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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

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This e-posting is from the Friends of Cushingberry and we approve this message.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Restoring the Revenue: Demanding a full accounting of TARP funds by the Obama Administration to fund Universal Health Care for all American citizens.

After seeing the “concern” of the Republican senators in Washington D.C about the plight of the American Automotive industry, a public accounting of funds should be a top priority of the Obama Administration. What I am talking about is that when firms like AIG, Bank of America, and other Wall Street firms get blank checks from the taxpayers without a paper trail, the Automobile Industry has to get nit-picked for every penny. People, this is their last 30 days of unchecked and un-regulated business conduct that AIG, Bank of America and others like them will be allowed to operate. I am recommending that the Obama Transition Team demand that an accounting of all taxpayer funds given to these companies be made available for public view by February 23rd, 2009.


Just like the IRS doing an audit on an individual taxpayer, these companies should undergo the same scrutiny from the government. We the taxpayers are part owners of these banks and investment companies. This information shall be made available for public viewing in the form of an online statement of accounts. If you have a credit card then you know the drill. Every 30 days you get a bank statement in the mail showing your transactions on your credit card. So why not expand that concept to the companies on Wall Street that have our money?


We have enough Information Technology professionals who have the ability to produce detail and summary reports showing financial transactions. We have capable accountants and finance specialists here in Michigan that can maintain the systems that monitor any and all financial transactions of anyone. We are outraged as citizens of this state when bonuses are being paid to AIG executives and others while people are losing their jobs, health care and homes. The financial genocide that has been inflicted upon us must be stopped with the same zeal that we go after diseases like AIDS, Cancer, ALS, etc.


The banks will be accountable to the people of Michigan because we will demand it. Senators Stabenow, Levin, and Dodd of Connecticut are on the right track when they say that on January 20th, the banks will have to re-invest into America. This re-investment program will force the banks to distribute the TARP funds into Michigan homes, businesses, and schools. I will also push to give District Court Judges the power to modify mortgages and lower interest rates to consumers. I am asking you to support me in efforts to help the Granholm and the Obama Administration to force the banks to re-invest into Michigan businesses with %3 interest rates to stabilize our State economy. This program will allow existing businesses to restructure their debts to make them competitive again. Lower interest on loans and purchases of bonds will allow the creation of programs to create jobs in Michigan.


I will also push for prosecution of the banks who gave fraudulent terms on loans to vulnerable businesses and homeowners. Instead of jail, restitution will be in the form of modified mortgage terms to Michigan residents. I will work closely with Incoming HHS Secretary Shaun Donovan and the vast resources of the United States Department of Justice to restore home ownership in Michigan one home at a time. This will help to reform education one school at a time because if families with jobs occupy homes, the children will need schools and teachers to help them.
In addition to the financial restitution, I am going to ask my colleagues in Washington to lead the charge of allocating a portion of the 700 billion in TARP funds to pay for universal health care coverage for all. The time is now to address the issue of health in Michigan. There are too many of our citizens that are dying from diseases like Diabetes, Cancer, and blatant neglect. The health of the people is a Troubled Asset and shall be treated as such. To let people die for profit is immoral and a disgrace to humanity.

As your State Representative, I am urging you to contact me and your Federal Representatives to voice your concerns. We know that when the Obama administration takes office, they will call the economic situation another great depression. We the people cannot and will not let that happen without a fight. Gov. Granholm and I will be fighting to our last breath to restore the Revenue to our State in the form of reasonable and fair investment of Federal funds into Michigan. We also want you to contact Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama (Click here for Senator Richard Shelby)
and Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee (Click here for Senator Bob Corker) to let them know of your feelings regarding their attitude toward the hard working Union Members and their contribution to America. Take the time to remind them of the contribution of UAW members in the war effort by our Armed Forces.


When you contact these Senators let them know that we all have a lot to lose and everything to gain. On a morality perspective, when someone is suffering somewhere we all are suffering everywhere. You can’t be bible thumping evangelical preaching morality and virtues, while you concurrently have a total disregard for the financial and physical health in our country. The lack of health care in Michigan and America is a moral disgrace and a major component in the out of control deficit. Fighting a useless war in Iraq while your fellow citizen is on their back with an illness is a poor example of government spending. Then ask your elected officials and fellow constituents to take some time and count the domestically made Automobiles in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Panama, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. Do you see the point being made?


We hope that with your active participation in your Government, we all can make a difference. Just remember that the 1st State that is suffering the most will be the first state to lead the people back from this Great Depression of the 21st century.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Restoring the Revenue III – The Reclassification of Marijuana to a Schedule III Drug

Currently, Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug with no medical value. This allows law enforcement to prosecute people and is the gateway to placing a person in the court system. The effect of this policy is overcrowded prisons and a clogged legal system. This is an important question to the upcoming Obama administration as he will be responsible for hiring the Next National Drug Czar and the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). On December 4th, a new law is in effect to allow people with a medical need to use Marijuana legally without the fear of arrest. On November 4th of this year, the Michigan voters spoke loud and clear as they approved of Medical Marijuana by %63 of the vote. All 83 counties in Michigan voted yes on November 4th.


The current schedule of drugs as defined by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are defined as follows:

Schedule I — drugs with a high abuse risk. These drugs have NO safe, accepted medical use in the United States. Some examples are heroin, marijuana, LSD, PCP, and crack cocaine.

Schedule II — drugs with a high abuse risk, but also have safe and accepted medical uses in the United States. These drugs can cause severe psychological or physical dependence. Schedule II drugs include certain narcotic, stimulant, and depressant drugs. Some examples are morphine, cocaine, oxycodone (Percodan®), methylphenidate (Ritalin®), and dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine®).

Schedule III, IV, or V — drugs with an abuse risk less than Schedule II. These drugs also have safe and accepted medical uses in the United States. Schedule III, IV, or V drugs include those containing smaller amounts of certain narcotic and non-narcotic drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, tranquilizers, sedatives, stimulants, and non-narcotic analgesics. Some examples are acetaminophen with codeine (Tylenol® No.3), paregoric, hydrocodone with acetaminophen (Vicodin®), diazepam (Valium®), alprazolam (Xanax®), propoxyphene (Darvon®), and pentazocine (Talwin®).


Reclassifying Marijuana as a Schedule III drug would move Marijuana to the same status as Aspirin and Cough Syrup. An example is that is someone was overdosing on aspirin; they would go to a hospital and given mental health care instead of a ride to jail. County prosecutors and law enforcement personnel routinely complain about the massive amount of paperwork in prosecuting a person with a small amount of Marijuana. The FDA can focus on healthy living and lifestyles for young and old Americans. This agency would be catalyst to promote better health among Americans through exercise and healthy eating practices. The Department of Agriculture in conjunction with the Dept of Community Health would serve as a catalyst to assist Michigan residents in proper growing methods for the medicine. This would create even more job and career opportunities in both departments.


It would also serve to eliminate the costly legal challenges that seek to thwart the will of the people. It would amount to insubordination to the people of the State of Michigan if civil servants and special interest groups initiate law suits to satisfy their narrow minded selfish thoughts.


