Local Good Trouble Rally Supports People and Policies Under Threat

ARE YOU THE VOLUNTEER WE’RE LOOKING FOR?

We’re still looking for a volunteer to staff the table at Pasty Fest in Calumet. The open slot is Saturday, August 16 from 2 to 6 PM. You’ll be partnered with another volunteer. No experience is necessary!!

If you are the volunteer we’re looking for, contact Nancy Verive by phone (812-573-1403) or email [email protected] to confirm.

GOOD TROUBLE RALLY SUPPORTS PEOPLE AND POLICIES UNDER THREAT

The local Good Trouble Lives On rally held this past Thursday at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Houghton drew nearly 100 people. The rally, commemorating the birthday of civil rights leader and longtime Congressman John Lewis was organized by Keweenaw Indivisible.

The rally and protest were accompanied by a number of vehicles sporting painted messages in support of rally-goers and protesters. The fleet of cars was organized by Bill Fink, and traveled throughout the local area.

The rally drew positive press coverage, including a top of the fold, front page article in the Daily Mining Gazette by reporter Mark Wilcox. In the article Rick Canavez of Keweenaw Indivisible is quoted as saying that the signs protesters carried "spoke in support of peoples and policies under threat from the current administration, including cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP benefits, ICE overreach and defiance of Trump and Trump-ism"

The local rally was one of over 1600 events held on Thursday across the country. Events organized by the Lake Superior Region Indivisible group were held in Marquette, Negaunee and Ishpeming. TV6 covered the events with a Thursday evening segment mostly focused on Negaunee. The segment noted additional events in the UP, including the event here in Houghton as well as events in Sault Ste. Marie and McMillan, with a Good Trouble rally on Saturday planned for Crystal Falls.

In lower Michigan, but still within Congressional District 1, hundreds turned out at the Good Trouble Lives On event in Traverse City, while just to the west in Benzie County over 200 people spread out along US 31 on each side of the Benzonia Township Hall waving signs at the passing traffic. The Benzie County Democrats report in an email to ‘Benzie Demz and Friendz’ that “Once again, we got a ton of friendly horn-tooting, thumbs up, waves, and big smiles. People were very happy to see us.”

It’s heartening and encouraging to see so many among us stepping up once again to demonstrate and protest the actions of the current administration. Even on a work day, you all are making your voices heard!

WILL MICHIGAN LEAD THE WAY ON MEDICARE FOR ALL?

The Republican’s Big Bad Billionaire Bill not only includes up to $1 trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid, but it also failed to extend Biden-era tax credits for health insurance through the ACA (Obamacare) marketplaces. Because of these effects it’s been reported that some 200,00 Michiganders will lose their healthcare. Last week insurers reacted to these changes by requesting huge rate increases for health coverage in Michigan, with an average increase of 16.8% for ACA-compliant individual plans. If these substantial increases make it past state regulators, the number of Michiganders losing healthcare might well end up being more than reported.

HOW WILL DEMOCRATS RESPOND TO THIS NEED FOR HEALTHCARE? 

One answer is coming from Michigan state Representative Carrie Rheingans (D-47th), who has re-introduced a bill for a state-level single-payer healthcare plan called MiCare. MiCare would cover all Michiganders who have been state residents for at least six months. An Economist/YouGov poll published earlier this month found that 60% of Americans favor a single-payer “Medicare-for-all” type of plan. The states of Colorado and Maine are also looking at the potential for single-payer plans within their states.

Rheingans traveled to Washington, DC last week where she joined U.S. Senator Ed Markey, U.S. Representatives Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal, NY state Senator Gustavo Rivera and other state leaders, all of whom are advocating for the federal “State-Based Universal Healthcare Act”, a bill designed to give states flexibility in the use of federal funding to create their own universal healthcare systems.

For More Information:

• Listen to an interview with Rep. Rheingans, where she lays out how MiCare would work, on the MDP’s Party on the Peninsulas podcast. (The interview starts roughly 13 minutes into the podcast).

• Visit Rep. Rheingans’ MiCare web page for a detailed breakdown of the plan.

• See this press release from the MI House Democrats on the re-introduction of the MiCare plan in the state House by Rep. Rheingans.

• Read this report from WZMQ-TV 19 about Rep. Rheingans trip to DC to promote single payer state plans.

