I’ve decided to move on. When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.
Don’t worry, I’ll still be around the Union occasionally and other local hangouts as I intend to stay in the area for the immediate future.
Here a few parting observations.
? There’s hope for politicians. Yes, that’s true. I met some fine ones out in Springfield Township who ran top-notch meetings (unless, of course you were a developer who didn’t understand why one five-year-old tree was making things so difficult and stretching the meetings to 11 p.m.). It’s safe to say, despite my wishy-washy personality, my township ballot (I live in Springfield Twp.) is punched for how ever many years the supervisor, clerk, treasurer and trustees want to hold office. No questions asked. Integrity, willingness to discuss tough issues in a civil fashion and pure understanding of township government are what I saw. The outright good of the township always seemed to be priority number one.
‘Speaking of civil disagreements. Hats off to Steve Wylie. He did not agree with my assessment of the Clarkston Police Department. He voiced his concerns in an eloquent fashion. You might not agree with Wylie, but he’s not afraid to talk about drastic change. Change is not easy and seldom popular. I think drastic change will be necessary to keep the city government operating ? and that discussion should not ever be just brushed off or ignored, no matter whether you agree with the person or not. You can disagree and be respectful ? always.
‘If they were making a Mt. Rushmore-like structure for the Clarkston area, the first face they’d chisel works down in City Hall as City Manager. He doesn’t like attention, so I won’t continue too long, but he does more for the City of the Village of Clarkston than anyone knows and works tirelessly. When he decides to retire? oh, let’s not ruin a nice summer.
‘Actions are everything. I moved away from home after high school and jumped right into college. Part of my maturing process came at seeing actions of local groups. Watching organizations like the Davisburg Rotary was fantastic. A kid away from home needs reminders of the important things in life. I can’t remember people having more fun while doing good than Christmas in Action’s Reindeer Races at Colombiere. Where do I sign up for next year?
‘Do what you love and the money’ll be there. Radio DJ Peter Cavanaugh told me that, saying people will recognize quality and pay for it. Some might not always see it, but someone will. That rings true right now. That’s pretty good advice, because even if it fails you, you’ve still spent time doing what you love. I see a lot of frowning faces racing through I-75 during rush hour ? I wonder if those drivers took that advice or listened to people during college who said, ‘You can’t make money doing that.?
‘I’ve seen true love walking. Bill Walker sits in Ottawa Park Cemetery near his late wife Peg everyday. He let me join him two hours one day and I’ll never forget it. He thanked me profusely after the story ran ? the thanks was going to the wrong person because I received the gift that day.
‘You can’t feel like a man surrounded by World War II and Vietnam vets. I’ve tried with the boys out at Post 63 and 377, but how can you feel adequate when you spent your 20’s around a keg and they walked through booby-trapped jungles and jumped from planes into enemy fire? Don’t forget those guys and girls. They served us well and shouldn’t have to sell off land to make ends meet. Effects of combat last a lifetime ? so should treatment.
‘So long. Most of the people I dealt with were great. I’ll miss them and they know who they are. Sorry if you wanted something sappy or sentimental. If you want to know how the good-sad feeling I get when I think about people I’ll miss ? sit in a rocking chair, crack a beer (if you’re legal) and listen to Johnny Cash’s ‘We’ll Meet Again.? Adios.

Now is not the time to contract full-time police services from Independence Township ? unless it’s the first step in getting rid of the city government as a whole.
With stagnant revenues and rising costs it’s inevitable the Clarkston government will fold down the road unless the city is deemed important enough by residents to cough up more taxes.
Ultimately, it’s the taxpayers? decision, but paying for government that already contracts out fire, library and sewer services, and now potentially police, rubs me the wrong way. If taxpayers want to pay nearly $240,000 for a police department that already contracts out the midnight shift to Independence Twp.’s Oakland County Sheriff’s substation anyway, then we should keep the status quo.
A short time ago, my column would have been in full support of Steve Wylie’s suggestion to contract full time with the sheriff’s substation (I still applaud his willingness to bring the subject up for discussion). What changed my mind was listening to council discuss administration fees from the township incurred for the aforementioned services. Fees are increasing and will continue if they are based on a 10 percent calculation of total service rather then a flat fee.
The numbers provided by Oakland County Sheriff’s Lt. Dale LaBair come in around $120,000 for full-time police services from the Independence Township substation. That’s about half of current costs, but with nearly $11,000 in administration fees going to the township. Future city councils will only continue to have budget problems of the past.
Council renewed the fire agreement for only three years versus seven because they wanted time to negotiate more reasonable administration fees. Fire service is essential, so agreeing to terms with the township is about the only option. This decision presents a case where city council does not have realistic control over a major expense, but can’t start it’s own department from the ground up.
Another cost difficult to control is purchasing library services from the township. Recently, a committee met with Township Supervisor Dave Wagner to discuss the cost of library services, since the administration fees are seen as a burden.
So to turn around right now and get rid of the police department and enter another contract with the township that would undoubtedly have another administration fee does not make sense without resolving the original administration fee problem.
Another argument that convinced me to keep the police department, for now anyway, is once the department is dissolved it would be difficult to bring the department back should taxpayers get upset with the sheriff’s service. After listening to the financial concerns, I don’t believe the city could afford to relaunch a police department.
I’m not offering my full-fledged support here to the Clarkston P.D. either. They are a good group of people, but I think having a police department covering such a small area has to result in yearly questions of necessity.
While I don’t think anyone would argue there would not be substantial initial savings ( approximately $120,000 based on a LaBair’s quote), I would not be confident in what might happen to those costs in the future. Ultimately, giving up control of the police would mean council giving up more ability to handle their own expenses with no guarantee their constituents would receive the services they want.
