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.

Out of the Hospital! – A Status Report on our friend George and High Blood Pressure.

The Friends of Cushingberry
By Richard C. Clement
April 13, 2010

As of this writing, our friend is out of the hospital and resting comfortably at home in Detroit. He will be back to work by Thursday at the latest to return to duty. High blood pressure is the leading cause of many debilitating diseases and death. It is often called the silent killer. Eating habits such as eating and laying down over a long period of time will increase the risk. Certain foods like salt are a primary cause of raising your pressure also.

My friend George and I urge all of you to constantly monitor your pressure. Blood pressure cuffs may be covered by your health insurance co-pay and is fairly inexpensive (under $20). Other activities like dancing, farming, and walking help in the battle against this silent killer. Additionally, there is more information from this link provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp) that has very good information regarding the monitoring and managing of your blood pressure.


There is an old saying going around the neighborhood that “it is better to be seen, than viewed”. Please check with his staff for the latest information regarding meetings and other State of Michigan business. If you have any questions regarding the status of committee meetings please check with the clerk at 517 373 8080. Your thoughts and prayers were felt and welcome.

Clarification on Stephen G. Scofes of Scofes Associates & the Medical Marijuana Program hearing on 4/15/2010 Lansing MI

The Friends of Cushingberry
April 9, 2010
by Richard Clement T.F.O.C.




The hearing on April 15, 2010 at the State Capitol in Lansing Michigan will be held as scheduled. At the hearing in addition to State Police Officials, there will be members from the Departments of Community Health and Information Technology. Scofes Associates is a company that represents other companies. Mr. Scofes does not own the software but speaks for other companies that do own the software and performs the actual work. He travels all over the country to speak for other companies who need a professional representative to appear in person.


His clients have the solution to save the taxpayers a lot of money because the Department is in violation of State Law by not processing cards within the 20 day period. This system can be quickly implemented at a minimal cost. The date of April 20, 2010 at 4:20AM remains a target date for action and a day when the citizen Computer Geeks of the world step up to the plate of public service. The law was well written by a group of excellent lawyers and advisors.


When the mechanics of the law was finally implemented, the process began to bog-down with delays in processing. The tools of technology were completely overlooked and ignored. This explains the 120 day backlog in processing because of a paper only process. The citizen geeks of the world by stepping up to the plate will solve this problem for the benefit of the people by automating the entire process. By enabling the minds, passion, and talents of the geek world, this process will be brought into compliance with the law.


If you would like to send written comment to your Michigan House of Representative member in Lansing please click here to do so. In the subject line of your message please say something along the lines of: (Support/Oppose – Marijuana Info Systems Upgrade). If you are a former or Non-Michigan resident, please contact Governor Jennifer M. Granholm by clicking here.


Pure Michigan includes Medical Marijuana, Industrial Hemp and, will create new job opportunities in the Great Lake State, all the way from Davidson and Livernois in Detroit, to Montmorency County, to Escanaba, Marquette, and Sault Ste Marie. With the high unemployment numbers in our State, creating manufacturing jobs and hope is a top priority in our community.

Rep. Cushingberry places a hold on House Bill 5976 – Distressed Municipal Pension System Act. An update from Our Friend George in Lansing Michigan.

The Friends of Cushingberry
April 8, 2010



The recent 9 to 0 vote by the City Council contradicts the communication coming from Mayor’s office regarding the status of the pension system. With all of the votes counted our friend George has no other choice but to keep the bill in committee until the City Council approves it. Given all of the transparency issues regarding the pension system, it will be up to the citizens and the leadership of the City of Detroit to straighten the books and stabilize the financial turmoil with this account. To get a full picture of the situation, T.F.O.C. Blogger Richard Clement met with Rep. Cushingberry to find out what is going on.

T.F.O.C.: What is going on with the vote at City Council regarding the pension system?

Rep. Cushingberry: This bill will remain in committee until the City Council approves it. I venture to guess if the city council does not approve it then it will never get out of the committee.”


T.F.O.C.: Do you know when this will happen?

Rep. Cushingberry: I don’t know at this time but I always have my lines of communication open to anyone and follow very closely the activities of City leadership. Detroit is in my blood and DNA and I am very proud of that fact.


