That’s the one involving the governor who was supposed to be hiking the Appalachian trail, but who instead was off pitching woo in Buenos Aires. I did, however, hear one quintessentially Detroit comment from a middle-aged secretary. “Couldn’t he find an American woman to fool around with?” she said. Bet she isn’t driving any foreign car.
We are at the beginning of summer, and that often amounts to what you might call our silly season. Suddenly, the news media tend to forget about budgets and deficits and wars.
Instead, there always seems to be some sort of bizarre scandal juicy enough to dominate cable TV for months.
Sometime this summer, if it is typical, someone will call in what police deem a credible tip about Jimmy Hoffa, and someone’s backyard will then be destroyed by a backhoe.
Later, a reporter will discover a growing movement in the Upper Peninsula to secede from the rest of Michigan and then either join Wisconsin or enter the union as the new state of Superior.
Stories will be written about this, local TV news crews will troop north, and then the ‘movement’ will mysteriously vanish, until next summer. In keeping with that frivolous spirit, Michigan’s largest newspaper, the Free Press, wasted paper yesterday to offer us an astonishing editorial on the wretchedly dysfunctional Gosselins, a family made famous and then destroyed by reality TV.
However, this year is different. I don’t sense that we’re in a silly mood. Michigan is facing conditions that in many ways resemble a depression, and things seem unlikely to get much better soon.
In Detroit, everyone is waiting to see when and if federal prosecutors will follow up on their hints and charge City Council member Monica Conyers in connection with a scandal allegedly involving bribes and a sewage contract.
Across the state, people are waiting to see if General Motors and Chrysler can emerge from bankruptcy and become profitable again. Those who follow politics more deeply are worried about whether our state can stay solvent.
The legislature is now attempting to come up with a budget, which by law has to be balanced. That’s seldom easy in good times. Today, putting together a budget that satisfies the bottom line without destroying essential services may be close to impossible.
Crafting one that both parties can live with may be much harder. We’ve had a state government for years that is as dysfunctional as the Gosselins, at a time when we can least afford it.
Somehow, I don’t think most people are willing to put up with this much longer. We are fighting for our lives in many parts of this state, fighting to stay here and give our kids a future.
We need leadership that will help us do that, by any means necessary. Those we’ve elected to lead us need to step up to the plate, regardless of party, inspire us and get it done.
Michigan really deserves nothing less.
I have bookmarked your essay. I'll get around to reading it after I'm done reading the Michael Jackson tributes.
Posted by: Bumby | June 26, 2009 at 09:41 AM
I am not waiting around for leadership from any public offical, religious person or newspaper pundits..
In truth I am increasing my counsel to those who seek it...
I plan to update my blog daily now in light of the world's troubled canvass..
www.planeideas.blogspot.com
Posted by: Thrasher | June 26, 2009 at 10:20 AM
Jack and others, have you seen what is going on at NPR lately? Read the comments. There is a FIRESTORM starting there regarding NPR's refusal to use the term "torture" with regards to what the U.S. did under Bush! Maybe Jack or some others of you would like to comment there too and also tell Michigan Radio, what you think about this. Maybe we should all withhold our sponsorship of local stations, until NPR relents.
It appears that there is a unanimous opinion as to the Ombudsman's - not so objective viewpoint - and what ramifications that could have for NPR's credibility in the future and, in particular, the credibility of, so called, Ombudsman in general. By the way, the Ombudsman and at least one of NPR's attorneys, have taken a sudden, unscheduled and extended "vacation". Also it appears their marketing person has taken one of these "vacations" too (because when I tried to find out about Siemens sponsorship of NPR programs, that is what I was told). Perhaps this has something to do with the comments made by 'Truth Seeker', about Siemens having suddenly decided to sponsor a number of NPR programs (wonder what that's all about?).
Over 370 comments already (a record?)!
http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/
Posted by: Nicki | June 27, 2009 at 06:30 PM
NPR firestorm much to do about nothing in the "chatter class"..
Posted by: Thrasher | June 28, 2009 at 07:59 PM
Thrasher-
Are you kidding me!! Were you a Bush/Chaney supporter too? Maybe so, if it's true that you live in Birmingham! What a poser!
Posted by: Nicki | June 29, 2009 at 01:52 PM
It's almost 400 comments now and climbing!
NPR has NO credibility any more - it's gone!
Posted by: Nicki | June 29, 2009 at 01:54 PM
Nicki,
Please get over your zip code envy..Your obession with a trival subject matter makes you less thana poser...Now is that becuase of the zip code you live in????
For you to post that NPR no longer has credibility now forces me to ignore everything you post in here!!!!
BTW my post on WDET "Detroit Today" created threads that were over 400 hits and DT was awarded best site by Detroit MetroTimes..
Now run along you are example of why people like me ignore the noise of the "chatter class"
Posted by: Thrasher | June 29, 2009 at 03:11 PM
Come on Thrasher, you know you have ABSOLUTELY NO credibility here or anywhare(just check ALL the responses to any posts you have made). And don't take credit for something you had NOTHING to do with! You are simply "a legend in your own mind". Why don't you do something productive for a change - poser!
Posted by: Nicki | June 29, 2009 at 03:24 PM
Nicki,
All I know is chatter class folks like you do not measure up to me and often post stupid stuff like your post about NPR!!
The bulks of posts in here for the past year or so have been reactions to MY posts not posts like yours!! You are doing what must posters do right now REACTING to MY POSTS!!!!
Now get loss and go follow the herd or better yet go post another forgettable comment on the NPR thread..You nobody..lol,lol,lol
Posted by: Thrasher | June 29, 2009 at 04:53 PM