So many people and so much documentation exist that shows Marijuana has medical benefits for people with debilitating medical conditions such as Leukemia, Aids, Nausea, Glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis, etc. DEA administrative law judge Francis Young referred to Marijuana a wonder drug with many uses in his commentary during a trial. Furthermore uses like fuel, clothes and the other 25,000 uses are fully documented in video and print. The person that President-Elect Obama appoints to this position cannot overlook these facts regarding the Marijuana plant.


In order for the Department of Community Health to manage the dispensary program, the agency will need to reorganize resources in Information Technology and staff support. Out of the 148 Information Technology positions that the department has allotted, 10 of them will be redirected to manage the program. An increase in staff positions between 415 to 830 employees will be needed to manage the entire program. These figures are based on 3 FTE positions for each of the 83 counties. An extreme scenario will project 10 employees for each county. Their job will be to maintain the process for the dispensary registration.



Information Technology needs are software to maintain the registry and hardware maintenance. Programs like Microsoft Access, SQL Server, etc are readily available to use and the application is relatively simple to create and maintain at a cost of $20,000 a year. Revenue from dispensary registration fees, annual quality control inspection visits from department personnel, and sales would make the program pay for itself every year.

The State of Michigan Drug Czar duties would be redirected to include the benefits of using Marijuana as a medicine. As an employee of the people, the czar will be the State’s leading advocate for rescheduling Marijuana as a Schedule III drug. We pray that President-Elect Obama elects a realist to the position of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). And we hope the Director-Elect of Health and Human Services former Senator Tom Daschle does the right thing and promote a progressive and smart person to be the chief of the Food and Drug Administration. Some qualified candidates include Dr. Jocelyn Elders, Dr. Ben Carson among others who are clearly qualified to handle the job. At the State level, Rep Cushingberry will be advocating that the State Drug Czar recognizes the vote of the citizens of the State in the affirmative for Medical Marijuana.

I believe that Government is; of the people, by the people, for the people, to maintain and sustain the needs of the people. And as your representative in Lansing, I will always be your activist for the benefit of my constituents.

Restoring the Revenue: Justice in sharing federal TARP money – Can the big 3 tough it out until January 20th 2009?

It is evident that the Bush administration is preparing for retirement. The President and Mrs. Bush have backed up the van to the back door of the White House. So the question is can the Big 3 tough it out until January 20th 2009? Can the members of the auto industry hang on until the “new hire” for the position of President of the United States starts work? With one executive order an entire industry will be re-started. The innovation and creativity that made the Big 3 what they were will be back. Engineers and visionaries will be free to explore new ideas and methods for better automobiles. Contract work from the Department of Defense, State and Local agencies will be increased to restore the revenue to the people.


Auto companies will realize that they will have to use fuel sources other than Gasoline to power vehicles. Natural technologies will be developed by scientists and grow by farmers for all Government owned vehicles. The Department of Agriculture will have additional help from Federal matching funds for the development of alternative fuel sources. Celloustic Ethanol and Industrial Hemp will be the fuels of choice because; we want to start with just two over a 10 year period. $2 million dollars in Federal TARP funds would match the amount that the State grows per year in metric tons.

The hearings being conducted by the United States Senate and House in December 2008 will lay the groundwork for a new business plan for the States to create their own fuel sources for government vehicles with restricted funds. Michigan’s agriculture industry will benefit with minimal funding by utilizing the land that is currently funded not to produce by the Federal Government. The quality of life will rise for the people because farms that produce income will spend the dollars in the community. The cities will benefit when they have to pay for their fuel with restricted funds. The revenues from the fuel will be given back to the cities in the form of recreation centers, rapid repair of utility services, and increased Bulk Day services in Detroit to twice a month for example.


This will cause the Cities to hire more workers who live in the neighborhoods where they work. That would take care of the housing crisis caused by the greedy Wall Street speculators for the last 8 years. We the people will have better oversight over the financial industry because; on January 20th 2009 at 12:01pm a new day will take hold. When Barack Obama takes the oath of office, he will deliver on his promise of helping the manufacturing industry. He said that that help is on the way and he plans to deliver. The financial industry will be providing reports daily to the people in the form of:

1. Increased federal monitoring of funds.
2. An online version of the federal budget for public viewing.


These next 4 years, the Obama Administration will cure the disease of “Paralysis of Analysis” as described by Us Rep. Al Green (D) Texas-09) in a House Banking Committee hearing. This quote from Dr. Martin Luther King clearly describes the lack of analysis before making a decision. This practice will end with better management of federal funds. The Obama Administration will tactically use technology to closely monitor spending and revenue. As your representative I will sponsor legislation to manage this at a State level to the total benefit of the auto industry. This will also guarantee a living wage to everyone who wants to work. If you don’t have the skills, training will be provided from the revenue generated from re-directed funds from the fuel industry. With the additional revenue from the increase in sales of automobiles, everyone will benefit.

In the countdown to the new administration, I believe that if the big three has been suffering for this amount of time, then a few more days would hurt with the feeling that a change will be coming. The rationale behind scrutinizing the auto industry while giving a blank check to the finance industry will be a moot point. GM and Chrysler have good lawyers that can file Chapter 11 and get the filing dismissed on January 20th 2009 in an executive order from the new President.


We are looking forward to the Obama Administration to have smart people in charge to manage the oversight of the TARP funds. Federal Regulators armed with the latest accounting tools will have every penny and transaction accounted for with an electronic paper trail. We are also looking forward to increase funding in the energy area to accommodate the technology of the Chevrolet Volt and other Hybrid cars.

Just hold on everyone, a change is coming. January 20th is less than 60 days away. Think for the future, contact your elected officials by e-mail, fax, YouTube, or any method allowed by law. You can contact me at georgecushingberry@house.mi.gov or call the office at 517 373-2276. Lastly you can visit my website at www.friendsofcushingberry.com and make a donation.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Restoring the Revenue Part II - How Barack Obama and Warren Buffet could regulate the Markets to re-invest into America.

When the renowned Warren Buffet speaks about the perils of Credit Default Swaps, people listen. Mr. Buffet supports a federal bailout of the financial institutions to save America whereas others in the financial and governmental arena do not support the bailout of the big 3 automakers. He will be coming “clean” on how he manages his investments, now that he and his Wall Street investor friends are losing their investments at an accelerated rate. The corporate jets are in jeopardy and now they will have to fly commercial with “the public”.


Downsizing is tough for people who have been living large and in charge when Fuel prices were over $3.50 a gallon and, were making millions off of other people’s misery. This is nothing new to UAW members who have been experiencing this recession/depression, long before the December 2007 declaration by Wall Street of the start of the official recession. Click here to read the “Buffet Story” from the New York Times article of November 25, 2008.


The advantage of bailing out the big three will have a ripple effect in the affected communities. People who work for the Auto Industry are the true middle class. UAW members were the ones doing the spending on things such as electronics, recreational vehicles, and tend to spend their money among the citizens of their respective neighborhoods. The total number of people tied to the Auto Industry is about 10 times the numbers working in the finance area. Autoworkers and suppliers tend to be larger participants in local community activities such as bowling, golf, and spending with neighborhood businesses.


Bailing out the financial industry because of the greed and mismanagement is bewildering to the Middle Class citizen. Mr. Buffet’s concern of the credit default swaps and derivatives in the market is commendable and genuine. One of his primary investments Berkshire Hathaway has lost over %36 in value since October 1st of 2008. He is losing about 1/3 of his total assets in the falling stock market and is a big supporter of the federal bailout of the financial industry. Berkshire Hathaway is an investment portfolio of companies like, Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, and General Electric. And when Joe and Jane UAW member lose their home in a foreclosure proceeding, Wall Street investors refer to that as a natural course of business. And sometimes the investor’s investments increase in value because the investor was betting that the price of a stock or an investment will fall in price.


The mismanagement and greed has another friend in the un-regulated business practices of Wall Street. The friend comes in a form of a Security Item called Derivates where investors were creating items called futures that are backed by hard objects like homeowner mortgages, corn, rice, gasoline, natural gas, and other physical assets. The investor is hoping (betting) that the price will change upwards or in some cases downward (short position) in a measured amount of time. Usually it is about 3 months. An investor purchases one of these derivates without ever owning the asset that backs it. When the price goes up, the investor skims the profit. If the price goes down, then the investor loses their money. The investor has their bet “insured” by a company like AIG and Goldman Sachs. AIG and Goldman Sach’s job is to pay off the investment in case something goes wrong. This was fine until the adjustable rate mortgages started to default and the financial pyramid came tumbling down.


Mr. Buffet was a willing participant in this process and was a major player in this market. He was also wise to see that the derivative market was a tool for financial mass destruction. He realized that in the wrong hands an unsupervised a rouge investor could manipulate prices by using world events to create a false demand by altering the supply chain. With the help of a few press releases and access to supply lines, investors can control the supply of commodities (electric, fuel, etc) with the click of a mouse.


So why does the opinion of a wealthy person like Mr. Buffet matter to anyone in the middle class? A middle class person is defined as a married couple or anyone making in a range from $30,000 to $100,000 a year. Warren Buffet is a financial consultant and a supporter of President-Elect Obama’s plan for change in America. Rep. Cushingberry sees the relationship between Wall Street and the homeowners and businesses on 7 mile road. Rep Cushingberry knows that the average UAW employee spends their money in the community much quicker than employees of Wall Street firms. The money spent by these union members gets turned over at least 5 to 7 times in the community they live in. UAW members tend to be common people who are actively involved in their community’s growth by participating in PTA meetings, softball tournaments, and other activities that directly impact the people.


Rep Cushingberry knows that the UAW members were the first ones who gave concessions to the big 3 long before the current credit crisis on Wall Street. He finds it appalling that the investors on Wall Street say that Union members make too much money. This is after new UAW members make %50 less than their counterparts working the same job. And the new UAW worker has to pay more for their health care coverage out of their gross pay. And to ask these workers to give even more concessions is an insult, especially when the derivates market is a $531 trillion dollar albatross that is bringing down the economic wealth of the United States.


If you want to support me in my efforts to reform the financial planning of State Government, please give me a call at my office or email me at gcushingberry@house.mi.gov. I would love to hear from you on this. If you have a Gmail account, then log in and comment on my blog.

Restoring the Revenue: Michigan Department of Corrections Budget Savings

Mama Cushingberry once said to me that "you should be careful for nothing". I pondered what she said to me and then I thought about it. Mom was talking about preventive maintenance and boy Mom was right again! After all Moms' are always right and have a lot of insights. And in these times of financial uncertainty ruling life's events, new and creative ways must be developed to restore the revenue to needed State Services. In the Department of Corrections, there are many opportunities to streamline and redirect revenue that is currently being spent on existing programs and policies. Specific policy changes in the Department will generate at least one billion dollars in savings over the next 5 years. One of my visions is when the revenue returns, I want to plan for how long the revenue will last and, how strong the revenue will be. And to do that I am proposing a 10 year master plan to accomplish this.

One of the effective methods that I propose is to start reducing the number of prisons. What will you do with the existing prisoners? Where will they stay? Wont your create prison overcrowding by tearing down and closing prisons? The answers to these questions are not that complex. The main customer of the Department of Corrections is the County Prosecutors who send the prisoners and, the prisoners themselves. Reducing the number of prisoners is an attainable goal. And to accomplish this, you have to look at each one of the prisoners on a case by case basis.

The main requirement is to remove the non-violent, low level, mentally ill, and the seriously ill from the Corrections process. Currently %82 costs are related to maintaining food, clothing and shelter for each of these inmates. These functions truly belong in the Department of Community Health because mental illness is a disease that needs treatment. Too often our Jails are used to house people who are mentally ill where in all reality these people need to be in supervised medical treatment facilities. The closing of Mental Hospitals was a mistake because when these facilities were open, the crime rate went down. Some of the people committing crime are true mental patients who do not need to be in the general population without medical intervention. State supplied medicine is cheaper and more cost effective than housing a prisoner in the Dept of Corrections system.

The second criterion that I would use is to remove all low level drug offenders from the system. Crimes like Marijuana possession and Possession with intent to deliver (a big charge to keep a person in jail) would be reviewed and the prisoner purged from the Correction's system. I would also push for this at the county level because most of the arrests are made by County and Local Police agencies. County Prosecutors would be given broad leeway and encouraged to plead these cases to low misdemeanors or civil infractions. Other alternative measures such as community service jobs such as cleaning bathrooms at State Parks and teaching at public schools as a sub-teacher.

A prisoner would be given a time adjustment for teaching subjects such as Math and Science count for a paid lunch at $15.00 per day. Otherwise 500 hours of community service is much cheaper than keeping these people in jail at $25,000 per year. Additionally, with the adoption of Proposal 1 allowing the sick and dying to receive Medical Marijuana under a doctor's prescription will further reduce the burden on the State of Michigan

These changes in the Department of Corrections would save the taxpayers $250 million dollars a year in prison costs to the taxpayers. We could move the cost savings to Dept of Community Health for proper treatment of mental health patients and still have a surplus.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Michigan Democrats Celebrate a Democratic Landslide

Click on the title to see the highlights of all the action as we celebrate the win of President-Elect Barack Obama

Thursday, October 2, 2008

The wrongs of Predatory Loans, recognition of the true problem, a prescription to cure the foreclosure crisis and restore homes in America.

As I was visiting New Prospect Baptist Church in Northwest Detroit one Sunday morning, I ran into and talked with my Pasteur School Classmate Dwight Jones a friend of mine from “the old neighborhood”. We both grew up together in the neighborhood just 3 blocks south of 8 mile road and one block west of Livernois.

Dwight is a respected member of the community and currently serves his as an usher and Deacon at the church. Mr. Jones is a proud alumnus of Pasteur Elementary School just like me and we love the City. Brother Jones shared the same concerns that I had about the housing situation so much that he just blurted out. “Hey Cush, how did this foreclosure mess really get started and, what can we do about it to make it right?