T.F.O.C.: Looks to me that City Council is saying that the pension system will be “blessed instead of being distressed” by City leaders instead of the State of Michigan.

Rep. Cushingberry: I respect the decision of the City Council and as you know Richard, I will always support the best interests of the people. I am glad that City Council is speaking up regarding the pension system and hopefully the issue will be resolved. Hey Richard, I have to go back to work for the people, thanks for calling.

T.F.O.C.: Thank you for your time and concern for the citizens, we appreciate you looking out for our citizens best interests.


The T.F.O.C. blog poll has % 95 percent accuracy rate on topics such as Industrial Hemp Research at Michigan State University, Medical Marijuana, and picking Mayor Bing as the next Mayor with a margin of error of +/- 2 votes. As of this date Karl Rove is not wearing a tether like former Mayor Kilpatrick for lying as of yet. Polling is not an exact science but follows trends and the environment that the poll is taken in.


There is still time to vote because the vote will end on April 15, 2010. Your comments are logged on our blog because we encourage public comment. These comments are analyzed and reviewed by T.F.O.C. and staff members from Rep. Cushingberry’s office in Lansing and Detroit. Finally we want you to join the Push for our friend Cush to move to the Michigan State Senate, District #4 in 2010 to keep fighting for the good of the people.

A list of 92 accomplishments by the Obama Administration since taking office as of April 1, 2010.

The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.
April 1, 2010

For all of you Obama Haters and especially the African American “Tea-baggers”, this is a list of completed tasks by President Barack H. Obama since taking office in January 20, 2009 @ 12:01PM EST. An African American Tea-Bagger is usually one who has a self-hating image of an African American in any type of authoritative position.


The composition of the "Tea-bagger" membership is overwhelmingly Caucasian. Most of them, if not all of them, already have healthcare services from the Government. Government programs like Medicaid, VA benefits and Medicare is the norm. If they are owners of any business, they usually are the lowest payers regarding to wages when it comes to any job. African American Teabaggers are viewed as the “blacks to hold the others back” if they are in a management position or other position of authority. Some of them are using the sanctuary of the Church to perform this shameful job on people.

The person responsible for this list is Robert P. Watson rwatson@lynn.edu , Ph.D. Coordinator of American Studies Lynn University Boca Raton Florida. This list has been floating around the internet but would never appear in mainstream publications. Therefore, we at the friends decided to capture the list and make it available to the general public.


If you have any comments, feel free to contact President Obama at the White House today..

1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
6. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier's family
8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
10. Limits on lobbyist's access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren't even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
16. New federal funding for science and research labs
17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
18.. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
21. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
35. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the
SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
41. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service
program
42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba , allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
44. Expanding vaccination programs
45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
49. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry's predatory practices
50. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
51. Lower drug costs for seniors
52. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
54. Improved housing for military personnel
55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
57. Increasing student loans
58. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
59. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
60. Established a new cyber security office
61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20
years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new
procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber
units and operations, etc.
62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the
federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
65. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
66. Improving benefits for veterans
67. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
68. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
69. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
70. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
71. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
74. Making more loans available to small businesses
75. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
76. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
77. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
82. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
83. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with
renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
84. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
86. Held first Seder in White House
87. Attempting to reform the nation's healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
88. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
89. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform
90. Has announced his intention to push for education reform
91. Got Health Care for all Americans that do not have health insurance.

Oh, and he built a swing set for the girls outside the Oval Office

State officials to re-appear before House Oversight Committee to answer questions regarding the Medical Marijuana Program on 4/15/2010

The Friends of Cushingberry
March 30, 2010



On April 15, 2010, administrators from the Departments of State Police, Information Technology, and Community Health will be testifying before an Intergovernmental and Oversight committee of the House of Representatives at the State Capitol in Lansing MI. They will be compelled to answer questions, complaints, and concerns regarding participation in the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program. One of the major issues is that patients are being arrested by City, County, and State police officers and their medicine confiscated. Law enforcement officials are confused on the issue of a person’s status in the program based on a Xerox copy of an application. This document can be easily forged and is very impractical because of its size.


