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Thanks For All The Fish

Well it’s the last day of 2008, and time for the obligatory end of year post. This year I’d like to share my best & worst of Shiawassee in 2008.

The Best:

New Technology: The Internet. Ok I know it’s not new, but the Internet as a force in Shiawassee politics really took off this year. Sheriff Wilson’s focus on “anonymous bloggers” raised the profile of the forum and the people posting on the Argus. It’s great that people are finally starting to get comfortable with online interaction. The only problem? At least 2 libel suits have been filed, due to a few angry people who thought the internet was a safe place to get their vengeance on.

Elected Official: Lauri Braid. Oh, this one hurts me, considering that she’s up against Democrats like Jack Johnson and Joe DeCaire. But I always held Lauri personally responsible for the state of elections in our county, and if you’re going to hold someone responsible for the bad stuff, then you’ve got to give them credit for the good. In the January primary, Shiawassee County was the worst in the state, in terms of reported election problems. (See here and here. Most of these problems were unintentional) By the November general election, we were among the best. More than anything else, the integrity, accessibility, and fairness of our elections form the bedrock of our democracy. Throughout the year, Lauri & co. worked hard to make sure that everything was as it should be. So to Lauri and all of the Shiawassee area clerks and election staff — nice job, and thank you.

Election Result: Deana Finnegan defeats Jon Wilson. My personal opinion of Jon Wilson aside, this is one of Shiawassee’s proudest moments. A woman defeats a male incumbent for the office of Sheriff. I was proud.

New Hangout: The Korner. Kitty-corner from Chase Bank in Vernon, this little joint is the latest new hangout for good old-fashioned fun. RoboJoe presents open mike and a family friendly atmosphere, and they even had Christmas caroling the weekend before Christmas. Head on down there, or check out this thread for more info.

New Idea: I’m taking this one for myself. The Shiawassee Skill Share, which I am determined to make a go of in 2009. If I can make it work with IT, then surely others can make it work in their respective professions. We could really have something special here.

Proudest Moment For Me: Just a personal note … my proudest moment this year — Troop Care 2008. About $1450 in product and cash, and a good chunk of that came from Shiawassee. In the end, we sent 42 boxes to 8 Michigan units deployed in Iraq. And it was all made possible by the good people in the forums and on the blogs. Thanks!

Best Example of Class: Dr. Wegman’s handling of his negative press, and the way that he took care of his staff while working out his problems. A class act.

The Worst:

Technology: Inside or outside of Shiawassee, this has to be Windows Vista. I’m recommending to all my clients that they skip it entirely and migrate straight from XP to Windows 7.

Vista Blue Screen of Death

But I don’t want to rip off my readers by taking the easy way out. So, the “real” worst technology would have to be the Owosso water infrastructure. 90 miles of pipe, 80-100 years old, 50-100 patches per year. With the cost of replacing the mains at $350,000 per year, and the economy in the tank, that technology is going to stay there a while.

Most Shameful Moment: Rachel Scott. Greg Shire. Lebowski Center. The only thing more shameful than the lack of justice in this county is the lack of outrage by the citizens.

BoC Decision: Commissioners fine churches for feeding the hungry. Could be a food ministry, it could be serving food at a funeral. It doesn’t matter, our commissioners wanted to charge the churches the same as they’d charge a school or large restaurant. Why? Because they want the health department to have the money. And because they can.

Election Result: John Pajtas defeats Jack Johnson. Sadly, some of us saw this one coming. Jack Johnson was targeted by the local GOP because he was a PITA to TPTB. (That’s “pain in the ass” to “the powers that be”) But although targeted by the GOP and warned by the Dems, Jack didn’t campaign, and he made the mistake of alienating some of his allies. Come election time, even his supporters weren’t campaigning for him the way that he needed. Despite being the best candidate in this race and arguably the best commissioner in terms of his intentions, he became the only incumbent commissioner to be voted out of office.

Dumbest Mistake by Politician: Sheriff Wilson withholds information from the Argus Press. Oh this was stupid. The press doesn’t like it when office-holders withhold information, and this caused the Sheriff international grief. More importantly, local residents don’t like it when their Sheriff withholds information from them. It was this decision that cost Sheriff Wilson the election.