Dr. Cush pondered a few seconds and started to break it down to him on how it happened. Basically we homeowners were sacrificed for investors and speculators on Wall Street and throughout the world. The way that they did it was through a process called Securities Derivatives. I explained to my good friend Dwight that a derivative is similar to a bet on a horse, these investors were betting that with the adjustable rate mortgages we could buy a debt for $10,000 and plan to make $4,000 from and to sell pieces of mortgages in an unprecedented way.

But how does that work? Dwight asked.

Here's how it works Brother Dwight. Let’s take the example of a homeowner on Santa Rosa St in Detroit purchasing a house with an adjustable rate mortgage for $100,000 from a lender. The lender sells the mortgage to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac after the closing 3 weeks later for $150,000. A mortgage at 8% over 30 years at about $650 per month will yield approximately $350,000 in total payments.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac then sells the mortgage to Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, etc who creates the SECURITY a derivative which they sell to investors in bundles as a note or bonds. The insurance company (A.I.G.) guaranteed through insurance, as they do with mortgage insurance the derivative.


They sell pieces of the mortgage to investors. The investors are told that the mortgages are backed by insurance companies like (A.I.G.) and that their money is safe. Furthermore, the debt is backed by the homeowner’s property. Bear Stearns or Goldman takes the mortgage to 10 investors, each of them purchasing a piece of the $150,000 mortgage or $15,000 per person, hoping to make $10,000 or higher on the debt. These derivatives equal nearly $516 trillion dollars.

Some of the investors sell their piece of the debt to others who turn around and sell it again and again. This process is called securitization and carried as high bond rating because of the insurance.

To accomplish this, the speculators are would say that in 6 months, the price of property will be at set price more that what is was on a particular date. If it gets there, the investor gets paid a profit. If not then the investor loses money.

The Oil Men in the White House already delivered the nations liquidity to their cronies and now home values have plummeted like no time since the great depression.

They were all counting on the owner of the home to make that monthly payment on time every time for 30 years. The problem starts when the adjustable rates start kicking in and the tax assessment rises. The original $500 a month payment balloons to $1500 a month after 2 years. The homeowner ends up defaulting on the mortgage and the house of cards starts to fall.

The loan is in default, the investors cannot cover their ‘bet’, and the only hard asset that is left is the house itself. The bank forecloses on the property and kicks the people out in the street. The house is priced much more that what it is worth and it sits empty in the neighborhood. The bank takes a huge loss by having to sell the house at pennies for a dollar because the bank does not want to own the home. Meanwhile the investors are screwed out of their money and everyone loses.

These same investment houses speculate other hard assets like Oil, Wheat, Corn, and anything that people use every day. They live on creating and attempting to control the supply and demand through the use of current events in the world, weather, and regulating supply to manipulate the demand price to a higher level. In other words, it is a high stakes poker game with the homeowners being used as chips.

Brother Jones said a deep prayer and asked his old friend “What do we do to fix this situation”? This is a moral disgrace and a criminal act that has been taken against the people of my world! What can we do Brother George? Dr. Cush’s thinking cap went off with bells and whistles. He rubbed his chin and said this is the way to solve this problem.

I would introduce legislation to promote housing for the homeless through the use of State of Michigan and Federal assistance programs. No family without a home to call home. This would include funding set aside for repairs and bringing the property up to code.

If a working person decides to squat in an abandoned property and starts to live there, that person shall be given squatters rights of 60 to 90 days to bring the property up to code. I would also tie this in with Job apprenticeship training in fields of plumbing, home repair, home electrician, and roofing.

Then I would place strict regulations on the process of Derivatives. I would also demand that the Comptroller of the Currency resign immediately. Then I would ask the Federal House Judiciary Committee to start an investigation into the practices of the derivatives. And I would not stop there.

I support increasing the FDIC limit to $250,000 to protect the consumers. I would also advance changes in the credit reporting act to allow local and state courts to resolve credit reporting issues and modify terms of a homeowner’s mortgage based on income and assets. Then I would demand an inventory of all property taken by State, County, and Local agencies, including the land bank authorities.

Once this is all done Brother Jones, this would with God’s help and with all of us working together, we can begin to right this rape of America. My Mom and Dad always told me the rich do well under Republicans and we will do poorly. Boy has it turned out to be true!

1st things 1st, put people in the houses, give cash credit for sweat equity and let’s tackle the Homeless Families issues first. Let the people say Amen. And both of us did just that.

Friday, September 5, 2008

What’s good about Detroit? Children’s hospital, Buick Lucern, Bonding at a Detroit Lions football game.

Here I go again talking about my favorite city. As I was talking with some of my staff members, I asked them this question. What is good about Detroit? Why did I do that? They could not stop talking at all until I told them I had to go to bed. They brought up the fact that Detroit still makes some of the finest automobiles in the world. Despite what you hear about outsourcing, we still make the Buick Lucern, Cadillac DHS and DTS, Dodge Charger, Jeeps and the new Chevrolet Volt. They are all great automobiles and especially if you get a sun room installed. Recently these cars were cited for having a reliability rate of over 90 percent, which is much better than the Mercedes Benz. Although the news media rarely covers this, we know deep down in our hardcore Detroit hearts that we still produce world popular and reliable automobiles. The Detroit Auto Show is the premiere annual auto gala event.

Eastern Market features food and vegetables that are grown in Detroit! Hometown farming is a priority and our residents take pride in their work. There are no synthetic chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, or other genetically modified food products allowed in our city. Every Saturday from 6:30am to 3:00pm in shed #2, the finest food grown in the City is for sale. The Eastern Market is an international market offering fare for cuisine from cultures globally.

The Children’s hospital expansion at the Detroit Medical Center is another example of what is good about the city. Medical services are free for children regardless of income level and indigent status. This hospital is a world-renowned institution. Detroit is also a beacon for aspiring lawyers with three great law schools like The University of Detroit, Wayne State University, and the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University. These three instructions are producing graduates that can practice law with the best, and give back to their communities. So the two great professions medicine and law are both good in Detroit.


Given the high cost of fuel, ridership is growing on Detroit Department of Transportation busses. Detroit has always been committed to mass transportation despite being the motor capital of the world. We all know that the city is experiencing an economic downturn like the rest of the country. It is not a one state recession as being advertised, but a 50 state depression. It seems that we were the first ones to feel the crunch and we are not alone. The entire country is going through a depression with Michigan leading the way at the moment. We still have some excellent homes that are currently abandoned by people and neglected by the banks. But like a rubber band, the first city that is down will be the first city to lead the way to nationwide prosperity. When Detroit comes back, it will be roaring, soaring, and scoring with the nation and the world.


Most of us are political disciples and admirers of the late Mayor Coleman S. Young. We also share his dream of having commercial air service return to City Airport. Mayor Young was an excellent pilot and an honorary member of the Tuskegee Airmen. Detroiters owe it to him to make the dream happen by any means necessary. We are a much better city than people want to believe; a melting pot of all ethnic groups who bring distinct gifts to sustain and maintain the survival of the city.

