Wolverine Republicans

Two More Bowl Games?

2008-05-04T12:36:00.001-07:00

The NCAA, in its liberal quest to continue to celebrate mediocrity, approved to more bowl games for this year's college season.

First, is the Congressional Bowl set for December 20 in Washington DC. I would hardly call December in Washington a reward for anyone. They have a tie-in with the ACC, which is fine. Of course the ninth place team from the ACC isn't usually going to excite anyone. There is also an agreement with the Naval Academy. If Navy isn't bowl eligible, they'll invite Army. If Army isn't bowl eligible everyone starts throwing things against the wall.

Second, the St. Petersburg Bowl which is in St. Petersburg Florida. Its played at Tropicana field, which is fine (the Congressional Bowl still can't figure out which stadium to use). I don't see a date listed for this one. It has conference tie-in's with Conference USA and the Big East (which has a whole lot of former Conference USA teams). I suppose if the football gets bad folks can go visit the Salvador Dali Museum.

There are now 34 bowl games, which means 68 football teams have a postseason reward for going at least 6-6.

Perfidy in the Republican Party

2008-05-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Back on April 18 of this year, the Detroit News ran a story on the finances of the Michigan Republican Party. Turns out that they got the facts wrong. What is sad is that there were several Republican activists that were shopping this story around. Joe Sylvester from Bay City has a blog that talks about this. While we all know that Joe's blog plays to mixed reviews, I have talked with enough people familiar with the situation to be able to vouch for the veracity of his statements in this instance. The blog post can be found as follows:

http://bconservatives.blogspot.com

Go to his post on April 21 titled "McCain operatives using camapign to settle political scores"

For whatever reason I wasn't able to correctly do a direct link to the post, which is why you'll have to do a little work on your own.

Anyway, some of the guilty parties involved actually sit on the GOP's State Committee. If you sit on the State Committee you are supposed to be promoting the Republican Party, not undermining it. One of these days our State Party is going to need to institute some standards and expectations for those people who choose to sit on the State Committee.

The treacherous behavior of the people mentioned in Joe's blog post has nothing to do with enabling the election of John McCain. It has nothing to do with forwarding the cause of the Republican Party. It has nothing to do with promoting any of our cherished causes, like second amendment rights or the pursuit of a conservative foreign policy. It has everything to do with a quest for control of the State Party and the attempt to gain control of its operations and contracts by undermining the current State Party Chair.

Its time for many of us who are Republicans to work on getting rid of the guilty parties, otherwise as conservatives we are never going to be able to regain control of the State Government from the Democrats.

Can This Man Beat Vicki Barnett?

2008-05-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

The 37th District State House seat, which represents Farmington and Farmington Hills, is an open seat. The Democrats have been grooming Vicki Barnett - who served a total of 12 years on the Farmington Hills City Council - to run at precisely this moment.

Enter Richard Lerner, who is running as a Republican. His website is as follows:

http://www.lerner2008.com

Richard is not well-known, and currently does contract work in the automotive industry. We all remember when Michigan had an auto industry don't we? The question to ask is whether or not his message and platform will sell in the Farmington Area.

Everyone gets to be a Dolphins fan

2008-04-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

I think that all Wolverines should be proud of Jake Long being the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft. Jake will also be the only Michigander to have improved his financial position in this year's Granholm Economy.

Oakland County Drain Commissioner has his website up

2008-04-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

John McCulloch, who has been the Oakland County Drain Commissioner since 2000, has his campaign website up and running. Its http://www.johnmcculloch2008.com

If you've never thought this office was important, then you have no idea how much money goes into the various infrastructure projects that we have in Oakland County. This seat isn't targeted by the Dems with the same degree of seriousness that they are pursuing the open Oakland County Prosecutor's seat. Still, I'd hate to see use lose control of this position given how significant it is to the nature of the business of county government.

Once Again - Lawmakers Looking at the Bowls

2008-04-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

I came across this article on the web:

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=ap-congress-bowlgames&prov=ap&type=lgns

I am not a big fan of the BCS as it stands, in part because it has undermined the tradition of the Rose Bowl and other games. And as conservatives we should be trying to preserve tradition. Unfortunately the money involved in college football has lead to the current situation.

