Friday, June 17, 2005

Lots of complaints about Muskegon Cops, or the lack of...

If this isn't addressed soon the City may well go the way of Benton Harbor.
MLive.com: Muskegon Town Talk Forum

6462. ? about police dept.
by missygal, 6/17/05 9:10 ET
We had a problem in our area with teens/people destroying property during the night and when I asked why the patrol cars don't notice things going on I was told that we only have 4 patrol cars for the whole city at night and those officers have to answer all types of calls that come in. I was also told that there are more officers who work inside the dept. mostly during the day hours than really necessary. Instead of putting them on the road our chief has decided to have them "inside" even the new officers that we thought were going to be out on patrol. During the day we have a few more "community officers" on duty but they have other jobs to do under their job description too

Senior Democrat gives aid to our enemies!

If there is any question about differences between the GOPers and the Democrats, Durban's sick rant should end the debate. He's the second highest ranking Demo senator. The Democrats are clearly the political party that supports the forces who would kill our soldiers. Disgusting. And the MSM won't let the masses know the truth.

Nets Target U.S. Military "Abuses," But Skip Dick Durbins "Nazi" Rant " -- 06/16/2005 - Media Research Center - Media Reality Check: "A Democratic Senate Senate Leader Compares American Soldiers To POL POT, Stalin's Gulag, and Nazis- Why Is That Not News?
Nets Target U.S. Military 'Abuses,'
But Skip Dick Durbins 'Nazi' Rant '
Complaints about the U.S. military's treatment of terrorists at Guantanamo Bay were once again featured on all three broadcast network evening newscasts Wednesday. Full stories on ABC, CBS and NBC cast the military on the defensive at congressional hearings. CBS Evening News anchor Bob Schieffer � who has likened Guantanamo to the 'Hanoi Hilton,' the infamous North Vietnamese prison camp � grumped that 'Congress asked a lot of questions today' about Guantanamo, but 'the problem is, they didn't get many answers.'
ABC followed up its story on yesterday's hearings with a second full report by ABC's Terry Moran, who zeroed in on a memo written more than two years ago by a Navy lawyer questioning the interrogation techniques at Guantanamo. Only in the last sentence of a nearly three-minute story did Moran allow how the issue is really moot, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had 'dialed back' the rules of interrogation in early 2003.
But while the networks kept their spotlight on the U.S. military's conduct, none of last night's broadcasts bothered to note a Tuesday speech by Minority Whip Dick Durbin � the second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate. Describing the treatment of al-Qaeda terrorists at the Guantanamo prison � including allegations that inmates are kept too hot or too cold, or forced to stay awake � Durbin wildly charged that 'you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some
"

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair

Ain't legal opinions great?

Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair: "Legal opinion may break county impasse on board chair
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
By Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Most Muskegon County commissioners have resisted making Bill Gill chairman of the county board, but it appears they may accept him in that role for at least six months due to the legal persuasion of Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague.
In an opinion released to commissioners last week, Tague wrote that Gill, vice chairman of the county board, automatically became chairman when former Commissioner Paul Baade resigned from the position in May.
According to Tague, Gill has the legal right to complete the balance of Baade's term"

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Enviro-hypocrites!

Where are the hoards of environmentalists on this never-ending disgrace. If this was a tax-paying business dumping endlessly the enviro-leftists would (correctly) be screaming bloody murder! But because it is "government" pissing in our water it's OK? What hypocrites!

Warning issued after sewage overflow: "Warning issued after sewage overflow
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
FROM LOCAL REPORTS
A no-contact advisory has been issued for the entire length of the Grand River in Ottawa County until Thursday.
The advisory was issued Monday because the city of Grand Rapids released an estimated 1.73 million gallons of untreated sewage Saturday. The advisory will expire at 8 a.m. Thursday according to the Ottawa County Health Department. "

Forgot the "F" word!

This editorial from the Milwaukee Sentinel is "exhibit one" in media bias. They intentionally mislabel Democrats as Dixiecrats (a term made up by the media. The Senators were members of the Democrat Party, not the dixiecrat party.) and, what a surprise! They forget to mention that the Democrats used the FILIBUSTER to defeat this bill when it was introduced. But our media somehow forgets to tell us that it was the Democrat filibuster that kept the lynching bill from passing. But when GOPers want to restrict the Filibuster it's a horror. Gimme a break....

JS Online: Editorial: Senate apology is first step: "Editorial: Senate apology is first step
From the Journal Sentinel
Posted: June 13, 2005
For much of American history, the U.S. Senate did not acquit itself well on the issue of race. A particularly shameful chapter in that regard was the refusal of that august body in the first half of the last century to make lynching a federal crime. In defeating bills to do that time and again, Dixiecrats (as Southern Democrats were called) added insult to injury with oratory that described black men as beasts from whom white women needed protection, through lynchings.