Bonus Round:

Biggest Delta: The difference between the real and perceived role of bloggers in the Jon Wilson election. This was truly something to behold. The day after the primary, I received three calls congratulating me on the defeat of Jon Wilson. (Que?) The week before the election, I noticed a car in a parking lot in Flint, that had a bumper sticker on it. The driver was putting his groceries in the car, so I went over to talk to him. He had no idea who I was. There was an entire grassroots movement out there that had nothing to do with bloggers.

Saddest Business Decision: The Argus Press cancels the e-Edition. Looks like I won’t be totally paperless next year.

Shameless Holiday Marketing: Meijer rolls out Valentine displays. Good grief, do they know that Valentines isn’t until next year?

And on that note, I am excited to jump in to 2009. 2008 was a great year for me. I had the honor of being selected to blog the Democratic National Convention, I was promoted at work, and I started grad school. 2009 will be even better. A New Year, a new project, and maybe I’ll pick up some new friends along the way. My New Years resolutions are to A) help 10 people get trained and find new jobs in the computer field, and B) start a paper newsletter promoting all of the local area blogs and forums. It’s going to be a great year.

So long 2008, and thanks for all the fish.

Posted in Politics, Shiawassee County | No Comments »

Shiawassee County Skill Share

I am thinking about throwing together a skill share for PC repair and desktop support. The idea is to help out the people who need to develop a new job skill. There’s a post up on the Shiawassee Forums, where I go into detail about the idea. Here’s the meat of the post:

The classes would be free to the students, but they would have to meet certain criteria:

Be a Shiawassee resident

Be unemployed or underemployed

Be ineligible for any other kind of free education or skills training, and be unable to afford conventional training. In other words, I don’t want someone who can afford to take a proper class to take a seat from someone who cannot.

Have no advanced knowledge of the subject matter. (I don’t want to waste my time entertaining someone who knows everything and just wants a refresher)

Be able to take good notes, because we won’t have text books

Be willing & able to take the A+ certification test within a few weeks of the class, so that they will have improved their chances at getting a job in the IT field.

Here’s what I would need:

A location with tables and a white board or a smart board

Donated computers and computer parts (they don’t have to be new, but modern would be nice)

People who would be interested in helping me teach, either with presentations or assisting with the hands on labs

Here’s what I would like some rich person to do:

Buy 1 textbook for each student

Sponsor each student’s A+ test

In short, the goal of the skill share would be to prep students for the A+ Certification tests. I would want them to take the tests after they finished the class, so that they would improve their chances of getting a job in the IT field. I’m a big believer in self-actualization and education for education’s sake, but my purpose for doing this would be to help people get jobs. Period.

I have two big concerns with starting a program like this. First, am I duplicating other efforts? I am not an expert on job training programs, so I don’t know what’s out there. If there is no need for something like this, then I don’t want to do it. I’m really only interested in helping people who can’t get help elsewhere.

Second, will people really take the class and follow through with the A+ tests? I can’t make them do it, and I certainly can’t afford to pay for their tests personally. Since I wouldn’t be getting any sort of compensation for organizing and teaching the class, my only reward (which is reward enough) would be that the effort would improve someone’s life. If that’s not going to happen, I just don’t want to do the work. I’ve got plenty to keep me busy already. Not to mention that I’d feel like an absolute failure if I went through all of that work and nobody got anything out of it.

Fear of failure won’t keep me from launching the project though. (I’ve failed so often that I no longer fear it!) I think it’s a good idea and if done right, it could help some people get a second chance on life. The economy is in rough shape, and here in Shiawassee we’ve been suffering longer than most. We’re in for some rough weather ahead and I think it’s time we face the fact that we’ve only got each other to help us get through it. If this works out, I’d like to see other skill share programs kick in … maybe classes to teach people how to repair small engines or appliances, or how to sew, or how to grow their own food. Classes that will help people find jobs or be more self-sufficient.

The concept is very much in its infancy, and might go over as well as all my other great Shiawassee ideas. (Remember the idea for Shiawassee bucks?!?!) *groan*

I would love to hear your thoughts on this, even if you don’t like the idea. Feel free to leave me a note in the comments, email me, or stop by the Shiawassee Forums.

