CARS Act...Cash For Clunkers!

I was considering a post on the outlook for new fuel efficient auto's and new business' that are interested in making them here in Michigan. But rather than running through some hopefuls that may or may not designate this state for their American home I thought we could put that off until another day. Instead let's take a look at

Rep. Betty Sutton's (OH) Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act

While I am sure everyone knows what I am talking about when I mention the CARS Act, please give me a moment in case you have been out of town for awhile.

The CARS act proposes to give consumers up to $5,000 for an old clunker trade in on an auto that is built in the United States that gets at least 27 mpg.
This proposal has many advantages to people living in the state of Michigan.

First and foremost it would help the economy as people who take advantage of the measure buy new cars. A similar measure in Germany caused a new car sales surge of 21 percent.

Secondly it helps the environment when people buy autos with more efficient motors. I still see some eighties land yachts floating around our highways, and this may be enough money to benefit those that otherwise cannot afford more practical means of getting to, and from work.

Third it makes us more independent from foreign sources of oil. Something that all sides of the political spectrum can agree is in our best interest.

A taste for cheap political stunts

One of the rumored contestants in the reality show political sweepstakes to be Michigan's Next Top Governor is the CEO of Domino's Pizza, David Brandon. Now, if you're like me, when you heard that you said "who?" Maybe you know Tom Monihan, the wingnut billionaire who founded Domino's and is using his fortune to create an ultra-conservative Catholic law school and city/cult compound in Florida. You may also know Mike Ilitch, founder of Little Caesar's and owner of the world champion Red Wings (who look capable of repeating) and the hoping to not stink as bad as last year Detroit Tigers (good luck on that without serious pitching help). Both of those last guys would at least be close to household names in Michigan if they chose to run, but Brandon is a relative unknown to most people.

Dana Houle knows about Brandon:

"You probably wouldn't realize that he's a rightwing Republican who in 2006 chaired the gubernatorial campaign of Amway heir and rightwing loon Dick DeVos and in 2008 bundled donations for Mitt Romney and was a major donor to John McCain.

You might not know that in 2006 Brandon seriously considered running against Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow..."

Or...

"that last year Brandon was the second highest paid CEO in Michigan, or that he is often paid in the range of $20 million per year."

That's a lot of money for a guy who's company isn't even doing that well. Well, thanks to a high profile advertising campaign that has suddenly appeared on the TV airwaves, people are getting to know David Brandon who is now shamelessly touting "Domino’s Big Taste Bailout" with high-profile spots aired during mega-ratings blockbuster "American Idol."

According to a press release:

"Dave Brandon, CEO of Domino’s Pizza is taking to the streets for the launch of "Domino’s Big Taste Bailout" promotion. The TV commercials will premiere today during Fox’s American Idol. Brandon will be guiding us from Capitol Hill via Wall Street to Main Street, with an offer to deliver three or more medium, one topping pizzas or oven baked sandwiches for just $5 each to American consumers.

In an on-line continuation of the promotion, Domino’s consumers can actually win a Super Big Taste Bailout. Consumers are encouraged to visit Dominos.com to nominate a friend in need of a bailout. Two winners, as well as their nominating friends, will receive a year’s worth of Domino’s Pizza products with the prize delivered directly to their door by CEO Dave Brandon himself. Leading up to the first delivery, a countdown can be viewed on Dominos.com indicating when the delivery will take place. When the delivery takes place, the site will change to show Brandon’s location as he arrives at the winner’s house."

So, are these ads meant to advertise the offer (which gets a single mention in the press release) or the name of the CEO (which appears four times in the space of seven sentences) who is suddenly a "pizza populist" who is spreading economic goodwill in the form of affordable slabs of bleached flour topped with tomato sauce, cheese, etc.? And does this remind anyone else of the last time we had a gubernatorial campaign and suddenly the company of a candidate started to use it's ad money to assist the campaign in a way that played footsy with potential campaign finance violations?

If you've already forgotten, Brandon's buddy Dick Devos tried this with the Amway company who's horrible reputation as a reputed pyramid scheme was dragging down his campaign and was becoming the target of more and more attacks from the Democratic Party. Amway, who many life-long Michigan citizens could never recall having advertised on TV, suddenly brought out a huge waves of ads in a campaign called "I Am Amway" which were meant to show the company in a positive light and meant to help DeVos' poor personal approval numbers. It didn't help. Then again, I'm sure people like their cheap pizza more than the low cost laundry soap their co-worker keeps nagging them to buy. The difference here is that Amway and Devos were already unpopular and the candidate, mired in a losing campaign, tried this as a last ditch effort. This time around, Brandon is merely trying to raise his Q rating so Michigan voters in the GOP primary will have heard of the CEO when he runs.

Any way you slice it, it's obvious Brandon is using company money to build up his name recognition in order to bolster his upcoming campaign. Will Michigan voters buy it? Myself, I just find it humorous that a right wing Republican is talking up a bailout as if it's a good thing. Maybe those ads might not work as well as Brandon would like them to, especially since the base of the Republican Party likes the idea of bailouts about as much as most people like their pizza with anchovies.

