. It’s not hard to see that the process of drawing odd-shaped and unfair election districts favoring one party over another is a major problem and distorts our politics in many ways. Seeing the problem is the easy part. Fixing it may prove...
Commentary: How to win an election without votes? Gerrymander!
By Paul Rozycki The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. -Joseph Stalin In a democracy the winners in elections are supposed to be decided by whoever gets the most votes. And that is usually true. However, the Soviet dictator’s words may be an ominous warning today. That basic, simple democratic rule can be manipulated to give victory to those who don’t get the most votes. For...
Poem: Lexicon for a Tyrant
Lexicon for a Tyrant By Teddy Robertson You may wonder why I need a phrase book he travels to us, after all— unbidden on the screen. He comes with simple words, monosyllables from happy times with little ones huge great bad good win smart weak tough Soon come the chants— paroxytones of schoolyard taunts stupid crazy moron loser And last the epithets, engravers of memory (as bards knew well) He tests each smear,...
Commentary: “Day Without Water” suggests “Flint Strong Stones” will not be silenced
By Michael Mascarenhas Special to East Village Magazine Oct. 12, 2017 marked the third annual “Imagine a Day Without Water,” a day dedicated to advocacy and awareness of water insecurity in the United States. Given the ongoing water crisis in Flint, the day provided an opportunity for Detroit and Flint activists to hold a press conference to draw attention to their efforts to ensure safe and affordable water in their communities. The...
Commentary on the mayoral recall: why your ballot will be different
By Paul Rozycki For the fourth time in as many mayors, Flint’s mayor is facing a recall election. However, unlike the recall of Woodrow Stanley in 2002, the near-recall of Don Williamson (before resignation) in 2009, and the attempted recall of Dayne Walling in 2010, this November’s recall election will be different—and may surprise voters. The official reason given for the recall of Mayor Weaver is the dispute over Flint’s trash...
Commentary: Is privatizing public services a trustworthy choice for Flint?
By Paul Rozycki During a recent East Village Crime Watch meeting, a major issue was the possibility of hiring D.M. Burr to provide private security for our neighborhood, in addition to the Flint Police Department, Mott Community College, and the East Village Neighborhood Watch. As Kim Owens reported in her recent EVM article, the company gave a presentation on the nature of their services at the meeting. Signing up with D.M. Burr may...
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