Gail Haines for State Rep from Waterford

2008-04-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Lent is over. Tax Season is over. I think the snowfalls are finally over. Gail Haines sits on the City Council in Lake Angelus and is running as a Republican for the open 43rd District State House seat that consists of Waterford, Lake Angelus and a portion of West Bloomfield. Her website is as follows:

http://www.gailhaines.com

While everyone keeps talking about the failures of State Government in Lansing and the need to elect folks with government experience to the State House, Gail would be a good addition. As many of us talk about the need to improve the image of the Republican Party - Gail's skill set would help us restore the reputation of competency to our party.

Its time to Run with Runestad

2008-03-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

Jim Runestad has been the President of the North Oakland Republican Club for quite some time and is well-regarded by conservatives throughout Oakland County. The NORC website is worth looking at - http://www.norc-us.org

Jim has declared for the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. He is running in the 6th District, which represents White Lake Township and western portion of Waterford Township. This is a man that all Republicans should consider supporting. His website is http://www.runwithrunestad.com

Hugh Crawford for State Rep from Novi

2008-02-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hugh Crawford is a fantastic Republican. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Prior to that he served on the Novi City Council. In the era of term limits, the problem has not been the term limits themselves but the caliber of the people that we are electing to the State House. Hugh is running for an open seat in the 38th State House District. His extensive experience in both city and county government will be useful for the transition to state government. The District he is running in represents the cities of Novi, Wixom, Walled Lake and South Lyon; plus Lyon Township.

You can check out his website at http://www.hughcrawford08.com

Larry Leib - candidate for Oakland County Prosecutor

2008-02-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Have to put a link to Larry Leib's website - http://www.leibforprosecutor.com - there are three Republicans running for this open seat. Its targeted by Democrats who are planning on running Judge Jessica Cooper. Larry has my endorsement, I've known him for quite some time and he's the only one of the three Republicans who has children.

Everyone Shoule be Supporting Chuck Moss

2008-02-15T09:43:00.001-08:00

So what if he's a Spartan, State Rep Chuck Moss from Birmingham is the type of Republican we should all get behind. His website - http://www.chuckmoss.com - says it best. A modest and simple platform; cut taxes, balance budget, control spending and STOP driving away jobs.

Romney Pulls Out

2008-02-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Mitt has withdrawn from the race. That leaves us with three - John McCain, Mike Huckabee & Ron Paul. Of the three Dr. Paul is easily the closest to me when it comes to the issues - perhaps the big exception being the situation in Iraq. McCain is the most electable against Hillary, although I am concerned about his ability to win Michigan.

I would hope that Mitt Romney will end up on the short list for the Vice Presidential nomination. He does have a Charles Dawes-type of quality.

Huckabee Rolls in the South

2008-02-06T05:19:00.000-08:00

You never want to underestimate what a Baptist preacher will do in the South. Huckabee winning Arkansas was a given. Wins in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee are impressive. When you consider that Georgia and Tennessee both contain cities with significant media markets, this is a little different from winning in a place like Iowa.

Romney wins Utah

2008-02-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

Boy this a real surprise. Anyone who knows a little something about Utah politics knows that Romney won this primary because of his religion, not in spite of it.

Huckabee wins West Virginia

2008-02-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

Some of my friends call this Huckacide. Today is Super Tuesday and West Virginia had their Convention. Mitt Romeny went into today with the most delegates, but from what I read McCain delegates joined the Huckabee camp. So the Other Man From Hope gets 18 pledged delegates from West Virginia to the National Convention.

McCain wins Florida

2008-01-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

Today's Republican Primary in Florida was a winner-take-all proposition with regard to delegates. It looks like McCain won, last I checked he had a 36% to 31% advantage over Romney. Giuliani finsihed third. As of tonight McCain is leading in the delegate count so far. There is talk of Giuliani pulling out of the race. Its concievable that by the end of next week the Republican Party will know who its nominee is.

Bishop & Dillon in Farmington Hills on January 28

2008-01-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Mike Bishop & Andy Dillon, who are Michigan's Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House, are having a town hall forum in Farmington Hills on the evening of January 28. This will be taking place at OCC's Orchard Ridge campus, which is easily accessible off of I-696. The article from the Oberser & Eccentric chain is here:

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080120/NEWS25/801200357

I know that a number of Young Republicans from Metro Detroit are talking about going to this event and I think its worth the time to do so.