What happens next is beyond belief and an embarrassment to the citizens of the State. When a person is arrested, the arresting agency has to call between the hours of 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. A good example of this is if you arrested at 5:01PM on a Friday, you have to wait until Monday morning until you are “verified” with a phone call as a valid participant in the program. Your weekend is all screwed up and any plans that you had that week are forever changed.


The law specifically states that after 20 days a person’s application is deemed valid if there are no anomalies and paperwork is properly filed. The wait up to 120 days for a card is basically un-acceptable and must be dealt with immediately. Currently some local law enforcement agencies have the ability retrieve information in their squad cars about the driver such as: warrants, status in the 7411 diversion program, and the lien holder of the car.


David Newman legislative liaison of the Department of Information Technology will answer to the committee regarding improving this current debacle in the bureaucracy. According to Mr. Newman no request for help was ever received from the Department of Community Health. He also admitted that the Department of Community Health has only one printer for the cards. When he was asked why is that printer not running 24/7 there was no answer.


The issue of privatization of the process will be addressed at this hearing. The State of Michigan’s Information Technology Department is a hodge-podge collection of contractors and consultants that the taxpayers support. These contracts are necessary because the agency’s employees do not have the time, money or ability to do the job.

Scofes Consulting Inc. has a program that can be quickly implemented to relieve the backlog in processing. The owner Stephen G. Scofes has stated that this program is already being used in California and, can be implemented in Michigan. The ultimate goal is to process the cards as fast as or faster than the Secretary of State, the gold standard in information processing for a government agency. Given the urgency of the situation it appears that Scofes has the answer to the problem. His company may qualify for a no-bid contract if they can perform the following tasks in a timely manner.


The bid will be based on the following parameters:
1. Registration of patients and caregivers via a secure web page to MDCH.
2. The processing of cards within the 20 day period including renewals.


The Department of Information Technology and Scofes will be asked to demonstrate how this proposed system will be implemented and maintained. If Mr. Scofes can demonstrate that his company can implement the system by April 20, 2010 @ 4:20AM, he will have earned the honor of being awarded a contract to perform that service for 2 years from the date of acceptance. If the demonstration shows that these participants can’t do the job, the process will be put out to a bid for the general public. When this bid is let out, there will be a required demonstration before a panel of committee members, department officials, and private citizens who have a vested interest in the process.


MDCH officials will answer to the committee regarding the status of the review board(PA 368 of the Public Health Code of 1978). According to the law there is a requirement for a 15 member board to review requests for additional qualifying conditions. As of March 30, 2010 there have been NO members selected and NO meetings scheduled.




Some of the questions the committee will ask are:
1.What is the delay in appointing this board(SOAHR Adm Rule 333.131)
2.What is the department doing to address the appointment of members to this board?
3.The benefit of allowing a private company to manage the Medical Marijuana Information System?
4.How can the MMJ program assist in sharing information with local law enforcement regarding a patient’s status in the program?
5.What is the cost savings to the taxpayers by storing additional information on the microchip of the enhanced driver’s license from the Secretary of State? Printing ONE card instead of two.


These questions and others from the committee and the public will be asked to these agencies. If you have additional questions that you want asked by the committee please leave it as a comment to this article. These questions will be compiled by Rep. Cushingberrys staff for review by the committee. If there are duplicate questions, they will be combined to address the main idea being expressed by the commenter.


Rep. Cushingberry appreciates the input from the following organizations: Americans for Safe Access(ASA), Michigan Medical Marijuana Educational and Defense Organization(3MED), Michigan Medical Marijuana Association(3MA), Michigan Chapter of the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (MI-NORML). Also appreciated is the Michigan Departments of Community Health, and Information Technology to improve the system for Michigan citizens. The ending result will be a system that will address the needs and wants of its customers. Government can work for the benefit of the people when the citizens provide positive and rational input to be reviewed, analyze, and implemented to the satisfaction of all sides of the issue.

Rep. Cushingberry sponsors House Bill 5976 to rescue the City of Detroit's pension system.

