LSJ Blogs: Derek Melot is Just Asking

Lansing is swell, but ...

The best response to a compliment is a polite and humble “Thank you.” So, as a Lansingite, I say “thank you” to Kiplinger for labeling Lansing as on of the nation’s “10 Great Cities for Young Adults.”

I think Lansing is swell, too, for various ages. But ... I hope Kiplinger made its call for the right reasons.

Zoo millage details debated

Ingham County Commissioner Steve Dougan had an idea. At this week’s commissioners’ session, he offered an amendment to reduce the millage to be requested for the Potter Park Zoo by two cents

“I did offer up the two cent reduction on the zoo millage renewal, from .41 to .39, which would have been approximately a $142,000 reduction on the $2.9 million collection,” Dougan explained by e-mail. He noted also that even with the reduced collection, the county would still be pumping $1 million more into the zoo than the city of Lansing did when it ran it.

What's the matter with Kansas?

Kansas has a town named Liberal, but its politics certainly trend to the conservative side. So, why, pray tell, did Kansas’ Legislature and governor conspire to raise taxes?

Did the Obamaites get to them?

It would be hard to see how, since the GOP dominates both legislative chambers, though the governor is a Democrat who used to be a Republican. Nevertheless, as you can read here, the pols there voted for a temporary sales tax increase that takes $314 million from Kansans.

What gives? Actual conservative budget management:

Learn about your taxes

Mid-Michigan voters already have been pummeled with claim after claim about how the tax rates are destroying families and jobs and the state -- and probably making cherry pie taste sour, too.People need to think and talk about taxes. They need to decide what services they want and what they’ll pay for them.

I’m happy to talk about debt and deficits and how to contain them. But can we not take the conversation beyond the usual cliches and buzzwords? What’s to fear about actually looking at the numbers?

Who are those guys?

Who is David Koch and why does he care so much about Michigan?

According to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, Koch, of New York, has contributed $988,000 to the new Republican Governors Assocation Michigan 2010 PAC. That political action committee was created in December and has raised $4.2 million since April alone.

Cue the fish

As Pat Gillespie and others work to make the Grand River a starring attraction downtown, someone ought to think about incorporating the dancing fish.

I refer, of course, to the Asian carp, which are known for leaping out of the water when disturbed. According to this piece, the Grand River could become Asian carp central, should the invasive species successfully pierce the Great Lakes’ formidable defenses (sarcasm alert).

Let's conserve the climate

For a moment, let’s put aside the tiniest of thoughts of why we are in a temperature upswing. Let’s deal with the basic question:

Do you want the climate to be warmer than you have known it in the past?

I know I don’t. And that’s why I’m alarmed from this bit from a column by David Leonhardt in the NY Times: “According to NASA, 2010 is on course to be the planet’s hottest year since records started in 1880. The current top 10, in descending order, are: 2005, 2007, 2009, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2004, 2001 and 2008.”

Family testimonials: Effective or just noise?

Time for a survey: When you see a letter or campaign document in which a candidate’s relatives — parents, spouses, kids, what have you — sing the hopeful’s praises, does it make you more or less likely to vote for said candidate?

I have to say I’m on the “less” side. If anyone has to rely on family to sell the case, it comes off as desperate to this voter.

Is GM on right course?

This is Lansing, so there should be a good deal of experience and wisdom sloshing around in the automotive and credit industries.

Can anyone tell me if this is a good idea?: “General Motors Co. says it will acquire auto financing company AmeriCredit Corp. so it can increase leasing and make more loans to buyers with low credit scores.”

Bernero's public haul: $74,000

More on Virg Bernero’s quest for public matching funds in his gubernatorial campaign:

The Treasury Department says that while the Lansing mayor is eligible to receive $177,000, he’ll only get $74,000 or so. The reason is that the matching account is badly depleted (due, in part, to the actions of the governor and the Legislature), so the state can only pay out about 42 cents on the eligible dollar.

Meanwhile, the Michigan Campaign Finance Network has done a round-up of all the recent matching fund requests. It’s interesting to compare Bernero’s eligibility to those of others: