Articles of Interest 2-7-07
636 Days until election day.
The Governor delivered an eloquent speech last night that evaded making any of the hard choices before us. She spent most of her time with clever political rhetoric setting folks up for a series of new spending programs and tax increases.
She identified everyone who opposed her “tax and spend” policies as “naysayers”. At least she didn’t call us “treasonous” yet?!?
Many were worried about being too “partisan”, but the stark differences on we should approach these issues was nothing short of striking. The Democrats rose to their feet at the Governor’s proposed increase spending plans and the “need” to raise taxes. While Republicans applauded some of the laudable programs, we sat there in “shock and awe” as the Governor appeared to be living in a “state of denial” as she ignored the fact we do NOT have the money to pay for all the programs she is currently proposing state government undertake, let alone the additional 17 or so, she proposed last night.
Call me and the majority of Republicans “naysayers”, cautious, skeptical or just plain worried as we look out for the taxpayers of Michigan as well.
The Governor promises “details” tomorrow. Given what she has laid out so far, I am more than concerned for the taxpayers and citizens who appear on their way to paying higher taxes as the governor implement her proposed new “Granholm’s Great Society” program for Michigan.
There is a fundamental difference as to how we approach government and how it should operate. Call it partisan if you must, “naysayers” isn’t that bad…”treasonous” reflects the governor’s gamesmanship and scare tactics.
Below is my semi line by line “Cliffs Notes” version of the State of the State speech. There is lots of analysis…pay attention folks, because one way or another we are going to be paying for this anyways.
For an even shorter version goto:
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/02/state_of_the_st.html
UPDATE on Secchias: After 3 weeks, Peter and Joan Secchia are finally home. The accident was much worse than first reported and both couples suffered very serious injuries. Joan is now at home with a nurse and on her way to recovery. Joan suffered from a collapsed lung, 5 broken ribs, a broken wrist and ankle, bleeding in the brain and a seizure. Everything has now stabilized and she is on a long road to recovery. Peter was badly bruised up with micro tears in muscles and ligaments throughout his body. He’s up and moving, albeit very slowly.
Joe and Martha Crawford were the other couple in the car. Joe is now home after suffering a concussion, but Martha suffered 6 broken pelvic bones and a crushed hip. She is still hospitalized and will have a very long recovery.
Please keep both the Secchia and Crawford families in your prayers.
Here is my State of the State Special from last night:
Oh my, what a State of the State speech. Here’s the “Cliff’s Notes” version, in case you missed it.
Yes it's a “naysayers” – taxpayers perspective.
50 minutes of spending increases and 10 minutes on tax increases.
The Governor proposed at least 17 “new” programs, each that will cost the state of Michigan millions of dollars. At the same time, she again blamed just about everyone under the sun for our single state recession while the rest of the country enjoys over 7,000,000 NEW jobs and the highest GDP growth rate in years.
So it started, “the nation’s most aggressive and comprehensive economic plan” that obviously is NOT working. Highest unemployment in the country, the only state to lose jobs 3 years in a row, U-hauls one way business being one of the few companies in a growth mode.
And now “we will act with urgency, urgency, urgency”…what happened to the last 4 years while we lost more than 100,000 jobs, had thousands of our children and grandchildren leaving the state.
She bragged about the “new 21st Century Jobs Fund…(that) sparked 67 cutting-edge companies”…corporate welfare at almost $35,000 per job.
“I will go anywhere…in our pursuit of new international investment for Michigan” at taxpayers expense….and all we’ll probably get is a lousy t-shirt. How about keeping companies like Pfizer, Ford, Toyota and others investing in Michigan rather than going to other states…take a trip to Indiana instead of India.
Another campaign idea we can now trash since the election is over – “investment in marketing Michigan”. What are you selling, empty houses, vacant factories and crumbling roads?
The Governor is convinced she can “call the market” by announcing that Michigan will lead the country in “alternative energy” research, which costs millions and will cost our auto industry billions…not to mention jobs. It’s the George Jetson Policy for Michigan future.