To me, the issue before the board right now is cost control. The issue before taxpayers is are you getting your money’s worth of services?
While I believe the department may not be the wisest investment and the road to cost savings will eventually lead to joining the township government, decisions about the police department can only be made once the taxpayers? opinions are clearly known.
I don’t think council can accurately measure that by their June 26 meeting. I would advise, the council to take one of their own suggestions from the June 12 public hearing and research every angle of the police issue including the voter sentiment and then make the decision next year.

Sitting down with Springfield Township’s Neal Nicol was quite the experience. Nicol, of course, co-authored a biography, ‘Between the Dying and the Dead,? about his friend and colleague Dr. Kevorkian which is due out July 5 here in the United States. (For ‘Local’s Kevorkian biography pushing for doctor’s release? see www.clarkstonnews.com)
While jamming through the book over the holiday weekend, I found the text to be an extremely quick and interesting read.
Being in college at the time when Kevorkian was convicted and sentenced for second-degree murder, I, like everyone else, was aware of the doctor’s story. If asked who is ‘Dr. Death?,? I would respond ‘Kevorkian, the assisted-suicide guy.?
With the topics being assisted-suicide and euthanasia, I expect the book to drum up a lot of the emotion and rhetoric present in 1999. But the book should be read by both the people who see Kevorkian as a genius-hero and those who’d never loan him a hat because they don’t want the two horn holes poked through the top.
This is why it’s important to read this book, even if you think the publication a sacrilegious monstrosity. I don’t know that the book is going to change the majority of those people who oppose assisted-suicide, but it provides a perspective I certainly didn’t have at the time. The reading alone, the great societal issue aside, provides a fascinating first-hand account of much of Kevorkian’s life and battle through the courts.
Another reason why the book fascinated me was the issue of perspective and perception. The insights and stories told here should implore the reader to wonder about the complexity of man, his pursuit of truth and how different issues can be perceived. I just feel too many people write others off with no attempt to understand where they’ve been and what they’ve done.
Now, some critics may write the book off as a ploy to drum up sympathy and cite the sources as clearly biased, but after finishing the book, I didn’t find myself having a newly sprung admiration for Dr. Kevorkian. I actually walked away envisioning him as extremely naive and at times a little too arrogant for his own good. That perception, however, allowed me to feel the authors were doing their best to retell the story with accuracy. Kevorkian was presented warts and all, and that’s extremely important to the book. I also didn’t walk away thinking of Kevorkian as a monster, and have to agree with Nicol who says his friend is far from macabre.
There’s also something fascinating with reading the story of someone who you thought you knew about from the papers. While I didn’t envision myself being buddy-buddy with Kevorkian ever, I could recognize a human side I had never heard about. And that speaks to me, because in this climate today, it feels people on either sides of such controversial issues seem to forget the person on the other side is human just like they are and may even possess some of those finer qualities that make human life worth living.
The last reason to read the book is to know as many sides of an argument as possible. I ascribe to that John Stuart Mill idea of democracy and how if you’re on the right side of an issue an opposing idea should not make your argument crumble, it should solidify your points.
If you read the book, you’ll walk away more educated about the issue. There’s no deception, the authors tell you from the get go they are friends of Kevorkian and what their goals are. That information should be used to critically think about the book rather than disregard it immediately or embrace it as the infallible truth.
‘Between the Dying and the Dead? is published by the University of Wisconsin Press at www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress.

He was already inside, with his oversized eyes and spring-packed legs. I was waiting for him to make that croaking sound you hear from the woods on the southern border of the house.
I saw him jump. With a quick flip of the hand I grabbed him from the air and tossed him out the door.
It’s not that I don’t like frogs, they’re hilarious. Those ribbits and insanely long jumps can be comical. I just don’t want frogs in my house. (I mean, my girlfriend’s house.)
Shortly afterwards, there were 30 to 40 frogs just like him jumping onto the porch towards the door. They were piling up right on the metal doorway step, getting themselves as close to the inside of the house as possible. Obviously, they didn’t witness his flight.
I watched them and had no idea what to do. They were looking with wanting eyes ? wanting in to the warmth, the food, the wooden floors and the TV. But, this was not their house and I wasn’t going to let them take my space. I earned it.
Luckily, the next day the frogs were gone.
As I retold the story one day, I felt bad about tossing out ‘Kermit,? (as my listeners called him). So I decided when I’d start to tell people the story, I’d call the frogs ‘trogs.? Then people would know how cute and friendly I think frogs are. They’re almost like people.
I’d explain how if frogs and not trogs were at the doorstep, my approach would be totally different. I would put out food for frogs if it wasn’t for the fly-infested swamp nearby and I’d put out clothes if I thought they’d wear them. But these were trogs. Trogs are gross and lower than frogs. They try to get in and climb the walls and leave their slime all over. You can’t communicate with them like you can frogs, they just don’t understand English.
They had no right to be in the house. No trogs mooching off my living space.
* * *
Living space and who can fill it is a hot topic right now. Since I’ve been in this community, I’ve seen a lot of generosity. Being that I cover the churches as part of my beat, I see so many great stories of Clarkston people helping out others oceans and continents away. The generosity can be astounding and should be trumpeted. What a community.
I hear so many stories about how missions to hurricane zones and poor villages change lives. What happens they tell me, is people put a face with a word or a place and those things never have the same meaning.
I had an interview with an area resident recently talking about the Congo. Prior to that interview, I was thinking about the Congo. What came to mind before the conversation was ‘Africa,? as seen on maps hanging in school rooms. Another thing was a book by Michael Crichton.
