February 2003, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson OK’d funding for an all out war on the West Nile Virus in Oakland County. The $500,000 will go far to help municipalities fight a deadly mosquito carried illness that tallied 20 deaths and 184 know cases in Oakland County alone. Given the outbreak of SARS today, terrorists warnings and the ever present risk of other diseases in our society the funding is a small but welcome effort from government officials to preserve homeland general safety.
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Conversely, the effects of the early April ice storm where termed, ‘not devastating enough,? for state officials which included Gov. Jennifer Granholm to supply $2.1 million to about 60 Oakland County communities to help recover financially. The storm which shellacked an inch of ice on trees, downed powerlines and closed business, cost departments of public works to fire departments to police departments thousands already tighten budgets.The effects of one of the worst storms ever to hit this area, will be felt both financially and environmentally for years to come. Perhaps Granholm needed to take a few hours and visit the communities after the storm. (If she could get here).
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It’s time truck traffic was totally banned in downtown Ortonville on South Street. On any given school day hundreds of children are walking to or returning from classes as trucks ramble by within a few feet. The combination is for a serious accident one the could be avoided by additional traffic lights or signs. Truckers are typically great drivers and if they need a more effect means of getting to M-15 lets get it done.
Write to me and let’s hear what you think…

Nearly 10 years have passed since Congress authorized the construction of the National World War II memorial now under construction on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. After many years of fund-raisng and public hearings the effort to honor America’s World War II generation will be dedicated on May 29, 2004.
A well deserved and lasting tribute to salute those that served.
While the multimillion dollar project will do much to memorialize those that gave so much during WW II, many veterans will never have the opportunity to visit the site as they are dying at a rate of about 1,000 per day. The project should have been done 20 years ago.
Yet, for at least one WW II veteran (that I once knew very well), even if he was with us today I doubt he’d make the trek to Washington D.C. for the dedication or even visit the site. As a matter of fact the traditional Memorial Day was observed in a rather unconventional way.
His Memorial Day consisted of a quick 15 minute service at the Mancelona Cemetery (located in northwestern Michigan). There was no parade marching, no visit with old war buddies, no flag waving.
Rather, his memorial consisted of three days off work spent with his son in a 100-year-old log cabin in the pristine hills of Northern Michigan’s Antrim County, mushroom hunting on a flower laden rolling hill side, trout fishing in the numbing cold Cedar River where he fished as a child 60 years earlier. Or perhaps mowing the cabin lawn for the first time (if the snow was gone), or a quick boat ride, or assessing the depleted wood pile following a long winter. The dark days had passed, and now spring was far more attractive then grappling with thoughts of war.
This veteran had watched the invasion of France from the deck of a ship bobbing in the chopping waters of the English Channel, this veteran chased the Nazi General Erwin Rommel across northern Africa into Egypt and this veteran was shot at by German fighter planes. This veteran felt the devastating bombing of London, this veteran watched his fellow sailors die and witnessed the Statue of Liberty through the fog over New York harbor aboard the Queen Mary as the troops returned home.
Nearly a half century had passed and the war was over for him.
This veteran observed the day by enjoying what he and many others fought and died for,’War,? he would say, ‘is not fun, it’s not glamorous and I’m just glad to be home.?
Enough said.
So as we observe this Memorial Day both at home and on vacations take a few moments and thank a veteran’then go enjoy your freedom any way you deem necessary.
As for me, this Memorial Day my son Sam and I are going to that 100-year -old cabin, hunt some mushroom, trout fish, cut some wood and maybe take a boat ride on a northern Michigan lake. About the same activities that old veteran, my father, once did with his son on a Memorial Day weekend.