Posted in Shiawassee County | 1 Comment »

Shiawassee Election Day Live-blogging

I started a thread over on the Shiawassee Forums on how today is going so far. I think things will be fine in the county today; I’ve heard nothing but good things about the efforts of Lauri Braid and our local clerks. I have some concern for one township in particular, and I’m heading out that way in a little while. I think it’s related to the 100′ rule and the issue of where people can post signs. There are private residents within 100 feet of the polling stations, and by US Supreme Court decision, they are allowed to have signs up in their yards. This particular clerk allegedly gave the resident so much grief that she took her signs down. Now there’s another dispute going on out there, but I don’t know the details. At any rate, it’s a stupid thing to fight over; the rules are black & white, and all we need to do is follow them.

If I have any updates, I’ll post them here and over in the forums. But thankfully so far, it looks to be a quiet day.

Go Vote!

By the way, the design of this site may make it difficult to discern the hyperlinks in this blog. So, click here - http://shiawasseecounty.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2594&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a - for the election thread in the forums.

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »

Colbry and Holzhausen

How does this happen -

???

If you support Gary Holzhausen, you can’t possibly support Randy Colbry for prosecutor.

Posted in Politics, Shiawassee County | 5 Comments »

Shiawassee Prosecutor Race - Colbry v Gamboe Hall

Republican Shiawassee Prosecutor Randy Colbry faces Ann Gamboe Hall this November. Ann is the Democratic candidate and an Owosso attorney. You can see the Argus Press article on this race here.

The thought of Colbry winning this one just makes me sick. Randy Colbry should have been recalled after the way that he handled the situation with Drain Commissioners Gary Holzhausen and Bernie Butcher.

1. He held a major hearing into Gary Holzhausen’s activities in the Drain office, and discovered nothing.
2. Shortly thereafter, he charged Gary Holzhausen with fraud, because Gary reimbursed expenses using a county-approved procedure that had been in place for Randy’s entire tenure.
3. Shortly thereafter, he charged Bernie Butcher for the same thing.
4. Shortly thereafter, he handed off the case to the MI Attorney General, because the situation got too hard for him to handle.
5. Shortly thereafter, the MI Attorney General said that Colbry’s case was “unjust.”
6. Shortly thereafter, Colbry tried to call a closed session of the Board of Commissioners, to tell them that the MI AG had thrown out his case. When Commissioner Jack Johnson questioned the reason for the closed session, Colbry laughed and said, “forget it.”
7. Shortly thereafter, Colbry dropped the charges against Bernie Butcher, and whined like a child about how it wasn’t the real AG, just someone in the AG’s office. He didn’t explain why he kept the AG decision a secret from the Board of Commissioners and the public, for 21 days.
8. And then he wanted the county to sue the Drain Commissioners.

Even if you assume that Colbry was acting in the best interest of justice by prosecuting the Drain Commissioners, you have to wonder why he felt it necessary to keep the AG opinion a secret from the Board and the public. Why did he attempt to call an illegal closed session of our government?

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Posted in Politics, Shiawassee County | 9 Comments »

Democrats For Life

Some friends and I are tossing around the idea of starting a Democrats For Life of America chapter here in mid-Michigan.

What appeals to me about DFL is that they have a consistent life ethic, unlike Right To Life, which in my opinion just advocates forced birth. DFL is opposed to abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty, and supports humanity/quality-of-life efforts throughout the world. Furthermore, DFL is a progressive group, and not tied into the right wing organizations the way that RtL is. There’s just no way that I could support RtL on any level. I don’t believe they are a pro-life organization at all.

What I am not thrilled about is the idea of criminalizing abortion, which DFL seems to support, albiet not as strongly as RtL. I can’t support criminalizing abortion; I just don’t believe in that. There are other ways to prevent abortion that are far more relevant and less hurtful to the individuals involved.

For progressives who want to advocate life issues within in the Democratic Party, DFL is a great place to start. And even if you’re not interested in party activism, local grass-roots advocacy is its own reward.

If you want to be involved in this, send me an email and I’ll keep you in the loop.

Posted in Politics | 5 Comments »

A Word On Dr. Wegman, The Argus, And Justice

There’s a nice letter to the editor in the Argus of 10-3, written by Michael P. Schmidt, D.O., who I understand to be Chief of Staff at Memorial Healthcare in Owosso. In this letter, Dr. Schmidt expresses his support for Dr. Wegman, who has had some recent personal and legal difficulties. He also expresses his disapproval with the way the Argus has been handling the story. I bet this letter was a long time coming. Dr. Wegman’s friends have been complaining about this for a while.