I just loved the Governor’s reference to “7,000 fewer employees” than in 1973. Well, Al Gore invented the Internet during that time and most agencies computerized and increased efficiencies across the board. This was a normal transition that saw most of the attrition by retirement and more efficient delivery of services…computers, technology and better organizations made a difference. So don’t feel bad for all those state retirees.
“I resolved more than $4 billion in budget deficits.” How, when and where? We have a constitutional requirement to balance our budget. Governor Engler left you with a budget surplus in real cash. The state was required to spend only what it took in, so only under the mismanagement of various state programs have we overspent our budgets.
The she promised free “preschool”, I’ve paid those bills, they were very expensive.
More funding for schools, but we can’t afford what we spend now.
A new requirement to have everyone attend kindergarten, at whose cost?
New high schools, after turning down 15 privately funded high schools in Detroit???
A new “Michigan Promise” scholarship program that the Senate Fiscal Agency estimated would cost over $4 billion dollars….YOUR dollars.
Free community college for the unemployed…just not “free” to you and me.
More nurses that currently can’t transfer credits from one school to another for political reasons.
“I resolved billions in deficits – more than any governor before me”…well maybe if your living in a State of Denial…because it didn’t happen in Michigan.
My favorite line was “I’ve cut spending for four straight years to balance the budget with 40 percent less revenues that my predecessors”.
OK…Governor Granholm took office with about a $37 billion dollars state budget, last year it was about $41.5 billion dollars…increasing every year she was in office.
ONLY a Democrat would have the audacity to define the increase in the overall state budget as a budget cut.
Then the truth came out… “The tax changes I will propose are simple, fair and progressive”….yup, just as we expected…get ready for a TAX increase.
“Geared to job creation in the new economy, not the old one”…good-bye GM, Ford and Chrysler…. ouch.
“I’ve signed “93 business tax cuts”…boy, I think most folks missed those. Do you think we could get a list?
Then the governor ends by saying “I will not leave our fiscal problems for some other governor to solve”, unless of course Senator Levin resigns and I appoint myself to that seat before my term is up.
Sorry folks, this was full of political rhetoric, careless and reckless spending proposals and a kicker at the end to say…and by the way, the Democrats are going to give us just what we asked for…taxes and bigger government.
It was classic “tax and spend” proposals from a Harvard/Berkley liberal Democrat that would have served the citizens better from Massachusetts.
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
http://info.detnews.com/blogs/bloggers.cfm?id=finley&blogid=488
Tue, Feb 6, 2007 at 9:38 PM
Is this really what Granholm planned?
My question after listening to the state of the state address: Is Jennifer Granholm delusional, or is she so overcome with pollyannaism that she can fall in a manure pile and think she smells roses?
Tuesday night she made one of the most incredibly outlandish statements every uttered under the Capitol dome when she declared: "My plan is working."
http://info.detnews.com/weblog/index.cfm?blogid=9184
Tue, Feb 6, 2007 at 9:42 PM
Henry Payne
Granholm's clouded vision
While Gov. Granholm's hint at a tax increase will get the lion's share of attention after tonight's State of the State speech, her vision for leading Michigan out of its current rut contains a more fundamental flaw: The governor fatally believes that governments - not markets - create jobs.
Michigan was built on the hard work and brilliant ideas of entrepreneurs like Ford, Dodge, and Durant. By creating products that met consumer market demand, they attracted workers to Michigan and filled the state's coffers with billions in tax dollars.
http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=8217
Posted: Feb. 6, 2007
Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s 2007 State of the State Address
Governor proposes 20 expansions of government, 2 limitations
Governors use their annual State of the State address to unveil their agenda for the state, using the high-profile event to garner support from policymakers and residents alike. Although they tend to be filled with rhetoric and verbal flourishes, the items that the state’s chief executive highlights in the speech indicate the priorities he or she will pursue in the coming year.
In an effort to more clearly identify Michigan governors’ key objectives, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy has reviewed State of the State addresses going back to 1969, tallied the proposed initiatives and categorized them as either expansions or limitations of government.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070206/UPDATE/702060432
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
State of the State: Granholm seeks cuts, taxes, government reforms
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Tax increases, budget cuts and government reforms will be Gov. Jennifer Granholm's three-pronged plan to balance Michigan's cash-starved budget, she said in her State of the State message tonight.
