Tag: Jesse Jackson

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is back in Michigan, and he's calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to join his fight against the state's recently-expanded emergency manager law.

'We have a profound economic crisis in the country and the state," Jackson said this morning on WJR-AM 760. "There's nothing about the economic crisis that should allow one to demolish democracy. The vote remains sacred even in a time of crisis."

The United States is not a democracy and it never has been. It is a representative republic. There is a significant difference. What democracy basically boils down to is "majority rule." While this is great for those in the majority on specific issues, it doesn't do a lot of good for those who find themselves believing in something that the majority finds distasteful.

In truth, the founding fathers feared democracy. The ignorance of our political system displayed by people on here who sound otherwise intelligent is troubling to me. Don't they teach history or government in school any more?

Detroit is a cesspool today because it has operated for decades in a manner inconsistent with individual rights and the rule of law. It has been a center of corruption, graft, and the welfare state for so long that it has virtually crumbled other than what few crumbs it could pander from those who refused make it face the consequences of its own corrupt actions.

I don't feel sorry for Detroit. It made its own bed and for too long now it has been making the rest of us wake up next to it.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson led a crowd of about 200 supporters with chants including "Reinvest in our land" and "Keep hope alive" in Hamtramck. He was joined at the rally by celebrities and several elected officials, including Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

Stabenow advocated for health care changes and free trade. She likened the area's woes with New Orleans, post Hurricane Katrina.

"The water has seeped in every home. We are here to say, 'We will not go under,' " Stabenow said. ""We need to make sure our companies that are competing with other countries know their country is with them."

issued an executive order that requires his appointees to buy American-made when they purchase their next vehicle. Now, he's negotiating with the city's employee unions to include a "buy American provision" in the union contracts for the upcoming year.

If he succeeds, the order would apply to approximately 800 full-time city employees. The current employee contracts expire in June.

"It's a priority and a must. If something happened to General Motors or Chrysler, I would not be able to pay the high salaries I pay now or keep everyone employed," he said. "I am developing a strategy for expanding my campaign. I would like to see other county officials and school officials embrace the same thing."

If employees want to retain their jobs, they must buy American-made cars.