The Lions, Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings are good things about Detroit. Ford Field Joe Louis Arena and Tiger Stadium are teeming with the melting pot of Detroit love. The Detroit Zoo is what’s good about Detroit visitors from around the globe visit here yearly for this attraction alone.


Old and new Detroit residents have a commitment to the city by participating in community cleanup efforts and voicing their concerns for the children at Detroit Public Schools board meetings. While the rest of the world sees our children as dropouts, hoodlums, and thugs, we see them as future citizens working as police officers, fire fighters, nurses, teachers, doctors, lawyers, dentists, accountants, mechanics, carpenters, farmers, plumbers, etc. The graffiti writer of today may be the webmaster and computer engineer of the future developing cross-platform applications for use all over the world. The saggy pants wearing youth that the adults criticize and berate now, will grow to be a contributing citizen. We must make sure Detroit is a metropolis/village that bears responsibility to our youth to help them learn and earn. This is good about Detroit.

For all those who participate in Detroit’s public and private schools, we as parents will see to it that they take every opportunity that is provided to them in the system. One day, the Detroit Public School system will feature an online syllabus for high school students and parents to help keep track of their progress. We Detroiters have a pride in our city that is unmatched and undisputed. Detroiters handle their business politically and professionally. I look forward to the day when Detroit employees live within the city boundaries, and then the concept of true public service will come to fruition.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Stopping the Systematic Stealing – A prescription for the City of Detroit.


Do you know that the thieves who strip Detroit homes and property are better organized than the police? Think about it. Just like a junk yard for car parts, a companion market has grown in parts for homes too. The end result of this criminal work is the systematic destruction of property, and the rapid descent in neighborhood home values. For NEW property owners, survival in this hostile, blatantly criminal environment is a struggle also. Here are three frustrating but real situations that thwart growth in Detroit.

Example one.
1. A young man used his savings to purchase a two family home and invest in its development.
2. He upgraded the appliances and brought the property up to code paid for the cost of a rental license from the city, and had a contract drawn up by a lawyer for the tenants.
3. Things were fine until the renter abruptly moved out.
4. Within 2 hours of their leaving the property, the place was stripped of its metal, materials and mechanical apparatuses (furnace, garbage disposal, etc).
5. The young man still has to make the house note despite the damage to the property.

Example two;
1. Elderly parents die;
2. The grief-stricken children and family members neglect the property;
3. An estate is open to pay for Mom’s funeral, to cover her past due bills, and to continue to operate her bank accounts;
4. The home is stripped before the first appearance in Probate Court; thieves take the copper pipes the aluminum siding, the appliances, the doors, the windows, the furnace, the iron, and strip the brick from the foundation and structure. The police reluctantly take a report but do not visit the home to investigate the damage.


Example Three:
1. A woman inherits a home.
2. The husband abandons her and two children.
3. She works 2 jobs to take care of the children and pay the bills.
4. The neighborhood crack addict breaks in and steals their personal items.
5. The crack addict develops a schedule breaking in based on the schedule of the working woman not being home.
6. Eventually he decides that he can break in while the woman and her family are home and attempts entry through the window.
7. The woman calls 911 while the children.
8. A passer by and a few helpful neighbors show up and intervene helping the woman fight the crack addict.
9. One hour later the police show up.
10. The woman frustrated, has had enough and moves out of the home for the safety of her children.
11. The property is abandoned and stripped of its assets.


In the third example, if the neighbors and the passerby were not fortuitously there, we would have had another major tragedy in the City of Detroit.



But Cush, how can you say that the thieves are better organized than the police? This question to the editor comes from the blog contributor Richard Clement by way of Royal Oak Township Michigan and a hard core Detroiter with our roots in the cement of 8 mile road and points south.

A succession of authority have policed the city and metropolitan area since the founding of Detroit in 1701: a militia, local army, metropolitan police department, city police department and Wayne County Sherriff have exercised the power of the people to keep order and protect people and property. The police are successful when they have the support and co-operation, information, and confidence in those who deliver the police service. Fear feeds on itself and when the people fear police as mush as criminals we have dysfunction. Human nature tells us that people lookout for themselves first.

When I began my political career, the addition of strong Detroit ties to police department officer affiliations strengthens our police efforts. We began and expanded police community relations through precinct organizations, CB patrols, and expanded the Police Reserves. The key to curtailing crime is comprehensive information coordination combined with communicational and caring law enforcement that reacts to and is interactive with city-wide citizen networks.

The criminals know their neighbor’s movements and the police don’t because so few of us have police officers living in our neighborhoods. When Officer Clement lives next door, he has to recognize what is going on and has to do something about it 24/7 not as an employee of the city, but a resident and a public servant. Police who live in the neighborhood and know people can better investigate break-ins, property crimes, and the senior citizens and the single mothers in the neighborhood.



Police Officers are fearless and are not afraid of criminals. They know the neighborhoods they live in and know them well. They know where there are potentially problematic vacant homes and the goings and comings of senior citizens, youths and families: the officers are involved in their community. They make neighborhood observations, they protect senior citizens who give them valuable information, non-withstanding of major community folk and the street cop that make life bearable in the city. This is the key to making the city work again: the relationship between the street cops and citizens.

The systematic criminals who strip our property are watching the comings and goings in the neighborhood. They are stealing and selling mechanical devices, toilets, sinks, wire, pipe, furnaces, etc., to home contractors who use these stolen devices on someone else’s property. Contractors mostly do not, but should, question from where these devices are coming. Second hand dealers should be legally required to keep a log documenting all hardware they purchase and sell. Furthermore, I would support an ordinance to require building equipment, materials to be imprinted as we have done with auto parts to help track stolen merchandise.

Police Citizens Band (CB) units should help coordinate vulnerable people’s comings and goings. City Council needs to review ordinances and budgets so that CB patrols can provide police investigative information and to provide fuel for CB Volunteer automobiles and motorcycles. The CB patrols should be expanded to include cell phones and more reports though the 411 system. Police community relations should have access to virtual mps and other GPS devices.


A google-type picture of every home and business in the City of Detroit on file with the assessor’s office should be kept in a public database. We would have a new way of policing when a 911 call comes in and a picture of the home or business comes on the screen of the police car, the dispatcher, and the CB patrol, along with text message notification to the home occupier’s cell phone.

Scrap dealers should be legally required to question and keep logs of their bills of sale for the purchase and sell of home-related assets. As for punishment in lieu of jail time, first time offenders could be a part of the revitalization by paying their debt to society by assisting with restoring at least one complete home. Jobs on a property include tasks such as painting, installation, cleaning, construction, and other needs as determined by people selected from the home vandalism victim database which each municipality would be required to maintain. This is truly a statewide issue to find alternatives to imprisonment for stealing and illegal drug use. These actions would bring back the true meaning of community service and giving back to our community in a positive way.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Governor Granholm Should Grant Due Process To Mayor Kilpatrick

I believe in law and the first thing that I learned in criminal law is that a person is innocent until proven guilty and convicted by a jury of his or her peers. I have a fundamental belief that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should not be removed as Mayor of the City of Detroit by the Governor not withstanding the constitutional authority vested in the governor. I want to carefully explain my position so that everyone understands that I see the removal statute as a disenfranchisement tool as applied to the Mayor and the electorate of Detroit.