The governor did not specify which taxes she wants to increase, but hinted at a sales tax on services and an increase in taxes on insurance companies. Granholm told a joint session of the state Legislature that the state needs a tax structure that fits with a new economy. A key argument for a tax on services is that the service sector is growing.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070206/NEWS06/70206079
Highlights from Granholm's speech
February 6, 2007
Tax increases: They're coming. Details Thursday.
Prisons: Release low-risk, older prisoners and keep low-risk younger violators out.
Jobs: Focus on recruiting high-wage jobs in automotive research, advanced manufacturing and alternative energy; provide free community-college tuition for laid-off workers.
Local schools/government: Offer financial incentives or penalties to encourage consolidation of services.
http://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1170828662215810.xml&coll=1
Granholm warns of budget pain
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
By Peter Luke
Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Saying Michigan's path to prosperity has to include new spending for education, health care and roads, Gov. Jennifer Granholm intends to propose a "fair" new tax system to pay for it.
Granholm's fifth State of the State address Tuesday was less a blueprint for 2007 and more a thematic prologue to Thursday, when she'll present detailed tax and budget proposals for 2008 that present clear choices to lawmakers. She promised that those ideas would "shape Michigan's future for decades to come."
The budget presentation to lawmakers will launch a months-long chess game that many in Lansing say will result in a combination of budget cuts, changes in how government operates and some new tax revenue.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/POLITICS/702070413/1022
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
STATE OF THE STATE
Gov: More taxes, cuts
Mark Hornbeck, Charlie Cain and Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Tax increases, budget cuts and government reforms will be Gov. Jennifer Granholm's three-pronged plan to balance Michigan's cash-starved budget, she said in her State of the State address Tuesday night.
The governor did not specify which taxes she wants to increase, but hinted at a sales tax on services and an increase in taxes on insurance companies. Granholm told a joint session of the state Legislature that Michigan needs a tax structure that fits with a new economy. A key argument for a tax on services is that the service sector is growing.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS06/702070394
Granholm: We need tax boost to compete
Money to be invested in business, students
February 7, 2007
LANSING -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm set the stage Tuesday for a tax increase and state budget cuts -- but no cuts to public schools -- as she called for more spending to diversify the economy and to send more children to college.
Granholm's fifth State of the State Address, framed by a stubborn budget crisis, was a challenge to detractors and a defense of her policies to boost a chronically stalled economy, which she blamed largely on a sagging auto industry.
Her critics, who she called stubborn ideologues, will oppose any tax and spending plan she offers Thursday when she reveals her detailed budget.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS06/702070424
Plan to raise taxes questioned
February 7, 2007
Pat Barnes
Hometown: Shelby Township
Age: 73
Occupation: Retired
On taxes: "As retirees, we can't lose our jobs, but we can lose whatever income we have if they raise taxes a great deal. If it has to happen, I think a graduated tax is more fair."
Overall reaction: "There's a lot of aspects that are terrific, like the three-year training program. Who's going to pay for all this was one thing that kept going through my mind."
(The program would give laid-off workers community-college training.)
Holly Markiecki-Bennetts
Hometown: Redford Township
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/POLITICS/702070404/1022
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Michiganians say cut spending, hike taxes
Most report little pain from spending trims to date, and back reduced but wider sales tax.
Charlie Cain / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- A new public opinion poll says Michiganians think the state needs to spend less and raise some taxes to remove itself from its fiscal crisis.
Two-thirds of those polled say a combination of budget cuts and tax hikes is needed -- even though 60 percent said they have felt little or no impact from $3 billion in budget cuts made in the past four years.
One in five of 600 active voters polled statewide by Lansing-based EPIC-MRA said the governor and lawmakers should remedy the problem by just making additional budget cuts, while 8 percent say the solution lies exclusively in tax hikes.