"Free" Healthcare Horror cont.

More horror stories from the "free healthcare" front. This time it's our old friend "Canadian Style Health Care".

OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "Unsocialized Medicine
A landmark ruling exposes Canada's health-care inequity.

Monday, June 13, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Let's hope Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy were sitting down when they heard the news of the latest bombshell Supreme Court ruling. From the Supreme Court of Canada, that is. That high court issued an opinion last Thursday saying, in effect, that Canada's vaunted public health-care system produces intolerable inequality."

Monday, June 13, 2005

Sorta familiar...

I sat on a jury where the facts were pretty clear that the guy did rape the gal. The problem was that the guy seemed to be a pretty nice fellow and the victim and her mother were really bad folks. Liars and thieves as the defense proved. I'm pretty sure that the guy did it but most everyone on the jury hated the victim and her mother so much that the perp walked. I would have been the only holdout and it would have resulted in a hung jury. So I folded. Mike Jackson won because his jury hated the mother of the main witness. I can't believe the prosecutor will be reelected

The promise of college

This is so wrong on so many levels but what the heck did they spend $875,000 on? Alarm clocks? There is no tuition in that number. And that insightful comment by the Baker College President has me shaking my head. If students don't get a guarantee of free college they won't graduate from high school? Asinine!

The promise of college: Read it all but this is the raw meat:

In contrast, LEAD 2005 was made possible by an $875,000 federal grant that paid for the advocates and student activities and field trips over the six years. In addition, more than $600,000 in tuition and college living costs are expected to be paid by GVSU, MCC, Baker and the Community Foundation for the next school year alone.

Rick Amidon, president of Baker College, believes that if students have doubts about their ability to afford college, they have a "disincentive" to graduate from high school. He said Baker -- where average annual tuition is $7,000 -- provided the tuition incentive because "it's the right thing to do."

"The fact (the advocates) were consistently there every year from seventh grade made all the difference in the world, and that teaches us a lot of things about how students should be educated."

"It's taking the time to do something different," Foster said. "You have to change your thoughts about education."
"You can get a kid to college, but you need to get them to believe it."

'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea

Another abominable idea in a series of abominable ideas but this one is even more insidious because the co-chairman is the publisher of The Chronicle. That means that only one side of the story will be told to the citizens of Muskegon. Watch out Muskegon!

'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea: "'One Muskegon' aims to promote 'all for one' idea
Sunday, June 12, 2005
By Dave Alexander
CHRONICLE BUSINESS EDITOR
A group of community leaders have concluded that Muskegon needs a 'unified' government and they have now formed a committee to make that happen.
Government consolidation has gone from the back burner to the forefront because of fiscal problems that grip nearly every local government in Muskegon County these days. Now the 'One Muskegon Task Force' has a four-point program of not only talking about functional and political consolidation, but establishing an action plan.
Co-chaired by Norton Shores Mayor Nancy Crandall and Muskegon Chronicle Publisher Gary Ostrom, the newly forming government consolidation group represents community leaders in business, government and nonprofit institutions. It's an offshoot of the Muskegon Area Children's Agenda, a Community Foundation for Muskegon County initiative examining ways to make the area better for children. "

WorldNetDaily: How to stop suicide bombers

Does anyone doubt that this would work? This was written in 2002! Read the whole piece.

WorldNetDaily: How to stop suicide bombers: "One sure way to stop the suicide bombers in Israel is to hold the parents responsible for their child's crime. "

In exchange for sacrificing their child, they receive from Saddam Hussein or Saudi Arabia a cash payment of $35,000.

....will that stop the suicide bombers? No. But executing the parents will.

Counter the lies!

The Neo-Libs and the MSM don't want you to read this. Decision 08 links to one of the most respected "on site" commentators in Iraq. Arm yourself with the truth and forward it to other openminded folks.

Decision '08: "Today's Must-Read: Good News From Iraq
One could be forgiven for thinking that Iraq was the biggest disaster since - well, since Vietnam, the MSM's favorite point of comparison. Granted, everyone had hoped things would be better than they are by now; still, things aren't ALL bad, and Arthur Chrenkoff's latest installment of Good News from Iraq provides a welcome counterpoint to all the doom and gloom, and a good reminder of why we're there and what we're fight for... "

from Chrenkoff: "Recent polling data shows that fully two-thirds of Iraqis believe their country is headed in the right direction, Saboon said. While a poll in January showed only 11 percent of Sunni Muslims in Iraq shared that view, that percentage has since grown to 40, he said.

The Neo-Lib Party

The Neo-Libs have stolen the Party from the average Democrat. Does anyone remember the days of Democrat patriots? How does the union member with an American flag on his pickup feel about the millionaire name callers?

My Way News: "WASHINGTON (AP) - Howard Dean said Saturday that positive responses from key supporters have reinforced his determination to keep talking tough. Some congressional Democrats have suggested that the party chairman should tone down his rhetoric.
'People want us to fight,' Dean told the national party's executive committee. 'We are here to fight.'
Over the past week, Dean described Republicans as 'pretty much a white, Christian party' and said many in the GOP 'never made an honest living.'
"

One Night Changes a Life, and Calif. Town

Sometimes, with all the "bad news all the time" TV networks, we miss some really nice stories. Bring a hankie to this site. Enjoy.

One Night Changes a Life, and Calif. Town - Yahoo! News: "CLOVIS, Calif. - The chant began late in the fourth quarter in the basketball gym at Clovis East High. The students started it first, clapping their hands in unison and pounding the bleachers with their feet. It didn't take long for the parents to pick it up, too. The noise grew until the whole gym seemed to shake. 'We want Ryno. We want Ryno.' "

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Maybe you missed this in The Chronicle?

Oops. Must have slipped their mind. Bloggers have long memories. Can you imagine if Byrd had been a Republican how the MSM would play this fact?

Captain's Quarters: "That's what made the recent debate over the use of the filibuster such a tragic joke. Having Senator Robert Byrd, a former KKK recruiter, get up in the well of the Senate and lecture the GOP and the nation that ending the filibuster presented a danger to the Republic amounted to historical revisionism of the worst kind. ........... Thanks to racists like Byrd, that tradition of filibustering continues today. In fact, Byrd (who isn't even mentioned in this article) filibustered the original Civil Rights Act in 1964, eating up 14 hours of debate before his own caucus finally put an end to his embarrassing display. It is a practice that allows the entire democratic process of the United States to be held hostage by a minority, even if it now requires a larger minority than before the rule changes which eliminated the need for continuous speechmaking. "

Liberal ideas destroy hope

The best columnist in the country hits the nail on the head again.

June 11, 2005
Why Liberal Ideas Are Counterproductive for the Poor?
By Thomas Sowell
Sometimes it seems as if liberals have a genius for producing an unending stream of ideas that are counterproductive for the poor, whom they claim to be helping. Few of these notions are more counterproductive than the idea of 'menial work' or 'dead-end jobs.'
Think about it: Why do employers pay people to do 'menial' work? Because the work has to be done. What useful purpose is served by stigmatizing work that someone is going to have to do anyway?
Is emptying bed pans in a hospital menial work? What would happen if bed pans didn't get emptied? Let people stop emptying bed pans for a month and there would be bigger problems than if sociologists stopped working for a year."

Where is the outrage at brainwashing children to become suicide bombers?

Just wondering.....

Isn't this Koran abuse?

Wouldn't a bunch of Koran's get blown up and desecrated in this little protest? Not to mention 20 or so Koran carriers. Where is the outrage?

Suicide bomber kills 20 at anti-Taliban cleric's funeral / Levon Sevunts A suicide bomber blew himself up at the funeral of a senior anti-Taliban Muslim cleric yesterday, killing 20 persons and wounding at least 40 others. (World)

Gitmo abuse

More proof of the hypocrisy of the anti-American media and the Amnesty International crowd. Amazing to me is that there is far more REPORTED abuse in US jails (murder, suicide, beatings, rape, etc, etc...) than has even been alleged at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo and the MSM seems to be ....silent? And if we hint that prisoners might be sent to other countries the lefties have a fit. Maybe it's a bit more challenging to be a prisoner in, say, Turkey than Gitmo? Selective outrage breeds contempt. Instapundit provides the link.

Instapundit.com -: "June 09, 2005
MAX BOOT:
All the headlines about 'Abuse of the Koran at Gitmo' are absolutely accurate. Brig. Gen. Jay Hood's internal investigation has uncovered some shocking incidents. On at least six occasions, Korans were ripped up. They were urinated on three times, and attempts were made to flush them down the toilet at least three other times.
Why aren't millions of Muslims rioting in response to these defilements? Because the perpetrators were prisoners, not guards. As John Hinderaker notes on weeklystandard.com, the most serious desecrations of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility were committed by the Muslim inmates themselves.
Read the whole thing, which is quite justifiably harsh on the news media and NGO hysteria surrounding this report."

"Free" medicalcare horror story

This same thing is happening in Canada. Don't believe those who offer something for nothing. Read the whole story for a glimpse into our medical future.

OpinionJournal - Extra: "There's No Place Like Home
What I learned from my wife's month in the British medical system.
...Suddenly we were in the hands of British Health Service, and after a battery of tests we were being pressured into officially admitting my wife to UCL. As we discovered later, emergency care is free for everyone in Britain; it's only when one is officially admitted to a hospital that a foreigner begins to pay. I didn't know that. But I did know that I was not about to admit my wife to a hospital that could not diagnose an obviously life-threatening affliction. And even after having given her an MRI, the doctors could not tell if she had a stroke.