The resident showed me a picture of kids? smiling faces on malnourished bodies. That’s the reality in parts of Congo.
The point being, we’re talking all this immigration stuff and losing the faces in the words. As one of the wealthiest counties around, our voice does mean something. We’re willing to help people struggling for opportunity far away, but when they’re at our doorstep, some people seem to be wavering.
There’s no easy solution. I struggled a long time on immigration, weighing the complex bag of issues accompanying it. But as with most issues I believe are too complex to grasp, I let my one emergency decision-making criteria win out.
I’d rather be on the wrong side of any issue that puts people first. I’m not going to give my bits about existentialism, but I think there’s something after earth. I don’t pretend all the immigrants are good people, or we shouldn’t have restrictions. But when it comes to pointing guns and saying, ‘Get out. My door is closed, I deserve my life and you don’t.?
I can’t. I had no role in my being here. I’d rather be wrong and poor and crowded.

You will need a nickel, brown and orange markers and a pen to read this column.
Take the nickel right now and place it on my picture. Line the nickel up to the bottom of my eyes. Taking a pen, draw a line around the bottom half of the nickel. After removing the nickel, color the penned area with a brown marker, then add a tint of orange.
Don’t worry, this will be helpful later. While interviewing someone like Peter Cavanaugh, featured in Millstream this week, I could not help thinking back to find something I did that was remotely rock ‘n? roll and remembered a lesson that should be applied before reading his book ‘Local DJ.?
My first semester, in what some would call a fit of identity crisis or a terrible way to impress the college girls, I grew a beard.
Now I know, the old-timers out there are probably thinking, ‘He was just 18. How big could that beard be?? Well, it was long, thick and ungroomed (look right). At times in history class, I would place my pen in the beard until it was needed for notetaking. When reaching for it, my hand never got within five inches of my chin. Needless to say, I shaved the thing over Christmas break after about four hundred ‘Grizzly Adams? comments from frat boys who had the originality of oxen. (Note: when you see someone with a big beard, you can rest assured they’ve heard: ‘Hey Grizzly Adams? before)
The other reason for shaving the beard was I sleep on my stomach and the thing pushed my head so far back my neck hurt. I needed a good neck, as an eighteen-year-old there was a lot to see at MSU.
What is my connection between Cavanaugh’s book ‘Local DJ, A Rock ‘N? Roll History? and my beard, besides it representing one of my feeble attempts at rebellion? When I had my beard, I drew constant looks from people who judged me before I opened my mouth.
Police officers watched me assuming I was about to dash behind a corner and light something up. People in stores stepped away in quite obvious fashion like I was Pigpen from Peanuts. Teachers, who chose to hand out papers by calling names from lowest grade to highest, looked confused when I walked up to get my paper last.
So the connection here is, if you read Cavanaugh’s book don’t be turned off by some of the content and vulgar language; there’s a lot of commentary there. The book lives up to the sex, drugs and rock ‘n? roll attitude that made nuns squirm in the sixties. If you set the book down, you’re missing an insight to a generation in our country where people were divided.
We’re heading in a somewhat similar direction facilitated by different circumstances. I’m not sure the great cultural changes socially will be there, but the mistrust of government, growing discontent among youth and a perceived global threat sure are. (You know the saying by Mark Twain which goes something like this: ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure rhymes a lot.?)
THE BOOK IS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA FOR KIDS. I know that’s not rock ‘n? roll to say, but that’s my disclaimer. I don’t think it’s going to warp anyone, but parents should be warned.
I’d apply the Marilyn Manson/Guns N Roses test (depending on your age) before deciding to read it. If you thought Guns ‘N Roses were taking us to hell in a handbasket, don’t pick up the book. If you thought Marilyn Manson was the final sign of the apocalypse, then run. You won’t be able to appreciate this book for what it is.
‘Local DJ? discusses the evolution or rock music from a front row seat and shows Michigan’s role in the whole 60’s scene. Many chapters end with little paragraphs putting things into a historical perspective. The plight of early radio being so influential and coming from Flint is also an interesting side-bar as you consider the current state of the city and the medium now. For more info visit www.wildwednesday.com.

The neighbor’s donkey and horse were looking at me with eyes that said ‘How could you??
I wanted to shout, ‘What am I supposed to do during March Madness or when the Tigers start playing ball?? But I didn’t.
You see, my girlfriend moved into a new house recently with a TV that had two fuzzy channels at best. I looked at her move as an opportunity to do something I’ve pondered for years; taking the plunge back into the Jurassic period when there was no TV.
The first few weeks went well. I read voraciously. On breaks, I’d look out the window and see the donkey and horse chewing hay and having those animal conversations we can’t hear. I felt like I’d drifted back to some better place and I’d left behind those annoying 24-hour sensationalist news channels, that horrible reality TV and the banal, trite sitcom humor. I looked at the donkey, and thought, ‘I’m moving back towards how things should be.? She brayed in agreement. The horse gave me a Mr. Ed smile.
I continually watched the donkey and the horse, making eye contact with them often. Each recognizing the importance of March, which is reading month. I felt I was part of some elite brotherhood. We had a code. I was one of those reasonable bipeds who wouldn’t mind hoof prints when I lent out books.
That’s why I crouched down low on the couch when the cable guy came. I had lasted about three whole weeks without TV. The donkey and horse watched with disapproval through the picture window. I wanted to shower.