Polls show Granholm could sell tax hikes to some
2/6/2007, 9:20 p.m. ET
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Tuesday said Michigan was at a turning point, one that demands bold action.
Few dispute that. But the question is whether the Democratic governor will follow her own advice when it comes to taking on her critics and shaking up the status quo in Lansing.
Granholm apparently has an opening to sell the mix of tax cuts and tax increases she wants to use — along with some government restructuring — to balance the state's budget this year and next.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/OPINION01/702070383/1008
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Editorial: Governor's speech fails to justify unwise tax hike
The Detroit News
This is not a time in Michigan for catchy slogans and feel-good programs. Yet that's mostly what we heard from Gov. Jennifer Granholm Tuesday in her State of the State message. And a promise to raise taxes.
The governor did not lay out the details of her tax hike. But she broadly hinted at it in her address.
Granholm said she has trimmed spending and eliminated deficits before. But the state's current deficit, she said, "is of a wholly different magnitude." She added, "the truth is another round of budget cutting cannot solve the fiscal crisis; in fact, a cuts-only solution would destroy the state's ability to recover."
http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1170776428187180.xml&coll=2
State should embrace Promise Zones idea
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's attempt to replicate the stunningly successful Kalamazoo Promise scholarship program in other troubled communities is an idea the entire state should embrace. Combining educational and urban policy in such a bold way would set Michigan up for a far better future than can be imagined currently.
While we await details and acknowledge this proposal alone won't fix all that ails distressed areas, the concept reflects a level of vision and political courage that government rarely rises to.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS06/702070396
Granholm pushes to improve accountability
More workers and monitoring sought
February 7, 2007
In the wake of the deaths of three Michigan children in foster or adoptive homes in 18 months, Gov. Jennifer Granholm promised in her State of the State address to increase accountability and performance in the child-welfare system.
"We've all felt the pain when vulnerable children suffer at the hands of those entrusted with their care," she said, according to an advance text of the speech. She said the state Department of Human Services is "making fundamental changes to protect abused and neglected children."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/OPINION01/702070332/1069
The governor, finally, looks to the prison system to find safe savings
February 7, 2007
Michigan's unreasonably high incarceration rates cost taxpayers nearly $2 billion a year -- more than is spent on higher education. Still, the state has higher crime rates than its neighbors, which imprison fewer people. Michigan would save a whopping $500 million a year if it had a lockup rate similar to other Midwest states.
Up to now, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has been part of the problem, defending the state's sentencing and parole policies and practically refusing to use her legitimate powers of commutation. Now, facing an $800-million budget shortfall this year alone and a prison population that has risen to a record 51,500, she will seek to reduce Michigan's prison rolls without jeopardizing public safety. Those efforts will include revising sentencing guidelines and releasing, through commutations, more inmates who are too old or sick to endanger society.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/OPINION02/702070417
Speech big on hope, skimpy on the details
February 7, 2007
Gov. Jennifer Granholm did her rhetorical best Tuesday night to frame in her favor the brutal political fight ahead on the state's budget crisis, but she didn't do much to drive the crisis home for ordinary Michigan folks.
In a State of the State speech that was decidedly glass half-full, Granholm said, in effect, "feel better, details to follow."
She delivered a litany of great things to come -- if, she said near the end, the state can get its fiscal house in order. She did not, however, dwell much on what Michigan will look like if the $3-billion budget hole is not resolved soon. Granholm will need to make that case if she expects a groundswell of support for any kind of tax increases. This show likely will have to go on the road.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/OPINION01/702070331/1069
IN OUR OPINION
Granholm falls short on crisis specifics
February 7, 2007
Gov. Jennifer Granholm left an awful lot of shoes undropped during Tuesday's State of the State speech. Her important rallying cry was remarkably lacking on the specifics required to dig Michigan out of its budget hole. (She promises those will come with her budget Thursday. They'd better.)
But at least she was blunt and bracing about the choice Michigan faces: "Push forward with confidence and courage, or be sucked backward on a path of failure and fear."