Hump day at Guantanamo

Maybe this will make Amnesty International happy. Next thing, they'll want half-days on Fridays.
The Borowitz Report .com: "BUSH CONSIDERS CLOSING GUANTANAMO ON WEDNESDAYS
President's Proposal Falls Short of Gitmo Opponents Demands
Hoping to appease those who have called in recent days for the U.S. to close the detention center at Guantanamo, Cuba, President Bush announced today that he was considering closing the facility on Wednesdays.

Mr. Bush made the proposal in remarks in the White House Rose Garden today, telling reporters, "Under my plan, there would zero tolerance for abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo, on Wednesdays at least. "

Friday, June 10, 2005

BLACKFIVE: The Third Rule of War

This has never been written with more eloquence. Please remember and honor the memory of all our fallen soldiers and airmen. Very moving.
BLACKFIVE: The Third Rule of War:
"The Last Full Measure
By Col. Brett Wyrick USAF

"The first rule of war is that young men and women die. The second rule of war is that surgeons cannot change the first rule. "

Where's the Wendy's "chilli-finger" gal when we need her?

I hope someone brought the dip.

HoustonChronicle.com - Potato-chip can sits where woman's ashes were:
"Synagogue sued over missing ashes"
Potato-chip can found in place of woman's remains in mausoleum
By ROMA KHANNA
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Carlos Antonio Rios/Chronicle
The empty niche at left at Congregation Beth Israel's mausoleum once held the ashes of Vivian Shulman Lieberman. The niche of her husband, Seymour Lieberman, is at right.
When relatives of Vivian Shulman Lieberman went to visit her final resting place in a Houston mausoleum one year ago today, they discovered that the cedar chest containing her ashes was missing.
In its place, behind the locked, glass door of Lieberman's niche in Congregation Beth Israel's mausoleum, was a can of sour-cream-and-onion potato chips."

Interesting comment

LiamGadfly responds to my "brilliant" analysis: I respond to him.

MLive.com: Muskegon Town Talk Forum: "6410.4.1.1. Not so fast Gordo...
by LiamGadfly, 6/10/05 12:23 ET
Re: Cook's closed? by Barman241, 6/10/05

"... It's always sad when a business closes its doors but our system of competition and innovation has given us the world's greatest economy."
While I don't deny that the free market is the best of all possible worlds, to say that that the flood of cheap consumer goods that have inundated our economy is a result of a "free market" is disingenuous to say the least. (true, ours is not a perfect "free market", but it's the freest in the world today) It is more the result of one sided trade policy that gave us nothing in return. (nothing in return? They give us goods and we give them IOUs. Who comes out better in that deal?) It is also the result of low wage countries dumping underpriced goods on us. & when we have squandered the last of our wealth on all these trinkets & baubles, then where will we be? With nothing left to invest in our antiquated infrastructure, or to invest in attracting new business's or new manufacturing capacity, or a base from which we may support our government @ all levels, etc. etc. etc. We also will be left with no jobs to provide the wealth to keep it all going, including the current buying spree, as well as to support the minimum of government services, that we all have come to rely upon. (Interesting, but do you have any facts to support this doomed scenario?)
Gordo, to say that we have the worlds greatest economy is to truly view it through rose colored lenses. This is especially true of someone sitting in Muskegon - America's poster child, for a stagnating local economy. (Thankfully, the Muskegon/Michigan model for an economy is not shared by the rest of the country. Our national economy is, by almost every measure, as strong as it has ever been.)
There are some inherently disturbing trends in our economy that if not addressed could literally take us from solvency to a third rate entity in no time @ all. The loss of manufacturing is the most glaring. (Surely you're not suggesting that a job working in a foundry or steel mill is "better" than working at a bank, movie studio or software company or any of the other service sector jobs in America) The loss of markets & the loss of production acreage to urbanization in agriculture is another. (Come on, take an airplane ride and look out the window. Then tell me about the loss of production acreage. We have more land being paid not to farm than many countries have being farmed) A third is the over valuation of real estate markets due to easy monetary policy which has been used as a lubricant to fuel residential & commercial construction, in order to fill the void that the loss of manufacturing has left in the GNP. When even the usually taciturn Saint Greenspan speaks of a bubble in the housing markets, then I get nervous. (No arguement about a RE bubble in some markets but RE bubbles happen all the time. It's just that the media is selling it as something that's never happened before (it has, many times) and something that will affect the entire country in some massive and terrible manner. (It won't, never has before.) Add to all of that the increased Global demand for oil, & the Hundred Year War for oil that we have just begun to engage in, then I don't see the picture as being so rosy. But when you are caught in the middle of the throes of a shop till you drop frenzy, it is hard to be objective & not walk around in the high of denial. But believe me, a day of reckoning will come, & you are not going to like the result. Muskegon's economy may just be a early indicator (a canary in the coal mine) of what is to come on the economic front. It may be an example of the long term chronic economic stagnation that will become embedded & common in much of the rest of the country for some time to come. So enjoy your big flat screen TV while you can, because eventually you may have to cue up for expensive rolls of toilet paper just like they do in Russia, unless of course the dollar becomes worthless enough to use as a substitute. ;-)
(Pretty much the standard doom and gloom, half empty rather than half full argument I've seen repeated ever so many times. You're going to have to back up the gloom with some facts first. Thanks for the input.