Romney Wins in the Capital of Sin

2008-01-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

To me there's something kind of funny about a Mormon winning a GOP Caucus in Nevada, a state where gambling and prostitution are legal and frequently practised. Then again, there are a good numberof Mormons who live in Nevada. With this victory Mitt Romney has the highest number of committed delgates so far. Florida may change that so we'll have to see.

On the same day as the Nevada Caucus, John McCain beat Mike Huckabee in the GOP South Carolina Primary. Following the results on Saturday, both Duncan Hunter and Fred Yhompson dropped out of the race.

Its a shame that more people didn't get excited about Duncan Hunter's candidacy. From an issues standpoint he appeared to be the Republican who most resembled Ronald Reagan.

On the other hand, I have never seen a presidential candidate as disinterested as Fred Thompson. Its probably for the best that he is moving on.

Five Republicans are still running as we head to the Florida Primary.

Romney Wins Michigan

2008-01-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone already knows this. Still winning the whole state by approx nine percentage points over McCain is impressive. The McCain campaign put the Chairman of the GOP's Ninth District Committee on their payroll, giving him money as a GOTV "consultant". Mitt Romney got 48% of the vote in the Ninth District, so the McCain Campaign might want to ask for their money back.

One of the reasons for Romney's victory is that his campaign put considerable staff and other resources into Michigan. No other campaign came close to having the staffing levels that the Romney campaign did. The McCain campaign started off with a comparable commitment, then began letting people go when their situation imploded during portions of 2007. No one else even made a dent. Also, the Romney office was located in Farmington Hills, making it accessible to a lot of people as it was close enough to the majority of the Michigan's popualtion. In contrast, the McCain campaign was centered out of Grand Rapids - which made it close to Grand Rapids.

Per the State Party website, the delegates won were as follows: Romney - 45; McCain - 10; Huckabee - 2. Romney was the top vote-getter in 13 out of 15 Congressional Districts, McCain coming out on top in the other two (the 1st and 6th Districts).

Robert Mason Appointed to Farmington Hills City Council

2008-01-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

This is a good article to pass on. Ten people, the majority of whom are known to me, applied for an open position on the Farmington Hills City Council. One of the applicants had run for the Council and lost in both 2005 & 2007. I think that the City Council is to be commended for not just automatically appointing that person and instead reviewing what turned out to be an exceptionally talented pool of applicants. The business of government is of a serious nature and it appears that the Council found someone with exceptional business credentials, as the article illustrates:

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080114/NEWS06/80114007

We should all wish Mr. Mason well in this endeavour. It will be interesting to see who files to run for the remainder of this term when it is up for election later in the year.

Who is Paying for the Michigan Huckabee website

2008-01-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm writing about this not for the purpose of hurting the Huckabee Campaign, in part because I have a number of friends who are voting for him in this week's primary, but because I am concerned with something that I saw on the following website:

http://www.michiganforhuckabee.com

On the main page it reads "Disclaimer: At the present time, this site is not officially endorsed by the Mike Huckabee for President Campaign."

I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure there is a Campaign Finance violation happening somewhere with the existence of this website. I am basing this on my own experiences with the Bush Campaign in 2004 when I wanted to create an OaklandforBush website and was advised that it was not allowable under campaign finance laws.

I have no idea who put this website together, but I think that they need to let it be known who paid for it and/or who the webmaster is. If Huckabee does end up as the GOP nominee for President, it will be important that any and all grassroots efforts comply with campaign finance laws.

How does Loyd rate in Michigan's history?

2008-01-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Lloyd Carr was the head coach for 13 years. The three great coaches in our history are considered to be Yost, Crisler and Schembechler. You could also can also look at the careers of Kipke, Oosterbaan and Elliott for comparison's sake as they all coached between 9 and 11 years.

Lloyd won a national title, which Bo never did. It was however something that Yost, Kipke, Crisler & Oosterbaan all accomplished.

Lloyd went to 4 Rose Bowls in 13 years. Bo went to 10 in 21 years. Bo went more frequently, but both had terrible records. Lloyd was 1-3 and Bo was 2-8. No other coach except Moeller ever went to one Rose Bowl (Big 1o's tie-in with Pasadena came at the end of Crisler's career).

Lloyd had 5 Big 10 Championships in 13 years. Bo had 13 in 21 years. Crisler only had 2 in 10 years. Kipke had 4, Oosterbaan 3, and Elliott only had 1. Yost had 10 conference titles in 15 years of competing in a conference.

Lloyd finished ranked in the Top 10 6 times. That almost half of the years he coached. Bo finished in the Top 10 17 times in his 21 years. Crisler did it 8 times in 10 years. Lloyd clearly falls short of those numbers. Oosterbaan had 4 Top 10 finishes. Moeller had 3 in his five years.

Winning Pct% - Lloyd's .753 is good by any standard (unless you realize that only translates to a 9-3 season). However, Yost and Crisler were over .800 and Bo was at .796. Lloyd's number is definitely better than Kipke, Oosterbaan or Elliott.

No One compares to Yost. Except for the National Title, I don't think you can say that Lloyd was better than Bo. I don't think you can say he was greater than Crisler. You can put him ahead of Kipke, Oosterbaan and Elliott. And yes, Lloyd belongs in the College Football Hall of Fame when his time comes.

McCain wins in New Hampshire

2008-01-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

John McCain, who won the New Hampshire Primary in 2000, repeated that victory 8 years later. Mitt Romney came in second, and I guess that's fine if you like to brag about being #2. Huckabee finished third, followed by Giuliani and then Ron Paul. McCain had 37% of the vote while Romeny had 31%. Huckabee garnered 11%, and was not that far ahead of Rudy and Dr. Paul. One website had the estimated delegates won as McCain = 7; Romney = 4; Huckabee = 1
McCain's margin of victory was approximately 13,000 votes.

I think that Romney is still ahead in the overall delegate count, but I'm not certain if anyone has ever had the candidacy of a major party without being a winner in either Iowa or New Hampshire.

Hillary topped Obama, Edwards was a third place finisher. Their respective percentages were 39% to 36% to 17%.

Winner of the GOP Primary in New Hampshire failed to be the party's nominee in 1948, 1964, 1996 and 2000. The same held true for the Democrats in 1952, 1956, 1968, 1972, 1984 and 1992.

Wyoming had a Primary - Nobody Cared

2008-01-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Republicans in Wyoming did the Presidential thing. For the record Romney won. But there seems to be little coverage. Of course more people live in Detroit than all of Wyoming. Still what I read had the delegates apportioned like this: Romney - 9; Thompson - 3; Duncan Hunter - 1.

If my math is correct, combining the delegates from Iowa and Wyoming means that Romney has more delegates than Huckabee going into New Hampshire.

Should Religion Make a Difference in Politics?

2008-01-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

This question has been asked alot, and is salient when the recent victory by Mike Huckabee in the Iowa Caucus is taken into consideration. And to those people that ask this question ... all I can say is that the question itself is irrelevant to the real world of politics. Whether citizens like it or not, religion does matter in politics. I could write many dissertations about religion and politics in America, and the space provided does not give the subject its proper due. Still, a few quick points.

First, for many years there was a foreign policy implication about electing a member of the Roman Catholic Church to the Presidency. That reality no longer exists with the greater proliferation of secular (or it you prefer - a la carte) Catholics in this country. While there is not a similiar implication in electing someone who is Mormon, it is still an undiscovered country.

Second, there are many people who are believers in the Resurrection who do not believe that Mormons are Christians. This is not a view that is restricted to evangelicals and fundamentalists. I know ordained ministers in traditonal churches who view Mormons as a cult. Think L. Ron Hubbard without the spaceships and that is how many people view the Latter Day Saints.

Third, people want to know that someone has a faith. It does not matter what type of a church you go to - what matters to a lot of voters is that you go. It shows you have commitment to a community. Its shows that in theory you have belief in a higher power. It shows that you aren't some nihilistic Marxist, or a too-smart-to-need-God intellectual.

Fourth, any politician who is Jewish gets an additional set of voter behaviors to deal with. Folks who are Jewish are very likely to vote for you because you are a Member of the Tribe. And there are Gentiles who will vote against you for the very same reason.