Found in the local paper

Found in the Thursday, March 12, 2009 edition of The Hastings Banner:

"...there was an editor in Barry County who sometimes freely published his opinions about individuals."

..."he had a way of stating what he meant. He did not criticize to be mean-spirited. He had the conviction that a newspaper should be free to criticize officers and persons, if public interested seemed to demand that course."

The quotes come from former Hastings Banner M.L. Cook circa 1940 speaking of Orno Strong who was editor at the Nashville News apparently sometime in the 1890s. They appear in the "From Time to Time" history column without much information. I find it ironic those words were printed in the paper that fired their editor for espousing a personal opinion on his own blog with quotes fully attributed under his name, the blog even carrying a disclaimer that the writings were his own personal opinion.

I think one reason we see the trouble that newspapers are in is because so many of them took personal criticism as something to be avoided, firm stances alienate advertisers and readers. I can remember having a discussion with David T. Young, the former editor of the Banner, when I was considering starting this blog. The way I saw it, blogs were returning to the roots of the American newspaper. Blogs are all about opinion and point of view.

While many look down their noses even to this day, I think we've seen the American public voting with their wallets as newspapers whither on the vine and blogs enjoy increasing respectability and visibility. When I've been (often rightly) criticized for my own failings and shortcoming, I always tell the critics that they are free to start their own blog.

We are no longer help captive by the rich men who buy ink by the barrel. In fact, if this site cost me a dime I'd never have been able or willing to start it. You are free to publish your own unedited opinion without charge or much technical skill and I welcome you to do so. And sure, some may abuse that privilege, you may even think I've done so but how many newspapers have ignored their duty? How many newspapers, as well as TV news outlets, led the way into a misguided war in Iraq? How many stood by while the last administration ran up the debt and dismantled the protections that could have stopped or impeded the "economic tsunami" that now threatens us? How many newspapers are still allowing viewpoints they agree with through the filter of the editors pen without question while stopping others from accessing the precious space of the editorial pages? How many times does a trusted friend or political ally get to have their say, while potentially violating campaign finance laws and standards of ethics, while others are censored and silenced?

You can't ignore that often this blog and others like it have been places for vigorous discussions that couldn't take place in newspapers which often censor opinions the publisher disagrees with, while allowing its owner to stand high on his soapbox spouting off his own personal opinion. The thing is, you probably don't have the personal fortune to start your newspaper if you don't like the one you have. But you can start your own blog....

On the Virge

Mayor Bernero seems to be just the kind of person that is able to share how big 3 employees are building the future of our nation, and not just our state.

2010 Governor's race heats up in Feb. 2009

Despite it only being February of 2009, the eyes of politicos are all cast on fall of 2010 when Michigan elects a new Governor to replace term-limited Jennifer Granholm. A mushrooming field of entrants have declared or are testing the waters, almost a year and a half before the August 3, 2010 primary. With the state political conventions taking place this weekend, we are sure to see the race heat up even more.

The Free Press has a short article discussing the race and the impact of the weekend conventions on shaping the race:

"I don't think these party conventions are a huge deal," said Lansing political consultant Robert Kolt. "But when you're at this point, these are the people you need to help launch a campaign."

So, who's running and who's thinking about running and who's trying to get their name out there to get some free publicity? Wikipedia offers this field of candidates and prospects testing the waters for possible bids:

Democratic Party

• Lieutenant Governor John D. Cherry
• State House Speaker Andy Dillon
• Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano
• Genesee County Treasurer Dan Kildee
• Congressman Bart Stupak
• former Speaker of the House Curtis Hertel
• former Flint Mayor Don Williamson* (who just resigned under threat of recall)

*So far, only Williamson has formally declared his candidacy.
Also said to be considering a run are former Michigan State University football head coach George Perles (who must be like 1,000 years old) and Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel (who? a county sheriff for Governor? what's next, dog catcher?). Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer ruled out a gubernatorial run on November 20, 2008 despite decent polling last summer showing him outperforming the Lt. Governor in hypothetical match ups with DeVos and Land.

Without Archer, the Democrats seem to lack a 'superstar' with name recognition across the state. So far, the field is uninspiring to Democrats I talk to, with many alarmed that the milquetoast Cherry could even be considered a "front runner." It almost makes you wonder if outside those term-limited politicians who have nothing to lose, the rest of the Democratic Party has decided it's just not their year and are basically ceding it to the GOP.

Republican Party

Early reports had 2006 gubernatorial loser Dick DeVos trying to elbow any competition out of the race. But when the defeated DeVos decided not to get his billionaire butt bounced by the "overpaid" and unwashed masses a 2nd time, the race opened up for the GOP. Having effectively stonewalled the Governor's agenda for 8 years and blamed her for the economic mess and endless budget battles, the GOP looks ripe to pick off the seat.