It’s upsetting to watch someone you care about endure personal tragedy, and then endure the embarrassment of having that tragedy published in the newspapers for public consumption. It’s obvious that (at least some of) his colleagues are very upset about the way the Argus has been covering the story. However, I want to point out the difficult position that the Argus is in. If the Argus doesn’t report Dr. Wegman’s story, then the paper is “covering up” for a well known, prominent doctor. If the Argus does report it, then the paper is contributing to Dr. Wegman’s personal tragedy, and angering his supporters … many of whom are also well known, prominent doctors. I have no idea how the county’s only daily newspaper is supposed to find the appropriate balance for this kind of thing.

I sympathize with Dr. Wegman, which is why I’m not linking to the Argus story or giving details of the situation. I don’t see any need to make this site another source for that information. I don’t mean to be rude to the readers here, but if you don’t know the details by now, then you don’t need to know.

I have never lost a spouse, but I know loss, and I know the despair that comes with knowing there’s nothing you can do about it. I can’t imagine the pain that a medical doctor must feel as his wife dies in front of him. Dr. Wegman made a bad choice in how he handled this pain, and he ended up on the front page of the newspaper, adding humiliation to his personal tragedy.

Judge Lostracco was right to consider the loss of Mrs. Wegman, when he considered Dr. Wegman’s case. He was also right to consider the totality of Dr. Wegman’s life, rather than just consider the events that brought Wegman before him.

Which leads me to my last point, on the twisted nature of justice. Dr. Wegman received a fine and community service as his sentence. Although I think justice was probably served here, I also believe that any non-well known, non-prominent citizens who went before Judge Lostracco under similar circumstances would have the book thrown at them. The “book” for this charge, was a maximum penalty of up to four years in prison and/or $30,000 in fines. Call me crazy, but I bet a lot of well known, prominent people would have called that “justice” for someone who was not one of their peers.

While I wouldn’t want to diminish Dr. Wegman’s suffering on any level, I hope he realizes how much support he has among his peers and patients. He also has a medical practice to return to, and he has been met with a compassionate system of justice. Even in the midst of all of this heartache, he has a lot to be thankful for. Hopefully he can take some comfort in all of this as he rebuilds his life and puts this tragedy behind him.

Posted in Other Stuff, Shiawassee County | No Comments »

Every Day Feels Like Sunday

I’m finally getting used to the fact that it’s not Sunday.

It started last week when I had this wicked pain in my side. I tried to just suck it up and keep goin, but by Thursday afternoon I was in my Dr office. (Shout out to Dr Mohlman) By Thursday evening I was in Memorial Hospital. Rm 211. Bed 1. (You guys suck for not coming to see me)

(just kidding)

So while there I was treated very (VERY) kindly by Rich, Dan, Char, Linda, Stacy, Cori, Tina, and Julie. Julie gets special kudos, since she came in from home just to help me out. (She was on call) I’m forgetting at least 2 nurses … sorry. Also the young woman who pushed me around in the wheelchair … downstairs for tests, back to bed, downstairs, back to bed. Blah. I felt bad for that one. I don’t remember her name. Also Dr. Aurand and Dr Tomita (who had the nerve to try to tell me that my problem might have to do with eating popcorn. Ha! I showed him)

Upon my arrival, I was directed to drink 2 delicious (barf) berry flavored shakes. They said it was so that they could take better pictures with their big spinning machines. Personally I think they just read my blog and decided to punish me. But my friends assured me that my theory was not true, on the basis that nobody reads my blog.

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Posted in Shiawassee County | 5 Comments »

Fuja Faces Write-In Challenger

I have just received (unconfirmed) word that Les Schneider will be running for commissioner in district 4. He filed his papers today and is running in the primary as a write-in Democrat.He faces incumbent Jon Micheal Fuja.

From Commissioner Jack Johnson:

Les will bring the veterans perspective and advocacy to the board. He is a 22 year airforce vet and is involved with several vso including the DAV, VA and many other volunteer activities and organizations for veterans.

Schneider needs about 30 votes in the August primary to be listed on the November ballot. Fuja was previously unchallenged.

Schneider’s website is under development.

Posted in Politics, Shiawassee County | 3 Comments »

Welcome MIRS Readers

Welcome readers of MIRS NEWS. If you are looking for my latest “stuff”, please come visit me at Blogging For Michigan, which is where I have fun with our state government.