More leftist hate

Victory, a Michigan blog, posts this outrage. No wonder "they hate us". The world's leftists spew a never ending tsunami of this hate inducing garbage to the citizens of their countries ever day.
Victory welfarE: "TV show depicts 9/11 as Bush plot
A fictional crime drama based on the premise that the Bush administration ordered the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington aired this week on German state television, prompting the Green Party chairman to call for an investigation."


And how 'bout this itty bit of "unbiased" reporting from the good folks at ABC.( courtesy MediaResearch.org)
3. ABC: North Koreans Hate Americans, Offer Great Music/Art for Kids North Koreans are isolated from outside information and fed a steady diet of anti-American propaganda, but that apparently doesn't make the anti-American comments from regime operatives, or citizens with minders standing nearby, unnewsworthy to ABC.
"There are large gaps in what the world knows about the North Korean leader and his people," World News Tonight anchor Elizabeth Vargas noted before asserting that "many North Koreans, it seems, have strong opinions about Americans." From Pyongyang, Bob Woodruff went aboard the captured USS Pueblo and relayed how the "officer who gave us a tour today said the ship's an example of American crimes and another reason Koreans don't like Americans." The uniformed woman declared: "They invaded to our territory, and they supplied information, so all Koreans were angry." Woodruff traveled to a collective farm where he found an 11-year-old girl who said of Americans: "They killed Korean people." Finally, Woodruff went to the "Children's Palace" where "5,000 North Korean kids are trained after school in music, art and sports." The video showed healthy kids in colorful uniforms paying instruments, painting and dancing.
Plus, they've got free health care!

Ummm. Good crow...

I love being wrong! I thought this deal was a bad one for the GOPers and the Country. It looks like I can eat my crow with a smile on my face. Decision 08 http://decision08.blogspot.com/ rubs it in.

Decision '08: "Today's Must-Read: The NY Times On Judicial Nominations
The true test of the compromise lies ahead, says the NY Times, but of course, that begs the point that critics of the deal were saying we would only get three nominees without a fight. Well, we've got five, and the Time article suggests the sixth will follow Monday. Remind me again what we lost? I'm having a hard time remembering. Ohio Republican Mike DeWine gets the last word:"

Dean done?

I can't imagine a GOP Chairman lasting near this long with similar gaffs and the mis-leadership of Dean. What must democrats be thinking? One of the brightest of the group is Ford and he's not hiding his opinion.

JustOneMinute: Harold Ford Missed The "Get Behind Dean" Memo:
Harold Ford Missed The 'Get Behind Dean' Memo
Dems are rallying behind Dean, but Harold Ford of TN missed the memo. From his appearance on Imus this morning:
June 9, 2005
Imus: 'On another note here, speaking of the Democratic Party, which you are a member of, how's Howard Dean working for you?'
Rep. Harold Ford Jr.: '(Laughing) I won't have him down so many times in Tennessee on the campaign trail with me. He has made some comments as of late that really speak to a lack of understanding I think, of the country, a lack of understanding of faith and values. I'm a Democrat and I'm a God fearing one. I grew up in church. Christianity is not reserved for white males"

Today's grads face uncertain future, but with hope - 06/10/05

I pine for the good old days when every graduate had a "certain" future. This is all Bush's fault! Aren't newspapers getting better?!

Today's grads face uncertain future, but with hope - 06/10/05: "Friday, June 10, 2005
Today's grads face uncertain future, but with hope
By Betty DeRamus / The Detroit News"

17 Chinese Restaurants Raided in Mich.

We had two restaurants raided in Muskegon. It's amazing to me that the stated reason for the raids was tax evasion and saving the illegals from being "indentured servants". They're here illegally for gosh sakes! That illegal Chinese were in Muskegon has hardly been a secret to me and certainly not a secret to the police. I've seen them in Meijers and outside waiting for the bus. Is the new political correctness that law enforcement will never be used to deport illegals but only to protect them?

Newsday.com: 17 Chinese Restaurants Raided in Mich.:
17 Chinese Restaurants Raided in Mich.
By JOHN FLESHER
Associated Press Writer

June 9, 2005, 5:35 PM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Authorities raided 17 Chinese restaurants around Michigan that they suspect of ducking millions of dollars in taxes and importing undocumented workers as a 'modern version of indentured servants.'
Search warrants were also served at 21 homes of suspected undocumented Chinese workers. Dozens were involved in the scheme, State Police Lt. Curt Schram said. "

WZZM13 GRAND RAPIDS Friday, June 10, 2005

Weening the children into good little socialists. This is the fiscal mentality that got GR into its current financial mess. Will we never learn......

WZZM13 GRAND RAPIDS Friday, June 10, 2005:
Grand Rapids Summer Meals Program -Parks and School Locations

The Grand Rapids Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services Department will be sponsoring the USDA funded Summer Meals Program again this summer in locations through out the city. Meals will be available Monday through Friday, beignning June 13."

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Way too much at stake to continue county's impasse

Like many who love to talk and don't don't have the spine to act, the Chronicle's Gang of 3 dare not suggest the specifics of the "anarchy" nor do they hint of any path out of the "impasse". If Bill Gill was not "Bill Gill", he'd be out in a minute because of his unprofessional and rude behavior. There most certainly is a big reason why Muskegon is "Muskegon" and the surrounding communities are thriving. Leadership. And The Chronicle has supported politically correct, inept and corrupt leaders at every level in this community as far back as anyone can remember.
Way too much at stake to continue county's impasse: "Way too much at stake to continue county's impasse
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Was Tuesday's abortive Muskegon County Board of Commissioners meeting a new low for that body? Perhaps not, but there's still another meeting set for June 14! Actually, we don't recommend any further attempts at diving deeper; there's too much at stake for the county's citizens, who have to live with the consequences of commission anarchy.
Anarchy is not overstating the case. The last chairman resigned in the middle of his term, the commission's vice chairman adjourned the last meeting to avoid being passed over in the line of succession, and no one seems to have a solid grasp of Robert's Rules of Order, which are supposed to bring order to such chaotic meetings. "

Howmet union OKs landmark pact

This is great news. Maybe this is the end of suicidal unionism in Muskegon. But, it sure looks like the union bosses did a poor job of explaining the new contract to the rank and file the first time. Maybe someone ought to look into that story? Come on Chronicle show some class and tell us (and the union members who almost voted themselves out of their jobs) what really happened!

Howmet union OKs landmark pact: "Howmet union OKs landmark pact
Thursday, June 09, 2005
By Dave Alexander
CHRONICLE BUSINESS EDITOR
Members of United Auto Workers Local 1243 made a dramatic turnaround on a tentative five-year agreement with Howmet Castings and approved the labor contract Wednesday after turning it down two weeks ago. "
"The key was a clarification of the health insurance," Burton said. "They now understand the plan and the sharing of costs, which is a new concept. Overall, this was a good package."

The contract provisions did not change from the first vote to the second vote, she said.

Leaders debate ways to sell tax increases to 'frugal' residents

How 'bout this for an alternative headline: "City taxpayers united in desire for frugal city government". How many times do we, the citizen, have to fight the same fight?

Leaders debate ways to sell tax increases to 'frugal' residents: "Leaders debate ways to sell tax increases to 'frugal' residents
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
By Nancy Stier
CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT
Looking for help in getting voters to provide more property tax revenue and change the city charter, Norton Shores officials summoned more than 20 community leaders to suggest how they should get the job done. "

Monday, June 06, 2005

Does The Chronicle see the light?

Wow! The Gang of 3 at The Chronicle finally admit that it IS the taxpayers who pay ALL of the bills!
But, that "very low tax rate" is still troubling. I guess some things never change.

Much depends on successful end to Howmet talks: "Taxpayers will end up paying regardless
The city of Norton Shores is ready to start slapping on user fees for police and fire services. While residents may find that their insurance companies will pick up the cost, ultimately, though, it seems clear that the taxpayer will get hit regardless.
Responsibility for this chain of events is the growing gap between city tax revenues and the cost of services. Despite Norton Shores' very low tax rate as a city, residents have been consistently unwilling to approve any hike. While city officials have kept trying, it strikes us that voter refusal is in keeping with a long tradition of Norton Shores history in which many still think of their home as 'the old township.' "

Much depends on successful end to Howmet talks

Chronicle editorial. I never cease to be amazed at such lazy commentary. If this really is such an important issue, why not a complete, detailed analysis of the differences between the parties and the specific points of the rejected contract. Apparently, it's not THAT important. And they wonder why we don't read them any more.....

Much depends on successful end to Howmet talks: "But make no mistake. Much depends upon a successful outcome. Given the importance of the company to our community, it can be said with assurance that how goes Howmet, goes Muskegon County. "

Granholm tight-lipped on DeVos candidacy

Leave it to the MSM, The Chronicle and democrats in general to suggest that being a wealthy, successful executive of a company that has provided so much positive support to West Michigan could be a negative. Ah, but they still love the Kennedys....

Granholm tight-lipped on DeVos candidacy: "There was a big elephant in the room Saturday, but Gov. Jennifer Granholm refused to pay it any attention.
There was a big elephant in the room Saturday, but Gov. Jennifer Granholm refused to pay it any attention. ....

"I'm not going to talk about a campaign that's 17 months away," she said, anticipating news media questions about her potential Republican rival, Dick DeVos, the Ada resident and former Alticor chief executive officer who broke the news last week he was running for governor. .....

Democrats are sure to pound on DeVos' image as a wealthy heir, leaving some Republicans to ponder how he will deal with that tactic.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

The kids get it right!

The kids realize that the lefty, anti-military liars and their willing enablers in the MSM can't be believed. Cool dude!
The Huffington Post The Blog: "06.04.2005 Eugene Volokh
Could College Students Know Something Bloggers Don't?
Bill Diamond writes:
But given all the talk about the possible reinstatement of the draft, why aren't we hearing more from the nation's campuses? ........I wonder: Could it be that college students don't really think 'all the talk about the possible reinstatement of the draft' means anything? From what I've heard, the talk is mostly from people who don't like the Administration, who oppose the war in Iraq, and who are using the talk to argue against the war.
The Administration is saying it doesn't want a draft. The political party in power in Congress seems to have no interest in reinstating the draft.

Commissioner: City 'close to receivership'

This is really pathetic! This "city" was rolling in cash after it initiated its jobs and business killing taxes. And promptly began pissing it all away. And media hailed the new tax $$$ as the best thing since sliced bread.And then began their drumbeat for Muskegon to do the same thing. Maybe their suggestion will be an EVEN BIGGER TAX? Sickening!
Commissioner: City 'close to receivership': "Commissioner: City 'close to receivership'
Friday, June 03, 2005
By Theresa D. McClellan
CHRONICLE NEWS SERVICE
When Third Ward City Commissioner James White wanted to bring home the city's dire financial straits to a group of residents Thursday, he held two of his fingers close together and said the city was 'this close to receivership.'
'The city is broke, and we're scared to death downtown,' White said during a public gathering at his Southeast Side church.
When a city goes into state receivership, it is unable to pay its bills, employees don't get paid and its bond ratings plummet. A struggling Detroit is wrestling with that question now, as it faces a $300 million deficit in next year's budget. "

Where would the left be without their Myths?

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this one, at least 100 times in the last year. I'm thinking that one reason Frank and his cronies may hear it (assuming he's really telling the truth. A stretch.) is because they write about it so often.

For Al Qaeda, Must-Read NYT?: "The Myth of a 'Myth Fostered By the Administration' on 9/11, Hussein Link
The Myth of a "Myth Fostered By the Administration" on 9/11, Hussein Link


Frank Rich's Sunday column begins with an excoriation of ineptitude over the rebuilding of Ground Zero, but soon reverts to Bush-bashing: "The myth fostered by the administration that Saddam Hussein conspired in the 9/11 attacks is finally dead and so, apparently, is the parallel myth that Iraqis were among that day's hijackers."

Never mind that Bush has never suggested Hussein was involved in 9/11, saying in September 2003: "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th."

The lefty journalist plague spreads!

What is it about leftist writers that compels them to insert a political slam into everything they write? And how can any reporter covering the Indy 500 not know that, not only Indy cars, but ALL cars sold in the USA haven't had carburetors in years? Oh, it's the NYT. Nevermind.....

For Al Qaeda, Must-Read NYT?: "Female's Indy 500 Finish Highlights Bush's Ignorance of Women

Sports columnist Selena Roberts nabs a front-page Sports section pole position Monday with her piece on Indianapolis 500 racecar driver Danica Patrick, who finished fourth in Sunday's race, the best-ever finish for a female driver. But Roberts spins the feel-good piece into a diatribe against Bush and in support of Title IX, a liberal law Roberts has championed in previous columns.

In "A Heady Apex, But Is a Dead End Just Up Ahead?" Roberts writes: "No Indy driver was under more scrutiny, no rookie racer was the object of more camera lenses. And yet Patrick refused to play the runaway bride as she withstood the pressure to take a remarkable fourth-place finish despite a pit-stop stall, a spin and a few dinks. Does this performance make her the aberration next door, or an average gal who digs a steady diet of carbs, as in carburetors?"
(Actually, the Indy 500 has been carburetor-free since 1964, in favor of more efficient fuel-injection systems.)