With lust in his heart, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox was the first candidate to join the whole affair when he let his eyes wander to the Governor's mansion, forming an exploratory campaign last fall. Also officially in the mix is Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land. Other candidates might include:

• State Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop
• Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard
• Domino's Pizza CEO David Brandon
• Congressman Peter Hoekstra (said to be speaking at the Barry Co. Lincoln Day dinner)
• State Senator Wayne Kuipers
• Congresswoman Candice Miller
• Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson
• State Senator Tom George

Also among those being discussed: Congressman Mike Rogers announced that he would not be running. National Review is trying to find a job for former Massachusetts governor and 2008 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and is floating his name, despite Romney not even living in the state. Washed up rocker Ted Nugent has said that he has been looking into a possible run in 2010- just as he threatens to do every four years before chickening out every time. Personally, I think "The Nuge" is just trying to (Great White) 'Buffalo' his gullible fans into thinking he's politically relevant and earning some free publicity for his next reality show. The Republican race seems stacked with contenders and it should be an epic battle, with lots of early drop outs and likely a very hard fought contest leaving lots of scars and bruises, something the Democrats must be counting on if they have any chance to retain the Governor's mansion.

The coming days and weeks will likely shirt the landscape even more as we find out who's in and who's out. Chances are that the party faithful will find some things to like and a lot not to like about the current crop of candidates.

Prosecutors propose prolonged punishment

According to this story in the Muskegon Chronicle, West Michigan prosecutors are coming out of the woodwork to loudly oppose Governor Granholm's proposal to release thousands of non-violent offenders from state prisons, saving the state $262 million dollars in 6 years:

Gov. Jennifer Granholm and legislative leaders asked the Council of State Governments to review Michigan's criminal justice system and recommend cost savings. Those savings could be realized by reducing Michigan's prison population from nearly 48,500 inmates down to around 43,500, the report said.

Suggested legislation endorsed by key Republican and Democratic lawmakers would require the release of inmates who have served 120 percent of their minimum sentence, unless the parole board determines they pose a "very high risk" of committing new crimes.

The new law would not apply to current inmates nor to felons serving a maximum term of life for offenses including murder, rape, kidnapping, armed robbery or carjacking.

In other words, the worst offenders would stay behind bars where they should be and only a small amount (5,000 out of 48,500) would be eligible for early release. Mostly, the prosecutors just want to sound tough so they win their next election and don't really seem to mind that Michigan is once again facing a budget shortfall that could wipe out the types of programs that are built to actually prevent crime. In fact, the plan actually beefs up those programs. According to the Freep article on the study:

Also included in the group’s potential remedies are beefed-up law enforcement and crime lab capabilities, and increased training and job placement for offenders and disconnected young people.

So, now we get the hysterical prison industrial complex saying that the "early" release (even though they will have served 120% of the minimum sentence) of these prisoners will jeopardize public safety and those same people will offer no remedies in fixing the state budget or the economy other than casting blame at the people who have in fact been making the tough decisions. The answer to public safety isn't to lock everyone up. The answer to patching yet another budget hole isn't passing tax cuts and building more prisons. The answer isn't to listen to a bunch of politicians who can make a name for themselves by sounding tough and taking the easy path to popularity. We need adults who can quit grandstanding and picking on society's bogeyman to pad their resumés and win reelection.

This all reminds me of a quote from the quotable H.L. Mencken:

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."

All-inclusive invocation

I just talked to someone tonight who still had their Christmas tree up and since this is my first post of the new year I guess I can't make fun of the Hastings Banner for still having it's Seasons Greetings header up on their web site. I didn't even realize their web site was up and running! So, here all of this time I could have been link blogging to the paper of record for Barry County and I didn't realize it. According to the Banner, it's seems the first order of business of the new Barry County Board wasn't to deal with public health and safety, it was to tend to their spiritual needs.

Having an invocation at future meetings was part of the discussion during the reorganizational session. Newly elected County Commissioner Mike Bremer brought up the subject, asking board members whether they wanted to have an invocation at future meetings. Bremer read a sample invocation to the board. Callton said to include an invocation during a meeting does not require a vote by the commissioners. Callton said he will include an invocation, after the pledge of allegiance, on the next meeting agenda and will give Bremer the opportunity to give the invocation.

Perhaps, Mr. Bremer's request to say grace before meetings was sincere but I seem to remember the last time that sticky wicket reared it's ugly head, a former commissioner threw it out at a meeting in the midst of a political campaign to try to separate himself from an opponent he was trying to paint as too liberal. When this stuff comes up, even if it's brought up in a sincere, humble and tolerant way, it almost always gets used eventually by those who simply need a cheap and easy way to gain re-election. Let's hope this isn't the case no matter what the intent.

This year is full of challenges in West Michigan and across the country. Let's not get distracted by fights over who's invisible friend is stronger than who's when there is more serious work to attend to.