That's a perfect summary of the state's crossroads. Granholm made clear that the route she has chosen -- what she called "investing in Michigan's people" -- will require a tax hike. She was vague to the point of irritation, though, in promising only that it would be "simple, fair and progressive."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS06/702070425
GOP REACTION: Upbeat Granholm called out of touch
Republicans take issue with ideas on spending, taxes
February 7, 2007
Michigan Republicans, long in awe of the rhetorical skills of Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said Tuesday evening's performance was among her finest.
"Inspired ... happy, optimistic," were the words of Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester.
Unfortunately, the speech also was out of touch with reality, Bishop and other top GOP leaders said.
Granholm is proposing 17 new spending initiatives (by Bishop's count) and promising to maintain and increase spending on public schools at a time when the state cannot afford the spending commitments already incurred, he said.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070206/NEWS06/70206057/1048/SPORTS
State Republican urges cuts before more taxes
February 6, 2007
LANSING – The Legislature’s top Republican won’t shut the door on a possible tax increase, but said the state’s budget woes should be resolved first by cuts – including cutting lawmakers’ office budgets.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, also said lawmakers who skip too many House or Senate sessions should be sanctioned, perhaps by docking their pay.
Bishop told reporters today that all options – cuts and taxes – should be considered, as Gov. Jennifer Granholm prepares to deliver her much-anticipated State of the State Address tonight and her 2007-08 budget proposal on Thursday.
GOP Senate leader says state must cut spending
2/6/2007, 3:20 p.m. ET
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — While not ruling out a tax increase, the Senate majority leader said Tuesday that the state must first cut spending before considering higher taxes.
"I believe we have a spending problem, not a taxing problem," Rochester Republican Mike Bishop told reporters hours before Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm delivered her annual State of the State speech. "I assure you that we will be looking at every other option besides tax increases in this state."
The governor will lay out the state's financial problems Tuesday night but is expected to not unveil her budget-balancing plan until Thursday. The state faces a shortfall of more than $800 million in the current budget and expects to fall more than $1 billion short in the budget year that starts Oct. 1.
http://www.sentinel-standard.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/03news.txt
Local lawmakers weigh-in on Granholm address
By the Sentinel-Standard
Published: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 11:59 PM CST
IONIA - Legislators representing Ionia County said Granholm's State of the Union speech Tuesday evening showed efforts to enhance bi-partisan efforts, but fell short of offering real solutions to some of the state's critical issues.
Portland Republican Brian Calley said Granholm appears to be seeking input from both sides of the aisle.
“The governor's emphasis on jobs and the economy is right on the money. We must work together to keep jobs in Michigan and get people back to work. I look forward to reviewing these proposals in more detail over the coming legislative session,”?Calley said. “I believe that people want innovative solutions to the budget challenges we face.”
http://www.sturgisjournal.com/articles/2007/02/06/news/doc45c93b9f53d64395771863.txt
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Brown, Shaffer stress immediate needs
Compiled by Dennis Volkert
Sturgis Journal
Local legislators focused in part on tax issues following Gov. Jennifer Granholm's state of the state address Tuesday.
Sen. Cameron Brown agreed with Granholm's basic assessment of Michigan's financial dilemmas but saw immediate needs for tax restructuring and the structural deficit.
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Rep. Rick Shaffer does not believe tax increases are an answer to the state's problems.
Brown was complimentary of the speech itself, then talked about critical concerns legislators must address.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070206/NEWS04/702070328/1001/news
Published February 6, 2007
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
Text of Granholm's speech
Associated Press
The following is the text of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's State of the State address
Lieutenant Governor Cherry, Speaker Dillon, Majority Leader Bishop, Secretary of State Land, Attorney General Cox, members of the Legislature, State Board of Education, judiciary and Cabinet, fellow citizens, my beloved family: good evening.
I begin by thanking those courageous sons and daughters of Michigan in our armed forces particularly those who are at this moment serving us in parts of the world torn by war. And we honor the memories and the families of those 129 Michigan servicemen and women who have fallen. Joining us is Doug Szczepanski, a soldier I met two years ago when his National Guard unit returned to Lansing from Iraq. Sgt. Szczepanski was wounded in an explosion. He says his only regret is that his injuries forced him to leave the Guard. But he's now taking a new route to service following in his father's footsteps training to work in law enforcement. Doug and his father, Doug Sr., a sergeant with the Michigan State Police, are with us tonight. I ask you to recognize our men and women serving in the armed forces, those who keep us safe here at home, and all our public servants.
http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1170771303314130.xml&coll=8
And now, all for one?
