What it takes to make a great city: Practicing Q.F.W.O.P.S. a formula for civic pride and respect of each other.

The Friends of Cushingberry
July 12, 2010
by Richard C. Clement TFOC




An important element of a good city is to respect other peoples properly and person. A visitor to our city should not have to worry about their car and property being in the same place when they come out of Motor City Soul Food restaurant one of the largest African American owned restaurants on 7 mile and Fenkel. A resident of our city should not have to worry about their property being there when they turn their back. A family from Virginia should be in good hands and not have to worry about being harmed in our city. What is Q.F.W.O.P.S? To find out TFOC Blogger Richard Clement asked the chairman about this while we were at Grandfathers Place on McNichols and Greenlawn talking to constituents.

TFOC: Mr. Chairman what is Q.F.W.O.P.S?

George: It is defined as Quit Fooling with Other People’s Stuff.



TFOC: What kind of message does that send to the children and the youth? Please Explain.

George: Visitors from other cities, states, and country should be able to come to Detroit without fear. By practicing respect for other people and their property, Detroit will prosper again. With a spirit of civic responsibility and a feeling of community, neighborhoods once blighted will prosper making the entire city a better place to live. Youth and small children will grow up respecting their elders and start to learn from them.



TFOC: Can you give us an example Mr. Chairman?

George: For instance, Visitors from around the world could search for Soul Food on 7 Mile in Detroit MI using Google and Bing and be directed to any fine facility in the neighborhood. There are two basic rules to follow

1.Respect other people’s property
2.Respect other peoples person (personal space)

Property and person are the two main categories for felonies and other crimes. Was it a crime against the person or their property? Some brazen hoodlum breaking into someone’s home on a bright sunshiny day during school hours is a crime against property. The same hoodlum that starts beating on you is committing a crime against person. A lot of times they cause just enough damage so that you have to come out of your pocket to cover expenses because you do not want your insurance rates to go any higher. This type of crime tends to destroy neighborhoods and is the ultimate form of urban decay.




TFOC: How can we assist each other especially citizens under 35 to carry on the path to civic pride.

George: Using Q.F.W.O.P.S. theory the depressing feelings tend to go away which is healthier in the long run. The greatness of Detroit is in the diverse activity of its residents. Walking down any street in Detroit and each home has a unique part of history to the city. Each resident participated in keeping up their property and looked out for the interests of the neighborhood. Before Facebook, they met in block clubs at recreation centers and shared ideas to make their individual block a viable part of the community. Neighborhoods that had block clubs seemed to be much cleaner and safer than those who did not. Now with the Internet entire neighborhoods can be connected virtually in addition to the traditional brick and mortar block club.




TFOC: Searching for Soul Food restaurants in our neighborhood would be an interesting thing to do for promoting Detroit small businesses. Do you know of any at the top of your head?

George: Well Richard I got to try out one of these I phones with Internet access and let’s do this now. However we have some wonderful restaurants in our district. This is an incomplete list due to me having to go meet a constituent, but here it goes. I have entered into a Google search engine these words “Soul Food Restaurant in Detroit MI 7 Mile Road” and this is what I came up with:

1.Motor City Soul Food 12700 W 7 Mile Rd. Detroit, MI 48235 (313) 863-7685
2.Tony's Soul Food 12944 E 7 Mile Rd, Detroit, MI 48235
3.Binky's Soul Food 15137 W 7 Mile Rd, Detroit, MI 48235 (313) 270-4260
4.Hamlin's Soul Food 17602 W 7 Mile Rd, Detroit, MI 48235 (313) 412-2475

Others include:
5.Miley and Miley Shrimp Shack 17171 Livernois Avenue, Detroit MI 48235
6.Lee's Texas Style Bar-B-Q 14001 Fenkell Street, Detroit, MI 48227-3212 (313) 836-0001

And many more businesses in the city that people should be able to come to and return to for more business. My district has some of the most viable small businesses and the owners work hard to maintain them without some person or persons trying to get something for nothing. By following these two rules and practicing them will make Detroit a much better city and will attract tourists who want Soul Food on 7 mile road. You, friends, and visitors should be able to come on any mile road in the City of Detroit (McNichols included, 6 mile for Detroit residents) and get the best cooking for their money.




TFOC: Gee Mr. Chairman that is a long list and it is making me hungry, I can’t wait to go to some of them and check them out!

George: Well Richard I hope that you do get some time and money and visit one of these fine establishments. We want visitors and residents to feel comfortable and welcome in the city limits and I am doing everything I can possible for them in Lansing. The people of the district are some of the most dynamic and talented individuals walking and I am so proud to represent them.




TFOC: Thank you for your time Mr. Chairman

George: Thank you Mr. Clement

If you would like to go on a neighborhood tour please let our office know so that we can make arrangements for you to visit. If you take the time to Google Detroit for more information on what type of businesses we have here you may be pleasantly surprised. Using search engines like, Google, Yahoo, and Bing may save you some money and time on businesses in the City of Detroit.

What does it take to make a Great City? Detroit Public School students studying Math, Science, and Swimming

The Friends of Cushingberry
July 2,2010
By TFOC Blogger Richard Clement


Summer is here and it’s that time of year again to hit the pool for cool swim. The young adults and children are out of school and enjoying their time off. Myself and the chairman were driving by a closed down Johnson Center in the City of Detroit and we started to wonder where all of the children are going for recreation. Seeing my former place of employment made us pretty sad because we all learned how to swim in City of Detroit pools with classes taught by us lifeguards.

When we worked there the Gym was always crowded and the pool was relatively quiet. There was an un-written law in the neighborhood that everyone (especially the males) played basketball and if they happened to go to the pool, the deep end was out of the question. On occasion we would have to jump in and grab a non-swimmer out of the deep end of the pool.

What does this have to do with the 3R’s of education (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic)? Perhaps there should be an S added on the end of that statement for swimming. In order to sustain a great city, the citizens should have equal access academic tools and public swimming pools as a part of the educational process. Detroiters by the droves are being disadvantaged by the lack of facilities and the dwindling resources in the neighborhoods. When the park and recreation department starts laying off employees and closing pools, the youths start beating up the senior citizens and doing other stupid things.

Studying math and Science is very important but too many smart African American kids end up as organ donors being scooped up off the bottom of pool floors and lake beds because of the lack of knowledge of water safety. Studies show that 80% of African American children do not have access to a swimming pool. That same number is steady when you look for African American children studying math and science. Why is this? Everyone can’t be a rapper, singer, or athlete. Numerous statistics point out that less than one half of %1 of all children who play high school sports EVER make a living at professional sports. The energy and time spent to practice throwing the ball, shooting the ball, and running has to be multi-tasked with an educational commitment. Looking at others who have decided to study these disciplines from the community is necessary to show the youth that yes you can be anything that you want to be.

The fear of failing a class and having an inflated GPA by taking courses that are not as challenging is a big barrier and a hindrance to the full development of young children. Children must be encouraged and pushed at young ages to study math, science, and swimming. This would include swimming as a graduation requirement for high school and middle school children. We can no longer allow this situation to continue because we will lose a number of extremely talented students to failure and drowning. Out of concern and looking for a solution, I interviewed our friend George as he was exiting the House Chambers one Thursday morning about what can we do as citizens of Detroit to correct this situation.

TFOC: Why should students study Math, Science, and Swimming?

George: For far too long African American boys and girls avoid these subjects like the plague. And far too often the kids do not realize what they have avoided until much later in life. In the case of swimming the usual reasons are, not wanting to get their hair wet and, perceiving swimming as a “white man’s sport”. Some of them end up becoming organ donors because they did not give themselves a chance to swim or there was no one there to lead them to the pools. In a majority of cases, the parent can’t swim either.



TFOC: What can we do to interest young minds into science, math, and swimming and how will that benefit the community they live in?

George: By studying these areas of skill students will be setting themselves up for careers that will translate into sustainable income. Organizations such as the US Navy, Detroit Police Detroit Police and Michigan State Police recruited former Detroit Public School graduates for jobs. Our youth will be better in all ways because I fully believe in the each one reach one to teach one concept. I want to “impart” and share some of the knowledge and skills that we have with young. Once we retire we are hoping that the people that come behind us don’t make the same mistakes that we and others did regarding math, science and swimming.



TFOC: Regarding Math and Science our urban children seem to struggle with these subjects. And by listening to the news about Detroit Public Schools, it gives the impression that NO one is learning anything. I don’t believe that and I hope you don’t either. What can we do to highlight the good in the Detroit Public Schools and the neighborhoods?

George: We have some excellent young people in the City of Detroit. They are as smart and capable to handle complex tasks and make something of the opportunities available. Now Richard I understand that you teach sometimes and you tell the students to take the hardest classes in high school now because you will see them again when you go to college. This is a good thing because our children need to be exposed to these opportunities. If they fail and they have the desire to succeed, they will take that class over again until they get it right. Failure is not an option!



TFOC: What is the benefit of learning research techniques?

George: Our young people need to study research because an educated mind is a key to the survival of a civilization. A researcher is a person who is consumed with finding the facts behind the causes and effects of different things. Just look at the study of stem cell research and all of the benefits of taking unused stem cells and using them to cure various diseases such as Parkinson’s, sickle cell anemia, and others uses of the cells. Research techniques include listening to the pros and cons of a situation and determining the best possible procedure to take for the best outcome. Some of the reasons that stem cells were not researched were because of religious reasons. Richard you know that I am a true man of GOD and raised in the church. There are biblical reasons that stem cells would benefit people if used wisely. The main argument that people use against stem cell is that it can be used for cloning humans. This is not true because the cells being used for research are already dead an unused from the mother’s placenta. The ability to determine right from wrong is essential to a person making wise choices that are free from prejudice and manipulation.



TFOC: What are some of the qualities of a good researcher?

George: A good researcher is someone who likes to look for solutions to problems. A lazy person has good research skills because they are always looking for the easy way out and by doing that, they find out that there is no other way out. Or they find a better way to do things and this takes practice to test the methods being researched to see if it IS the better solution. A good researcher is free of bias and can look at things from both sides to determine a course of action. Having an open mind will allow a researcher to filter out information that is not true or inefficient in the terms of a cost benefit relationship.



TFOC: Thank you for your time Mr. Chairman

George: Thank you Mr. Clement and keep up the work you do in education and politics. We and the citizens of Detroit appreciate your dedication to your causes.

Privatizing the closed Park and Recreation centers may be an option that needs to be explored because we are losing too many of our children in drowning accidents and not taking their education seriously. It is not cool to be a fool and ignore the rules because it will all catch up with you in the end. The people that are drawing on the walls of freeways should be directed into fields such as graphic art and design. A second look at some of the graffiti shows that these people take a lot of time to draw their work. Some of them make excellent use of drop cap shadowing and making sure that their letters are all the same shape and height.


A public school system that can produce Grammy award winning gospel artists, jazz musicians, doctors, lawyers, automobile workers, engineers, educators, and outstanding citizens, shall not be shut down and sold off for the benefit of a few for profit organizations. If you want to support the effort to re-direct the minds of our children, please use our blog to contact us and offer some solutions that we can use.

House Committee votes to outsource processing of patient applications for Michigan's Medical Marijuana program

The Friends of Cushingberry
by Richard C. Clement
TFOC Blogger


June 28, 2010

The House Intergovernmental and Oversight committee met on Thursday June 24, 2010 to make an executive decision on the status of the Michigan Medical Marijuana program. The goal of the meeting was to take action to address the problem of a 120 day backlog for processing applications to the Michigan Medical Marijuana program. Currently there are over 22,000 new applications that are affected by this dilemma.


The committee unanimously voted to outsource the process of new and renewal applications and place them out to the lowest bidder. This action was taken because participants in the program are being subjected to arrest and persecution because of the delay in processing applications and a lack of technology resources to get the job done. The next move is to appear before the Michigan Senate to start the process of letting bids go out to the public for the job. The date certain for this system to become operational is September 15, 2010 @ 7am.


This action was taken despite the lack of support from the Attorney General Office. For the last 4 or 5 meetings Attorney General Mike Cox or a designated representative did not appear before the committee after being asked to do so. This act of blatant insubordination by the Attorney General’s office was handled by a unanimous vote by the committee members in support of outsourcing the Information Technology. The Attorney General is supposed to be the lawyer for the people and while they were sitting on the sidelines, the appropriations committee outran them to the goal line. If this was a track meet Attorney General Mike Cox would be at the starting line tying his shoes while the rest of the pack has left the starting line and are in a full sprint mode.