Just before the cable guy arrived and the donkey brayed about Judas ? and knifed backs and the beauty of simple dry hay and rainy days, I read several essays. They were from a book by Robert James Waller, the author of ‘The Bridges of Madison County.? His essays definitely bring out what’s really important in life. Life that slips away if you’re not paying attention.
After working some time, the cable guy mumbled something about the job at my girlfriend’s house not being entered correctly in the computer ? meaning someone else would have to come out at a later date. I was fuming and called the company, finding further frustration on hold after losing cell phone service twice. I was about to scream at the guy, but Waller’s discussions about the truly important things convinced me to look for the high ground. I was polite and asked the cable guy, who had already packed up his truck, how I could best legally set up the system I was already paying for until the next worker showed.
He unpacked his truck and hooked up the cable, taking his shoes off at the door, even though other angry customers surely waited ahead on his route.
That incident aside, I have increased my reading and savor time away for TV and cell phones. I’ve rediscovered the great mind adventures I loved flipping through books as a child.
I also reflected on my few years working in the schools and how right educators were (even when redundant) about reading.
Capitalizing on that nostalgia, I agreed to be a guest reader at Pine Knob Elementary as part of a special reading day. I saw the kids? excitement and wonder (at least most seemed to listen) and thought about how we should never lose that. There’s something valuable about following a story ? building affinities and aversions for characters, looking at real world characters from the outside and working through your own thought process in that imaginary or abstract world. That thought and attention translates to the real world.
While coming to the aforementioned conclusions, I was watching BookTV. Author Norman Mailer was talking about how TV commercials are interrupting viewers? thought processes and destroying attention spans. All the while the education world puts a label on it and everyone scratches their heads about increases in attention disorders and so forth.
That reminded me, maybe the answer to some problems is as clich? and simple as it sounds. Read.

Lesson from this weekend, learned while stopping in the White Lake Inn Saturday night: everyone looks tall in a room with short ceilings.
Lesson learned at recent meetings by the Springfield Township Board and Clarkston City Council: pay attention to what elected officials do now, it’ll tell you more than what you learn during campaigns.
Tough times make now an accurate gage of what politicians are thinking and their reactions when times are tough. Handling issues when there’s enough money to go around is not as hard as when there is shortages.
Recent discussions by both governing bodies tell me the voter can get the best measure of your politicians right now, so you don’t have to scramble come election time. I’d advise taking a notebook putting elected leaders names in it and record plus and minuses with short notes on issues you think are important. (Leave your voodoo dolls at home, the meetings can be long enough without them).
At the Clarkston City Council meeting on Feb. 13, some council members discussed the possibility of looking outside of Independence Township for library services. The board cited climbing costs and administration fees as making it tough in the near future to pay the township for services. While no action was taken and most council members hinted that the topic needed discussion of all options, with leaving the library being somewhat of a financial last resort, library usage will be a topic of future discussions.
Throughout the meeting it became evident that the council was unsure how much the community uses the library; a situation that could be remedied by more people showing up to meetings. (Note: there were several very vocal audience members who seemed to demand the council look at other options and represented their side very well). No audience members showed up to say ‘we like the library.?
The council also looked to be going through some growing pains with four new members in the last two years. The dialogue between the older and new members was something prospective voters may have wanted to see. Tempers rose a bit and I saw the type of strain that might be felt by council members if tough times continue.
You need to know where your board members priorities are now when they affect you and how they function when the heat is turned up.
On the other side of town, the Springfield Township board has discussed salaries; at this point choosing to freeze them.
I sat at the Springfield Township special budget meeting in January which lasted almost three hours. The board spent time talking about things as large as millage increases and as small as having an employee pick up mail to save a $200 gas allowance. Yeah, $200 doesn’t sound like much, but trying to run an efficient budget comes down to the small things.
With money being tight, watch the services. Those of you who live on a gravel road like I do, monitor how many times your head hits the ceiling while driving. The Springfield Township Board allocated funding at the Feb. 9 meeting for road graveling. One idea the board appeared to like was the idea of cost-sharing, which would encourage homeowner’s associations and residents to front some money to decide expand the amount of mileage that receives gravel.
So keep an eye out who votes for what and decide if you like what they do. Then jot the result down in a notebook. Hell, put a smiley face next to the politicians? name if you like. Put the politician’s picture on a dart board and throw a dart every time they do something that urks you. By election time, if that person’s covered with darts, don’t vote for them.
Clarkston, like Michigan, is going through a crucial time bound to shape and redefine the face of the community. Watch now before those political election machines fire up the campaignese.
The Springfield Township Board meets next on March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Clarkston City Council meets at 7 p.m. every second and fourth Monday of the month.

With a chance to sneak back home to Alpena a few weekends ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about a major hospital coming to Clarkston. During the three plus hour drive, I concluded bringing the medical complex here was the best decision.
The rate of development spiraling around I-75 is not my favorite thing in the world, but oddly enough it was in the small town of Alpena nearly 100 miles from I-75 that I realized its inevitable impact.
Growing up about 20 years ago, I recall seeing many signs (the type politicians often put in your yard under the cover of night) in front of houses in Alpena. While there definitely were some people who wanted the expressway beyond our two lane highway to come through, most of the signs I remember were anti-highway. Visualize the word expressway with a large red X through it.
That was twenty years ago or so. While the situations between Alpena and Clarkston with expressways couldn’t be more different, I took a lesson comparing the two. The decisions in Alpena, made by whoever, for or against the expressway, settled the issue long ago. That same decision in the Clarkston area likewise was made long ago and there’s an inertia built up from those decisions.
Where the expressway goes, so does business and development, particularly when in proximity with a big city like Detroit. Granted there are exceptions, but myself having arrived in the area only a few years ago, Sashabaw looked setup for one thing: Development.