On Sept. 1, 1912, Martha died in the Cincinnati Zoo.
Martha, a female passenger pigeon was preceeded in death by her mate a few years earlier. Thus, with no male pigeon the species was doomed.
Today, Martha is nestled among our nation’s greatest treasures’preserved in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.
Her life story is tragic.
Ornithologist, John James Audubon, witnessed many flights of the passenger pigeon. Of one such flock in Kentucky, he wrote, ‘The air was literally filled with pigeons; the light of noonday was obscured as by an eclipse; the dung fell in spots unlike melting snow; and the continuous buzz of wings had a tendency to lull my senses to repose.? Her kin, once numbering millions fell victim to commercial hunting, loss of habitat and lack of planning.
Although Martha’s species joined the extinct list, her passing was not in vain, rather a hard lesson learned in how not to manage our environment and natural resources.
While a few years before my time, one could only guess that those ‘back in the day,? were convinced the small gray pigeon would always be in abundance. A gift from nature for future generations.
Do we really know better with our resources today?
Currently, we’re faced with similar decisions regarding our natural resources.
Our groundwater faces challenges from faulty septic systems; millions of gallons of fresh water are contaminated by raw sewage. Wells near septic tanks are the rule a product of the statement, ‘Oh, that system will last for 25 to 30 years. Heck, I’ll sell that house by then.? Sound familiar?
Similarly, countless garbage trucks rambling up and down area roads chips away at our fresh air. The lack of a formal curbside recycling program adds just a little extra junk to our landfills.
But, it’s OK, some say, we’ll let our kids worry about it besides, ‘it’s just too expensive, too much work and far too inconvienent to make a serious effort to be that responsible, right??
Simply, environmental responsibilities are very costly, inconvienent and require a lot of work. The people of Groveland Township have a chance to act and consider reducing the number of garbage trucks on the road. The people of Oakland County should also consider enhancements to their septic systems, whether an upgrade to their current system or joining other communities with a sewage system.
Martha’s death is both a symbol of failure, and one of hope. Could a spot near her at the Smithsonian be reserved for the last gallon of fresh water in America or the last breath of fresh air? Possibly. Our community leaders should worry more about doing the right thing for the future than the popular thing. If she could speak maybe Martha would agree.

If the Red Wings were playing in the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night it would be understandable, but a 2 percent turnout for a school board election in the Brandon School District?
Put another way, 256 residents made the decisons for about 12,000 registered voters. Do voters realize how important each vote is in these local elections? If the election was presidential then hordes of voters would undoubtably cast ballots, yet those votes are nearly meaningless.
‘In free governments, the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns. For the former, therefore, to return among the latter is not to degrade but to promote them,? such were the words of Benjamin Franklin in about 1787.
Franklin, still reeling from the stinging tyranny of British rule’spoke of a government of the people. Now 200 years later have people become so complacent any ‘ruler? is allowed in office without consideration?
Perhaps it’s time to considered a serious change in our school elections.
Recently introduced in the House and soon to be considered in the Committee on Local Government and Urban Policy, are House Bills 4820 -4828 amending the Michigan Election Law and the Revised School Code. The bill would establish four statewide election dates, in February, May, August and November of each year. All regular, special and school board elections would be held on these dates, with the secretary of state working to consolidate all elections held under the law.
A key element in the bill would require school elections, including intermediate and college to give up authority and no longer administer their own elections. In addition, the bill would adjust the terms of office for elected local and school officials to coincide with the election.
This bill would not only save the district money by joining villages and townships for elections, it would also provide voters more to choose from on the ballot. Voting for a township supervisor or mayor, for example along with school board members would hopefully spark the interest of a few more voters.
Furthermore, school elections would be governed by the Michigan Election Law, and the voting process would be the responsibility of the local clerk, rather than school officials. A responsibly fitting a clerk’s expertise.
While the concept of an election which incorporates several governing boards has failed in the past for a variety of reason, it’s about time school officials take a hard look at the facts: few vote in school elections.
It would seem only fitting that all governmental officials encourage constituents to vote and make it as simple as possible to do so. As in the recent school board election, a 2 percent turnout is a sign our system is failing and other options should be explored.

At a special Goodrich School Board meeting on June 9, 2003, Vice President Chris Maciag announced his resignation effective July 1.
That same day, more than 500 Goodrich voters (about 11 percent) went to the polls and choose Kenneth Rappuhn with 356 votes and Timothy Zirnhelt, 258 votes to serve on the Goodrich School Board. The third highest vote-getter, Michael Tripp, snagged 232 votes.
Yet, on July 21, 2003 the Goodrich School Board will convene and decide who will take Maciag’s seat.
Tripps? votes, although only 26 votes less than Zirnhelt become a moot-point.
The school board will decide the next member, not the people’and do so within the guidelines of the state school code. Why? Simply due to the date which Maciag submitted his resignation.
Had Maciag resigned just a few days earlier then three seats would have been open and Tripp would be on the school board.
Should a simple number of days outweigh the voice of the people?
No.
Tripp, should be appointed based on garnering 232 votes in the June 9 school board election. In terms of votes, Tripp soundly defeated candidates Bean Burr with 114 votes and Gregory Palm who received 66 votes.
The appointment is based simply on what the voters are saying, since the sole reason for voting is to allow the people of the Goodrich School District to speak.
And they did so very clearly.
Goodrich School Board President, Michael J. Thorp who will be reviewing applications for the seat says the appointment of the ‘third-most-vote-getter,? is seemingly obvious, if Tripp wants the post.
Yet, Thorp concedes the law must be followed, and the Goodrich School Board will make the ultimate decision.
If a candidate with less votes or an unknown candidate meets the qualifications for the job, then the board is within their legal rights to appoint that applicant.
Ultimately, the Goodrich School Board is faced with two decisions as they strive to appoint a replacement for Maciag: First, do they follow the law strictly and appoint a school board member based on who ‘they? feel is most qualified or do they follow the wishes of the people and appointment Tripp?
If a candidate is appointed to the Board who didn’t run in the election then the good voters of Goodrich should closely scrutinize their choice.
Our nation upholds a Democratic system which provides for popular elections for a reason’to let the people decide who will govern.
This appointment is an opportunity for the Goodrich School Board to vote the way of the people and their wishes. The board should be judicious in their decisions and reflect that voice.

For more than 40 years our family has owned a small log hunting cabin in the hills of Antrim County in northern Lower Michigan.
Built about 1900, long before electrical service and indoor plumbing, the small cabin has avoided nearly a century of mankind’s technological marvels that most assuredly bettered our lives.
We figured that somewhere around 1950 electricity was installed, thus out went the oil lamps, an oak icebox, and a crank phonograph with a Hank Williams 78-speed record still on the turntable.
The elderly couple died in the 1950s and shortly thereafter my father purchased the cabin. Dad died a few years ago and today, my son Sam and I, along with my older brother, take care of the place.
Over the years much has improved. For example, somehow a microwave and color television have eased their way into the cabin, must have items since for those cold winter nights after a long day of hunting.
Most importantly the telephone has stayed out, not a real difficult accomplishment since no telephone lines came into the old place.
Although, the cabin still stands as a monument to those who prefer to ‘not-communicate? it’s getting tougher each year to endure the slings and arrows of communication devices as they get smaller and easier to obtain.
The magnitude of the problem became extremely apparent a few hunting season ago when two of my comrades gathered with me at the cabin for a weekend of deer hunting and contemplation regarding issues of world importance.
OK, it’s the guy thing; no shaving, no showering a lot of grunting, spitting and general misbehaving-the stuff that separates men from, well, the other sex.
Anyway, the three of us were sitting there holding in high esteem our virtuous characteristics when, without warning, tragedy struck emanating a sound so terrifying the even today I wake up in a cold sweat.
A sound heard for the first time within the hallowed walls of the old log cabin.
An electronic tone.
The sound still reverberates in my mind, to think that after all the years of keeping technology at bay — like a ferocious virus it attacked during the finest hours of a deer hunter’s life — the night before opening morning, hunting buddies, a roaring fire, a log cabin — it was a beautiful thing.
At first we were stunned, then rather humbled that while after weeks of planning for the big hunt, one small detail had escaped us — leaving all communication devices at home.
A new rule was then immediately placed in the unwritten bylaws of cabin life — one that now ranks along with the century old rule of not repeating any behaviors or actions of any individual while in the confines of the cabin:
No electronic communication device may enter the cabin with the prior consent of God.
Technology is a great thing, yet allowing it to become such an integral part of our lives that we must work at escaping from it should be a warning to us all.
So park your guns and pagers at the door — your safety may depend on it.