Monday, February 05, 2007
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Facing a state deficit of more than $800 million for this year alone, Michigan's leaders must find ways to radically reorganize government and make it do more with less.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, was on point when he said last month that the state needs to look at consolidating local government functions and even governments themselves. Michigan can no longer afford to have nearly 2,000 cities, townships, villages and counties act like fiefdoms. Southeast Michigan alone has 241 local units of government that too often compete instead of cooperate.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1170777124227270.xml&coll=5
Merge fire services
Consolidation would boost public safety, efficiency
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
When it comes to running fire departments, the guiding principle should always be to offer the best service at the most reasonable price.
In Genesee County, however, too much consideration has been given to protection of turf than how to best organize these costly but ever-so-essential operations. Harsh economic reality might be posing a challenge to that luxury.
The current wasteful system has given us 41 fire stations throughout the county - some close neighbors to the next and others unreasonably distant from parts of the communities they serve. Residents living in remote reaches often do not have the security of a fire station nearly as close by as in more built-up areas.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/OPINION01/702070328/1008
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Carbon credit trading would hurt Big 3
Domestic automakers would have to buy credits from rivals
The Detroit News
M arket solutions to problems are always preferable to government mandates, but such systems must be achievable. That won't be possible however, with
The carbon credit trading proposal that the Bush administration is lobbying for in Congress will transfer money from the Big Three automakers to their Japanese competitors. That's a bad scenario for Michigan's auto workers.
The proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to be included in an upcoming bill. It calls for a cap-and-trade system for auto emissions.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/OPINION01/702070326/1008
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Region should chill on shutting schools
Michael Goodell
A blast of Arctic air caused most Metro Detroit school districts Tuesday to close for a second straight day. The reason? It's cold, as much as 20 degrees below normal.
Yet this doesn't justify school closures. Though colder than normal, such temperatures are common during the winter. Surely a simple reminder to children and their parents to bundle up would be sufficient.
Metro Detroit's disproportionate response was captured in photographs of children sledding in a local park. In other words, the shuttering of schools due to perilous cold gave toddlers and students the chance to go outside and play -- in the perilous cold.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS05/702070315
School officials make the tough calls on closings
February 7, 2007
School officials throughout metro Detroit spent the day Tuesday getting weather reports and sharing information across district lines to help them make decisions on whether to hold classes today.
With dozens of districts charged with the safety of thousands of students, it's a fact-finding mission that school leaders take seriously.
"Every case is different and every situation is different," said Tim McAvoy, spokesman for the Troy School District, where classes were canceled Monday and Tuesday. "And, certainly, we don't want to have to close schools if we don't have to. But health and safety are such important priorities."
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/OPINION01/702070327/1008
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Reviving Metro Detroit
Stopping Detroit bashing must start first at home
Cynthia J. Pasky
I f we truly want to change the way the rest of Michigan or the rest of this country views Detroit, we must start with ourselves.
The sad truth is, here in Metro Detroit we have a nasty habit of being overly hard on ourselves and on one another. That being the case, we shouldn't be surprised when the rest of the country joins in the Detroit bashing. The steady stream of one-liners and riffs on the Motor City from late-night talk show hosts, columnists and others are only repeating things that first were said or written here.
That doesn't mean we should sugar coat things. We are not without challenges. But our challenges should not blind us to the real progress that is being made and the real opportunities before us.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1170777099227270.xml&coll=5
Rethink trash tariff
Raising state dumping fee could cut landfill use
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Canadian trash shipped to Genesee County has multiplied nearly 17-fold in eight years, probably making huge profits for dump owners but also reducing waste space precipitously.
Meanwhile, nearly a third of the refuse filling landfills across Michigan comes from Canada and other states, attracted, in part, by how little we charge to bury garbage here.