Now I’m not advocating just rolling over and letting companies stroll in and build what they want, neglecting the master plan or ordinances. But I truly believe 20 years from now those remaining open spaces along the Sashabaw corridor will be developed, no matter what fight takes place.
The idealist in me wants to argue against any major development, even ones I like, because of who else can come in the development door once it’s fully open. But as I see it, we need to have some pragmatic foresight here and think beyond the immediate future for what’s practical.
If you think fighting development will keep the area as it is now, then by all means resist. But in 50 years will the open spaces be there? I don’t think so. My goal would be to make the best of a tough situation. Taking on a development like the McLaren proposal allows you to guarantee some positive outcomes from the development. Good jobs, educated people and quality healthcare all come to our doorstep with such a medical complex. Yes, the traffic comes too, but it’s coming anyway and our leaders have to figure out how to deal with the congestion.
There’s also the question of Michigan’s struggling economy to think about. The auto industry has been good to this area, but it’s struggling. While I believe The Big Three will rebound, I never liked betting future generations? livelihood on one thing. Drive through Flint. Yes, that’s a somewhat careless comparison, but when making decisions that affect the area for decades and generations, why not secure a development that brings good jobs.
I too cringe when I see empty buildings for rent and dozers in the woods, but I don’t think it’s preventable over an extended period of time. Not here, not now, not on Sashabaw. Taking that as the rule, then we must accept what will provide the best possibility for good lives. The McLaren decision for me is easy. Take it and run.

Every year about this time I see the shivering masses of smokers outside business doors, huddling to shield against the brisk wind. But cold is not the worse thing hitting smokers recently? especially since ganging up on the group through taxes is envogue.
While I don’t disagree with many of the concerns about smoking, we need the foresight to address the taxation of behavior and the long-term legal implications it will have on all of us, even nonsmokers.
Sure, smoking is unhealthy and its stink sticks to clothing. I remember leaving a bar in New York a few years ago and enjoying not leaving with a cloud of stink. I also agree there are great benefits from eliminating second-hand smoke and preventing youths from starting.
The problem is the bandwagon mentality to taxing that many nonsmokers adopt. In Michigan, with our tough times and politicians scrambling for funding, it’s awfully easy to beat up a certain group of people. No politician can risk standing up and saying, ‘Take it easy on the smokers.? It’d bring public relations hell.
The way I see it, there are a few reasons why the overtaxing of smokers is allowed. Smoking is unhealthy and we as taxpayers field the medical costs. For many, this is a bad habit nonsmokers shouldn’t have to deal with as smoking serves no vital purpose.
So why shouldn’t we keep taxing? First, smoking is legal. There are costs of living in a somewhat free society. You have to tolerate things you don’t like. In some cases that may mean paying for them. We could switch to an authoritarian government and have snipers shoot at every flip of the lighter.
Second, smoking is an addiction. Let’s not underestimate the power of addiction when convenient. There’s a reason why careers and families are ruined by things like alcohol or drugs and sometimes it goes deeper than lack of will power and poor character. I watched too many college kids try to stop smoking to forget that even if the addict wants to stop, it’s hard. That’s not saying we should become enablers or people should not try to quit, let’s just be weary of underestimating the problem of addiction.
I can also think of other numerous examples of poor behavior that add to health care costs, like poor eating or drinking.
One of the more egregious examples is tanning. Seemingly on every corner there’s a tanning salon raving about the newest cutting-edge tanning processes. When I taught, some of the students had tanning beds right in their home. Despite what some businesses tell me about the safety of tanning, I don’t buy it. Down the road we will pay for the time spent in the tanner by trying to handle various skin ailments and cancer. So if we tax smokers, tax tanners ? at least the smokers are hooked on a habit that arguably is more addictive than heroin.
And don’t give me the explanation about how a tan body breeds self-confidence. That’s about the last thing we should be elevating medical costs for. Lack of self-confidence is a serious problem for some, but a long-term solution won’t be found wearing those ridiculous tanning goggles. And tanning is no more than a simple case of vanity. I’m not attacking tanners, I just think their habit is on shakier rational ground than smokers. We shouldn’t pick on either.
If taxing tanners doesn’t sound good to you, then start thinking about wider consequences of your advocated government action. By sacrificing the smoker, you’re opening the door for taxation of other legal behaviors and eventually one will be close to your heart. Precedent of law is sometimes started with the smallest of exceptions and unintended consequences wreak havoc.

With the talk about requiring more classes for earning a high school diploma in Michigan, I hope before everything’s said and done, they expand the social studies classes.
Science and math are a given and will be key to making future transitions. As the global market continues to suck the manufacturing jobs out of this country, science and math education will be key to producing a competitive work force.
After taking education courses at Michigan State and working in schools for about 2? years, I was suspicious students were desperately unprepared for the economics, government and historical aspects that influence daily adult life.
This premonition was reinforced since I’ve been at the paper and sitting in municipal meetings and community presentations. I also took for granted what my degree in history and political science taught me. I was upset to learn that some people do not have a basic understanding of the brutal evolution of total warfare and implications of nuclear weapons. Both of these topics have come up in recent presentations to the community I have attended.
Education in this country, despite some flaws, does a good job preparing students for specialized tasks. The division of labor is successful because we train experts in their fields. The problem is we have developed large gaps in shared knowledge and cultural experience.
However, all that specialized training does not prepare someone to deal with zoning ordinances, or understand the faults of high interest rate credit cards. The technological preparation ignores cultural awareness and potentially leads students into cultural and democratic illiteracy. Students are terribly ill-equipped to deal with the complex mix of media, technology, advertising and government; all designed to get their attention and ‘vote? (of one kind or another).