Earlier this spring a friend of mine was out in the yard when a few young men came by pushing lawn mowers and toting ‘weed-wackers.? The polite kids asked it they could mow her yard during the summer.
‘Sure,? she replied. ‘How much??
?$20,? he said, after quickly surveying the yard.
She agreed since it was less than what she paid for a commercial lawn service, not to mention the young guys pointed out that others in the neighborhood had used their services too.
So, off the ambitious boys went and completed the lawn much to her satisfaction, (and mine too since I’ve had to help mow on occasion). Anyway, she paid them and asked if they could return in about three days to mow the lawn again.
About a week went by and I noticed the lawn was getting rather long again.
‘What happened to the new boys who cut your yard?? I asked.
‘Well, my daughter is mowing it,? she laughed. ‘It’s even cheaper than $20 now’it’s free.?
A simple process of price competition’advantage to the buyer.
Area schools and municipalities should pay close attention to this simple yet effective business method.
The ‘Commercial Lawn Service,? was replaced by the ‘Three Boys Lawn Care,? who was replaced by ‘The Daughter.?
The ability to shop for the best price, the best service in a timely manner is the case for privatizing.
While both Goodrich and Brandon School districts avoided the distribution of pink-slips to staff and while area villages and municipalities have avoid any drastic cutbacks today’next year it may not be so easy.
Privatization of services is a viable alternative to cutting costs at a time when it’s no longer a good idea, rather a necessary solution.
Take the case of Linden School District. In 1997 the southern Genesee County District sold off their entire bus fleet and contracted with Laidlaw, Inc. of Cincinnati for the safe pick up and delivery of about 2,600 students. The move, touted by some as the death knell for current worker jobs, resulted in many of the same drivers rehired by the company. Furthermore, the Linden School District, like most school districts, knows education, not transportation’alleviating at least one concern.
Linden school officials report great results and recently renewed Laidlaw’s contract for another five years.
Had Laidlaw failed at any aspect of the task, another company would or could have been there to compete for the business.
While the Linden case is just one of several successful examples of privatizing, it’s one that should at least be considered by schools and local governments. Anything school districts or local governments can do to become more efficient should be explored.

Lawmakers recently OK’d a bill that would allow school districts to spread class time over 1,098 hours and dump the state’s current 180-day school year. Supporters of the measure say school districts would have latitude in how to best ‘divvy-up? the time students spend in the classroom.
If desired, schools could change to a four day week rather than five days or attend school a little longer each day, earning longer vacations. The benefits of the plan would save schools on utilities, transportation costs and pattern their needs around what school boards deem best for the district.
The possibilities for districts to save money are great, however, those opposed to the bill say that working parents will be at a major disadvantage and many students will end up alone at least one day a week’adding to the growing ‘lone-time.? In addition, many students need to be in school to keep them out of trouble, offering positive alternatives to just ‘hanging out.?
Furthermore, parents, not schools will end up paying in the long run with additional daycare cost, one more burden on struggling families.
This law, while appearing to go far in saving districts some money, must consider the realities of American life and focus on the needs of families and students.
To contend with the needs of families, lawmakers should also weigh a four-day condensed work week for those employed.
Just five less hours each week to spend with family, friends or whatever would go far to help productivity of every ? 8-to-5er? out there.
Such a change could be accomplished if we work less and work smarter. It’s well known that the official work week has been shortened to 35 hours is several other countries. The outcome, says Sci formus, a group which supports a shorter workweek, is increased production. In France, for example, productivity is up’some would claim now higher than the U.S. Similarly, productivity in The Netherlands, Belgium, and the former West Germany has also increased.
Volkswagen’s market share is climbing even though its highly unionized, highly paid work force puts in an average work week of 28.8 hours, according to Sci formus.
Finally, hours worked, whether in school or on the job, need to be focused on production rather than time spent. Lawmakers, parents, school officials and students need to analyze their priorities and scrutinize every aspect of this bill’which, say officials, is destined to become law. Parents (like me) need to spend more time with their kids and add to the education process, however, many (like me) need the support of our lawmakers to do so. A reduction in the work week will weaken the age old parental excuse of, ? No time, I gotta work.?