Should religion matter? I will state this again, the question is not terribly relevant because to many citizens it does matter. Politics involves the art of the possible. It is not possible to seperate religion from voter behavior in this country.

Weird Scenes Inside the Iowa Goldmine

2008-01-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched the returns from the Iowa Caucuses. It's one thing that Huckabee was the top vote-getter in the Republican Caucus. It also another thing that Barak Obama was the winner for the Democrats. But it is something else altogether that they were both successful.

Usually when I think of Iowa, corn and John Deere are all that I can conjure up. I suppose the Hawkeyes play good football more often than not. While Iowa may be a part of the Midwest, there isn't a major media market or population center there (when contrasted with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan).

Polling from voters in both parties found that only one in ten placed an emphasis on voting for someone who can actually win in November. Excuse me, but if you're not interested in winning in November then why bother voting in these caucuses?

I have always said that this was a state that Mitt Romney had to win and he did not. If you are his campaign you have to look at all of the time and effort that has been spent in Iowa and honestly ask what wrong.

It is also interesting that Hillary lost not just to Obama, but also finished behind John Edwards. Front-runners aren't supposed to finish third. Neither Obama nor Edwards is on the Democrats' ballot here in Michigan (Jan 15) so we won't really know what Michigan's Democrat voters think about the pros and cons of the three of them.

Per one website I looked up, the potential GOP delegates won last night went like this: Huckabee -17; Romney - 12; Thompson - 3; McCain - 3; Paul - 2.

In both 1980 and 1988, the person who won the Iowa Caucus did not get the GOP nomination. A similiar thing happened to the Democrats' winner in 1988 and 1992.

When is Your Vote a Wasted Vote?

2008-01-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

I recently had a conversation where one of my political friends asked if I thought they were wasting their vote by supporting someone they did not feel would win the Republican nomination for President. I replied that if the candidate was serious about success, and is campaigning like he genuinely wants the job, then the vote is not wasted even if the prospects for victory are slim.

And that got me thinking as to whether its a waste of time to vote for any of the remaining seven Republicans who are still in the campaign. Unfortunately I came across one candidate who I feel it really would be a waste of time to vote for.

First, let me give some good examples of what other candidates are doing. Visibility and accessibility in the Metro Detroit Area tell me who takes us seriously. I have seen Duncan Hunter speak in person four times between October and December. I applaud that and it tells me that he would be worthwhile to vote for. Some campaigns have already opened up offices and committed resources to this area. Mitt Romney has had his State HQ in Farmington Hills since the beginning of the year - that tells me he's serious. Ron Paul has recently opened an office in Detroit - that's to be commended. The Giuliani campaign has two paid staffers that I'm aware of working out of an office in Bloomfield Hills. These are all examples to me of candidates who are serious about their effort.

Second, you have to look at the ethusiasm of the volunteers in that campaign. Ron Paul's volunteers have attained an almost legendary status in their commitment to their candidate. I have recently seen Huckabee's supporters start organizing with a comparable passion, and I believe they are starting to use on-line tools like MeetUp groups in an attempt to duplicate Dr. Paul's successes.

Third, you have to look at how the candidates are doing in their debates. I don't mean from the standpoint of where they are on the issues, but instead the level of energy that they bring. I'm pretty sure that Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani are going to throttle each other sooner or later if they start talking about foreign policy. At least we know that these two folks care.

These are all examples of candidates who whether you agree with them or not are worth voting for because they believe in their cause and in their campaign.

That being said a vote for Fred Thompson is an absolute waste of time. To this day I cannot find a good reliable contact person in Michigan for Fred's campaign. While Duncan Hunter has an office in Bay City, and the McCain campaign has been hq'd out of Grand Rapids all year, I can't find signs of life from Fred. Fred has some nice endorsements, but I can't see any passion in the handful of his supporters that I'm acquainted with. And Fred looks like he can't wait for these pesky debates to be over with.

I know there were people in the Republican Party who thought that Fred could fill the shoes of Ronald Reagan, but to be honest no one candidate is going to do that in 2008.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Wolverines won their bowl game today, which is something neither CMU nor MSU could accomplish in December. Once gain this has not been a vintage bowl season for the Big 10. The conference has only won 3 out 7 bowl games so far, and Illinois was non-competitive in the Rose Bowl.