You can catch up with Lisa Geise over at West Michigan Rising.

Posted in Politics | No Comments »

Worst Political Site Ever

I just saw the Re-elect Sheriff Jon Wilson site, and I have to say that it is one of the worst sites I’ve ever seen.

I’ll give the man credit for the attempt; it has a donation link, a volunteer link, and all the other good links that you want in a political site. But it also has this:

1. He mentions “negative residents” and “bad politics” in his front page welcome message.
2. His endorsements page has 10 people**, as follows:
   • His Undersheriff, who happens to be his only endorsement with an SCSD affiliation
   • 2 Sheriffs from out of county
   • 1 person who specifically says “I cannot speak to the problems of the Sheriff’s Dept”
   • 1 person who says “the last few months must have been hard on him”
   • 3 people who say he is innocent of the accusations against him
   • 1 actual good endorsement from Avery Weaver (a local well known Republican)
3. A page that makes it look like crime increased during his tenure. (I’m not looking it up, so I don’t know the crime stats)
4. Seriously, the worst political video ever. And just in case you hadn’t heard that Sheriff Jon Wilson assaulted his Deputy, he specifically mentions it at about 2:20 into the video. You know, just to set the record straight that he’s never assaulted anyone, and especially none of his officers. Also, he doesn’t answer to the Commissioners or the County Administrator or the Argus Press. Only to God, his wife, and … um … sorry, I don’t know what comes after that. I was laughing so hard by that point, I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

I have said all along that this guy is a walking political disaster. He just keeps proving me right.

**(The site of his primary opponent, Deana Finnegan, lists 29 endorsements, and 7 have an SCSD affiliation)

Posted in Politics, Shiawassee County | 9 Comments »

Denver.

Wow.

Last Thursday, I received the most amazing email …

Christine-

In about an hour, we’ll announce the blogs selected for the State Blogger Corps at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Congratulations. I’m writing to let you know that Blogging For Michigan will be the credentialed blog from Michigan. …

Just. Wow.

I’m really humbled by the opportunity to represent Michigan at the Democratic National Convention. I’m not a delegate … I don’t get to vote or anything … but I get to sit with the delegation and report from the floor. This is really an honor.

The application process consisted of submitting examples of work that distinguished us as a blog. For this, we submitted some original investigative work that I had done, the digest of the BFM budget diaries, and a sample of Wizardkitten’s photoblogging. (I’ll add the other links later when I find them again).

We also had to explain why our blog should represent Michigan at the DNCC, and give examples of how our blog was “an effective agent of change.” Michigan has a bunch of excellent bloggers with a history of accomplishment. This was a skoch intimidating.

Ultimately it all came together in our favor. I don’t why we got lucky, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to go.

Here’s some media coverage -

USA Today
Grand Rapids Press

And on the blogs -

Stone Soup Musings
BFM’s announcement article

Howard Dean’s congratulations video, and the full list of the State Blogger Corps, are over the jump …

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Posted in Politics | No Comments »

Thanks Again, From The Bottom Of Our Stomachs

Just want to give another shout out to our awesome commissioners. From the AP:

The number of Michigan households getting food stamps has risen 53 percent in the past five years, with one in eight state residents now aided by the nutrition assistance program, authorities say.

In all, 590,600 state households got food stamps in March, the Michigan Department of Human Services says. The households include 1.26 million people, or 12.5 percent of the state’s 10.07 million residents.

Nationwide, 27.7 million people received food stamps in January — or 9.2 percent of the nation’s 300 million people.

So now is a great time to cash in on hunger.

Posted in Shiawassee County | 2 Comments »

That’s Right - I Do Not Respect Dick Ball

I just left a comment over on this post at Right Michigan. Nick at RM is upset that Dick Ball opposes the recall of Andy Dillon, and suggests that Dick Ball has “switched teams.”

To which I replied, “we don’t want him.”

Well it’s no big deal, except for one person who sent me the equivalent of “Oh yeah??? Say that to our faces!!” Apparently this person questions whether I have the “intestinal fortitude” to face what must be an awful backlash, if I dare to say that I do not respect Dick Ball.

*sigh* Ok, here it is.

Dick Ball does whatever the last voice in his head tells him to do. Usually that voice is Craig DeRoche or some other member of the GOP caucus. As such, I don’t know why he introduced this bill.