The art of respectful rhetoric seems to be extinct and the understanding of a common good and compromise are fading.
Another shortcoming not consistently addressed in the classroom is the brief discussion of history. The same stringent lines of United States history are drawn into their semester or sometimes yearlong slots every year. One class covers up to the Civil War and another picks up with Reconstruction. No time is added to teach as the years pile up. If you remember learning history as a kid, most people my age can remember stopping at the Vietnam War, often without discussing Korea at all. Now in addition to areas that are ignored, a lengthy discussion is needed to discuss the effects of the Cold War and terrorism.
As globalization continues, we need to understand the world outside our borders more, not less. Not expanding social studies curriculum is handicapping that process. The importance of the post-Cold War world hierarchy and the forces that caused planes to slam into the World Trade Center needs more explanation then ‘they hate us? or ‘those people are crazy.?
I have no idea thinking back to my high school history classes how we could have fit any more material into my yearlong U.S. history class without doing a horribly superficial job.
Another semester of studying foreign policy may do the trick. Maybe electives need to be examined for efficiency. Obviously not everything can be covered, there’s only so much you can learn, but not expanding social studies curriculum for national and local events is a mistake.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a presentation by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton who spoke on the horrors of war and his advocation of nonviolence at St. Daniel Catholic Church.
Gumbleton’s presentation was pretty good. His discussion of the changing nature of warfare and the effect of war on all parties has unbridled relevancy. His points that war destroys the lives of innocent people and causes upheaval in the lives of those who fight were accurate.
To my dismay, I don’t think there’s a warless future out there for though.
First off, calling for peace while sitting on a large nuclear arsenal works about as well as trying to fly a car. The same forces that made the Mutually Assured Destruction foreign policy a strong deterrent during the Cold War, makes the mere presence of nuclear weapons, particularly when they are unequally distributed, an obstacle to peace. MAD worked because the major powers in the bipolar world were afraid they’d blow each other up.
Seeing this play out, the rest of the world realized they needed the same threat to be taken seriously. As much as nuclear war and destruction scares me, if I led a country without nukes I’d either try crazily to get them or make like one of those little birds that relaxes on a rhino and buddy up with one of the major nuclear powers. It’s simply rational behavior. Yes, there are hands out there that nukes must never reach, but just because a country tries to go nuclear does not necessarily mean they’re evil.
So if the U.S. adopted a policy of nonviolence, getting rid of nuclear weapons is the first step. A verbal guarantee to the world that we won’t use the weapons does not hold water.
The second obstacle to peace is more complex. I’m not one who says man is naturally evil. I’ve seen too many good things to know that’s not very true. A political science teacher once told me it’s human nature to want to provide a good life and the best things for those you love.
The connection here, is that Gumbleton highlighted justice as a pillar for peace. He hinted that it wasn’t a retaliatory type of justice, but rather a fairness in life. A just distribution of goods throughout the world so everyone can enjoy a certain quality of life, for example.
So here’s my point. As humans, we want the best for our loved ones. That’s honorable and just, but there are consequences. I don’t believe the terrorist attacks on this country were caused by the lavish life-style here, but I do think the poverty in certain areas of the world is creating generation after generation looking to blame someone for their suffering. Resources are not fairly distributed. We want the best and consume the most to do it, that will put a target on our chest in the future.
So unfortunately, I believe the advocates of nonviolence will always be on the outside looking in. With a booming world population, resources will become more valuable and the strongest military countries will control them. This won’t happen from inherent inevitable evil nature, but because the majority of humans want to not only survive, but have the best.
I don’t think anyone, including myself, is clamoring to get in line and give up my two televisions or air conditioner to equal things out.
So short of the entire world getting together in a far-fetched utopic scenario and agreeing to a globalized standard of living (which would be far lower than many of us live now) and all the leaders of countries getting rid of the nukes, we’ll have war.

For me, immigration has always been a bit of a tough issue. If you’ve glanced at my byline or made new swear words out of my name when disagreeing with what I write, you’ve noticed the Martinez there.
I had the opportunity to attend the Federation for American Immigration Reform President Dan Stein’s presentation at the Deer Lake Athletic Club on Sept. 22. Not having quite enough time to read all of FAIR’s information, I’ll offer first impressions.
First, I agree with some of the basic tenets Stein warned against. We need to improve security along our borders, because there are clearly groups out there who want to hurt us.
Secondly, Stein’s claim that well-tuned lobbyists are keeping a status quo on the issue is common sense to anyone with a vague knowledge of our government. With large pockets of apathetic voters out there, fine tuned political machines and special interest groups dominate the day. FAIR will need to work, however, to prevent one day morphing into the same thing.
There’s one thing I think everyone must acknowledge. Restricting immigration is inevitable. It comes down to a simple case of scarcity. Eventually, we’re going to have to decide if we want more people with lower standards of living, including some of our children, or less people and a higher standard of living. If you don’t want immigration restricted, don’t be angry when you’re wearing the same pair of underwear everyday. That sounds selfish, but I have realistic expectation of my own human nature, particularly after growing up in the lavish 90’s.
We’ve been pretty fortunate in this country, but just watch the development headlines and the battle over Great Lakes water and you’ll see how things get ugly when resources aren’t a plenty.
That said, I do have reservations on the issue. While I view the basic guiding principals of FAIR to be striving for the best of this country, I worry that a lot of bigotry and racism by some supporters could be cloaked while legitimately attacking immigration. Many legal immigrants may suffer discrimination and race rifts in this country could mushroom.