The Iowa Caucus takes place in two days, and it is my hope that this will be the first of many steps that the Republican Party takes to return itself to excellence in 2008.

The 2008 New Years Resolution

2007-12-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

A lot of folks asked to me to start a blog knowing that I had a lot to say. The problem is that I've never set aside time each day to write down my thoughts on this website. So the resolution is simple - try to put something up here every day and let everyone know just how unoriginal and unintellectual I am (yep - that's sarcasm).

Happy New Year Everyone.

Ten Apply for Farmington Hills City Council Position

2007-12-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

There is an opening on the Farmington Hills City Council with the election of Councilman Jerry Ellis to Mayor. Ellis still has two years remaining in the City Council term that he was re-elected to in 2005. Among the ten people that applied for the vacant position, which will be appointed by the Farmington Hills City Council members are a number of folks who are known to me as Republicans. The article in the Farmington Observer gives brief bios on those who submitted applications: http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071216/NEWS06/712160492

What makes this interesting to me is that I always hear how the demographics in Farmington Hills are changing and how all of this change has meant bad news for Republicans. I quick read of the applicants shows that there are plenty of interested activists who are willing to step forward and lead in the city and I think it is very short-sighted for the Republican Party to write off the largest city in Oakland County.

Rutgers?

2007-12-09T10:58:00.000-08:00

You know the head football coaching position at Michigan is important to the social fabric when people are talking about it during coffee hour at church. We have a Presidential Primary in a little more than a month, but the coaching search seems to be more on people's minds.

I'm not sure which is more odd - the fact that the Wolverines went to Rutgers to search for a new football coach, or the fact that the Rutgers coach turned Ann Arbor down. Rutgers?? They haven't had a great player since Paul Robeson.

A call to end School Boards as we know them

2007-12-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

My buddy Akindele recently wrote this on his blog

http://whoisakindele.info/2007/12/traditional-school-boards-need-to-go-by.html

I think we all know that there continues to be a problem with our public education system here in Michigan. I have never believed that there is a correlation between money and learning. We are on the verge of now having not one but two lost generations that have been the responsibility of the Detroit Public Schools. Lost in that most of those who graduate from that system have no skills for any meaningful employment ... unless you you think the ability to screw up someone's order at McDonald's is meaningful.

DIA Reopens

2007-11-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

I went to the Detroit Institute of Arts this past weekend with one of my cronies. The place had been closed for over six months due to renovations. There were plenty of articles in the media about what a success the re-opening was. Here's my take - when you offer something for free over the Thanksgiving holiday (such as museum admission) then of course you are going to get all kinds of folks to show up. The question is whether or not this will translate to a greater number of museum memberships being sold. My feeling is that it won't. I'm all in favour of exposing kids to art but an art museum is not the place for strollers, and over the weekend there were a lot of strollers at the DIA. Elementary and even middle school aged children were everywhere to be found but its extremely rare when someone of that age becomes enthralled by paintings and sculptures. I don't think that there are going to be that many families buying new memberships to the DIA. For most people in Metro Detroit the museum is at best a once a year activity.

There is no question that the DIA has one of the better permanent collections in North America. There is also no question that the limited hours and geographic location of the museum are obstacles. I wish them luck.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

We have much to be thankful for.

We live in a country where we are free to worship as we see fit.
We have to freedom to vote for who we want.
We even have the freedom not to vote - although its not recommended.
We have a Presidential Primary in Michigan.
We have snow on the ground.
The Wolverines beat the Spartans for the 6th straight year.
And Michgan will once again play in a bowl game for what remains the longest consecutive number of years of any football program in the country.

