LSJ Blogs: Derek Melot is Just Asking

Playing the intelligence card

I haven’t a clue yet which active candidate will be the “best” choice for governor of Michigan next year. But Michigan residents should avail themselves of all available information about the candidates, such as this little bit about Congressman Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland.

Hoekstra is trying to parlay his time on the House Intelligence Committee into an edge for the coming campaign. That can cut two different ways, though.

Do you know the way to San Jose?

It appears that concerns over council public comment periods are not reserved to Lansing.

Delay won't silence critics

Here’s the thing for the Lansing City Council as it ponders improvements to its meeting schedule:

If you do the prudent thing, there are going to be a few folks (and, yes, 30 or 40 people in a city of 114,000 people is a few) will have a conniption about it.  Too bad. The council’s elected to represent all 114,000 of us, not a few dozen who make a hobby out of making comments at council sessions.

National kudos for Tom George

State Sen. Tom George got some well-deserved national publicity last week on the andrewsullivan.com Web site. It’s nice to see a Michigan lawmaker display a little gumption.

George, a Kalamazoo doctor who’s running for the Republican nomination for governor next year, earned praise from “The Daily Dish” for his comments on the Gitmo/Standish issue, including, “The Standish prison is a maximum-security facility with an excellent safety record. There are legal precedents for housing federal inmates within Michigan, and it may be possible to negotiate a favorable intergovernmental agreement.”

George looks like he is trying to position himself as the thinking man’s candidate next year, as opposed to the fear-mongers like Congressman Pete Hoekstra. Or maybe George is just reasonable by nature and is offering a reasonable position on an issue clouded by demagoguery.

A picture and those 1,000 words

Today’s e-mail brought one of the more unusual missives I’ve received in my decade at the LSJ. It was courtesy of Eaton County Sheriff Mike Raines.

And it stemmed from the LSJ story today about Raines’ views on congressional visits to Eaton County. But the e-mail didn’t concern the text. No, the sheriff’s concern was photographic.

Lessons from Seattle's city election

Like Lansing, Seattle is holding a mayoral election this year. And the news from the primary is bad for incumbent Greg Nickels.

From the New York Times today: “On Wednesday, Mr. Nickels, a Democrat who has become prominent nationally for his support of environmental issues, was in danger of losing his bid for a third term as early returns in a mayoral primary here showed 75 percent of voters saying they wanted someone else.”

Interesting. In Lansing’s recent primary, 56 percent of those who bothered to vote wanted someone other than incumbent Virg Bernero. Is there hope for challenger Carol Wood in Seattle’s results? After all, the Times reports one of the leading challengers describing Nickels as “... not regarded as particularly personable and that he had struggled to retain support among the city’s active neighborhoods groups, many of whom viewed him as too supportive of downtown growth.”

Michigan, Florida share population drop

Things that make you go hmm.

Last October, Florida was rated the 5th-best state for “tax climate” by the Tax Foundation. Michigan was rated No. 20. Part of Florida’s appeal, apparently, is that it does not have an individual income tax.

So, why did Florida’s population actually drop in 2008 by an estimated 58,000 people?

The 5 percent solution

I think this falls in the damning with faint praise file of public policy. From Mayor Virg Bernero’s office today:

“The new agreement includes health care savings sought by the Administration to help control the rising cost of employee benefits, Bernero said. ... The new labor contract requires employees to pay a 5% share of their health insurance premiums, establishes a 3-tier prescription drug co-payment, and increases co-pays for doctor’s office and emergency room visits.”

Five percent, you say? Well,  according to the Kaiser Foundation, the average worker in the U.S. in 2008 was paying more than 25 percent -- $3,354 of a total premium of $12,680.

Should it take this long?

Is it just me or are some of the CSO projects in central Lansing moving at a slower pace than seen in previous years?

Take, for example, Chestnut Street north of Ottawa. In the city’s own CSO newsletter dated July 17, it read, “All underground work is complete on Chestnut between Ottawa and Shiawassee; road reconstruction under way.”

Today’s Aug. 18 and the asphalt is just now finding its way to the road surface. What’s up with the delays?

And what of that single block of work on Allegan between Grand and Washington? It started April 25. Four months in and the road’s still closed.

Lansing has to do CSO work. And all construction projects are annoying. But it’s my perception that what really rankles people is when they perceive work is not being done at a proper pace.

Does anyone have any insights on these projects?

Back in a bit

Just Asking is on a brief hiatus. Look for new posts starting Aug. 17.