That puny 21-cents-per-ton "tipping fee" requires rethinking, which Gov. Jennifer Granholm should recommend in her State of the State speech tonight, or in her budget presentation Thursday. While there's no guarantee raising the charge to $7.50 a ton, as Democrats have favored, would greatly slow trash imports, some hike surely would make a difference.
Romney, Brownback, McCain surrogate to address GOP convention
2/6/2007, 3:40 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will fill in this weekend for Arizona Sen. John McCain at Michigan's Republican convention, McCain's presidential exploratory committee said Tuesday.
Pawlenty, the co-chairman of McCain's committee, will address the convention on Saturday.
"I look forward to helping Sen. McCain communicate his common sense conservative principles across this great nation," Pawlenty said in a news release.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/POLITICS01/702070368/1022/POLITICS
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Mitt Romney comes home to kick off '08 presidential campaign
Former Mass. governor and son of late Mich. leader will stump for GOP votes starting today in Detroit.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
Michigan will play a central roll in the start of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, beginning today with a speech before the Detroit Economic Club and leading to a formal announcement of his candidacy in Dearborn next week.
Romney, son of late Michigan Gov. George Romney, is expected to kick off his campaign Tuesday in Dearborn, where he'll highlight his plans to boost the nation's manufacturing economy.
But first, he'll speak today in Detroit, where he'll outline an economic strategy focused on helping U.S. companies compete globally. This weekend, he is scheduled to attend the state Republican convention in Grand Rapids.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070207/NEWS02/702070311/1008/NEWS06
Dearborn fits Mitt like a glove
February 7, 2007
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Michigan native, will officially announce his presidential candidacy Tuesday at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.
It'll be the first stop on an announcement tour for Romney, son of Detroit-area auto executive and former Michigan Gov. George Romney.
Romney also will be in the state today for a speech before the Detroit Economic Club at Cobo Center, and is scheduled to speak at this weekend's Republican state convention in Grand Rapids.
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/1170775256137700.xml&coll=5
Discharged Marine was 'angel'
Dad of 2 dies on way home
BURTON
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
By Matt Bach
mbach@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6330
BURTON - Sandra Riley spent this morning going through old photos of her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Aaron Zayac, for a photo board at his funeral on Saturday.
Zayac, 25, a 1999 Davison High School graduate, survived two tours of duty in Iraq, only to die Friday of what was called a heart seizure. He was stricken in Indiana enroute home from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to Genesee County after he was discharged from the Marines last month.
Zayac was married to Brandy, of Genesee Township. The couple have two children, Kayla, 8, and Kevin, 21/2.
NATIONAL STORIES
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/06/AR2007020601598.html
In Campaign 2008, Candidates Starting Earlier, Spending More
By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 7, 2007; Page A01
Starting as early as last June, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was hiring staffers and consultants in New Hampshire and Iowa and building the foundation for his 2008 presidential bid at a time when those in early battleground states typically get a breather from national politics.
Campaign filings released last week show that he spent more than $375,000 on staffing and consulting, getting an early jump in those states. One campaign cycle earlier, a single candidate -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) -- had started hiring in-state advisers at that point, and by the end of 2002 he had spent only $4,200 paying those aides.
Romney to announce presidential bid
2/6/2007, 10:22 p.m. ET
By LIZ SIDOTI
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mitt Romney will formally announce his candidacy for president next week in Michigan, his native state and an important early test for the GOP nomination, campaign aides said Tuesday.
The former one-term Massachusetts governor will make his announcement Feb. 13, and then will visit Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — the first states to hold 2008 contests.
He will return to Boston two days later, where he will hold what his campaign is calling "a unity event" with supporters, aides said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plans were not public.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/06/opinion/main2438456.shtml
Rudy Giuliani: Fake Conservative
National Review: Liberal Views On Abortion, Gay Rights Will Doom Giuliani In GOP Primaries
"Murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes," Rudy Giuliani once said. "But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other."
Good point, Rudy.
Now, what about a climate — not to mention a Republican presidential candidate — t