The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.
March 27, 2010





House Bill 5976 is known as the distressed municipal pension system act. This legislation will protect employee’s pensions by allowing pension managers to apply to the State of Michigan for assistance if the transaction goes into a negative status. When this situation comes into effect, a financial management team from State of Michigan would monitor the loan until paid off. This bill would be the Donald Trump moment for the current pension board whose performance in office is a total disgrace to all principles of Managerial Accounting methods and procedures. The current members would be replaced and a new management team would take over.

The City of Detroit Employees pension system is currently being supported by credit default swaps, a financing shell game that was implemented during the Kilpatrick administration. Credit default swaps are transactions that are similar to a bet at Motor City Casino or your favorite team. If your $100.00 investment makes %10 you gain $10.00 dollars for a total of $110.00 dollars. If the investment loses %10 you lost $10.00 and now have $90.00. You get the drift now and, given the current status of the financial industry, the pension fund for the city is exposed to greater financial harm.

The damage that credit default swaps create is evident when you walk down any street in the City of Detroit these days. In last ten years empty buildings and homes are the new face of the neighborhood. The rapid urban decay of the city is due to the abuse and criminal behavior of financial managers and government co-operation at the highest level of previous administrations at Federal and local levels.


According to information provided by the Detroit Free Press under the Freedom of Information Act, the current pension board lacked the oversight and investigation from neutral parties such as the Auditor General and other government agencies. There is currently a severe lack of transparency in the system at the moment.

Does the city have an additional $350,000 to support the current system from the property tax base to eliminate this credit default swap status?


Like the great stateswoman Wanda Sykes would say if she was sitting in Baker’s Keyboard Lounge one night “I want a receipt”. This bill if it became law would allow a citizen to generate that receipt by accessing the city website. That receipt would be generated in real time and displayed on your blackberry, cell phone and the screens of local radio station talk show hosts. Radio personalities like Mildred Gaddis (WCHB 1200 AM) and Frankie Darcell (WMXD 92.3 FM) would have access to the same information in real time.


As for the soon to be former employees of the board, when one door of opportunity closes, another one will open up or, will close behind them for a few years. They may possibly join the line of incarcerated city officials like Alonzo Bates, and Kwame Kilpatrick. However all hope is not lost because like Michael Vick and Martha Stewart, they will prosper after they serve their time.

Mayor Bing and his financial advisors feel that this legislation would serve as a life vest for the system protecting current and retired City employees from further financial damage and bureaucratic mismanagement. Deputy Mayor Saul Green has reviewed the current situation from a legal perspective. The “City has few choices and this is the best option to take for the financial safety and integrity of the fund”. If Mr. Green was in his old job as a federal prosecutor, some of these people would be in jail already. The bill is in line with the Obama administration’s policy to put more transparency in government by promoting the use of technology in all accounting matters.

If you would like to give us comment on this legislation feel free to use our blog. These comments are compiled and reviewed by Rep. Cushingberry’s staff.

Contact Information:
State Rep. George Cushingberry Jr.


Email: gcushingberry@house.mi.gov

House Committee issues a notice to appear to the leadership of the Michigan Department of Community Health and Information Technology.

The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.
March 22, 2010


The departments of Information Technology and Community Health were issued notices to appear before the House Intergovernmental and Oversight committee by March 25, 2010 to address the concerns of the citizens regarding the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program.

TFOC Blogger Richard Clement appeared with members of Americans for Safe Access, Michigan Medical Marijuana Educational and Defense Organization (3MED) , Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (3MA), and Michigan Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (MI-NORML) to testify before the House Appropriations Intergovernmental and Oversight committee regarding the Michigan Medical Marijuana program on March 18, 2010. Representatives from the Medical Marijuana community testified on the behalf of the newly enacted law.

One of most glaring concerns is that the law enforcement community is currently arresting legal patients with their paperwork. A police officer views the paperwork as a forged document because of the verification process is all by hand. As of March 18, 2010 the program has a 120 day backlog in the processing of a person’s application. For example, if you got arrested on Friday after 5:00pm, you would have to wait in jail until Monday morning until your paperwork got verified by the Department.