REPUBLICANS PASS RECKLESS RECISSIONS BILL, PILING ON AFTER THE BIG BAD BILLIONAIRE BILL

We’ve highlighted the negative impacts of Trump’s Big Bad Billionaire Bill repeatedly. It’s a bill so bad, and so unpopular, that Republicans who voted for it are now introducing bills to undo some of the damage they’ve done (google “Josh Hawley and Medicaid” for example).

But those efforts appear to be simply window dressing - done to distance legislators from what they’ve done in the eyes of their voters - but not serious efforts to restore the funding they’ve taken away from you and I to reward their wealthy donors with generous tax cuts.

Why would we say that? Because last week Republicans doubled down on their reckless cuts by passing ANOTHER bad bill, taking their legislative axe to another $9 billion dollars. This time they are cutting dollars that had already been approved through bipartisan actions of the House and Senate.

The axe they wielded is one the Associated Press called a “rarely used tool”. It’s called a “recissions bill”. In a recissions bill Congress approves a request from a sitting president to cancel previously approved funding. The Trump administration requested cuts of $1.1 billion for public media, designed to weaken what Trump sees as liberally biased media, and $8.3 billion in cuts for various international aid packages including global health programs, emergency shelter, water and sanitation for refugees and victims of natural disasters, and programs for peacekeeping and for strengthening democracy around the world. These cuts to international programs seem designed to further weaken America’s influence around the world.

WE MUST HAVE A VETO-PROOF DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY IN THE US HOUSE AND SENATE IN 2026 TO TURN BACK THE REPUBLICAN’S DEVASTATING CUTS. THE FIGHT HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.

THE HCDP RECOMMENDS A ‘YES’ VOTE ON FUNDING PROPOSALS ON THE AUGUST BALLOT

The Houghton County Democrats support five proposals appearing on ballots here in Houghton County this August. These proposals will provide funding for the new County Jail, Canal View, Meals on Wheels, the Copper Country ISD, and the Baraga Area Schools (on ballots for those voters in Houghton and Baraga Counties who reside within the Baraga Area Schools District).

A PDF file containing the language of all five proposals can be found on the County government’s website.

We also have a flyer available with the language of the proposals and some additional explanation compiled from several documents on the county website. You can find that flyer here.

Absentee ballots for August are already in the mail. There will be NO early voting center for this election. Election Day is Tuesday August 5th.

Are you registered to vote? Do you know your polling place? Find your voter information here.

A FUNDRAISER TO WIPE OUT MEDICAL DEBT

The fundraiser to wipe out medical debt in the First Congressional District is inching ever closer to it’s goal of raising $15,000, which would purchase all existing medical debt currently in collections in the District. As of this weekend the fundraiser, sponsored by Keweenaw Indivisible, in collaboration with other local businesses and individuals, had already raised over $14,000. Should the fundraiser exceed the goal amount that would definitely not be a bad thing - additional funds raised would go to eliminate medical debt in collections elsewhere in Michigan.

Every $1 donated eliminates up to $145 in medical debt through Undue Medical Debt, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that purchases and erases medical debt in collections. This fundraising initiative, ‘Stronger Together’, will eliminate the medical debt sent to collections for roughly 1,350 Michigan families.

Keweenaw Indivisible will hold a fundraising event on July 29th at Small Craft in Hancock, from 6-9 pm. There will be music, food trucks, speakers, and a silent auction. The intent is to raise most of the $15,000 from major sponsors before July 29th.

At our July monthly meeting HCDP members voted to donate $500 from the County Party to the Stronger Together campaign. We urge our members and newsletter readers to also donate to this worthwhile effort.

SAVE THE DATES!

HOUGHTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS — SUMMER EVENTS

Leave us a voicemail at 906-523-1233 or an email at [email protected] if you’re interested in volunteering at some of these summer events!

Governmental & Community Meetings

WED JULY 23

Apologies for the short notice, but Oil & Water Don’t Mix, a group of citizens and organizations taking action against the dangers to our Great Lakes posed by Line 5, are holding a webinar titled “Enbridge Line 5: What every Michigander needs to know” today at noon. Register here.

The Houghton City Council meets at 5:30 PM on Wednesday. Meeting Agendas are typically posted to the Council’s Searchable Document Center on their website.

This newsletter is paid for with regulated funds by the Houghton County Democratic Party, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Contact us by email at [email protected] or by text or voicemail at 906-523-1233