State Supreme Court Okays January 15 Primary

2007-11-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

The next question is whether or not there is enough time to prepare ballots. I believe that the association that represents the County Clerks has said that they need a 60 day window to ensure access to vote for overseas personnel. Article from the Free Press is here:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071121/NEWS06/71121024

Valerie Knol named Farmington Mayor

2007-11-20T15:08:00.000-08:00

Last week Farmington Coouncilwoman Valerie Knol was appointed to be that city's Mayor. The city uses a rotating-mayor form of government instead of directly electing their mayor. This is common in smaller cities. Birmingham, for example, does the same thing. Anyway, Valerie's Republican involvement through the years has been well known. She was the Mayor Pro-Tem for the last two years so it was her turn to assume the duties of Mayor. Not everything went as smooth as one would expect:

First, here is the article from the Farmington Observer

http://www,hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/NEWS06/711150458

Second, the editorial that the Oberserver printed

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071118/OPINION/711180494/1195/NEWS06

Third, check this website/blog by Joni Hubred-Golden (who is also a former editor of the Observer)

http://farmingtonenterprise.com/2007/11/15/council-member-goes-over-the-top-and-then-some/

This ties into the larger issues all communities in Michigan are going to face with shared services, mergers, sustainability, and stewardship for the future.

Perhaps its also time to ask whether more smaller cities (Farmington has a population of approx. 10,000) should go to a directly elected Mayor.

Lloyd Carr Retires

2007-11-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

Maybe after yesterday's embarassement against Ohio State its for the best.

Article in the Detroit Free Press is here: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20071118/SPORTS06/71118024

Jan 15 Primary necessary but now unlikely

2007-11-16T16:51:00.001-08:00

We need a Presidential Primary in Michigan. If the two parties select there preferences with caucuses and conventions then many potential voices will never be heard. We are sitting in a one state economic depression and we need the campaigns from both parties to pay attention to us. No primary means no attention.

As of today, the Appeals Court upheld the ruling that knocked out the January 15 Primary.

There will probably not be enough time and willing legisloators to create legislation to fix the problem. Democrats will probably go back to their caucus system. Michigan Republicans will go to the convention system which is even more exclusive, or if you prefer ... restrictive.

Lloyd's Last Year?

2007-11-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

Is this Lloyd Carr's last year? Should this be Lloyd's last year? My understanding is that Lloyd Carr wants to retire on positive notes. If he loses to Ohio State - which means another 4 loss season - and goes to a mediocre bowl game like the Champs Sports Bowl, then my expectation is that he won't retire.

However, if Michigan beats Ohio State on Saturday and therefore goes to the Rose Bowl; then it is far more likely that Lloyd will retire. The last game in both Fritz Crisler's and Bo Schembechler's careers were Rose Bowls so it would make sense to want to go out playing in a major game.

Michigan - Wisconsin

2007-11-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, Michigan without Mike Hart and Chad Henne is not a pretty sight. Well, with Ohio State losing yesterday it almost a given that the winner of next week's U-M/OSU game is going to the Rose Bowl. 35,000 students - you'd think that somebody knows how to play defense.

More on the Knollenberg/Wisecup Situation

2007-11-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

After reading various blogs and hearing all kinds of statements, there are a few additional facts that need to be stated. Some liberals have stated that they think Trent Wisecup's claiming to have a bipolar disorder is a political move to explain away his rant that got posted on YouTube. I've talked with several people familiar with Trent's situation, and since he has publicly disclosed certain facts about his health I don't mind passing on some things for the purposes of clarification.

Approximately a week after the altercation with Bruce Fealk in Rochester, Trent Wisecup did voluntarily check himself into a pscyhiatric unit at Beaumont Hospital. It sounds to me like he stayed there for four days. Enough people were aware of this that it appears to be factual. So I think that any claims that Trent is faking a mental illness for the sake of political expediency are not correct.

People also need to understand that there is a difference between a voluntary commit and an involuntary commit to a psychiatric unit. While they are both considered a hospitalization, and that in itself is quite serious, a voluntary commit means that you checked yourself in and you can check out any time you like - unless the staff has observed something that makes them think you are a risk to yourself or the general public.

There is no way of ensuring the veracity of Wisecup's statements as to his diagnosis. However, I highly doubt that he would have been in a hospital for any length of time unless a medical doctor felt that he had a condition that was serious enough to require treatment. Also it appears that whatever his illness, the plan is for him to be treated on an outpatient basis.

Perhaps the best thing to do is approach the situation with a little understanding, even if Wisecup has behaved in ways that many people find unacceptable. It doesn't mean that anyone needs to approve of inappropriate behaviors ... just show a little understanding.