After the meeting, there were comments from the public regarding penalizing the department by fining them $1.00 a day per application that has not been processed within the 20 day time limit. This is an abomination in the face of the 21st century given the technology equipment that is currently available. We cannot let this happen because the state is already broke.


In a follow-up session with other cannabis colleagues, we wanted to ask this question:

Can the State of Michigan provide the means for authorized doctors to prescribe and recommend Medical Marijuana applications via a secure webpage by April 20th, 2010 @ 4:20AM?

Officials from the Department of Community Health and Information Technology will be on hand to answer this and other questions from the public before the House Appropriations Intergovernmental and Oversight Committee next meeting.

I received a call from one of Rep. Cushingberry’s staff members by the name of Cleo Wiley. She asked me the following questions:

Ms. Wiley: Richard, how is this going to work?

Richard: Currently doctors and pharmacies are allowed to fill prescriptions by phone, fax, email, and online. At the State of Michigan, doctor’s information is currently kept at the Department of Labor and Economic Growth along with drivers’ license information. The IRS has figured out the situation by allowing for the e-filing of returns and that has worked reasonably well.

By allowing doctors to enter the information at the point of action (in the office) the time spent on verifying applications would be reduced and, the 120 day backlog would be eliminated. Doctors already have a unique identification number and this would just be a matter of cross referencing information with various departments to verify an application. Currently the employees of MDCH are calling doctors by phone to verify their information. This is very impractical and inefficient given the number of applications received per day. As of March 2010, it has exceeded 80 per day.

Ms. Wiley: Why April 20, 2010 at 4:20AM?

Richard: This day is recognized as International Marijuana Appreciation Day and we have the talent in Michigan to get the job done by this date. The State of Michigan spends a massive amount of money on Information Technology products and with a $50,000 investment in resources; the returned revenue to support the program would be tripled. We would start with 20 authorized doctors’ statewide and look to expand fairly quickly to any medical professional authorized to practice in Michigan by May 1st.

The law was well written by some very intelligent lawyers and with added assistance from technology professionals, the program will be in compliance with the law.

Ms. Wiley: Thank you Mr. Clement for coming to the hearing.


Rep. Cushingberry is still taking questions via this blog from the public and encourages you to contact him with more suggestions to improve the program. Your comments will be compiled and reviewed by the committee for action. Your input is highly regarded by his staff and we encourage you to contact YOUR personal State legislator for your address.


Contact Information:
State Rep. George Cushingberry Jr.
S0687 House Office Building

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514

Phone: (517) 373-2276
Fax: (517) 373-7186
Toll-Free (888) 347-8008

Email: gcushingberry@house.mi.gov

Rep. Cushingberry will be taking comments regading the status of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program 3/18/2010

Press Release from the Friends of Cushingberry.
March 17, 2010


Representative Cushingberry will be taking comments and suggestions to improve the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program at a hearing of the Appropriations: Investigations, Intergovernmental Affairs and Oversight Committee on March 18th at 10AM in room 352, House Appropriations on the 3rd floor of the Capitol Building.

(Click Here for Committee Page Dates and Times)

Written comment is preferred and, if you would like to submit your concerns please contact Rep. Cushingberry and your own State Representative at www.michigan.gov

If you would like to leave a comment on this page, please do so as the information will be compiled and noted for the record. The long time delay in processing applications is un-acceptable and will be improved for the good of the people. The chairman will want to know the status of the 15 member board that is responsible for reviewing additional medical conditions. Who are the members and, when is the first meeting date are questions that will be answered and addressed by MDCH/MMP represenatives.

Driving Directions to State Capitol in Lansing MI

Rep. Cushingberry sponsors legislation allowing reduced time credits for good behavior and, segregating young offenders in Corrections Dept.

Press Release From
The Friends of State Rep. George Cushingberry Jr.

Date: Wednesday, 2/24/2010
Time: 10:30AM
Location: 521 House Office Building, Lansing, MI 48933
Event: Judiciary Committee Meeting
Clerk Phone Number 517-373-7256



House Bills 4497, 4498, and 4499
Credit for good behavior time and segregating youthful offenders at the Department of Corrections.