Let us first address the criminal issues. The mayor has to face a county wide jury pool that will include many citizens outside of Detroit. While this should give us all pause for concern about whether or not he will receive a fair trial it is also the reality of the system we live with and have vested our faith. I trust that the judge will give special latitude to the trial counsel given the special publicity and political circumstances so that a truly representative jury can be impaneled.

This necessarily leads to the removal argument itself. The most important argument against removal is this: the People of Detroit elected Mayor Kilpatrick and the People alone should determine his future. Governor Granholm should not be permitted to exercise her authority to disenfranchise the citizens of Detroit by stepping in and removing the Mayor before his trial. Let the trial proceed and then if necessary the Governor can act on behalf of the City Council to make a decision. But presently the decision to move forward is one that is too complicated and too political to be attempted without accusations of racial animus to be tossed whether fairly or not.

The City Council and all of those who oppose the Mayor can argue as cogently and vehemently as they like that there is no jeopardy or United States Constitutional 5th Amendment issues impeding Governor Granholm’s inquest but that is absolutely wrong. There is no way that Mayor Kilpatrick can present an organized and vigorous defense before the Governor without sacrificing criminal privileges that are sacrosanct. As a lawyer, the Governor has a duty to respect those Constitutional Rights as would any other presiding officer for any other tribunal, administrative or judicial or any hybrid combination thereof. Moreover, to claim that the Mayor’s 8th Amendment right to a fair and impartial jury is not going to be affected by the Governor’s Open Adversarial Hearing is an absolute deception. Intended or not this deception goes to the heart of two very fundamental constitutional rights every American Citizen enjoys. Governor Granholm is proceeding to jeopardize those rights on behalf of the news media for no real expediency and the people of Detroit are disenfranchised in the process.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

A prescription for the City of Detroit, a diagnosis to help cure the pain from “Dr. Cush”

Quit Lying! Elected officials at all levels should be serving with care and compassion for the people. Because of them speaking up for you, they made it possible for you to represent their needs and issues. Even though we disagree sometimes, we share a common bond to help the other man live in a peaceful land.

Reward long time (25 years or more) homeowners in the City of Detroit with tax rebates on their property ending the injustice on first time homeowners in the payment of their property taxes. And my proposal to end this will be to allow the “Headlee Amendment” rule (limiting property tax to %5 or the rate of inflation) to be applied to assessments notwithstanding to the Proposal A on all home dwellings in the City of Detroit. By doing this, it would end the pop-up syndrome that socks the new home buyer with a large property tax bill because of the quirks in the State Equalized Value rule in assessing homeowner property.


An example is a homeowner who purchased a home in 1978 as a HUD home for $18,000 is assessed at %50 of its value. The home is sold in 2005 for $200,000 and assessed at %50 of its value. The bill for the 2nd sale of the home comes due in the 2nd year to the NEW homeowner. This is referred to as the POP-UP effect on property taxes. The new home owner is also stuck with an adjustable rate mortgage and is left with few choices but to leave the property abandoned and give it back to the bank.

Education in the City of Detroit is a mission required because we can no longer afford to be ignorant. The lack of knowledge and compassion is a threat to national security of our citizens. Until the parents and the children realize the value of continued education is the key to the uplifting of an entire community. And the collateral effects on a community will carryover to the entire world. We must take those iPods and integrate them into the educational curriculum. Over %90 of children in grades K-9 have a MySpace or some other web based account.

The city needs its citizens who work for the city to live in the city. Teachers, Police, Fire, Information Technology workers, and others should have a stake in its survival. In order to accomplish this, property tax incentives and other discounts on utilities would be proposed by me when I am in the right position to do so. We can no longer afford to be ignorant. Students need to know that education is the ticket and that their teachers do care about them. They may be stressed out, burnt out, paid low, disrespected and dogged by parents and students. But they return every year because they have love for the community and deep concern for the future of our world.

Innocent until proven Guilty; The People vs. Kilpatrick

I do believe that he should be allowed to attend the convention in Denver as a Super Delegate. He has nowhere to run and has no intent to hide from anyone. One of my passions is the practice of law. And one of the basic rules of law is that a person is innocent until proven guilty and CONVICTED of a violation. During that time a person is under court order to respect the law until a trial date occurs.

And so the man has to wear a tether now. So what! This means is that you can find a web site to follow his every move. And, you can contact him to with a text, email, or video message because he will be carrying a laptop computer with him. He will be working for the people of the City and you can see where he goes every day.

I hope he has a video camera with him so that he can do a podcast. And he still has to take the drug tests too. Given this fact, he should be allowed to have a drink of a alcohol shot of his choosing. Every Democrat should be allowed the opportunity to have a toast to the man who will become our next President.

He is carrying two sets of communication now. One a city issued blackberry and another one that is a private phone. A computer expert friend of mine said to me that “most legal professionals are not computer literate. They need a lot of help with the computer toys”. Most of us either consult with an expert, usually a son, grandchild, or a certified computer geek. All his lawyers need to do is; to have a group email account with the courts address, the prosecutors, and the local newspapers. Then he could push the send button and everybody would have been happy. Instead he spent a night in jail and pissed off the judge.

Now that the man and his legal staff have learned their lesson on technology, let Kwame Kilpatrick go to Denver to do his appointed job as a Super Delegate to cast a vote for Barack Obama, Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States of America.

And he can send anyone and everyone a text message from his blackberry on the convention floor….

Monday, August 18, 2008

Take back Detroit! Reclaiming our neighborhood one home at a time.

Greetings, my office is now starting to take complaints and register homes in my district that are dragging down the value of the neighborhood. As you know, some of them were excellent structures that were allowed to decay by neglect and blatant abuse by the banking and investments industry. And with all of the people who need work, a good job will be to restore the homes in the community by the members of the community.


Rep. Cushingberry’s plan is to seize control of the property in the interest of the members of the community. Theses homes can be restored and occupied with a little Detroit love and a few trips to Home Depot, Lowes, and taking carpentry classes from Detroit Public Schools, Wayne CCC, or some of the retirees in the neighborhood who have a little time on their hands and some love for the youth.

In order to make this program successful, I want you to send me the following information about the property; Address number and street name with a picture if you can send one. Send it to the following e-mail address: gcushingberry@peoplepc.com or georgecushingberry@house.mi.gov. Yes you can even call me at 517-373-2276 and leave a voicemail message. We accept cell phone pictures, video, as well as other documentation. Once this information is gathered, my office will proceed in the following manner.

If the home is occupied, my office will assert squatters rights and other legal avenues on the condition that the occupants pledge to upgrade the property to city code in 60 to 90 days from the date of filing. The cost of the home could range from $1 up to %50 of the equity in the home. If no repairs are done then the person must vacate immediately. If repairs are performed the must be up to city code to be approved. If the repairs will take longer than 60 days, you will be granted an additional 60 days to complete the job.

