Category Archives: Bad government

The ‘rainmaker’ and the sewer

Posted on May 29, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Abe Munfakh calls himself a “rainmaker.” He’s running for state senate. “Rainmaker.” What he means is that he got contracts for the Ann Arbor engineering firm he headed. In the following April 22, 1992 Detroit Free Press article, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Advice for televictims: Tough!

Posted on May 17, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Myrtle Mortbrain JOTR Consumerist I just don’t get it. All this gobbledygook from JOTR readers who say they’ve been bilked by their ATT bills. Know what I mean? Just like the NRA says, “Guns don’t kill people.” Well, you … Continue reading →

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Fake phone bills again

Posted on May 13, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Early this year, I discovered that my ATT bill contained fees for services I’d never heard of, never ordered, yet was paying for. I had to make a slew of phone calls, but managed to have the … Continue reading →

Posted in ATT & me, Bad government | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Vote fraud in Bloomfield? You be the AG

Posted on May 9, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell If you’d been Michigan’s attorney general, what would you have done? Allowed a state trooper to proceed with his investigation into possible corruption in a 2001 election? Or would you have killed the investigation? The question is … Continue reading →

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Bloomfield Farce: Phony from the get-go

Posted on May 4, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Six years ago, I wrote a story about election high-jinks in a development project that is back in the news. Wannabe real estate developer Craig Schubiner’s vaunted $2 billion Bloomfield Park, it turns out, is a huge … Continue reading →

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Can’t call it ‘bribe’

Posted on March 10, 2010 by hro50ta1

Any federal law that would impose a national 36 percent A.P.R. limit on our services, if enacted, would likely eliminate our ability to continue our current operations. — Advance America, largest payday lender in the U.S. By Joel Thurtell Can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, banks | 1 Comment

Measuring ‘progress’ in poor countries

Posted on February 13, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell I know I’m paying too much for things that only a few years ago I’d have considered luxuries, prestige purchases that drained my savings without contributing lasting good to our household. Things like cell phones, and  even … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Places | 1 Comment

Fair to poor

Posted on February 6, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Fair to poor. That’s what I think of the February 5, 2010 Detroit Free Press editorial about the need for a new bridge across the Detroit River. By the way, those are the same words an engineering firm, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, future of newspapers, Joel's J School, Me & Matty | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Third-party scammers

Posted on February 4, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell If you get telephone service from ATT, better cast a wary eye over your bill. You might find what I found–phony charges. My January ATT bill contained more than my usual bill for phone and Internet connections. … Continue reading →

Posted in ATT & me, Bad government | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Ka-ching! MT links $1.1 million from Matty to pols

Posted on January 28, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell The more people look, the more they find Manuel “Matty” Moroun, Michigan’s billionaire bridge-owner, handing out money to politicians. Often, his family and employees are the givers, but the effect is the same — an attempt at … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, Me & Matty | Tagged , , | 1 Comment