Secondly, I worry about how often the terrorism drum is beat. It’s a threat we need to address, but decisions that are based mostly on fear scare me; rationality always falls victim to the hairs standing on the back of your neck.
I heard a lot of frustration from the audience about the lack of government effort. I agree there’s a lot that can be done, but people can’t start expecting to solve any problem with the right amount of money. Even if we form a human chain around the continental borders, illegal immigrants and terrorists will get through.
We also shouldn’t forget the great gains we’ve made through the brilliant students who come here to study from afar.
One note saddened me. Stein used an example of the Native Americans as a nation who didn’t worry about their borders and much of the audience laughed. Shame on you, the fortunate descendants of the winners of history.
Now don’t interpret that as saying I heard any such thing from Stein or the North Oakland Republican Club. NORC President Jim Runestad told me beforehand that the club welcomes dissent and the very first audience question presented to Stein was of that nature. Had more dissenters showed up, there would have been a healthy debate. Good job NORC, civil debate and compromise are healthy.

As a new school year comes with its screaming bells and rumbling buses, undoubtedly the normal banter about school success and failure strikes up again.
With a state struggling financially, the rhetorical flames should intensify as everyone and anyone weighs in on the subject.
I guess before ranting here, I should remind those whose distaste for my writing prohibits them from ever reaching my bio on-line. I have spent the better part of three years student-teaching, substituting and teaching in schools. There are also many people in my family who have worked in some fashion in the classroom.
My viewpoint then probably suffers from some bias.
That being on the table, I am disturbed at how so many forces outside the classroom seem to influence everything from who’s teaching what to the food the smiling lunch lady serves.
The push for standardization and ultimatum for empirical results reflect the school system’s eternal tendency to react rather than showing any proactive measures or ingenuity. Whether adjusting to harvest patterns or the call for science during the Cold War, schools serve more as a mirror than an entity functioning on its own. School staffs spend more time scrambling to answer pressure rather than focusing on the students.
Simply put, when things don’t go well in this country, people always look directly at the schools for the answers. Why is the economy faltering? Why are we falling behind some countries in industry? What’s the unemployment rate all about?
In times of crisis people fall back on what they know or trust. We’re a technologically driven country who’s success came in many ways from ingenuity and science. To address problems in the schools we’ll take a scientific approach. We’ll look to test because science relies on empirical evidence and data that can be laid out in charts to prove or disprove hypotheses.
So we now have put on our science hats and are going to ‘figure out? what’s wrong with the schools. The usual suspects are called in for examination: administration, teachers and students. The pressure turns up and answers are demanded.
People from politicians to parents want results. Tax payers feel their purse strings tighten and are looking for some validation of money well spent. That’s normal and those positions are logical; and all mentioned groups have the right to answers. Despite some of the flaws in the push for results there are noble goals, but those goals get squashed in the pursuit.
Yes, teachers need to be qualified in what they teach. We’ve all suffered through a class with a poor teacher. And there have to be some basic core bundles of knowledge all kids graduating public schools should know.
But the problem occurs when this push for empirical evidence becomes so zealous that the effort to mine those results leave our schools stripped. People look for answers to why test results are coming back low or poor. People look for those responsible and who to blame.
The pressure will result in several valiant yet unsuccessful quick-fixes that dictate what happens in the classroom. Schools are already cowering over the penalties for not progressing adequately every year in No Child Left Behind. Instead of working to develop better curriculums, the number one fear among the schools is test results. No matter what goes on in classrooms, the bottom line is test results. Learning stops and time is taken out of nearly every school’s year to prepare students for those tests.
The meddling continues and the penalties pile up if progress is not made. The focus will continue to be on tests taking away from truly valuable learning that occurs. The schools once again become bystanders in political wrestling matches. Decisions of curriculum will all revolve around what those test results call for; what may not be best for the schools.
But that’s what schools have always done ? reacted to outside forces and done their best to stay afloat until the crisis evolves and calls for different responses.

There’s an old saying in our government that you can swing your fist as far as you want until you hit the nose of your neighbor.
Development in Northern Oakland County, in particular, seems to be the hot topic of debate.
On a national level, the Supreme Court recently ruled on an eminent domain case that will lead to infringement on individual property rights. When you think of eminent domain in general, how does the government’s ability to take your house with ‘just? compensation really fit with personal freedoms?
Our democracy is weathering a new round of tests; placing a strain on personal freedoms while trying to address that ‘common good? core democratic value present in the development quarrel.
I often hear people wary of government, make a clich’d reference to George Orwell’s Big Brother. The references generally drip with insinuations about the naturally evil state of government.
But when I think about the ‘Big Brother? concept, I try to hypothesize if and how a government like ours could get to that point.
To me, a democracy with video cameras and Thought Police sounds like a stretch. That is, until I think of the eerie combination of the pursuit of happiness, survival of the fittest and looking out for the common good in this country which is close to the heart of the development issue.
Whether we like it our not, capitalism is rooted in a sink or swim attitude. We may use euphemisms like ‘rags to riches,? but capitalism is harsh, often becoming ‘rags or riches.? But you also must consider the tricky effect common good has on personal liberty when resources are in short supply.
In the past, we seemingly had enough land, space and resources to allow cut-throat capitalism, personal liberty (with some glaring exceptions) and common good to coexist in our legislature.
But today’s resources are increasingly scarce, fueling the explosive debate over development. The lines in many areas between rural and urban are blurring and sprawl has sent people into an uproar. Many residents chose this area for a rural life-style and see that as a key element to their pursuit of happiness and developers as evil threats. People want their cozy community and space, but also want modern conveniences one exit north.