The condition of these properties is a criminal shame as to "shock the concious of the court" if taken before a judge and jury. These properties in our neighborhood are a nuisance and, have an adverse effect on the asset property of the remaining residential owners.

I will be working with a team of Lawyers and other City of Detroit officials to acquire this goal of reclaiming our city away from the financial carpetbaggers who want to loot the remaining assets of the City for personal and regional gain at the expense of the citizens.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Two More Years! - Thank you for your support in the August 5th, 2008 Primary Election.

I want to thank all of you for your support and vote. Your involvement in the democratic process of voting supports our existence in our City, State, and Country. You can be guaranteed that I will continue to be an activist for you in Lansing by speaking up, standing up, and pumping up our community for the rich heritage and a oasis of talent in each of you. I have been and always will be a true jobs, justice, peace, and equal opportunity Democrat.

Let me assure you that I will work to resolve the Johnson Center situation because I know that our community needs to have a City supported community center within walking distance for Senior Citizens and, a place to run and have fun for the youth. We all remember the lessons learned at that center and I hope to pass the legacy on to our children.

I hope that the supporters of the other candidates can work together and stay active in our community so that we all may prosper together for the benefit of the children and the people who will come after us. Each one of you are a piece of the legacy and history of the City of Detroit. Built on the shoulders of a rainbow coalition, from the American Indians, to the pilgrims, the immigrants from Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Central America, the Middle East, and especially the Caribbean, helped in some way to leave, and continue to leave a legacy to the City by doing something positive.

This is a tradition that is being passed on to our children in the pride and
responsibility that we as parents put into our children. People, I am asking you to come together so that we all can march on to bigger and better things in these next 2 years that will help uplift us all.



I thank you, GOD bless all of you and lets make these last two years rock!

Friday, August 1, 2008

What is good about Detroit? Cars, Belle Isle, and other things...

As I campaign in the district, I was thinking about all the good things that Detroit has to offer an individual. My mind quickly thought of Belle Isle, the people’s park. An urban getaway at the foot of Lake St. Clair and a Detroit icon since Detroit was declared a city. The beach, golf courses, museum and planetarium are world class and as always just needs some maintenance and some Detroit Love.

While you hear the negative press rip the city, other cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angles, Philadelphia, and Newark have 10 times the corruption issues that Detroit has. These Cities receive 1/10th of the publicity that Detroit has and yet, the City of Detroit rolls on. Sometimes the major Detroit newspapers are acting like the Harper’s Weekly of the 2nd black re-construction era in America.

Some of the finest automobiles are built in Detroit. Cars like the Lucerne, Cadillac DTS and DHS with 90% American made parts made by the men and women of the UAW. And the new electric VOLT car will be built in the City of Detroit.

Children’s hospital is a world class institution and the talent in Detroit is legendary. Starting from Henry Ford, musicians such as Anita Baker, The Winans, The Clark Sisters, Earl Klugh, Diana Ross, sports stars such as Dave DeBusher, Willie Horton, and Jerome Bettis are the tip of the talented iceberg.

Most of these people were students in Detroit Public Schools and did extremely well despite the verbal abuse and neglect the teachers face. And the teachers are super dedicated to the students because many of them do graduate and grow up to be fine citizens.

The loyalty to the sports teams is unmatched. The recent success of the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings do not overshadow the blind faith and dedication of the Detroit Lions. These fans come game after game to have a party good time in the City and follow the ups and downs of the Lions like a cult despite 51 years and counting of not winning a championship. And one day the people will be consoled, when the Lions win the Super Bowl.

Just like the Auto Industry and Motown changed the face of the world, we will lead the country out of the dumps by being the first major city to recover from the recession/depression that we are in now.




We are melting pot of citizens from various backgrounds and experiences. Together we can make a mix of Detroit power to start creating products and services that will be respected and used worldwide. And working in cooperation with land grant colleges and universities like Michigan State, Detroit and the State of Michigan will lead a new revolution in the greening of America.

What is good about Detroit? Urban Farming and the total “Overgrow of the Government”.

Urban farming is a skill and hobby passed on to generations of Detroit residents. In the height of World War II, the federal government sponsored Victory Gardens in which homeowners were encouraged to grow a little garden in their back yards to help with the war effort. When people did not have to purchase food, the money went to the defense department in form of the auto plants being converted to the manufacturing of military hardware such as tanks, jeeps, and aircraft.

Hardcore Detroiters from Mayor Coleman Young days remember the ‘Farm A Lot’ program in which the city passed out seeds to residents at the neighborhood city halls. This was sponsored by the executive leadership of the City so that they can cultivate the neighborhoods and empty lots into food production centers.

As I was working in my garden, I was thinking aloud to myself about what’s GOOD about the City of Detroit.? The first thing that came to my mind is Eastern Market and the rich selection of Michigan grown plants, vegetables, and fruit. In the summer months, you can listen to live music, shop for food, have a good meal, and enjoy that atmosphere of being around people who like the same things you do.

And for a large number of Detroiters, urban farming was a way of life in addition to going to the market. Some people even sell their home grown food at the market. Nothing tastes better than some homegrown eastside sage cultivated south of 8 Mile Road and east of Woodward. The west side comes in with broccoli, potatoes and collard greens. Together with fresh mint, cabbage, corn, and other spices, Detroiters have been overgrowing the neighborhoods for years. Collectively, Detroit Residents can and will outgrow any agribusiness in the world.


Some people justified having dogs to protect the crops from ‘early picking’ by neighborhood kids and squirrels. When the crops were harvested, neighbors traded food between each other in a spirit of giving. Detroit residents carry on a rich tradition of growing fruits and vegetables in their own backyards. And as times get tough, growing your own food may become another vehicle to the revitalization of the Detroit. Before I end this article, I want someone to e-mail me the cost of food and vegetables among the bloggers. How much does it cost for 1 pound of tomatoes, 1 pound of corn, and pound of broccoli. And as I go through the responses, a winner will be selected to receive a gift certificate to shop at Eastern Market or any business in my district.

Monday, July 28, 2008

The Resurgence of Coleman Young International Airport. (formerly known as City Airport)

“If it’s good enough for Condi, it's good enough for me.”



Super Bowl XL was one of the best events that the city of Detroit ever hosted. The game was such an event that Dr. Condoleezza Rice flew her government issued aircraft into Coleman Young International Airport (DTT) and had doorstep service in Detroit.





Her aircraft was treated with the upmost care by the men and women of the Detroit Police Department.

I see the need for a resurgence and re-investment in Coleman Young International airport. With a re-investment and a readjustment, Coleman Young International Airport could generate a sizable income despite the lagging economy. Currently Airlines like Mesaba, and others have smaller aircraft that can handle 20 passengers. We also see the need to upgrade the runways.

For a long range goal, we can offer commuter service to people who want to work in other cities by week and commute. Regardless of these facts, the people of the City shall not and will not let a City treasure such as City Airport be forgotten.

The total outlay will improve the neighborhood surrounding the airport by having 24 hour guarded parking lots and, allowing certified citizens in the surrounding neighborhood to let clients park their cars on their property while they are away.

I am committed to the city and will continue to fight for the City of Detroit.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Open Letter to Congressmen John Dingell and John Conyers

** An open letter to U.S. Representatives John Conyers and John Dingell ***

Honorable John Conyers
2426 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5126
(202) 225-0072 Fax

Honorable John Dingell
2328 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4071

From: The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.








I am requesting that your respective committees hold hearings and conduct and investigation on abuses of credit information, and mortgage flipping. This activity is a cause and effect of hyperinflation affecting my constituents. We need some answers to the questions that I pose below and, I also propose some solutions to the problem.

Question 1:
How many levels beyond the 1st sale of an individual mortgage were secured and sold?

Question 2:
How many recordings of sale by property address within street, zip code, income, and school district?

Proposed Solution 1:
Grant State Housing Authorities pursuant to Housing & Urban Development (HUD) laws to guarantee write downs of mortgages with unconceivable variable mortgage rates.

Proposed Solution 2:
Conversion to the use of long term Government Bonds (1 year note) as the basis for establishing mortgage rates.

Proposed Solution 3:
State regulators shall be granted the ability to produce reports tracking mortgage sales by property address within street, zip code, income by zip code, and by mortgage company. The reports can be created in a summary or a detail format.

To complete the task, I am requesting that this information be requested and compiled by subpoena from your committee to the 3 major credit bureaus. If they are not forthcoming and give you a lot of excuses, I would like your committee to assemble a government technology team composed of FBI, FHA, and Independent technical specialist personnel to extract the information.

I am hoping that your respective committees start these proceedings at your earliest opportunity. If the American taxpayer can bail out Bear Stearns and Wall St, then I feel that my constituents should have the same opportunity to use their money to restructure their mortgages.

This matter is of high priority to my constituents and the people of the State of Michigan.









State Rep. George Cushingberry Jr.
S0687 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514
georgecushingberry@house.mi.gov
Fax: 517-373-7186
Phone: 517-373-2276

Hyper-Inflation and the Rescue of Detroit Homeowners

When Fuel and Food prices rise out of control and, purchasing power diminishes, a condition of Hyper-Inflation exists.


Government prints more paper money to pay for outrageous expenses it creates conducting its business domestically and worldwide. Since January 20th, 2000, the City of Detroit and America is paying for the un-regulated financial markets and speculated oil prices in world markets.



With the click of a mouse, oil prices fall and rise without solid rationale. This is fear based investments based on speculation by Wall Street and Texas Oil Men. A good example is this one by using Countries A, B, C, and D.

An example is a hurricane in country affecting the prices of oil in country B, C, and D. Countries A, B, and C are oil producers. Countries A and B never has shipped ANY oil to country D. By using ‘fear based financing’ the speculators will justify changing the prices in country D.

Hard assets like metal and food are speculated by "investors" who use these items to shield their assets. As a result Detroit residents lose their property, their former homes are abandoned, and stripped of their assets (copper wire, doors, furnaces) and sold to scrap yards for profit.

The main cause of hyperinflation is a massive and rapid increase in the amount of money, which is not supported by growth in the output of goods and services. This results in an imbalance between the supply and demand for the money (including currency and bank deposits), accompanied by a complete loss of confidence in the money, similar to a bank run. (Wikpedia Online Encyclopedia)


This is a perfect environment for upscale rip-off artists and executive criminals working in corporate America. The end result is that the land is being taken away from citizens of Detroit, right from under their feet.

As your Representative in State Legislature, I have taken steps to right this wrong. If you call my office toll free at 888 347-8008, I will share information with you regarding the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) that will allow you to re-finance mortgages if you are in a foreclosure situation.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The $300 garbage collection fee to Detroit residents, an explanation by Representative Cushingberry




The $300 garbage removal fee was an act by the Mayor and the City Council to offset the lowering of property tax. Cities all over the state use various methods to calculate the cost of paying for garbage. I was not responsible for this legislative act now or, when I was a Wayne County Commissioner.

The Republicans took the City of Detroit to court by a proxy organization called "Call Em Out" registered as the plaintiffs. They were handed a resounding defeat by the State Court who stated in their decision: "That the law allowing the change has been in existence for decades". The citizens of Detroit incurred the legal fees and the time wasted for this court case. My constituents were harmed by the partisan politics of ‘tit for tat’ retaliation that diverts badly needed funds from necessary projects and programs.

Representative Cushingberry remains staunchly on the side of the Citizens of Detroit who he believes are some of the most creative, talented, and greatest people on this earth.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

New Information Coming Soon for Johnson Recreation Center...

I am currently working on new ideas for the Johnson Recreation Center. I am fully aware of the situation at hand. The plan is to have the City give the property to the State of Michigan. Once that happens, we can develop a full neighborhood recreation and service center for the benefit of the constituents of my district.





Please Stay tuned for more information on this issue from the appropriations committee that I chair.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Speech given by Pres Dwight D. Eisenhower warning people about the danger of a military industrial complex managing America. 1/17/1961



Good Evening My fellow Americans:

We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations.

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Michigan's economic "Katrina"



Some of you may know someone or have first hand experience with foreclosures. This epidemic gives the appearance of a looming federal crime. More money was distributed after 9/11/2001 that the process went 'bonkers' and people found themselves upside down in the value of their property. So many innocent and hard working people had to suffer the indignity of loosing their home.

For some people the moratoriums are too little, too late. And letting people just fall down on their faces is just immoral.

Should banks and mortgage companies be bailed out or prosecuted to the full extent of the law?

let's talk about it..

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

January 20th, 2009 - America will be better off when the Oil Men get out of the White House!



We lied to go to war and, we are making more excuses to stay. It’s all because of OIL and greed. Was Saddam selling his oil too low at $0.05 a gallon before we invaded Iraq? Is Hugo Chavez a terrorist for selling his oil at $0.12 a gallon? And why is it that the auto industry is continually producing cars that burn gasoline instead of bio-fuel products.
I believe that the people want their government to lead them to a better and less expensive method to drive their cars. Furthermore, I believe that government owes it to the environment to keep it healthy by mandating competition to the gasoline industry. In 1941, Henry Ford built a car that ran off of, and was constructed with the use of hemp products.

In the 1960's, Chrysler had a car with a turbine engine that could run off of any combustible fuel product. (Alcohol, cooking grease, etc) The president of Mexico tested this theory by running one of the first cars--successfully--on tequila.



What is happening?
Where has all the innovation gone?
How can we as a nation turn this thing around?

Outrageous Gasoline Prices and our Country


Why in the heart of the motor city, we now have to "give up" the one item that is essential to us by a bunch of "Texas Oil Men". An automobile in Detroit is like a horse in Texas, a national icon.

I am comitted to finding an alternative fuel source that will stop the financial destruction of our nation.

I am a supporter of bio-fuel products such as Cellulosic Ethanol that will compete with the oil industry's major product.

What do you think? Can you think of any other fuel source that will not affect the food chain?