Knollenberg Chief of Staff on medical leave of absence

2007-11-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today's Detroit papers reported that Joe Knollenberg's Chief of Staff, Trent Wisecup, is taking a medical leave of absence. Links to the articles as follows:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/METRO02/711020368

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/NEWS03/711020389/1005

A number of folks have been posting this on their blogs, and instead of commenting on it there I'm going to comment on it here.

First, these days the medical community uses the DSM-IV not DSM-III.

Second, I think there are ADA issues if you fire someone because they have a bipolar disorder.

Third, my brother the psychiatrist has told me that bipolar disorder is an over diagnosed condition. Other professionals have told me the same thing.

Fourth, the real question with any patient who holds a sensitive position in the arena of public policy is whether or not they are operating in reality. While it is true that having a bipolar condition may affect someone's judgement on issues ... so does eating too much pasta at lunch. So far no one has presented any evidence that Wisecup was not operating in reality ... there really has been a man with a giant Knollenberg head chasing after the Congressman!

Fifth, my belief (barring any medical evidence to the contrary) is that people need to judge the YouTube tirade on its own merits. If you think Wisecup did the right thing - then that's how it is. If you think Wisecup acted more like a horse's ass - then he's a horse's ass no matter whether he is bipolar.

Sixth, seeing various liberals posting comments about Wisecup's mental health in a way that is condemning is rather interesting. Here in Michigan all we ever heard from the Dems was how awful it was that John Engler closed down the Lafayette Clinic (not to mention other complaints about funding and care for mental health patients). I think a little sympathy is called for here ... unless Wisecup himself has previously gone on record making derogatory statements about people with mental illness.

Duncan Hunter in Oakland County

2007-10-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

Duncan Hunter spoke at the Oakland County Commissioners Auditorium on October 8 at the invitation of the North Oakland Republican Club. They invited all of the Republican Presidential aspirants, but Hunter was the only one who accepted the invitation. One of my political friends has just posted the video of that night at http://www.oaklandpolitics.com

Its worth taking the time to view - although keep in mind that there is more than one hour of recorded material that is presented. Looking strictly at the issues, Hunter is as close to an ideal conservative as any Republican who is currently seeking to be the top of our ticket.

Trent on Olberman

2007-10-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTfGv2AFU_0

To Trent or Not to Trent

2007-10-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

This YouTube clip has gotten a lot of hits, although not nearly as many as the McGuffie Mixtape:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VpY9KD8RfQs

Detroit Zoo

2007-10-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago one of my friends took me out to the Detroit Zoo. Once upon a time it was one of the premier zoos in our country. Right now its nice but not what it once was. In fact its even less than it used to be when you go to visit the elephants and find that they're gone. Its bad enough that the liberals that run America's zoos display lots of info to indoctrinate our kids about global warming, the evils of development, habitat loss and everything else. But to take away our elephants?

Worse yet, is what is in the place of these amazing creatures who we use as symbols for the Republican Party. You guessed it ... rhinos!

I'm sure the irony is not lost on those who have a mind.

Michigan - Northwestern

2007-09-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

I watched the Michigan-Northwestern game on the TV today. It was Michigan's first road game so until now I had been spared the need to watch the Big Ten Network. Northwestern just doesn't have the talent this year. Furthermore, their top running back was out with an injury. Still, the Wolverines just sucked lemons in the first half. Michigan won but this team is not that great a squad. It reminds a lot of my cronies of those glorious 4 loss teams from the mid-90's.

But what really made this a lousy experience was watching the game on the Big Ten Network. What kind of liberal anti-free market geek thinks that womens volleyball is something that people are going to want to watch with the same, if any interest, as mens basketball or football? Jim Delaney's folley was promoting volleyball big-time during the commerical breaks. Personally, I'm not remotely interested in watching women play volleyball unless its on a beach. Most college athletic events aren't worth televising. This is a one of the symptoms of the trend in academia of everything is equal and everything has value and so on and so on. I have to agree with Comcast, its not worth forcing this network on a single household in Michigan.

To make this even more charming is that the local ABC station had the broadcast rights for the Central Michigan game. Chippewas everywhere were thrilled.

With today's victory the Wolverines are now 4 and 4 since voters approved the MCRI.