More objectionable than Roberts' apparent ignorance of auto racing is the next line: "It is very conceivable that the gap-toothed David Letterman understands what revs a woman's engine more than the gender-gapped George W. Bush." (Letterman cosponsored Patrick's racing team.)

Road money could benefit Muskegon

If the City of Muskegon would keep their stop lights coordinated, much time and gasoline would be saved. And the cost is minimal. But that would be too much to ask. We need to spend millions $$ before we're interested. Bummer.
Road money could benefit Muskegon: "But it would pay for studies in each area to determine the need for interchanges; property that might be needed for eventual interchange construction; or short-term street design improvements to help alleviate congestion, Dey said. "

Friday, June 03, 2005

Survey: Michigan schools expect cuts to continue

Notice that nowhere does anyone mention the "phrase we dare not speak". Teacher compensation. That's salary, benefits AND retirement cost. No, we can't go there. Everyone knows, for sure, that teachers are underpaid. If that's true, why can't we, the people who pay the bills, see exactly what the true costs of teachers and administrators really is.

Survey: Michigan schools expect cuts to continue: "The survey found that 51 percent of school districts expect they will have to lay off employees next school year. About 81 percent said they plan to reduce staff by attrition.
About 65 percent of districts said they would reduce spending on supplies and services. About 79 percent said they would have to dip into their fund balances, a type of savings account, to help pay bills next school year. "

Muskegon Air Fair 2005

The early reservations are up 40% over last year! Saturday's Flight Line Club is already sold out. Get movin' Muskegon if you want to see the best Air Show in the Midwest.
Muskegon Air Fair 2005

The Five Dumbest Things on Wall Street This Week

This company is in real trouble! Miserable management and suicidal union members. Great combination!
The Five Dumbest Things on Wall Street This Week: "Stocked with a hefty supply of last year's vehicles, General Motors (GM:NYSE - news - research) unveiled a new sales strategy this week. Like many of GM's previous strategies, the one unveiled Wednesday calls for steep discounts.

Unlike the other plans, however, this one has bigger implications. It kicked off with a press release reading, 'GM is Proud to Invite America to be Part of its Family.'

Sound like a little too much commitment? Not to worry. The idea is to give buyers preferential employee-discount rates and simplified pricing.
'We firmly believe that once consumers have the opportunity to drive a GM vehicle, they'll know what we, and millions of loyal GM customers, already know about the value represented by the cars and trucks that we build,' said GM marketing exec Brent Dewar.
You can't blame GM for trying something new. The company posted a 12% sales drop for May. Earlier, it reported a huge first-quarter loss that led to several recent trips to the bond-rating junkyard, as analysts fretted over the company's pension obligations and financial position.
Yes, sounds like just the sort of big happy family everyone is itching to join. "

Thursday, June 02, 2005

The one single, constant.........

... in dying American cities is the belief that county, state, or federal funding ("free money") and/or corporate charity is their only hope for growth. Of course, that fiscal intoxicant is as false an answer as alcohol or drugs to a human addict. The major difference between the individual junkie and our what our misguided political bosses (and their enablers in the media) do to our community is the scale of the destruction. Oh yeah. Dying cities also think that increasing taxes on businesses is a great idea.

Our nation feels a special sense of loss on this day

The Gang of 3 gets it right this time. Good show!
Chronicle Editorial
Our nation feels a special sense of loss on this day: "Our nation feels a special sense of loss on this day
Monday, May 30, 2005
Memorial Day. The name itself explains the special purpose of the day: to honor the dead who gave their lives in defense of our nation. We honor, too, those who have served and are no longer among us, either through the ravages of wounds or age.
Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, red states and blue -- all of us fortunate enough to be alive and free today -- should be united by a common respect for, and a bond shared with, these fallen defenders. All Americans, wherever they stand along the divide that separates us on the great issues of the day, know full well that we are able to argue about such things only because we have the freedom to do so.
That freedom has been dearly won by those who have given everything in defense of it. "

Turkey Power!

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today: "William the Conqueror Is Turning in His Grave
'Norman Man Attacked by Turkeys'--headline, Associated Press, April 3"

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

At least 11 killed in Pakistan attack, riot - South and Central Asia - MSNBC.com

Ok. Let me get this straight. al-Qaida murderers bomb a mosque and the mob burns down a KFC and kill 6 of their own citizens? And the American left tells us to focus on "abuses of Abu Ghraib". Yeah, right.

At least 11 killed in Pakistan attack, riot - South and Central Asia - MSNBC.com: "KARACHI, Pakistan - A mob angered by an al-Qaida-linked suicide bombing in a Shiite mosque set a KFC restaurant on fire in overnight rioting, killing six employees and bringing the day's overall death toll to 11, police said Tuesday."