That space where you’re allowed to swing your fist is shrinking and poses a test to our balancing act of capitalism, personal liberty and common good.
In the end, the common good aspect will win out; I think this is evidenced by the very existence of eminent domain in our government in the first place ? that looking out for the greatest good for the greatest number has some haunting implications.
As space runs out and the population rises, the effects of scarcity will propel the common good agenda. But as the country grows, more people will be left out of that greatest number, while the government will dictate business according to the needs of that greatest number.
Now this isn’t intended to foster any further xenophobia. We have enough of that. But as I see personal liberties (luxuries?), like a rural life-style, potentially fade, I wonder what’s in store decades down the road. Scarcity may not allow our personal liberty as the government searches for the greatest good for the greatest number. Those seem like conditions that could make the Big Brother clich? a reality.

I can’t help noticing all the yellow magnetic ribbons in honor of our troops every time I’m stuck at a traffic light. Then there’s the politicians saying a million times how no matter their personal/partisan views on the war, the troops must be supported.
Apparently, we’ve learned that our troops deserve far better than what many received from Vietnam. In a polarized country, support for the troops seems like that one section of common ground.
But then I hear about the American Legion Post in town running into financial trouble and pondering the sale of a parcel of their land to make ends meet. To make matters worse, one of the citizen concerns voiced about the proposed land sale at a public hearing dealt with whether or not the Legion’s annual Fourth of July fireworks would be affected by the sale.
With all this talk of supporting troops, how can we let a veterans? support organization struggle, particularly in an area that is pretty well off? Even worse, let concerns over fireworks enter into the conversation.
Now I’m not out here to champion the American Legion as a solve-all to returning veterans. I don’t necessarily think the organization will address all the needs of returning soldiers. But for all the talk of supporting veterans that goes on, I can’t comprehend how a veterans? organization should resort to selling part of their land to subsist.
What we must not forget is that many of us can so easily avoid being emotionally affected by the war. The news and entertainment options have multiplied since the 1960’s, so when tired of war news, we pick up the remote.
Thus allowing someone to rationally express concern about firework relocation, when a new wave of war veterans with experiences unique to their tour of duty are returning.
Many of us, minus the families of those men and women serving overseas, have developed a collective disconnect from this war. While this may help us cope with the complex events and issues, it furthers the difficulties returning soldiers face.
I doubt soldiers coming home from Iraq will be bombarded like some Vietnam veterans were, but welcoming back the veterans is only part of our duty.
Few of us have held a gun or pointed a weapon at someone in battle, or peered around building edges for enemies, or said prayers as our combat vehicle cruised down a mine laden road. That’s good for us, but limits our ability to truly help soldiers assimilate after the fighting stops.
I don’t pretend to know what to say to someone returning from the pressure cooker atmosphere of a war zone, but I do know that other veterans may.
That’s what I’ve seen at many American Legion functions, veterans getting together, sharing camaraderie, mingling with younger generations and passing on stories and experience. There’s a feeling of family and belonging at American Legion events that helps veterans cope and come to terms with war trauma.
For us, even those glued to the 24 hour news stations or families of veterans, when the war ends, it is over and we move on. Soldiers can not be expected to move at the high speed the rest of society will when the fighting stops.
While some may find a seamless reentry, others will not; and it’s to those veterans we have an obligation to that goes beyond the magnetic yellow ribbons and moving political speeches.
And gosh, we’ve only got about 340 days to figure out where to shoot the fireworks from ? if the Legion can afford them that is.

Recently, a game show host asked a contestant how she’d spend her prize money. Her response: ‘Get some plastic surgery.?
This isn’t a rant on cosmetic surgery, but a scarier observation.
Decades of technological know-how and good old American ingenuity have left us flawed. Not flawed in a physical sense, God knows we can fix that, but in a thinking sense.
From childhood, we are inundated with advertisements. Starting with the obvious billboards and TV commercials to the small Old Navy insignia on your two-year-old’s sock, advertising permeates everything.
Our democratic-capitalistic chemistry experiment has produced a final product: consumers.
To fill our role in the mega-economy, we make hundreds of decisions daily about what to buy. Successful companies figure out how to entice us and make millions. The pursuit for lifelong consumership begins at birth.
Corporate targeting of our children now incubates the economic decision-making process from the earliest thought development. So what do we have? Every decision carries some economic thought process inherent in our thinking.
With choice and unlimited options, a tendency grows to always look for something better. As soon as we buy the next electronic gizmo, a new ‘must have? gadget appears on store shelves.
Small decisions like this are constantly given to kids: Hey kid, here are 150 channels. Pick a sneaker from these 50.
I love the choices we have and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but worry about the unintended consequences of the robotic nature at which we sometimes slave over those choices.
If we are always looking for something better, when will there ever be satsifaction? Should I buy this shirt from Gap, or wait until I see what Brooks Brothers has? Should I buy the gas-savvy Volvo or a Denali? Is this relationship right for me or should I hold on in case something else better comes along?
Divorce rates are up, we work more hours than ever and vacations are shorter’but at least we can watch our shrinking hour-long sitcoms on plasma screens.
So do I think we should all stop working, abandon technology and move to huts in the middle of nowhere?
No, of course not, but we should question the long-term consequences of never accepting things as they are.
Today, if we don’t accept the way we look or the person we’re with we change it. We can attempt to change virtually anything in our lives.
We say, ‘It’s our right as Americans.?
There’s that pursuit of happiness echo again. But what happens if all the time and enjoyment is killed by that pursuit?