The representative from MDCH voiced the department’s objection to outsourcing by saying that things were working fine. The actions of law enforcement agencies give a different picture of how things are working. Since the law has been passed, there have been numerous arrests, seizure of property, and general harassment from local and county law enforcement agencies. In Lansing MI a woman’s home was condemned and property destroyed when she was arrested by the Ingham County Sheriff and Lansing Police Department officials. To make matters worse the City of Lansing decided to condemn the property because of an out of date water heater and pre 1960’s water lines in the home. The home is not a typical slumlord home in a neighborhood, this home is well kept and in great shape by the owner. The neighborhood is a middle class working type of place where people have professional and well paying jobs. These actions by the Law Enforcement Agencies and the City Inspector of Lansing MI are designed to further harass the homeowner and cause financial hardship to her.



This is not the time for the Attorney General to cut and run like a bunch of cowards on the issue of Medical Marijuana. This is no time for administrative treason by the Attorney General to insert their own agenda instead of working for the people. Innocent and law abiding citizens shall not be abused by law enforcement agencies interpreting different rules for Marijuana as opposed to other civil actions. It has taken the leadership of Chairman Cushingberry to provide the leadership and direction that is totally lacking in the Attorney General’s office.


Our friend George is a true servant to the people of his house district and the citizens of the State of Michigan. He spends many hours off the radar fighting for his constituents. Serving the constituents in the 8th district is a 24 hour job, and a job that he loves very much. We would love to see him be successful in the campaign for State Senate. Representative Cushingberry loves to hear from you and, if you have any questions or concerns on this and other matters, please leave them on our blog so that some action can be taken and the incident documented. Finally, if you have been arrested and convicted as a valid Michigan Medical Marijuana patient, please leave your information on our blog so that we can document and if possible, rectify the abuse or refer you to legal resources.

Attorney General is a No-Show before the House Intergovernmental and Oversight Committee on Med. Marijuana

The Friends of Cushingberry
June 21, 2010
By Richard C. Clement T.F.O.C. Blogger


The House Intergovernmental and Oversight Committee conducted a hearing on June 18, 2010 regarding the Michigan Medical Marijuana law. The purpose of this hearing was to hear an official and written opinion from the Attorney General’s office on the procedure for State Judges and law enforcement agencies to follow. County prosecutors are having a field day interpreting the law because it is confusing to them and, they can’t conduct business as usual on Marijuana possession arrests. Legitimate growers are being victimized by Law Enforcement, and others who have over the legal limit allowed by law. Revenues are down so much in county jails that in Ingham County Michigan, Sheriff Gene Wrigglesworth attempted to put a millage on the ballot that was sent down in flames by the Ingham County Commission with a resounding NO vote.



When the Attorney General failed to appear, the chairman gave a presentation on the benefits of legalization and taxation of Marijuana in the State of Michigan. He talked about the benefits of research into Marijuana being used as a replacement to many of the common drugs. Extensive research by Dr. H. Westley Clark was cited as a basis for state schools, colleges, and universities to do serious study into the benefits of the plant. Dr. Clarke is Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is responsible for leading the agency's national effort to provide effective and accessible treatment to all Americans with addictive disorders. (Click Here for Dr. Clark's Bio)


The chairman enlightened the attendees reminding us on the purpose of House Joint Resolution #62. This is a resolution to memorialize the United States Congress to repeal the federal Controlled Substances Act and allow all scheduled drugs to be regulated at the state level. Sponsored by Representatives George Cushingberry - (primary) Robert Dean, Fred Durhal, Lee Gonzales, Vincent Gregory, Robert Jones, Michael Lahti, Gabe Leland, Roy Schmidt and, Justin Amash, this resolution if enacted would generate a positive cash flow for the State. With this legislation, the Obama administration has been put on notice that the residents of Michigan favor change in the Federal Controlled Substances Act regarding Marijuana. This bill is currently in the Judiciary Committee awaiting action.


Mr. Cushingberry also cited the recent ballot issue before the Detroit voters this November allowing the use of one ounce or less of Marijuana on private property in the City of Detroit. Although despised by Mayor Bing and others, the issue has a very good chance becoming the law in the City of Detroit. As our friend George said to the audience, ”there are weeds growing in Detroit that are taller than him”. There seems to be an abundance of land in Detroit where the grass has not been cut and weeds are erupting out of the ground daily. The growing of Industrial Grade hemp in some of these empty fields would generate income to the city just like a property tax would. In World War II, the State of Michigan grew hemp rope for the US Navy in Cass County and Southwestern Michigan. Industrial Grade Hemp can be also used for fiber, fuel, foods with some products currently being sold in stores like Kroger and Meijer.


One option being reviewed is the use of plant tags and site licenses issued by the Department of Treasury. These actions would generate a credit balance in the Sales Use Withholding account for the State of Michigan. A plant tag would be required for each of your 12 plants and a site license would be given people with 5 patients to grow 72 or more plants as a collective.

With the non-appearance of the Attorney General before the committee, a subpoena may be issued to them in the future to compel them to appear before the commission for the good will of the people. They have been asked repeatedly to appear no avail while legitimate people are being arrested because of a lack of leadership from the AG’s office and county prosecutors who have very little guidelines to follow.

In summarizing this article the issue of the delay in processing the cards and adding additional qualifying medical conditions are a pressing priority with participants in the program. None of these issues have been addressed and are being held up by the non-appearance by the A.G. By continuing to allow MDCH to miss the 20 day processing requirement this question must be answered. How long would it take for the application process to be “caught up” to the 20 day processing requirement as stated by law? This is turning into a paperwork BP oil backlog for the Department of Community Health. This is leaving the State liable for delays and open to lawsuits with interest and penalties, similar to what a taxpayer gets when they are late on their taxes. Currently the State of California gets their cards to their patients within 7 days of applying for it. Michigan must do much better in this area and it will be done.


In the stuffed shirt world of politics, this blogger has never witnessed applause coming from the audience during a speech from any elected official. Mr. Cushinberry received an ovation from his presentation from the attendees who are truly concerned about the future of Michigan and serving its citizens. If you have any questions or concerns on this matter please to not hesitate to contact us and your individual state representative. (click here to find your State Rep)

House Committee preparing to take action on delays and snafus in the Michigan Medical Marijuana program by Embracing Technology.

The Friends of Cushingberry
May 8, 2010



Our friend George and the members of the House Intergovernmental and Investigations committee will be taking action between now and Thursday May 27, 2010, to address the complaints from participants in the program. The committee will take action by amending an existing supplemental appropriations bill for the program instead of adding another one. The amount to cover the additional expenses for the technology services will be added to this account for the Michigan Department of Community Health Medical Marijuana Program MDCH/MMP. This will cover the costs of the contract work for processing Medical Marijuana Applications. The two major complaints are the un-acceptable delay in processing the cards and the formation of the 15 member board to review petitions to place additional qualifying medical conditions on the current list. After listening to testimony from participants in the program, State officials, and outside experts in the field of Marijuana Information Systems, the committee will issue a directive to get the job done.


An opinion from the Attorney General Office regarding the legality to privatize the application process is currently under review. Patients are rightfully concerned regarding their privacy rights and the potential for abuse from law enforcement. However the argument cannot be supported because all private vendors to the State of Michigan must abide by confidentiality agreements or face fines, imprisonment, or both.

(Listen to State Employee Rose-Johnson King discussing data security in State of Michigan)

Companies like Unisys, IBM, Compuware, EDS, and the other myriad number of contractors working for the State are all under strict confidentiality laws. Unisys is a major contractor of hardware and support services to the State. The Department of Treasury has been a Unisys customer for years and they cannot and better not access confidential taxpayer information for their own use. Other departments like State Police and the Department of Transportation use contracted services from private agencies.



We expect the Attorney General to give the ok to allow the process to go out to bid. MDCH is currently not in compliance with the law and may be exposing the department to lawsuits and fines because of needless wrangling. The Attorney General has precedent setting contracts in place now with private contractors who do work for the Department of Technology Management and Budget (DTMB). Anything other than approval from the Attorney General would be a cause for the people to sue the Department into compliance with the law. After all if you are late on your income taxes, you pay a penalty and this is the same type of situation.


After the hearing on May 6, TFOC blogger Richard Clement had a brief interview with Melanie Brim of MDCH and representatives from the Department of State Police.

TFOC: What has the department done to relieve the backlog of applications?

Brim: We have added up to 5 additional full time employees to handle the backlog and added 2 new printers that can print a much larger volume of cards.


TFOC: Is there a solution using Information Technology?

Brim: Yes there is, I will be sending out notices from our office in 15 days stating that this is your temporary ID until you receive your permanent ID.


TFOC: What is the status of the 15 member board to review petitions for additional qualifying medical conditions?

Brim: I have no idea and that one can be answered by the Department Director. The Department Director and the Governor are responsible to appoint the members of that board. They are also responsible for calling meetings to review petitions for additional qualifying medical conditions. This is explicitly written in the law.


TFOC: On calling doctors back for every application what have you all decided to do to end this process?

Brim: I am desperately searching for answers to this entire bottleneck regarding applications. We already have the doctor’s information in our files already. We can send from pre-authorized terminals in remote locations.


TFOC: A patient calls me and asked me if the cards can be printed by the Secretary of State. Is this possible?

Brim: It may not be possible due to the workload at the Secretary of State.

TFOC: Thank you Melanie for your time.

Brim: Thank you Richard, have a good day.

After speaking with Ms. Brim, TFOC had a chance to speak with a Michigan State Trooper representative who was summoned to the meeting at the capitol.

TFOC: Why are law enforcement officials on the state and local level continuing to arrest legal Medical Marijuana patients?

MSP: Our officers have no way of validating a participant based on the paperwork provided by the Department of Community Health. Someone could have taken this paperwork and put it through a copy machine.


TFOC: According to the law, the paperwork is valid after 20 days. What can us as patients do to assist in the process?

MSP: The biggest problem that we have with this program is that we are not being provided a list from the Department of Community Health in a timely manner. There is also a clear lack of leadership in the Attorney General’s office regarding the issuance of a directive to State, County, and Local law enforcement officials on Medical Marijuana participants.



TFOC: Would someone running for Governor and Attorney General be able to fix this problem if they got elected?

MSP: I would hope so because the current situation needs massive improvement.


TFOC: Do you feel that privatizing the MDCH application process will solve the problem?

MSP: I am not going to get involved with that part of the process because it is not in my area. One thing is certain. We will not be calling Community Health on a Saturday or any day after 5:00pm because we know that one is there to answer the phone. This is an area that needs to be addressed immediately by the use of technology tools either by public or private interests. We want the law to work as much as you do because we are tired of prosecuting and arresting people with small quantities of Marijuana. We have bigger fish to fry such as child molesters, spousal abusers, murderers, and rapists.


TFOC: What is a small quantity to a Police Officer?

MSP: Anything under two ounces and if you have no prior felonies or warrants you will be free to go on your way. We are sincerely hoping that we can get information on people in a timely manner. We will be very happy about that.



TFOC: Police officers and firefighters are subjected to injuries and events that cause chronic pain. Being shot at, an injury from falling beams, climbing up roofs, and cinders from fires are events that increase the chances of getting chronic pain. I want to ask you, do you see the time coming when medical marijuana will be accepted as a legal treatment for these loyal public servants?

MSP: I don’t know and I cannot comment on that.


TFOC: Thank you for your time and cooperation.

MSP: Thank you Mr. Clement.

The committee will also issue a directive to take action to assemble the 15 member board that will review additional qualifying medical conditions. This has been overlooked in the process but not forgotten. MDCH Director Janet Olszewski and James McCurtis will be formally asked to select members to that board for the purpose of reviewing petitions to add qualifying conditions. Michigan citizens should not suffer from the poor prioritization of resources from the Director of MDCH and the Governor's office.


By embracing technology these problems would be eliminated and patient cards will be issued in compliance with the law. If you have any comments or questions, please use our blog so that we may review it for action later. Finally, we encourage everyone to contact their State Representative and State Senator in Lansing MI to support the efforts of our friend George and his colleagues to act on the wishes of the people.

Restoring the Revenue: Rep. Cushingberry seeks to help Michigan Agriculture with House Bill 6040 The Farm to School Grant Act.

The Friends of Cushingberry
By Hard Core Detroiter
April 18, 2010



Our friend George supports this bill introduced by State Representative Jennifer Haase (D-Richmond) because it would be an absolute benefit to the Detroit Public School System. School districts in Michigan will be eligible for grants up to $15,000 from the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of purchasing locally produced food products for their districts. This would allow approved farm product producers to supply a local school district with a healthy lunch instead of fast food.

Public schools would have the choice of placing trays of Oranges, Apples, and Bananas in the halls for students to munch on while they are on the way to class. For instance Oranges are very good because the natural juices in the orange will kill germs on teeth and taste better than toothpaste.

A list of local farm producers will be created and maintained by the Department as a directory for local school districts to select from. This bill provides for the structure of this project to be administered within the department. Some of the hidden benefits are:

1.Gardens in the city will also serve as a social gathering spot for senior citizens to hang out in the neighborhood.
2.Colleges and Universities like Michigan State with an agriculture program and a county extension service will benefit by providing support and learning opportunities for students.
3.Encouraging local school districts to acquire empty lots in cites to serve as a training program for K-12 students. Currently some school districts in Michigan have some form of a science program that teaches children how to grow now.

Currently Michigan ranks #1 in unemployment in rural counties in the United States with Alabama a close second. This is according to this 2009 map of the United States excluding urban counties.

(Click here for Rural Unemployment in United States by County Map).

If you would like to see this bill become law please e-mail your State Representative and Senator. If you are not a State of Michigan Resident, contact Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm (Click Here for the Gov.). If you are sending an e-mail please place the bill number in the subject line of the message. Include your voting address to allow your message to be forwarded to the proper representative.


Subject line example (HB 6040 – Farm to School Grant Act Support/Opposed/Neutral).

If you have additional comments or ideas on this bill, please use our blog to leave a message because your input is appreciated. Given the total number of sponsors on this bill, contacting your Representative will make it a law before the end of the year.

(Read the full Context House Bill 6040 by Clicking Here)

How privatizing Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Program will benefit the Citizens of Michigan. Hearing in Lansing MI. April 15, 2010 @ 10AM

The Friends of Cushingberry
By Richard C. Clement
April 15, 2010

“A 420 Technology Slam in Lansing MI”

A slam is an event where people with similar traits go to ‘show their stuff’. For instance Poets have a poetry slam where a group of poets get together and let out their best verses to an audience. The Information technology profession has events like give camps and computer competitions.


The House of Representatives Intergovernmental and Oversight Committee will meet on April 15, 2010 @ 10AM at the State Capitol 3rd floor room 352, to settle a dispute between public and privatization. The hearing will be recorded by MGTV for the record if you happen to miss it. The State will be represented by David Neuman, legislative liaison for the Department of Information Technology. The challengers are two companies who have applications currently running in other states. At this hearing the defendants will state to the committee on having the best process to handle the deluge of applications coming into the program. The current process is unmanageable due to the increasing volume of applications and the tactical misuse of State Employees in a clerical function.


The Michigan Medical Marijuana program has been wildly successful for the State of Michigan in regards to public interest and participation. The sheer volume of applications received is a testament to the fact that the people of the state voted to allow the use of Marijuana as a medical solution instead of being a problem. There has been an explosion in the number of medical doctors who are writing recommendations for Medical Marijuana so much so that there is a 120 backlog of applications from the date of receipt by the Department of Community Health.

When an application is received, they are reviewed on the spot for completeness within the 15 day review period. Then they go to the backlog pile and wait to be processed. Processing includes calling the doctor who did the recommendation to verify the application. This is a problem for patients and law enforcement employees who have to make a snap decision on the street. Sometimes it is a poor and un-informed choice based on the documentation provided to the officer, prosecutors, and judges.

By privatizing the process the taxpayers will benefit because the software to do the job is already working in other Medical Marijuana states. Law enforcement agencies will have the information to make intelligent and sound decisions regarding Marijuana. Participants will be served faster and renewed much quicker if the system was privatized. State Government is going through too many layoffs, furloughs, payless paydays, and other cost cutting measures to implement a system of this magnitude. There is no need to re-invent the wheel and allowing State employees to use tax dollars to conduct study after study while they are behind is a waste of money and time.


The target time of April 20, 2010 @ 4:20AM has been changed to April 20, 2010 @ 4:20PM for a full presentation before a bi-partisan group of private citizens, technology experts, Senators and Representatives. The reason for the time change is to accommodate the non-technical employees and cooperation with computer geeks and nerds who do not have regular sleeping hours. Michigan’s new Medical Marijuana Law has already generated jobs and opportunities in dispensaries, agriculture, and the computer field. The addition of 5 staffers by the Medical Marijuana program is a band-aid and is not a permanent solution. Given the rate of applications coming in at 80 per day, it will take another 2-6 months to address the backlog if ever.


We believe that the solution to the backlog is in the tactical use of technology. The Department of Community Health MMJ program does not have resources to maintain and implement the program in a cost effective manner. The popularity of the program and the increased volume of applications will overwhelm the current staff at the current pace. Placing the process out for public bid will bring in the best and brightest minds from the private sector to vastly improve the management of information and will bring the Department of Community health into compliance with the law as voted on by the voters.


If you favor privatizing the processing of applications for the Medical Marijuana program please let your comments be known by entering it on our blog for public review and, e-mailing your personal State Representative in Lansing MI.