Representative Cushingberry has sponsored 3 house bills designed to reduce the $2 billion dollar a year Department of Corrections budget by removing non violent offenders out of the system who show remorse, forgiveness, and a willingness to change their destructive ways. It will also remove and segregate youthful offenders into separate facilities, removing them from the general adult population. In order to accomplish this Mr. Cushingberry is asking the Department of Corrections to produce the following information in a summary report for the time period from 2000-2009.

1. The total number and percentage of offenders that never return to the system after serving their sentence. This number will be subdivided into the categories of age in 10 year increments, race, and sex.
a. A prisoner who completes their time on parole
b. A prisoner who completes their time who is not offered parole.
2. The number and percentage of all offenders in the system that are under mental health treatment. This information will be sub divided by the following categories:
a. Offender status (incarcerated, parole, etc)
b. Age grouped in 10 year increments, race, sex,
c. By type of medicine
3. For steps #1 and #2 summary information shall be grouped by year.

HB 4497 will remove young offenders from the general population of adult prisoners who will totally abuse the youthful offenders. On a case by case basis each prisoner is reviewed for possible sentence reduction based on monitored behaviors and remorse for their crime (HB4498). If they violate this then they will be quickly returned to the system with increased penalties. (HB 4499)

For too long the Department of Corrections and law enforcement personnel have been used as surrogate employees for mental health treatment. The jails have been used to house some these people who are truly in need of help. The local police and fire resources are used to pick up these people and clog the judicial system. To correct these imbalance resources can be shifted from corrections to mental health treatment facilities in a joint partnership agreement.

We want to identify and separate an individual between being a criminal or, a person in need of continued mental health treatment.

These bills are all “tied together” meaning that they all dependent upon each other to be approved to become law.

A brief summary of each bill is listed below. A full text reading can be viewed by clicking on the bill number:

HB4497 Establishes a youth correctional facility which shall house only prisoners committed to the jurisdiction of the department who are 19 years of age or less.

HB4498 A record of all major misconduct charges for which a prisoner has been found guilty shall be maintained and given to the parole board as part of the parole eligibility report. This record will allow parole board members apply time reduction for good behavior and redemption while in the Corrections System.

HB4499 If a person has been convicted of any combination of 3 or more felonies or attempts to commit felonies, whether the convictions occurred in this state or would have been for felonies or attempts to commit felonies in this state if obtained in this state, and that person commits a subsequent felony within this state, the person shall be punished upon conviction of the subsequent felony and sentencing under section 13 of this chapter

Our friend George is inviting all interested citizens and organizations to appear in person, send an e-mail, or call your State Representative(click here to find your state rep) to show support for these bills. When sending an e-mail please place the house bill number(s) in the subject. (Ex. Subject: HB 44XX Support/Oppose)

Oral and written testimony will be heard and documented for the record. If you cannot attend in person, please include your name, organization, and other contact information in your correspondence.


State Rep. George Cushingberry Jr.
S0687 House Office Building

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48909-7514

Phone: (517) 373-2276
Fax: (517) 373-7186
Toll-Free (888) 347-8008
Email: gcushingberry@house.mi.gov

Honoring Past and Present Jazz Legends at Baker’s Keyboard Lounge. Tuesday Feb. 16th, 2010 - Detroit MI

By The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.
Tuesday February 16th, 2010


Baker’s Keyboard Lounge is a jazz club in the City of Detroit with a very large part in the rise and development of many music and entertainment professionals. While the front line and big name acts did well, another group of musicians that played in the background and, to others who grew up in the City, this club served as a place to perfect their skills for the big stage. Big name acts like Sonny Sitt, Les McCann, Kenny Burrell, Earl Klugh, John Coltrane and others frequently played at the club.

Comedian Redd Foxx and others frequently did shows there and walked across the street to the Kroger’s supermarket (which is now a US Post Office) to get something to cook. The “trickle down effect” was in the form of the sons, daughters and friends of this industry who did well. Guitarists such as Edward “T-Money” Green, Randy Jacobs, Saxaphonist Kerry Campbell and others continue to play their instruments with the professionalism of the artistry of the forefathers and foremothers that we all grew up around and went to high school with. A complete roster of the legendary artists who performed at Baker’s Keyboard can be viewed by clicking here.