Ball spent all of 2007 telling Shiawassee that we needed to raise taxes, but at the last minute, he voted against them. Why? Because DeRoche didn’t let him vote for revenues. (according to DeRoche, via MIRS) If I recall correctly, Ball also voted in favor of the MESSA-busting bill, which was contrary to his oft-stated opinion on it.

Most of your readers here would appreciate those votes, and even though I do not, it’s not those two votes that disgust me. It’s the practice of saying one thing but then doing another that disgusts me. Not to mention, the fact that he doesn’t have the courage of what he claims are his convictions. This is why I have no respect at all for him.

People who are really trying to make up their minds about Dick Ball should look at his voting record in its entirety. He usually votes along GOP lines. People think he’s a moderate .. that’s why he gets so many crossover Dem votes. However, the fact is, he just can’t pick a position. He just parrots what is being said around him. I’m sure he is good-hearted and means well, but if he ever had an independent thought he would probably spontaneously combust.

My 2 cents. Thanks.
~Christine

(ps Have a good weekend, hope you are well)

Hey, it’s nothing I haven’t said before. I watched him in the 2004 debates, I watched him all through his tenure as a Rep. I don’t respect the guy at all. However I am on record as saying that I would fight his recall, if Drolet had come after him.

(By the way, I am also on record in June of 2007 as predicting that despite what he said in public, he would vote with the GOP. He did exactly as I predicted.)

Is he evil? No.

Is he an independent thinker with the courage of what he claims to be his convictions? No. He proved that last fall, when he voted AGAINST what he SAID he believed in.

Period.

However, I didn’t think it was worth a post. It was just a comment on a story. But I guess if I have to repeat it here in order to prove something … well, there ya go.

Posted in Dick Ball | 6 Comments »

Shiawassee Profits From Hungry People

Cross posted at BFM

One lesson I keep learning over & over again is that I should never blog when I’m angry. That lesson just doesn’t seem to stick with me.

So yesterday our Board of Commissioners voted to indefinitely postpone the amendment to revert the food licensing and inspection fees back to what it was before it changed in December, 2007.

An act of pure cowardice and SLEAZE.

SLEAZE!!

Ok, for those of you who aren’t up to speed, here’s an excerpt from Tina’s March 26 diary…

Recent legislation passed in Lansing eliminated the exemption that was afforded to non-profits and schools for food licensing fees.

… while we want to continue to feed the hungry, the first $500.00 budgeted to this effort, must be paid to the County.

… Jack Johnson attempted to amend the motion to ‘roll back’ the fees to their previous levels (which I may add included temporary licenses for sales of food for non-profits) until the amendment proposed by Rep Ball was decided in Lansing. [Prosecutor] Randy Colbry felt this was not proper because the legal opinion he subscribes to does not allow for it. Pavlica just couldn’t get past that they might be ‘breaking the law’ in some way, the same went for Stewart.

In other words, our Board of Commissioners has voted to fine our Churches for feeding the hungry.

We’re not talking about a reasonable inspection fee. Most people agree that any kitchen that serves food to the public should meet certain standards put forward by law, and that organizations should cover the costs associated with maintaining those standards. We’re talking about fining the churches and non-profits the same amount as we would charge a school or restaurant. This is true even if the church is serving food at a funeral service, or at a ministry event, or feed-the-hungry, or whatever.

Same. Fee.

And our Board of Commissioners is ok with this, because George Pichette, the Director of our County Health Department, is demanding the revenue.

Now … the majority of the county board, led by Prosecutor Randy Colbry, says that it is not legal to charge a church less than they charge a school. The law absolutely does not allow this. Therefore, the county must do what Pichette wants. Wouldn’t want to be breaking the law.

To which Christine says, “Oh. My. G-”

I can’t even finish the last word.

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Posted in Shiawassee County | 1 Comment »

Michigan Needs A Part-Time Legislature

Dick Campbell of the Argus Press has a great editorial today about the part-time legislature. This was an idea that I used to hate.

My objection to the part-time legislature is that good government is a full-time job. You simply couldn’t do the work part-time. I did, however, support a unicameral legislature. This is a one-chamber model, which would eliminate the Senate. After watching Lansing closely in 2007, my opinions on these two proposals have reversed.

I’ll start with the simple one; I don’t support unicam anymore because I watched Mike Bishop obstruct everything that the House and the governor put forth. I can’t imagine what the legislature would be like if he were in charge of the whole thing. We just can’t risk something like that. Admittedly I’m a little biased, since he’s the guy who cut off access to my other blog. But still, Bishop was nothing but an obstructionist, as evidenced by the fact that he wouldn’t even vote for his own tax cuts. He was just trying to stop progress and show off his swagger.

So, unicam is definitely a no-go for me. (I’m sure there are plenty of people who also would not like to see an Andy Dillon in charge of the whole thing either)
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Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »

Commissioner Dan Stewart Under Fire

Commissioner Dan Stewart (D-1) is under fire for changing his mailing address to a location outside of his district.

Commissioners are required to reside in the district they represent. Stewart left his home a couple of weeks ago, when he and his wife agreed to end their marriage. Although Stewart has recently settled in to a house on Delaney Road, which is in his district, he has spent the a couple of weeks staying with different friends. Meanwhile, he had his mail sent to Stewart Graphics, the business belonging to his family. Stewart’s business office is located in the building.

Stewart has confirmed with County Clerk Lauri Braid that no one has filed a complaint about his address change, with the county clerk. However no one has confirmed whether a complaint has been filed with the state. Stewart has also confirmed that the Independent and the Argus Press will be running feature stories on his divorce and temporary displacement. Stewart has also expressed concerns about the many mean-spirited rumors that are circulating, slandering him and his wife.

Stewart is one of the Commissioners who recently criticized Sheriff Wilson for discussing an attorney-client privileged document, and for several other management problems in the Sheriff’s Dept. While it is speculated that Sheriff Wilson is behind these rumors and is calling for Stewart to step down, I haven’t found any proof of that. In fact I don’t have any evidence of who is trying to make the mountain out of this mole-hill. However it sure sounds an awful lot like the kinds of things that the Sheriff’s more enthusiastic supporters would do. Although there are partisan political ‘operatives’ who might see this as a chance to pick up a seat for the GOP, I personally can’t think of anyone who would be so dirty about it. Only the Sheriff’s most visible supporters have employed tactics like this, in the recent past.

Best wishes to Dan Stewart. Watch for stories in the Independent & the Argus to come soon.

Posted in Announcements, Shiawassee County | 2 Comments »

15 Endless Minutes Of Fame

Greg Shire.

If you’re from here, you’ve heard his name. You’ve read about him in the paper, or you’ve talked about him with a friend. You might not remember exactly who he is, but you know you’ve heard the name.

For most of us in the area, we first heard about Greg last summer. One early morning, someone crept into the Washington Street apartments and started a small fire in the stairwell. While Greg slept, the fire spread, and stole Greg’s life away.

Greg is a part of my life now, because of what he left behind. His loved ones light up when they speak of him, and his friends wear his name on tattoos. They decorate their cars in his memory. Greg is a part of my life, because he was loved so much that I feel his loss.

I often wonder about Greg’s killer. Is his life divided up into “before the fire” and “after the fire”? Does he remember Greg’s name? Does he believe in God? Does he call himself a killer? Is he afraid to die?

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Posted in Owosso, Shiawassee County | 3 Comments »

Shiawassee Dems April Meeting

(Late notice, sorry …)

SHIAWASSEE COUNTY DEM MEETING

APRIL 22, 2008

DOORS OPEN 6:30 PM
BUSINESS MEETING CONVENES 7:00 PM

MEETING PLACE CHANGE

OLMSTEAD MEETING ROOM
LOCATED AT THE BACK OF THE
CORUNNA-CALEDONIA DISTRICT LIBRARY

210 E. CORUNNA AVE, CORUNNA
RIGHT BEHIND THE COUNTY COURTHOUSE
PARKING LOT

ENTRANCE AT THE NORTH SIDE OF THE LIBRARY BUILDING

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Coffeehouse this Friday. Yay!

COFFEEHOUSE AT ST. JOHNS UCC – OWOSSO

Friday, April 25, 2008

7:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Donations: $5.00 to attend and/or play

Come join us for an evening of acoustic music, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and snacks.

Family friendly, relaxing atmosphere to enjoy talented musicians and music for all ages.

Musicians interested in participating feel free to come as you are, no prior scheduling necessary. If you have any questions, please contact Jack Johnson.

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