Some of us youth who grew up in the neighborhood could only look at the marquee and imagine who was playing in there at the time. We were too young to go inside and only relied on play by play descriptions of the action from some of our older brothers and sisters.

While the neighborhood has changed around it, the club remains a mainstay in the community and to honor one of the most successful businesses in Detroit, our friend George will be hosting a Black History event on Tuesday February 16, 2010 @ 6PM at the club. This event will honor the origins of Detroit’s indigenous music and will honor Jazz supporters and musicians. We will start with honoring the ones who have transitioned on like Teddy Harris and the legendary public radio broadcaster Ed Love, all the way to US. Rep John Conyers who is an accomplished musician and big jazz supporter.


We will honor the current owner John Colbert with a special award for being faithful to the City and the neighborhood. Marcus Belgrave Professor of Music at Oberlin College will be another honoree along with legendary Saxophonist James Carter and Dwight Adams.





The featured artists for the evening will be Marian Hayden along with Rodney Whitaker Professor and Chair of Michigan State University Jazz Department.

Gaymond Ensley will kick off the evening starting at 6pm with students from the following educational intuitions, Wayne State University, Marygrove College, and Detroit Cass Technical High School.

Minimum donation requested-$20, Sponsors-$40, Gold Sponsor-$400, Platinum-$4000.

Proceeds will go to the Northwest Detroit Leadership Fund to support scholarships for school expenses.

For More Information contact:

Griffin Rivers (517)974 1863
Sabrina Lewis (517)230-9101
Roscoe Thomas (313)273-3522

(Driving Directions to Bakers via Google Maps 20510 Livernois 48221)

Sponsored by Our Man In Lansing
Co-Sponsors: Mi Hospital Association, NW Detroit Leadership, Michigan NORML

Take Action Now! - Stop Senators Kuipers and Cropsey from gutting the Michigan Medical Marijuana Law for personal gain.

We at The Friends of Cushingberry would like you to contact your State of Michigan Senator regarding amending Senate Bills 616, 617, 618 to allow for dispensaries, removing marijuana as a condition for employment and, rescheduling Marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug.



The hearing will be held on Tuesday January 19th in Lansing Michigan at 1:00pm Farnum Building, 125 W. Allegan Street, Lansing, MI 48933.

These three bills written in their current form will gut the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act to benefit a few who want to privatize the Marijuana industry for their own personal gain at the expense of the people’s vote. Given the number of speakers that are scheduled to appear in person, written comments in electronic form are your best method of communication. Please place an address on your letter or e-mail to let the Senator know that you are a registered voter in their district. Commentary on these bills will be accepted after the January 19th, 2010 date.

If these bills were to become law without these changes, it would mandate that you would only go to State of Michigan growing operations to purchase your medicine. There would only be 10 of them in the State and owned by interests that are friendly to Senator Wayne Kuipers and a few select pharmaceutical companies in Michigan. The State police and Department of Community Health would have total control over all aspects of the program and given the 90 day backlog in applications, this would double the waiting time for your card. We would quickly return to overloading the judicial system with Marijuana related cases. Their actions will increase the un-controlled $2 billion dollar budget in the Department of Corrections instead of appropriating a $500,000 investment in Information Technology and employees at the Department of Community Health Medical Marijuana Program to process cards much faster.

Michigan State Senators Wayne Kuipers (R-Holland) and State Senator Alan Cropsey (R-DeWitt) have no respect for the voters of the State of Michigan who approved Medical Marijuana by %63 percent of the vote and have actively worked to undermine the law for their own personal gain. Their actions must not succeed and they need to be reprimanded by the voters who hired them. Their actions along with the actions taken by City and Township leaders in Saginaw to “zone out” residents by enacting un-enforceable local zoning laws is a deliberate slap in the face to the voters of the State of Michigan for the selfish beliefs of a few individuals.

If you need to find out who your State Senator is please visit their website at www.senate.michigan.gov and use the link to find your Senator by voting street address. Your silence is not golden at this time so please email and call your State Senator to let them hear from you on this matter.